Fun Forest’s success story

‘Together we have established a strong partnership’

Spread across four locations in the Netherlands are Fun Forest’s climbing forests. Four unique parks with different climbing routes, ground-based activities and several seasonal adventures. For all groups and ages, from children’s parties to company outings. How do you manage it all? Daan from Fun Forest talks about working with Recras.

About Fun Forest

‘What we offer? Great adventures in nature, for everyone,’ begins Daan. ‘Schools, companies, friends and family: everyone is welcome in our climbing forests in Amsterdam, Almere, Rotterdam and Venlo. But we are more than just a place for a fun outing. We offer a place where our visitors can overcome their fears and learn about their strengths. And a place where cooperation is key. With us, it’s not just the trees that grow. The visitors grow too. And our staff! We work with a great team of staff. We are a Social Enterprise with a clear mission: among other things, we provide learning and working places for young people distanced from the labour market.’

On good terms

‘Last year, more than 100,000 people visited one of our climbing forests. Not only to climb, but also for ground-based activities. From archery and water sports to an indoor climbing centre. The various locations, activities and almost 200 staff make it a challenge to manage everything. A solid management software is therefore indispensable. We found this seven years ago in Recras.’

Forerunner

‘Before we used Recras, we were working with a CRM system, made especially for us,’ Daan explains. ‘We used it for bookings, among other things. But the system turned out not to be very accessible and was difficult to link directly to our website. Moreover, we ‘just’ organised the personnel planning in Excel and then had to enter and process everything by hand. Not at all convenient, especially as we continued to grow as a company. So we researched other available systems. From this, Recras came out as the best match.’

Integration

‘I myself have been closely involved in the integration of Recras within Fun Forest. Such a process is of course never without a struggle. There is usually a lot of research involved. But Recras’ support really made a difference. We received a comprehensive manual that helped us with the basics. And whenever we needed help, we could always call them and were personally guided. Even now, seven years on, we still have monthly contact to resolve small issues, for instance.’

Everything in one place

‘Recras is now really ingrained in the staff culture. It is a very flexible and complete system – we use it not only for bookings and the cash register, but also for all staff planning. As a result, we have everything in one place. Everything is connected: staff availability and park availability are just a few clicks away. Recras knows exactly how much equipment is available, what the capacity is and who is available in terms of staff. Very easy! And it is also a nice, accessible tool for the staff themselves. Of course, that’s not unimportant either.’

Collaboration

‘Not only have we grown in recent years: Recras has also gone through a lot of developments,’ Daan concludes. ‘They are getting bigger and bigger. But that doesn’t detract from the quality of their support and the personal contact. We work on a first-name basis and I even once went there for coffee to discuss some questions. That approachability is very nice. Moreover, we also help them in their development. In several projects, the advice on the system went both ways, and we were also able to provide input for the development of new functionalities. Together, we have established a strong cooperation, which promises a lot of good things for the future.”