OVERVIEW
Enhancing the Guest Experience and Safety Aboard Located in Annapolis, Maryland, with 74-foot schooners, Woodwind and Woodwind II makes for a true sailing experience for up to 30 guests onboard. Once Schooner Woodwind’s Captain Jen connected with GoTab’s trusted partner, Mercantile Processing Inc.at a conference, she immediately embraced GoTab’s cloud-based solution and worked closely with the team to be up and running in time for the start of the season in April 2022.
THE SITUATION
After relying on Square to manage guest drink orders during the daily sailing cruises, Schooner Woodwind’s Captain Jen thought it was time to try a new system, better adapted to her family business’s unique operations. When comparing GoTab to the previous system used onboard, Captain Jen particularly enjoyed the fact that GoTab required no contract, had no hidden fees and set up costs were minimal. “I was surprised to be able to chat with an actual person when I tried to contact customer service, something I was never able to do when I used Square,” said Captain Jennifer Kaye.INDUSTRYRestaurants FEATURESOpen, Share, Split & Merge Tabs for GuestsContactless Order & Pay GoTab KDS & Printer IntegrationOnline OrderingNo Contract or Monthly Fees.
THE SOLUTION
An Intuitive & Cost-Efficient SystemCaptain Jen and her team utilized GoTab’s intuitive and user-friendly interface to assign a QR code on each of the two 74-foot schooners. GoTab’s flexible connectivity is a plus for both guests and crew. Guests can utilize reliable cell phone service to place orders via their mobile phone, and the crew can run GoTab on a portable, mobile wireless network or hot spot aboard the boats. With up to 30 guests onboard at the same time, contactless ordering offers an opportunity to optimize the staff’s trips to the bar downstairs to pickup drinks and serve them to the correct guests or group of guests. It also allows Captain Jen to maintain as much staff on the deck as possible to maximize safety and engage with guests. “I also like the fact that tabs close automatically after guests depart, since our guests have a tendency to forget to close their tab,” she added. “We also give guests the opportunity to leave a custom tip, which is made easier through GoTab.”
“The ability to order from any area of the ship as well as being able to keep tabs open for the entirety of the cruise allowed her staff to focus more on providing an amazing experience than accepting orders and searching for their recipients.”— Casey Fitzgerald, Mercantile Processing, Inc.
Now that both Woodwind and Woodwind II are equipped with GoTab, all captains have access to the backend of the platform, providing an opportunity to access key reporting features and manage guest offerings all in one place. Easily accessible real-time reporting data give her (and the entire crew) the ability to make cost-saving decisions and spend less time determining best-sellers, menus, etc. Just like with QR code ordering, GoTab’s QR features free up Captain Jen and her staff to focus on enhancing the on-yacht guest experience and engage with everyone aboard the schooners.