Case Study: How RoverPass Helps Lakeshore RV Park Scale Business While Minimizing Workload
Lakeshore’s Steve Dragt runs one of the most pristine and family-friendly RV parks in Minnesota, leaving guests satisfied and filled with humor by the end of their stay. A dedicated member of his community, Steve also serves as an EMT on an ambulance while tending to Lakeshore’s RV park. How could he possibly balance the responsibility of emergency medical responses with an ever-growing list of happy campers and reservations?
Nestled along Big Stone Lake in Ortonville, Minnesota lies the luxurious and full-service campground Lakeshore RV Park, a perfect spot for family reunions and holiday getaways.
Just two short miles from the shops and restaurants of Ortonville’s Historic Downtown, guests can meander between walking the town or exploring nature’s wonders at the full-service campground–featuring full hookups, a swimming pool, a hot tub, and an arcade.
Bookings have risen at Lakeshore RV park every year and with a people-first mentality, Steve and his team have stayed ahead of the curve by managing incoming requests with the RoverPass Central Reservation System. The reservation management software ensures guests can easily book their stay on the lake and Steve can continue to provide excellent customer service by minimizing all the time spent returning missed calls or jotting down numerous notes.
The Reality Lakeshore RV Park Faced Before Taking Advantage of Software with RoverPass
Before working with RoverPass for reservation management, Steve admits he thought he had things down to a science. After all, with 29 years of experience running a park, he only began to realize scattered notes and missed calls were quick to add up—taking a toll on time he could otherwise direct to invest in campers and their experiences.
When an emergency call comes in for his role as an EMT, there just isn’t any room for taking on additional phone calls. Steve quickly understood he needed help managing reservations. Not to mention, he was using a small recipe box for storing reservations! While the workflow was quite charming, he knew it was no longer sustainable and soon began the search for software to minimize unnecessary stress and confusion.
While commitments vary, Steve’s experiences aren’t unheard of or unusual. Unfortunately, scribbling details on napkins and answering a string of incoming calls happens to be the standard for most campgrounds and RV park owners. This method has stood as a tried and true approach, but it only continues to fail expectations as the camping industry skyrockets to a record of 3.9 million households, according to the 2021 North American Camping Report.
The Quest for the Perfect Reservation Management System Ends with RoverPass
After attending his local and annual campground association conference in the fall, Steve had sifted through a hefty selection of products and management systems only to discover a lack of intuitive user experiences or budget-friendly options.
“I looked at other companies, other products. I was apprehensive. I mean, this is my 29th year of owning a park, and I looked at a lot of reservation companies, and none of them said they could do what you do. Yours is just so user-friendly.”
At RoverPass, navigation and usability are critical factors in ensuring our campground owners spend less time on the screen figuring out workflow procedures and more time giving their guests top-of-the-line experiences and service.
“It’s been a great experience, great company. You guys keep in touch, which is absolutely awesome, and you’ve got a great product. I mean it’s so user-friendly. And the price! You can’t beat it. It’s absolutely the best product around.”
(And it is our honor to offer sophisticated software and leading customer service at an affordable price!)
Reflections After Joining RoverPass and Why Lakeshore RV Park Chose to Add Channel Management
Once the monotony of running a successful park gets removed, space always seems to open up for more growth opportunities—and in Lakeshore’s case, bookings and reservations have only continued to rise through the roof.
“I’m very impressed with the [onboarding] process, Sarah was awesome and patient. I’ve filled up my weekend spots—that’s the only complaint I’ve got! There’s just no more room,” Steve confesses as he plans to rearrange details to accommodate the growing number of reservations after equipping his team with the Central Reservation System software, a one-stop-shop for managing campground and RV park reservations.
“Everyone has been great, like Sarah and Kelsey, just ready to answer questions and help out. The support is awesome, and you guys are the best around.”
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As a satisfied user of the Central Reservation System, Steve is currently in the early stages of exploring the Channel Management System, a space offering park owners tools to handle multiple sales channels, platforms, and online listings all in one place.
With Channel Management, Steve is very excited to further increase his visibility to new campers online while removing the risk of double booking by having his multiple listings get updated immediately from the channel manager.
Final Thoughts from Steve and Looking to the Future
When we asked Steve about his overall satisfaction, he promptly responded about the added ease RoverPass has brought into his workflow, “I don’t have to use the recipe box anymore! Your program is very user-friendly. I can do everything right there. People can still call on the phone, but I don’t have to be there. They can make a reservation online, anytime.”
We always love hearing about the convenience our software brings to the day-to-day requirements owners fulfill managing campgrounds and optimizing guest experiences.
Supporting the back-end of what it takes to be a successful campground or RV park continues to shed insights as satisfied owners, like Steve, begin to implement the Channel Management System to scale their business while minimizing workload and stress.
The Best Compliment Is A Referral and Lakeshore Is Miles Ahead
Hearing about our customer’s experiences from the onboarding process to integrating software is the backbone, the why, of what we do. Creating state-of-the-art software to help people serve their community is just a result of the people-first vision we hold at RoverPass. The feedback and gracious referrals from our community continue to serve as the building blocks of our trajectory in simplifying the details that go into a rewarding user experience.
Steve agreed and told us, “If you’re ever in Minnesota or have a representative here, [the annual conference], that would be one place to really check out. There’s a lot of small [campgrounds], and that’s the problem—it’s the small ones that need the help, you know, and you guys are very accommodating.”
State-of-the-art software isn’t just reserved for larger establishments either. RoverPass is delighted to bring smaller campgrounds and RV parks on board. Owners can trust in RoverPass to make all of the back-end work as simple as sitting around the campfire—budget and customer service included.
Does lightening your load on mundane tasks like taking calls and writing notes on scrap pieces of paper feel like something that could clear time and create space for revamping your visitor experiences and offerings? Book a free demo with our staff today to learn more about how an ease in your workflow can boost your reservations by 20% while simultaneously reducing workload.