The success story of Strand Sneek

‘Without Recras, my administration would have been a mess’

Strand Sneek (Beach Sneek, Sneek is a city in the Netherlands) is the best place for tourists, recreational visitors, and athletes to spend a day by the water, Taco Hofman is certain of that. And he also knows exactly why everything in his business runs smoothly: “Without Recras, my administration would have been a mess with double bookings and such. I can’t do without it anymore.

A nice day out

From April 1st to October 1st, it’s almost always busy on the waterski track, the aqua park, and the terrace by the water. “Schools, families, businesses, and friends come here for a sports day, family day, company outing, bachelor party, or just for a lovely day out. And many children’s parties are also held here in the Aqua Park,” Taco lists.

Quick decision

“We started here in 2017,” the owner recalls. “Honestly, I didn’t research a company that could support my administration with a quote system with integrated invoicing and an organized booking system and daily planning. Back then, there wasn’t much on the market. So, I just asked three other entrepreneurs about their experiences. Two of them used Recras, and they were both very enthusiastic about it. That convinced me to choose it as well. And I’m very enthusiastic too,” Taco laughs.

Grown with Recras

“Recras has grown with my business over the years. I started in the first year with a few thousand visits, but that number has grown enormously in the past years. What’s great about Recras is that over the years, they’ve kept asking their ‘members’ – that’s what they call their users – what’s important to them. So, they don’t just come up with updates that no one needs, but they ask us what we require. This way, important updates are continuously integrated into the system.”

Secretary

“For example, if a visitor books a barbecue with me and I forget to order meat from the butcher, I have a problem. Recras monitors the parameters and makes sure the butcher gets an email when we receive a barbecue reservation. When a group is booked, I immediately get a notification to schedule the right staff with the required qualifications for that day. Time tracking, the schedule, invoicing, purchasing, and supplier overview – Recras thinks of everything. It’s my secretary. And on the day of the activity, it’s the cash register and also the online booking system.”

Indispensable

When asked if Taco would recommend the administration and booking system for the recreation industry to other entrepreneurs, he thinks for a moment. “It depends,” he answers honestly. “You really have to put the work in yourself, and that takes time. You can compare it to training a new staff member. I’ve filled in the management software pretty well, but I could still get much more out of it. So, if you run a simple Bed & Breakfast with a few regular bookings, I wouldn’t do it. But if you’re dealing with staff, quotes, multiple locations, invoicing, and reservations, then Recras is very useful. Actually, it’s indispensable.”

Professional impression

“Recras never stands still, and if you want to make the most of all those facilities, you have to grow with it. If a new option comes out that allows you to create really nice quotes visually, you can use that. But you have to put in some effort first. If you stay on top of it and implement all the updates, you’ll save a lot of time in the end and leave a more professional impression.”

Distinctive

“It’s hard for me to judge how Recras stands out compared to other systems in the industry, but I don’t think anything else out there offers what they do. I occasionally get calls from other companies claiming they can do it better. But that’s just not the case. It becomes clear right away when I ask about their options. Then, it’s over for me. Maybe they can do a single part better, but they’re not nearly as far along as Recras. ‘Recras is truly my partner.'”