COVID-19.

A New Way to Interact

It is understandable that marina operators enjoy interacting with their customers. Developing relationships leads to welcoming experiences, which hopefully leads to boaters returning season after season. But as 2020 comes to an end, and since the virus is still a major factor to contend with, incorporating a software platform to manage a small fraction of daily operations might be a necessity in the future. "Marina operations aren't that complicated, but with all of the people and boat movements, it can be very complex," said Iaian Archibald, co-founder and CEO of Swell Advantage, Ltd. Swell is an intuitive marina management software system that helps simplify the complexity of a chaotic summer day and helps coordinate between co-workers whether they are on the dock, in the office or off-site. "Swell is designed to help marina staff manage boats, customers, and dock resources today and into the future, all in one flexible and easy to use tool," said Archibald. Swell allows marina operators to access customer information from anywhere, communicate with boaters through email or text directly in the program, handle documents digitally with e-signatures, and boaters can do things like pay for their slips in the boater self-serve portal. "We are also using the latest in progressive web app design and data management to build a tool for marina operators, boaters and marina owners that focuses on data security and simplifying or streamlining operational workflows while getting ready for a machine learning or artificial intelligence-driven future," said Archibald.

Looking Toward the Future

Nathan Heber also had the future in mind when he developed the digital platform Boatyard five years ago. The app allows open communication between boaters and marinas. "The consumer app enables boat owners to order virtually any service they need- they can schedule a boat cleaning, reserve a captain, or schedule a fueling," said Heber. "I love to sail and I developed the platform to help enable those experiences on the water that I enjoy. My hope is that the flexibility will lead to more boat ownership." Heber also points to the new group of boat owners that grew from the pandemic. "We saw a huge surge in boat sales due to COVID-19. These are people who didn't grow up in the industry but they are used to technology. We also need to keep in mind that customer expectations have changed; even grandmothers are scheduling Uber rides. So marinas should consider utilizing a digital platform to help improve customer interaction, which will lead to better customer service," Heber said. As new technologies emerge, DockMaster leaders believe it will be up to marinas to determine where this technology can better serve them than their older practices. With younger generations being drawn to boating, marinas will have to find new ways to reach this younger, technology-driven demographic. Heber agrees that technology will have a huge role in the future of the marine business. "I think marinas and boaters will have access to telematics that are able to predictively tell you if a boat has an issue before it breaks," he said. "I think owners will be able to monitor their boats from anywhere, leading to a pain-free ownership experience."

48 Marina Dock Age November/December 2020 Boatyard enables boaters to order services directly through an app on their mobile device. Swell is an intuitive marina management software system that allows marinas to operate the entire business from a laptop or mobile device.