Revolutionary booking system for cruise parking business

With industry-first innovations, and a flawless booking process, Parking4Cruises increased booking revenue by 14% in their first 12 months after launch.

Project launch: October 2017

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Project Scope

Website design

API integrations

Online booking system

Notifications & updates

Technologies

About the Client

Parking4Cruises are an established cruise parking company based in Southampton. They’re well known for exceptional customer service, and since the business was formed in 2009, that had been the foundation for their steady growth until 2018, when it started to stutter.

Increasing revenue
Simplifying the booking process
Automatically send notifications
Provide reassurance to customers

The Challenge

The bottom line was to increase bookings. Just making the website prettier wasn’t going to do that. We had to boost booking numbers, and as a secondary goal, reduce the number of customers contacting with questions and enquiries.

We started with an SEO audit to identify existing issues and new opportunities. We rethought the booking procedure from the ground up and integrated with the DVLA API to make the booking process incredibly quick and simple.

Vastly improved booking experience

The booking process on the existing website was cumbersome, with lots of data entry required. We made significant improvements by integrating with various systems and APIs, cutting the number of form fields in half.

In an industry first, we removed the requirement for customers to specify their vehicle drop off and pickup times. We now use an SMS API that sends customers a message on the morning of their booking day, that just needs a reply when they’re 30 minutes away.

Inspiring customer confidence

Research showed that customers were concerned about where their car would be kept, and how far it would be driven whilst they were away. We responded by including a dedicated page showing details of the Parking4Cruises parking compound for complete transparency.

As a result of no longer requiring vehicle drop off and pickup times, time spent providing customer support was significantly reduced. Customers are no longer worrying about whether or when they were expected, or what they needed to do on arrival.

An ongoing partnership

We have worked with Parking4Cruises for nearly 10 years, and have developed their systems further, with bespoke tools that help them manage every aspect of their business.

From staff rotas and booking management tools, to an Android app for Meet and Greet staff to check in customers, their entire process is now simpler, more transparent, and easier for both admins and customers.

Integrations & APIs

The Parking4Cruises website has a complex setup of integrations and APIs. This includes the integration between the website and the administration app, as well as the use of 3rd party services such as payment providers.

Two other key integrations were with UK Vehicle Data, and the Southampton Port website.

UK Vehicle Data helps identify vehicles by their number plate, ensuring that users can confirm the correct details on the website, and that the P4C team can identify the car on arrival as well.

And the Southampton Port website enables the website to pull through information about ships arriving and departing from the port. This includes any delays or changes, so that P4C staff can adapt according to the ship’s itinerary.

Diagram showing integration and APIs used in the Driving with Dogs project

parking4cruises.co.uk
Homepage
parking4cruises.co.uk
Contact
parking4cruises.co.uk
About
parking4cruises.co.uk
Booking
parking4cruises.co.uk
Reviews
parking4cruises.co.uk
FAQs

The Outcomes

In the first 12 months after launch, the new website led to a big increase in booking numbers, from both an increase in organic web traffic AND an improved conversion rate.

The numbers exceeded even our own expectations. We also received tremendous feedback from customers, showing that not only were they more likely to book with Parking4Cruises, but their booking experience was also more positive.