Chicago Line Cruises’ 200 Guests in 15 Mins: A Video Case Study

Chicago Line Cruises, a family-owned business operating river architecture cruises on the Chicago River for over 40 years, sought to modernize their operations by integrating RocketRez into their ticketing system. This case study explores their journey, the challenges they faced, the solutions they implemented, and the remarkable outcomes achieved through RocketRez.

The Client:
Chicago Line Cruises
Industry:
Tours & Transportation
KPIs:

Background

Chicago Line Cruises has been a staple in Chicago’s tourism industry, offering 90-minute architectural cruises, private events, and charters. With a peak season running from St. Patrick’s Day to Thanksgiving, the company relies heavily on efficient ticketing operations to manage high volumes of guests.

The Challenges

Before RocketRez, Chicago Line Cruises grappled with an outdated ticketing system that was both slow and cumbersome. This old system posed several challenges:

  • Training Difficulties: Seasonal hires, often high school and college students, found the system difficult to learn, resulting in inefficiencies.
  • Technological Limitations: The previous system lacked modern features like mobile ticketing, which hindered operational flexibility and guest convenience.
  • Operational Inefficiencies: The slow system caused bottlenecks during peak times, affecting customer experience and staff productivity.
"So before we integrated RocketRez, we had a ticketing system that was pretty old and pretty slow. It was very difficult to learn and difficult to teach. The primary source of hires and people who work in the ticket office are people who will just be here for the summer, like high schoolers and college students. So to teach someone how to use this previous ticketing system would take weeks and days, and they would, like, barely master it by the time that they would leave to go back to school.”
Reilly Johnson, Head of Ticketing

The Solution

Recognizing the need for a robust and modern solution, Chicago Line Cruises evaluated several ticketing platforms before choosing RocketRez. Key factors in their decision included:

  • User-Friendly Interface: RocketRez’s intuitive design made it easy for new employees to learn and use.
  • Modern Features: The ability to send and scan mobile tickets was a significant improvement, aligning with current technological trends.
  • Comprehensive Support: The RocketRez team provided exceptional support throughout the transition, ensuring a smooth implementation process.

Implementation

The transition to RocketRez was meticulously planned and executed with support from RocketRez representatives. This proactive approach ensured minimal disruption to operations. Key steps in the implementation included:

  • Dedicated Training: Customized training sessions were conducted to acquaint staff with the new system.
  • Step-by-Step Guidance: Continuous support from RocketRez helped address any issues promptly, ensuring a seamless transition.
  • Integration with Third-Party Platforms: RocketRez facilitated seamless integrations with third-party platforms like TripAdvisor, Viator, and GetYourGuide, streamlining ticket management.

Benefits

Since integrating RocketRez, Chicago Line Cruises has reaped numerous benefits, significantly enhancing their operations and customer satisfaction:

  • Operational Efficiency: The ticket scanning feature has streamlined check-in processes, enabling the staff to handle up to 200 guests within a 15-minute window efficiently.
  • Customer Satisfaction: Enhanced service delivery through easy ticket management and mobile ticketing has improved the overall customer experience.
  • Positive Team Feedback: The staff appreciated the system's user-friendly interface, which reduced training time and operational headaches.
  • Advanced Reporting: RocketRez’s detailed reporting capabilities have allowed for quick and specific data analysis, aiding in better business decision-making.
  • Integrated Systems: The integration of POS and booking systems under one platform has simplified operations and improved efficiency.
“With RocketRez, the simplicity of the system is the thing we like the best and the thing that has been the most beneficial since we've switched over, just to be able to teach someone how to use it and for them to master all the different aspects of booking a ticket and scheduling a ticket and getting people on boats. RocketRez proved to be very easy to use, very easy to teach people how to use, and their just entire team there was super helpful and informative and ushered us through that transition really wonderfully and has continued to be really helpful as we've used the ticketing system.”
Reilly Johnson, Head of Ticketing

Setting Sail with Confidence

Red and White Fleet’s partnership with RocketRez underscores how technology can transform even the most established businesses. By integrating ticketing, payments, and client management into one cohesive system, RocketRez ensures they are equipped to handle growth without missing a beat.

As Sophia concluded, "RocketRez helps us make sure our time slots are available to our OTAs… and they're pushing it out to their customers." It’s this kind of precision and reliability that sets RocketRez apart.

Ready to transform your operations and set sail toward a brighter future? Discover how RocketRez can help your business.

RocketRez is built for growing and established attractions who are looking to manage their business operations in one comprehensive platform.

Book a demo to learn more about:

  • Operations and revenue management with ticketing, memberships, inventory, food and beverage, and retail
  • Robust business reporting with Insights and PowerBI
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  • Integrations and partnerships with OTAs, payment processors, ad networks, and more