When guests arrive at Carters Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park on New Zealand’s West Coast, many of them are pleasantly surprised to receive a friendly text message from park owner Chrissy Alfeld, welcoming them at the start of their holiday.

It’s a small touch, but one Chrissy has introduced for anybody arriving after the park’s office closes in the evening so they can rest easy knowing their late-check in won’t be a problem.

SMS messaging is built into the Seekom property management system the park uses, allowing Chrissy’s team to complement their usual email communications with text messages that guests won’t easily miss.

She says text messages are ideal for letting people know the park’s late check-in processes, as well as for urgent messages to guests staying at the park, notifying guests about any late check-out options available, or unobtrusive reminders about settling up their accounts.

“It works a lot better than running around trying to find guests or interrupt them when they are in the middle of something. We can just ping them with a quick text message and they can come to the office.”

Mobile phone coverage on the West Coast is patchier than some parts of New Zealand – part of the region’s appeal – which means reaching guests over the phone when they are out exploring the outdoors can be difficult.

“There’s so much to see here, whether it’s the Kawatiri Coastal Trail, Old Ghost Road or the seal colony beside the Cape Foulwind Lighthouse, so guests are often off the park and exploring in remote areas. "

“When we send an SMS, it just pings their phone when they get back into the coverage area and they respond as soon as they can.”

Chrissy says guests appreciate the immediacy of text messages and it also makes life easier for staff.

“It’s a really efficient way of getting in touch with people. The point of action gets done really quickly, whether it’s a reminder about a payment or a friendly message to let them know about something they left behind when they checked out.”

She says a big advantage of having SMS functionality built into Seekom’s system is the fact all SMS messages and replies are tracked against individual guests. That allows staff working on different shifts to see a log of previous messages so they can understand what has already been done and avoid repeating the same questions.

While Carters Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park hasn’t yet explored the use of SMS messages for promotions or to alert guests of special deals, SMS marketing of on-park activities is something Chrissy says could be explored in future.

“We’re all about making sure guests have a smooth experience all the way through their stay – we have found Kiwis in particular respond well to SMS messages because they don’t seem to check their emails as often as our international visitors.”

Chrissy says West Coast Tourism’s work promoting the region is making a positive difference to visitor numbers at the park, and Seekom’s system is helping her team manage that growth painlessly.

“Business is really good – we haven’t stopped since after Covid. Seekom is a big part of that, we base out whole existence around the system and what we see on our screens. "

“When new reception and management staff start I tell them Seekom is right up there with the most important things they should learn.”