“Our staff and guests are very enthusiastic about the experiences we provide. Because of this installation, our business is growing and expanding. We’ve found that tour operators choose us first because of the high quality of our tours and the language options. Thankfully, no one has to listen to several tours over a PA system anymore.”
– Vincent Geljon, Owner, Blue Boat Company
Executive Overview
Blue Boat Company, a family-owned business founded in 1948, operates a fleet of vessels providing a variety of sightseeing cruises along the 400-year-old canals of Amsterdam.
Blue Boat Company wanted to build its business by servicing foreign language markets with engaging, entertaining language-specific tours. The company knew sequential foreign language tour delivery was frustrating for its passengers so it brought in AudioConexus to capitalize on a missed opportunity – to personalize tours for discerning tourists. By rewriting tour scripts and producing cinematic audio tours in 17 languages, Blue Boat automated the delivery of narration to achieve high quality tours and consistency. In the process, it increased business opportunities, revenues and satisfaction ratings.
Business Challenges
Prior to working with AudioConexus, Blue Boat passengers listened to sequential foreign language commentary delivered from laptops. Although tours were produced in several languages, system constraints limited each tour to a maximum of four languages. As a result, many passengers did not receive tours they could understand. Even those who did understand a language received only 10 to 15 minutes of relevant content over a speaker on a 75-minute tour because of the sequential commentary. The situation also created operational challenges for staff trying to anticipate the needs of passengers.
For these reasons, Blue Boat Company wanted to create an automated location-relevant commentary solution that offered passengers a wholly satisfying entertainment experience. By completely revamping its sightseeing tours with premium content from AudioConexus, Blue Boat Company was able to expand its tour offerings to 17 languages and deliver commentary simultaneously to every seat. The overhaul boosted staff productivity while providing high quality tour entertainment for tour wholesalers and foreign language visitors alike. The benefits were three-fold: revenues, satisfaction ratings and partnership opportunities all grew.
Solution
Blue Boat Company wanted to find a technology solution in the market that would meet its current and future needs. The company realized it had to provide premium tour entertainment that could guarantee the reliable and consistent delivery of tour commentary year-round. For this, Blue Boat Company turned to AudioConexus.
With AudioConexus and its reputation for delivering five-star rated passenger entertainment, Blue Boat created the industry’s first insider’s Experience of Amsterdam. The company wanted its new tours to move away from the status quo experiences available in Amsterdam which only highlighted major points of interest along the canals rather than use them as opportunities for engaging stories.
To take advantage of the GPS commentary solution, Blue Boat used microphone inputs to empower fleet captains to share their own stories. Live-guided commentary connected captains at the wheel to passengers at the seat, where personal anecdotal stories were delivered simultaneously with pre-recorded commentary on separate channels.
GPS automation of simultaneous tour commentary eliminated the operational need to decipher the demographic mix of passengers on board and contend with the unpredictability of tour groups arriving for foreign language experiences. This saved time for departing tours and opened up new market opportunities for international tour wholesalers and visitors.
“This exclusive collaboration was only possible thanks to AudioConexus’s unique system. Today, our passengers and guests get better tours and our staff is more productive. With AudioConexus, we’ve met and exceeded our goals for a positive business impact.”
– Vincent Geljon, Owner, Blue Boat Company
Key Outcomes
By deploying GPS commentary solutions in canal boats throughout its fleet, Blue Boat now efficiently manages the large volumes of visitors arriving for an Amsterdam canal experience, accommodating foreign language needs with free ear buds and a unique entertainment experience. This has led to annual Certificate of Excellence awards from Trip Advisor which celebrates hospitality excellence. The award is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor.
Blue Boat Company has measured significant gains in ridership. By increasing the number of languages available, the company boosted revenues as well as partnership opportunities including one with the Rijksmuseum, a national institute of the Netherlands.
Blue Boat Company, in an exclusive collaboration with the Rijksmuseum, launched a new tour experience intertwining the museum’s exhaustive works of art with points of interest along the canals in a cruise called “Amsterdam in the Golden Century.”
The tour experience takes passengers on a highly unique cruise, back to the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century. The collaboration has been an overwhelming success, providing Blue Boat with a new audience of museum-goers interested in learning more about the great Dutch masters.
Continuing to make investments in killer content, Blue Boat Company launched the first and only kids tours on the city’s winding canals. Youngsters get to hop aboard a Blue Boat to discover what it means to be a buccaneer in an interactive audio adventure.
“We are very happy with our new kids tours, it’s been a big hit for us. Kids are engaged in their surroundings and really enjoy the new tours.”
– Vincent Geljon, Owner, Blue Boat Company
Business Results
- Significant rise in revenues and profits
- Increased Productivity
- New Partnership Opportunities
- Higher Guest Satisfaction Ratings
- Increased Staff Morale
Only AudioConexus
AudioConexus customers share a vision for engaging storytelling. Our professional storytellers are trained for GPS audio delivery, providing seamless, integrated experiences that mesh with advanced technology and propel growth.
AudioConexus Creative Services solutions are employed internationally, giving sightseeing operators worldwide advantages over companies that don’t place a high value on narrative.
The most underrated skill in tourism today is the ability to tell a great story. Emotional engagement leaves lasting impressions. Companies that rely strictly on facts and figures miss the mark–and miss amazing opportunities.
Tell compelling stories and your company will be transformed in big ways.
If you’re an ambitious tour operator who wants to attract new customers and promote your competitive advantages, learn why AudioConexus Creative Services are right for you.
