In a nutshell…

  • Customer Portal
  • System Integration

Squirrel Business Solutions replaced the manual completion of agreements by VicParks members with a fully digitised system. This allowed members to quickly create agreements online, have them electronically completed and signed by recipients, within hours instead of days or months, and then stored securely in the cloud. This not only reduced risk for parks by ensuring that they were operating with legally binding agreements in place, but also saved them time and eliminated paper and postage costs.

VicParks is a not-for-profit member organisation that protects, promotes and advances the caravan park industry in Victoria.

The brief

Each year, VicParks’ members need to send out agreements to their customers. These agreements detail arrangements for accommodating customers’ vans or dwellings in the parks on a permanent basis. Each copy of the agreement is 36 pages long and has to be printed out, collated, stapled together, placed in an envelope and posted, and recipients have to initial each page and sign the agreement before returning it. The entire process takes days to complete and the postage alone costs $5 per recipient. “It was a very time-consuming and expensive process for our members,” explains Elizabeth White, VicParks’ CEO.

VicParks wanted to provide their members with a digital platform that would help them to streamline their operations, similar to the one used by VicParks’ counterparts in New South Wales. Having previously worked with Squirrel Business Solutions on the successful setup and integration of their Zoho CRM and Xero platforms, they approached Squirrel for help.

“Because of our respect for Squirrel’s work on that project, we asked them to assist us with this project. We had been looking at a similar product in NSW and wanted to fine tune it for our use and needed Squirrel’s help. Kylie and Shawn offered to deliver a better, purpose-built product, built around our Zoho CRM and fully customise it,” Elizabeth White elaborates.

The solution

VicParks already had Zoho CRM in place. Squirrel integrated the CRM with a portal they developed on the VicParks website and integrated eSignLive, the electronic signature solution behind some of the world’s most trusted and security-conscious organisations. Squirrel then integrated eSign Live with Zoho CRM to provide users with a complete online process that was accessible via the VicParks website and easy to understand and navigate.

The new fully automated and easy-to-use system works like this: Once on the VicParks website, a member simply logs in and can then generate a new agreement for a customer to occupy a site in their park. Most of the information required in the requirement has been pre-filled from the CRM – all they have to do is add the name of the customer and site rules along with the relevant fees. The member then sends the agreement to their customer via the portal for signature, which the recipient provides electronically and returns to the member. The entire process is structured in a step-by-step way that is clear and easy to follow.

“We now have a fully digitised system that we’ve tested on members with a wide range of IT abilities, and they’ve all found it easy to use. It’s tick-box, user-friendly application, and the way it’s structured makes it foolproof. Other documents can also be sent at the same time, reducing costs for our members,” adds Elizabeth White.

The benefits

  • A fully digitised, automated and structured process that is user-friendly and takes hours instead of days to complete.
  • VicParks have complete control over agreements, which in the past could be altered by the recipient and inadvertently rendered invalid.
  • Agreements are pre-filled with information from the CRM, eliminating double entry, improving accuracy and saving time.
  • Many of the costs associated with paper-based processes, for example paper and postage, have been eliminated.
  • Completed documents are all stored centrally and safely in the cloud.
  • Legally binding signatures can be now obtained easily and securely.
  • VicParks now have an infrastructure that can be built upon and used for other kinds of agreements and documents.

Squirrel were so responsive. I don’t judge contractors only by how well they met the specs, but also by how well they overcame any hurdles along the way. The most valuable contractor is the one who can fix any unexpected problems they encounter – that’s gold. Shawn and Kylie were always willing to fix things and looking for ways to make the project better. I didn’t have to project manage – Kylie did.

Elizabeth White

CEO

VicParks

Ask Squirrel

Could your business benefit from a similar solution? We’d be happy to help you find one. Book a free consult today.

Squirrel Business Solutions implements and integrates CRM and other cloud-based systems, and provides training and support, for small and medium-sized businesses all over Australia, including Melbourne, Bendigo, regional Victoria, Tasmania, Sydney and Brisbane. This empowers them to automate their processes and improve their efficiency.

By | Posted on 14 March 2018 | Events, Hospitality & Tourism

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By | Posted on 14 March 2018 | Events, Hospitality & Tourism