UK Software company TAAP has helped Haven Holidays handle the safe return of holidaymakers to its 37-holiday UK parks. Haven Holidays is part of the Bourne Leisure Group which operates Butlin’s Resorts and Warner Leisure hotels.
Ahead of the government lifting lockdown restrictions, Haven needed to re-engineer its physical arrivals process. The company sought a technology solution to support this transition. The Haven IT team, had to quickly design and implement a new way to ensure guests and employees could comply with social distancing guidelines at check-in. TAAP used its agile application platform to develop a new park operations platform and arrivals app to meet Haven’s needs. With a hard deadline, the system was delivered within 10 days of the first meeting between TAAP and Haven. Three days after launch, 93% of the guests had engaged with the system.
Re-engineering processes
The new process assigned guests personalised arrival times and removed the need for guests to collect their keys from reception. It also managed the flow of arrivals to reduce contact. Furthermore, Haven introduced the “Haven Cleanliness Guarantee” to reassure guests that their accommodation had been deep cleaned before their arrival.
The new check-in process means that Haven customers are now emailed ahead of arrival with a link to sign-in to the TAAP arrivals app. Customers confirm their booking and register their vehicles. They are then given a date and hour timeslot to arrive at their chosen park, with directions. They can indicate if they are likely to be late.
On arrival, the guests show a digitally generated arrival pass on their phone. The colour and letter coding allow the gate security to check the guest’s details without having to interact with them. This further reduces the risk of contact. Guests then check-in to their specified caravan and complete a cleanliness survey via the app. This information is visible in real-time for Haven’s operations teams to see who is onsite. The platform provides visibility to Haven employees on customer satisfaction and follow up with them if needed.
Rapid Response
TAAP’s CEO, Steve Higgon, said: “We are delighted to be able to work with Haven Holidays to come up with a solution to meet the challenge of COVID-19.
“Like many companies, Haven needed to quickly find new ways to get their business up and running while keeping customers and staff safe. As well as the speed of delivery, they needed to be confident that their customers can easily engage with the technology. We are pleased that the launch of the new check-in process has been so smooth, and there has been so much positive feedback from Haven customers. Everyone can be confident that staycations with Haven are safe and stress-free”.
Neil Hobbs, IT Director, Haven Holidays said: “The TAAP team were outstanding as they immediately shared our relentless drive to be ready for the first arrivals day after lockdown. Working closely together, a project that that would typically take two or three months was delivered in ten days, 48 hours before the first guests were due to arrive. The business had to grapple with creating a safe way for our guests to check-in, and our teams at the parks to work. We had to get to grips with a rapidly evolving situation in terms of the government advice and the needs of the business as customers started to book.”
Enterprise Times: What this means for business
Right across the board, the hospitality industry is in a desperate fight for business survival, during these current surreal COVID times. All companies are grappling with the issue of sustaining customer relationships, while maintaining social distancing and protecting staff. The system developed for Haven is one example of how technology can help companies, big and small get up and running post lockdown.
TAAP is a digital transformation platform that is being used on a global basis. It works within many different sectors, including retail, oil and gas, healthcare, and finance. The company has extended the use of its TAAP Visitor Book app built on its own platform. Originally launched to help create contactless digital receptions for offices, interest in the app has spiked because of the pandemic. Businesses irrespective of size, including pubs and restaurants, are looking for innovative solutions to help them manage the post lockdown rules. It’s now down to technology companies and providers to develop and adapt existing solutions to meet the needs of post lockdown world.
