Andy runs LandCruise Motorhome Hire, a busy Sussex-based business with a large fleet of luxury motorhomes and campervans to help customers explore the UK and Europe. If you’re thinking about hiring a motorhome for an adventure or Glastonbury, Andy is your guy.
Running a motorhome hire business, however, involves juggling bookings, vehicles, customers, paperwork, payments and compliance. As LandCruise grew, managing all of this with spreadsheets, paper records, and legacy systems was becoming increasingly difficult.
Getting rid of repetitive, error-prone manual tasks was a high priority. As well as binning off those dreaded spreadsheets. Andy dreamt of efficiency for both his staff and his customers.
Andy needed a system that could bring everything together in one place, from booking through to vehicle handover and return.
We helped Andy by creating a comprehensive platform including a CRM, booking management, fleet management tools, a customer portal, and a mobile app for the workshop team. Together, these free up time for better customer service and handling more enquiries.
Everything works in sync, giving the LandCruise team a clear view of bookings, vehicles and customers without the paperwork, the manual entry, or the duplicate data.
What could we do for you?
Before Switchplane
Andy was like you.
His motorhome hire company was growing. His fleet was expanding, along with bookings.
Staff found themselves swamped with admin work: keeping vehicles road-legal, chasing payments, and providing customers with relevant motorhome information. All whilst maintaining the excellent customer experience in which they pride themselves.
Bookings, vehicle availability, and customer information were spread across spreadsheets, emails, and paper forms. Andy’s team had been using an off-the-shelf piece of industry software, but it wasn’t meeting their needs. They had too many aspects that were unique to their business.
Each booking involved collecting customer details, processing payments, gathering documents, and preparing the motorhome for hire. Much of this relied on manual steps, endless spreadsheets, and workarounds - all with admin time to process.
The system worked, but only because the team spent significant time processing information and keeping everything aligned. Andy knew things should be better, so he got in touch with Switchplane.
The challenge
Andy wanted a system that could manage the full lifecycle of a booking.
From the moment a customer decides to hire a motorhome through to vehicle handover, the trip itself and the return process, the business needed clear visibility of customers, vehicles and bookings.
The new system needed to:
- Manage bookings and fleet availability
- Allow customers to upload documents and provide details in advance>
- Simplify vehicle handovers and returns
- Reduce paperwork and manual administration>
- Integrate with payment and accounting systems
Most importantly, it needed to support the continued growth of the business without increasing the amount of administrative work required.
Working with us
We built what Andy needed.
We replaced the key functionality of his existing off-the-shelf software. Then we killed off spreadsheets and paper documentation, one by one. The system brings together customer information, bookings, vehicle data and operational processes into one connected platform.
Email automation to customers was a top priority. It took a lot of admin overhead to send the correct information at the right time. We cut out all of those repetitive, manual mailers.
Key features in place, we’ve since looked at the management of vehicles. A customer portal now enables hirers to enter their own details and book optional extras, increasing sales. And workshop staff now use an app to help them maintain and turn around vehicles for their next hire.
This one-stop platform means increased efficiency for Andy’s team and customers.
Bookings made easy
Making the booking process quicker for everyone
Customers can now book their motorhome directly. The system guides customers through the booking process, collecting the information required to confirm their hire and preparing the booking automatically within the system.
Payments are handled through integrations with Barclays, Cardstream, and Stripe, while financial records synchronise with Xero, removing the need for duplicate data entry.
This significantly reduces the admin time spent collecting customer details and processing bookings.
Everything customers need, before they arrive
A portal that keeps documents and booking details in one place
Customers can access a dedicated portal where they can upload documents and provide required information ahead of their trip. The system then sends time-sensitive prompts to customers. This makes gathering licence information, requesting payments and collating missing details much easier.
In return, customers access videos about their vehicle and information about driving abroad.
This allows the LandCruise team to gather everything they need in advance, avoiding delays and reducing the amount of paperwork required during handover.
“We used to generate about 13 pieces of paper for every booking. With around 1,000 bookings a year, that’s more than 13,000 sheets of paper. Now the filing cabinets are empty.”
- Andy Wheeler, LandCruise Motorhome Hire
A three-minute motorhome handover
Replacing half an hour of paperwork
Previously, handing over a motorhome to customers involved around 30 minutes of paperwork and checks before the trip could begin.
Today, much of that process is handled digitally. Customers can complete key steps in advance, and the remaining checks can be completed quickly on arrival.
What used to take half an hour now takes around three minutes.
Vehicle hire compliance, handled automatically
No more manual requests to the RAC
The system also automates Vehicle on Hire certificate requests, removing the need for manual communication with the RAC and ensuring certificates are requested consistently for every booking.
An app for the team on the move
Managing vehicles, handovers, and returns
LandCruise staff can access the system through a mobile app while working around the workshop. Getting information between the workshop and office teams had historically been a nuisance, as the teams are spread across a large site. Popping over to the workshop meant time away from sales and customers. But it’s common that information travels between the teams to prepare a vehicle for rental.
To make this easier, we created an app for tablets and phones. Workshop staff use the app to check in a vehicle and track the cleaning and preparation process. They then mark the vehicle as ready. Staff back in the office know the up-to-date status of a vehicle when the customer arrives for pick up.
The app has also helped to get rid of paper-based servicing. It records mileage, damage, and damp checks, as well as service checks on all areas of the vehicle.
Another step towards a more efficient operation.
The outcome
Less paperwork, clearer processes, and more time to focus on customers.
Processes that once generated thousands of pieces of paper each year are now digital. Filing cabinets that once stored booking paperwork now sit empty.
Automation has also significantly reduced the amount of administrative work required to manage bookings and vehicles.
As the business has grown and team members have moved on, LandCruise has been able to redirect effort away from processing bookings and towards sales, marketing, and business growth.
Today, the team can focus on delivering great customer experiences, confident that bookings, vehicles, and customer information are all managed within one connected system.
The team can also see an overview of upcoming rentals, outstanding documents, payments, and vehicle readiness at a glance, giving them confidence that everything is ready for each trip.
Now, how can we help you?
Are you like Andy?
If you’re managing bookings, customers, and operations across spreadsheets, emails and paperwork, it may be time to rethink how your systems work together. We can help you be more efficient and productive.
We help businesses replace fragile manual processes with systems that support growth and deliver better experiences for customers and staff alike. We'll save your team hours of admin time, so your staff can focus their energy where it really matters.
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