Eager to bypass the monotony of campsite accommodation and price comparison? Longing to cling on to your excitement about a break from the nine-to-five but dreading the laborious booking process? Campingninja feels your pain, especially when your enquiries are unanswered.
During April, the prime-time month of summer holiday booking activity, Campingninja.com, the real-time search and online booking facility for campers, took to the phones to investigate how easy it was to contact campsites. The results painted a picture of a tourism sector in need of a smart and helpful management solution.
Of the 2,504 phone calls made to campsites, caravan and holiday parks in England, Wales and Scotland, during working hours*, 877 went unanswered - that’s an alarming 42% of calls made. Campsite owners and their staff are clearly very busy people, but with more than a quarter (538) of the calls never diverting to a voicemail facility that would allow potential customers to lodge a verbal enquiry, or request a call back, the chance of these sites losing out on potential business leads is extremely high.
The non-response will no doubt speak volumes to the customer, who is left feeling frustrated, resorting in taking their business elsewhere.
“Low cost camping holidays are a perfect tonic for would-be travellers keen to escape the daily grind, but acutely aware of the need to rein in the budget and keep accommodation costs down. Campsite operators need to find a way to ensure they make the most of their powerful niche in this domestic tourism market and improve their customer service experience and all-round visibility”, says Rhian Evans, co-director of Campingninja.
With 42% of telephone enquiries failing to be answered there has to be an alternative way for campers to find out information and book pitches quickly and easily. Many people already prefer to research, book and pay for products and services online with information available in an instant. Much like the sites available for flight, hotel and restaurant bookings, Campingninja has masterminded the UK’s first ever full-service search and booking platform that huddles together a detailed community of campsites, caravan and holiday parks across Great Britain.
No more ringing around campsites, no more sending off booking requests - just one single, fun and quirky user interface that takes care of research, selection, booking and payment at ninja speed. Customers can use Campingninja.com as a one-stop shop without the fear of booking fees as there aren’t any. Users can search by facilities and locations, from local farms to eco-friendly sites, by what they do want (e.g. dog-friendly, camp fires allowed) and, at the same time, by what they don’t want (e.g. adult only, cold showers).
User-generated reviews and quality ratings come as part of the all-inclusive information package, helping Campingninja to develop a trusted forum in which campers and travellers can share their tips and experiences, reminiscent of the popular TripAdvisor which focuses on hotels, motels and hostels.
It’s a logical marketing solution for the busy campsite owner too. They are looking for an efficient way to instantaneously communicate pitch availability, to manage customer bookings and to present the information that will answer the majority of customers’ FAQs, like local tourist attractions, rates and green initiatives.
Campingninja is free for campsite owners to list the pitches and facilities they have available, in words and images. There is no contract tying campsites in to a fixed period.
At a time when tourism has the power to play such a huge part in economic recovery, it’s crucial campsite owners maximise their chances of securing business. Answering the phone, or, at the very least, having a sufficient, friendly voicemail to greet customers when staff are unavailable to take the call, is essential, but having a comprehensive online information and booking mechanism is even more powerful marketing.
*Calls were made to campsites only during working hours, between 09:30 and 16:30.