The story: Spreeboote

We not only redesigned the website for the boat rental company on the Spree, but also installed our rental software. We have summarised the story about the digitalisation of this rental business once again here.

From the beginning, the development of our rental software Rentware took place in close cooperation with the boat rental company Spreeboote. Spreeboote approached us in the summer of 2017 to initially ask for support in choosing a suitable booking software. Since all previously developed software solutions for rental businesses were severely outdated, not mobile-optimised, not intuitive and not flexible enough and, above all, could not map the desired tariff model, the only option was actually to develop the right software ourselves.

If this software had been developed for Spreeboote alone, it would have quickly blown the budget. But what if we could bring a software solution to the market that could finally map what a modern digital rental company needs, not only for Spreeboote, but for all companies in the rental industry? We decided in the summer of 2017 to build exactly this software with Rentware. We quickly founded a company, hired developers and started development in December. At Easter 2018, Spreeboote was able to go online with a new website and booking software tailored to their needs and immediately had a great season.

How does a rental business go digital?

Step 1: Modern website

The website is the online flagship or digital storefront of a business and should therefore represent the brand well as well as present the products well and clearly. A Google ranking on the top positions is also a must to be successful.

To ensure that the high-class boat rental company is also in the spotlight online, we first designed a classy new and multilingual website. The focus here was also on a responsive design, so that the website looks perfect on any device. For Spreeboote, it was important here that the company’s luxurious brand also stands out online. The website’s functions should match the first-class customer service that Spreeboote attaches great importance to. The customer should be able to find all information about the boats intuitively and at the same time be convinced by the design of the website.

To show the playfulness of boating and to get customers to try out the website and quickly get to the booking options, we designed the buttons in an appealing way. A small animation of a steering wheel draws the eye of the website visitor to these options. Booking should be quick and fun – just like easy handling of the rentals and an exciting boat adventure on the water.

The website invites you to get more information about the rental by intuitive clicks. The tabs in the main menu are clearly divided: “Home, Boats in detail, Offers, Tours, Catering, Booking and Prices” options ensure that you can quickly find what you are looking for here. In addition, the company already introduces itself in this menu: Some will also find what they were perhaps not explicitly looking for here – but what’s really wrong with in-house catering on the boat or?

Top ranking: Spreeboote is at the top of the search results thanks to SEO marketing!

The abbreviation SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation: search engine optimisation is primarily about perfecting accessibility via search engines such as Google. Where does your company appear in the search results? For which search queries will your rental business be found? To ensure that Spreeboote is also displayed high up in the results lists, we are constantly updating and adapting the content on the Spreeboote website.

The company should be able to concentrate fully on the rental business, while we look after the website and provide new content in several languages. In this way, we have built a website that is literally top in the rankings and also gets many conversions – in other words, many customers who book directly by finding the website! This brings us to the next topic – how does booking work now that new prospects have been generated?

The booking and rental software

Step 2: Make the site bookable online

We have developed rental software that makes renting out any inventory easier than ever before. How exactly does Spreeboote benefit from this?

In order for nothing to stand in the way of online booking, you of course need software that can implement exactly these processes. This means that not only the customers should be automatically guided through the steps until the booking or reservation is completed – for Spreeboote, the software should also be able to map the steps until the boat is handed over and far beyond.

• Increased utilisation through online booking
• More overview and control over the rental business
• Easier accounting
• More complex pricing
• Manage employee authorisation roles clearly

Rentware can be integrated into the website via widgets, for example, which then guide website visitors to the shop. In addition, as with Spreeboote, there can also be a tab in the menu that leads directly to the shop. Often, a combination of all this is a good idea: Rentware offers various widgets that directly display a live availability calendar of the rental objects or refer to certain information about one of the boats – to name just two examples.

How does the software remain modern in the future?

Step 3: Constant development

We work in a constant exchange with our customers to keep the software up-to-date and continuously develop new updates and enhancements.

The rental business of Spreeboote is growing and developing, also through the use of our software. Functions are constantly being adapted, updates are needed or additional gimmicks are added. With the constant energy our team puts into Rentware, we want to prevent the software from ever getting “old”. Just like in the rental industry, new opportunities to reinvent business are emerging digitally. Technology goes hand in hand with your rental business. We upgrade the software when new opportunities open up for you – or vice versa! Use our updates to expand your rental business.

This is how the packages feature came about. Spreeboote contacted us and asked if we couldn’t tinker with it? Whether you couldn’t somehow put together packages from inventory items and then give them an independent new price? Sure, we’ll do that!

So ask us what exactly you need for your rental business. Your business and our software benefit equally from constant development. Together we will find the perfect solution!

Rentware has simplified our processes in the rental business, even though we offer our customers many different services. After the introduction of the software, it was possible to almost abolish our administration area because almost all processes are now automated via Rentware. In addition, the ease of booking – especially via smartphone and tablet – has increased our occupancy rate by about 25%. We love…!

Frank Richter | Business Owner