ActivityMaster Helps Vancouver Trolley Company Overcome Halloween Nightmare

Every business wants to keep its phones ringing, but it can be a scary situation for both you and your customers if you’re not prepared for an onslaught of inquiries.

That’s the situation the Vancouver Trolley Company faces every Halloween. The annual Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tour – which the company operates as a fundraiser for the Vancouver Museum – has become a seasonal boon for the company. The Tour attracts upwards of 2500 riders, who are treated to stories of betrayal, revenge and visitations by the undead as they visit the city’s spookiest spots on chilly fall nights. But it also means a big spike in telephone inquiries to the company’s offices each October.
“The calls come fast and furious,” says president Jim Storie, “so much so that it exclusively occupies the time of two staff members in the weeks leading up to the Tour. We get a lot of inquiries during off-hours, which often results in playing telephone tag with potential customers throughout the day. And our staff is given the unpleasant job repeating information and schedules each time a call comes in.”

Early reservations for the 2003 Haunted Trolley Tour were already arriving last September when Storie was approached by ActivityMaster with a better way to handle reservations through an online booking system.
“Their proposal made a lot of sense,” continues Storie. “There was really no risk in switching to an online process, but a lot of benefits to be gained through web scheduling and reservations.”

“ActivityMaster worked with our web designer and staff to create an application that fit tightly with our website and accommodated all of our registration and business reporting needs,” continues Storie. “I was surprised with how quickly the program was up and running on our website and how smoothly it operated. Customers really found the process more convenient.” Web users could simply register for a Tour online by selecting their preferred date on the calendar and filling out a simple online form. ActivityMaster then issued a confirmation number to guarantee rider spots on the selected Tour. The process took only a few minutes and a few keystrokes.

But it was on the backend, in the Trolley Company office, where the system really paid off, as ActivityMaster virtually eliminated the dreaded job of dealing with all the paperwork. Staff simply used the same interface that web visitors used to take phone, email, and fax orders. “The process is so swift and intuitive that it made perfect sense,” says Storie.
“We could handle multiple reservations simultaneously. What’s more, all the information was collected in a common database so administering the Trolley Tour was never easier.”

Storie was so impressed with the ActivityMaster system that the Trolley Company soon will use the online reservation system for its Christmas karaoke tour as well as continue to use it for its popular Haunted Vancouver Trolley Tour.

“It was delightful working with Katherine and ActivityMaster,” adds Storie. “She understood the way we do business and the solution perfectly matched our needs. Customers now find it much easier to get Tour information and reserve online…and we’ve found a way to avoid a seasonal nightmare.”