Project: Westcoast Sightseeing

Problem

Among tour operators, there was little-to-no differentiation in the market, causing competing companies to outspend each other on marketing while vying for ticket sales at key points of distribution. In addition, WESTCOAST struggled to find drivers with the ability to provide high quality tour narration, so the company invested in the performance improvements necessary to pursue new market opportunities while improving the delivery of tour narration to achieve quality and consistency.

WESTCOAST looked to Listen Technologies to showcase its destination and provide access to underserviced markets. With the installation of GPS commentary solutions, the company’s tour delivery platform, which previously supported inconsistent driver-led narration, now has the capacity to deliver 30 languages simultaneously. This switch to high-performance GPS tour systems helped WESTCOAST Sightseeing become more competitive, especially during peak operating season.

Solution

WESTCOAST Sightseeing enabled its fleet of sightseeing buses to deliver multi-language tour entertainment. The solution deployed into open-top buses uses hard-wired infrastructures connected to weatherproof seat-back units to provide passenger entertainment at every seat.

WESTCOAST Sightseeing also counts on the Listen Technologies GPS commentary solution to deliver cinematic audio tours to its English-speaking guests, providing high quality tour consistency every time a tour departs. To meet the needs of key foreign language markets, the company developed tours in seven languages aimed at securing new business from international tour wholesalers, cruise lines and FIT (Free and Independent Travelers) and VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) markets.

From the outset, the company made customers its focal point. By putting customers’ needs and desires first, WESTCOAST Sightseeing achieved competitive advantages and accelerated growth. The services enabled its sales and marketing department to sell new tour products, growing and expanding its business to accommodate the pent-up market demand for premium foreign-language tours.

Before turning to Listen Technologies, the company coped with inconsistency and spent significant amounts of time training drivers and managing staff. With improved delivery of services, training time has been reduced dramatically, saving the company money and increasing productivity with safer driving.

Results

WESTCOAST Sightseeing achieved a significant rise in ridership due to an undeniable demand for foreign language tours. By increasing the number of languages available, the company increased ticket revenues and improved both performance and reliability. As a result, the company continues to see ridership grow because of key investments made by management to improve the customer experience.