Web-based Owner Services

by Matt Brosious
Director of Sales
Systems Products International

People appreciate the ability to gain access to instantaneous information and to services over the Web. A great example of this is in the travel industry where the vast majority of consumers contact a travel Web site when planning a trip rather than making a phone call to a travel agent or destination. Another example is paying our bills over the Web with on-line payment services, such as PayPal. Again, self-service provides convenience and faster service for the consumer.

For the timeshare resort operator, providing your owners with a Web site for customer service accomplishes several goals, including:

Enhancing owner satisfaction. Owners truly want to be able to have access to self-service facilities. Providing these services to owners builds an important bond. Now services can be accessed at the owners’ convenience.

Improving communications. Managing communications with owners can be a daunting task with the myriad collection of correspondence, statements, HOA minutes, etc. An owners’ Web site can serve as a central repository for both inbound and outbound communication, thus simplifying the process for the resort operator. The result is faster turnaround time and again, improved owner satisfaction.

Lowering operating costs. By pushing the services out to owners, the cost of providing these services is reduced. Fewer owner services personnel are typically required to handle the reduced workload. This translates to direct improvements to the bottom line.

Resort operators have a responsibility to their owners to ensure that data security measures are used when dealing with owner’s personal and credit card information. Some of the services typically provided by a secure owners’ Web site include:

• Review accommodations availability, make reservations, request changes and obtain printed confirmations.

• Make a payment using a secure, online payment service, such as PayPal or credit card, and print out a statement for rentals or annual maintenance fee dues.

• Check ownership account information and track points usage to determine usage availability, obtain loan account information and check on exchange requests.

• Update contact, address and individual preference information.

• Conduct interactive owner communications, such as sending out a customer service survey, providing up-to-the-minute offers for special promotions, linking to relevant sites on the Web and handling annual balloting.

• Manage owner rentals.

Your current Web or information technology (IT) professional may be able to assist you in putting together a Web site that offers these elements. Otherwise, a vacation ownership industry software provider, such as Systems Products International (SPI) may have its own solution. In the case of SPI, we offer a ready-made template – SPI WebConnect – to give vacation ownership/timeshare. WebConnect is designed to provide resort operators with a Web portal strategy that builds stronger, long-lasting relationships with their owners whether they are using SPI’s property management system or some other software package. However, those companies that are SPI customers will enjoy added benefits, including real-time integration of WebConnect and their SPI SQL Server database.

We were made to understand from many of our clients that they needed a website template that would be cost-effective and ready-to-go, without the necessity of dealing with Web designers or hosting companies. At their suggestion, we launched SPI WebConnect to provide highly sophisticated technology, while still allowing resorts to upload graphics and images to customize the "look and feel" of the site for their owners.

However, in the event you decide to create your own Web portal solution, rather than to adopt a ready-made solution such as WebConnect, you should be aware of some potential pitfalls. Here are a few points to hold in mind:

• HTML and Link Validation. Make sure your pages can download properly when viewers are using different computers, browsers and screen settings. In addition, if your Website provides links to venues, weather forecasters, restaurants or other organizations, such as ARDA, verify that these links are accurate.

• Avoid cumbersome files, whenever possible. Smaller-sized files and graphics will load faster and are less likely to bog down for consumers with a slower Internet connection speed.

• Consider how different browsers will “read” your material. You may wish to view your Web pages using various browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator or Mozilla Foxfire. Different browsers often interpret HTML differently.

In addition to the technical issues that accompany Website creation, be sure to remember to proof the copy well. Hiring a professional proofreader may be a good idea at some point, to ensure the text is error-free and comprehensible.

As other vacation accommodation-providers continue to enhance their Internet functionality, your customers will expect the same from your resort. Plus, with the rising costs of overhead, personnel and materials, resort operators and HOA boards can expect the self-service aspect of an owner Website to help reduce operational costs significantly. So, regardless of the means you use to supply your owners with such a site, it’s no longer a matter of “if,” but “when” your resort will provide all the bells and whistles of a secure and interactive Web portal.