Optimising Occupancy: Operators’ Endless Challenge
Ferry companies invest substantial capital in their assets, so it goes without saying that the key to profitability and longevity is to obtain the highest yield within their existing capacity.
Set aside for now controlling demand utilising dynamic pricing. The question is; how do you optimise full trips by making the most out of your deck space?
Operators need to be able to manage occupancy by improving the accuracy of the vehicle data in the system. That way instead of assuming the greatest length for each vehicle, you calculate the actual length. This means every sailing can gain additional capacity simply by not leaving deck space empty.
Ferry companies often spend considerable time and money in the pursuit of optimal occupancy levels but often end up just adding more complexity to their business – and still not achieving their goal. Why is that?
Operators have been locked into a configuration that comes with their system and must work around what they are given utilising manual (human run) review of data and considering of whether occupancy is really full, rather than being able to configure the loads to their vessels and different business models within the application.
Vehicle Dimension control
As we all know, there is no such thing as a standard vehicle, truck or trailer. In fact, the breadth between a small vehicle and a large vehicle seems to be ever expanding. The arrangement of your vehicles, trailers, trucks and motorcycles on every sailing carries a unique load requirement. Sometimes, these requirements will mean a limited number of vehicles can fit based on height, width and other special requirements. The time spent manually calculating these requirements both at time of booking, during check-in and during the load planning process is costing you more than you realise.
Your reservation system should be maximizing occupancy by meticulously forecasting and accommodating these diverse mixes. Envision a scenario where your system eliminates guesswork entirely, ensuring 100% occupancy without any human intervention at the time of booking. This should be the standard your system delivers.
Picture your crew receiving the load plan well in advance of arrival, allowing them to load according to the system-provided plan. This approach minimizes the need for crew training, while drastically reducing load time and the stress placed on crew members during the loading process.
At check-in, it’s inevitable that people will often surprise you by arriving with a completely different vehicle or unexpected trip in tow, throwing a curveball into the mix. Your system should serve as the bedrock for load organization, minimising the impact of human variables. This ensures that each load is as predictable and seamless as possible for your crew, smoothing out the process significantly.