|
Recently, Erin and Dan Thiem of Inn Town Campground, a proud CalOHA member park, have been in the limelight for their advice on how to choose the best reservation system for your park.
CalOHA often gets inquiries about the best reservation systems out there. While we are partnered with seven of the best systems for RV Parks and campgrounds, it can be difficult to figure out which one is going to work best for your park. That’s where the Thiems come in. Successful campground owners, Erin and Dan break down the difficulties of changing reservation systems and how to choose what will work best for you.
There can be many reasons you may be looking to change reservation systems. Maybe you just aren’t happy with what you have now. Or maybe your business is growing and your current system can’t quite keep up anymore. Whatever the reason, Erin says there are three key takeaways from their hunt for the perfect system:
1. Research before you commit.
2. Identify what you need (both what doesn’t work for you right now as well as what does work).
3. Pay special attention to onboarding and committing resources to that process.
The research process may take some time; for Erin and Dan, it took years. In this stage, you should also try out the systems (most have demos you can test out) to see if it is truly what it is made out to be. You can also call the company itself and speak with someone about your needs and wants when it comes to your park.
Of course, it is important to identify where your current system may be lacking and find one that can fill that gap. What most RV park and campground owners/operators don’t think about though, is thinking about what does work and making sure the new system integrates those as well.
Erin also points out that it can be easy to get distracted by the bells and whistles and overlook the fundamentals of the system. Some of the extras may not be worth the additional cost and could end up making things far more complicated than necessary. To combat this, make a list of the things you think you need, but be honest with yourself about what is actually needed versus things that are just on your wish list.
Finally, Erin explains that training and onboarding from one reservation system to the next is going to be time-consuming and more difficult than you think. The more complex the system, the more complex the training; this is a good time to remember not to pay extra for the unnecessary add-ons. Thankfully, YouTube is full of great tutorials for most problems or questions you may have.
All in all, changing reservation systems can be stressful and intimidating (especially if you make the switch mid-season like Erin and Dan), but following these general guidelines can make it worthwhile in the long run.
| 
