The success story of Fries & Fruitig

‘With Recras everything stays easy to oversee, even with multiple locations’

In the heart of Friesland in the Netherlands, right by the Frisian lakes, you’ll find Fries & Fruitig. They offer atmospheric group accommodations with complete packages full of activities. From sailing camps and family weekends to company outings and weddings, everything is arranged down to the last detail. Thanks to the unique mix of stay and experience, every visit to Fries & Fruitig feels like a fully organised adventure. Greetje Dekker shares her story. She and her husband took over the company at the start of 2024. Recras was already in use then, and they decided to continue with it.

Working with an existing system

“I picked up Recras pretty quickly, it’s not that hard,” Greetje says. “Since I also started handling the staff scheduling right away, I dove straight into that part. There have been a few updates since, which made scheduling much easier. Now you can instantly see if no one has been scheduled on a specific day. In the beginning this was a bit tricky, but now I can see in a second if everything is correct. You just need to get used to it, and then it’s pretty easy.”

Multiple locations, one clear overview

“We have several locations, and that’s also very easy to manage in Recras,” Greetje continues. “In the calendar we can see exactly what’s happening at each location. Everything stays clear in one big overview, even though we’re working with multiple sites, and that’s really nice.”

Our process

“All bookings come in through our own website,” Greetje explains. “A customer can request a quote there. We then get an email letting us know a new request has arrived. We add the customer’s name in Recras and all the contact details they filled in are already there, so we don’t have to add anything manually. In Recras we have all our packages ready, like a weekend in Nijhuizum, and we add any wishes such as an activity or catering. We check the prices and send the option, which is valid for three days.”

From quote to execution

“When we’ve had a conversation with the customer, we immediately add it to the contact log. That’s a big advantage because everyone can see what was discussed. As soon as the quote is approved, I schedule the staff right away. Our suppliers are also connected to Recras. They receive an email with the time they’re expected, which I find really convenient because it saves me from having to chase anything myself. When I think about it, it’s a really great system. Truly a success.”

We pin the schedule on the wall

“We always print the schedule and send it to the customer,” Greetje continues. “And when the customer arrives on site, we also hang the schedule on the wall. That way everyone knows exactly what needs to happen and what the special details are. After that comes the invoicing. In Recras I can instantly see what has already been invoiced and what’s still open. I create a final invoice for whatever is left. All invoices I send are automatically added to our accounting software. It’s very complete.”

Set up by the previous owners

“It took about a year before I felt completely comfortable with it,” Greetje admits. “Mainly because I didn’t set up the system myself. Sometimes I still have questions about where to find something. Then I call the support team and they always help me out. That’s really convenient.”

Recras automates a lot

“What I would tell companies that are unsure about using Recras is that it automates an incredible amount, and that saves a lot of time,” Greetje says with confidence. “All our packages are ready to go, so sending a quote only takes a moment. Sometimes I create something custom, for example for a school camp, and then I write it out in Word, which takes me half a day. But when the package is in Recras, I’m done in no time. I also get reminders when I need to send an invoice, and the follow-up actions show me exactly what’s coming up. It’s just very complete. That really is the right word: complete.”

Always evolving

“The guys at Recras are always working in the background to add new features, and I really like that,” Greetje concludes. “They’re constantly improving things. We’re not even using everything that’s possible in Recras. For example, I know you can show capacity in the booking process, but that doesn’t apply to us at all.”