The Logbook

As a farm owner, your busiest time of year can easily be during your festival season. It may also be the time that your business makes the most revenue. 

Whether you run a pumpkin patch and corn maze, host a sunflower festival, or operate an annual haunted attraction, there’s so much at stake for a successful event.  Here are four ways FareHarbor can help you plan and manage your seasonal festival.

Make more revenue

Arguably, the most important aspect of running your fall festival is having a steady flow of revenue. For many farm businesses, this event will be the end of the busy season. So it’s important to make it count!

If you have to cancel your festival for the day, you don’t have to completely lose out on those bookings. Here are two FareHarbor features that will help you hold on to your customers.

Don’t lose profit from weather cancellations

Any outdoor event needs to plan for inclement weather and cancellations. Give your customers the option of a gift card rather than a refund for a canceled event. They can use this to book at a later date, purchase add-ons, or any other monetary option you have available. 

Give customers the freedom to rebook

This feature is coming soon! Your customers will have the option to rebook their activity online without your help. If they make the decision to cancel because of weather or their plans change, they will be able to move their booking to a time that works best for them, like a different day of your multi-day festival

Speed up check-in process

Without using a booking software, you may have no idea how busy any given day will be. This can cause a never ending line of (potentially impatient) customers trying to get into your festival. 

Luckily, FareHarbor has a few tricks up our sleeve to ensure every family, couple, and friend group can get into your event efficiently. 

Express lane for those who have booked in advance

While you design your check-in station, consider creating an express lane for customers who have purchased their tickets online. Rather than making every person wait for walk-in customers to buy their tickets, this will get those who pre-booked into your festival quickly. 

Quickly scan customers in

Keep your express lane moving quickly with QR code scanning. Customers who have purchased their tickets online through FareHarbor will receive an email with a QR code (if you have this enabled… and you should!). Then, with the FareHarbor app, you will be able to quickly scan customers’ QR codes for a smooth check-in experience.

Check in customers without WiFi

Clients using the iOS app are now able to scan QR codes without being connected to the internet. If your farm is in a remote location and you do not have great internet on site, you can now check customers in without a connection. Once you are back on WiFi, all data syncs up to your FareHarbor Dashboard.

Safely accept in-person payments

For walk-up customers, you can purchase a FareHarbor approved card reader to easily accept in-person payments. They are fast, secure, and accept all major credit cards — Apple Pay and Google Pay too!

Streamline your business operations

Aside from check-in, there are several other festival aspects that can increase efficiency and productivity.

Easily notify customers of important information

Setting up automatic confirmation emails for guests after they book can be a great tool to share all important information. Not every festival attendee will know what to wear, what to bring in case of inclement weather, where to check-in, and so on. You can include this all in your confirmation email to avoid unnecessary phone calls and confusion as guests arrive.

Organize your employee’s schedules

Your festival likely needs a lot of personnel to make it run smoothly. Parking attendants, check-in associates, nature walk guides, and more will all have an important role to play in your fall festival. 

You can set up custom calendars using filters in the FareHarbor Dashboard for each individual employee. Then, they can see at a glance when they are working as well as which position they have that day. You can save this view and set it as the default for each one of your employees. 

Leverage local partnerships

Your festival may already have partnerships with local businesses to host a booth or provide other assets. Of course, this makes it a more inclusive community event. FareHarbor has a program that helps you work with local businesses during your festival and beyond. 

Use the FareHarbor Distribution Center (FHDN) to make connections

The FHDN is a program that partners your company with other local businesses. You are able to resell other tours and activities, have yours resold, or do both!

This can be a great way to get the word out about your festival and get extra bookings. It can also be a way for you to make more money during your slow season by selling non-seasonal tours and activities in your area. 

FareHarbor is made to help any kind of business thrive, no matter the type of tour, activity, or attraction. As you plan your next fall festival, consider all the ways we can help you succeed! 

Do you have a good understanding of how far in advance your customers typically book an activity? How about which tour start times are most popular? 

Even if you’ve researched these topics or have seen industry statistics around booking trends, having data that pertains to your customers specifically is invaluable. 

FareHarbor’s built-in reporting can tell you when your customers are booking, which tours are most popular among your target audience, and more. 

These reports give you insights into customer behavior and booking patterns to help you test new strategies and make better business decisions. 

Advanced reports like these are one of the many perks of becoming a FareHarbor client! Request a demo today.

Determine How Far In Advance Your Customers Book

Follow these steps to run this report in your FareHarbor Dashboard.

Whether your customers typically book at the last minute or plan their activities well in advance, this report will give you the data you need to improve the customer experience and get more bookings. 

Knowing when your customers book on average is essential for planning marketing initiatives and preparing for your busy season. This report will help you determine if you primarily have early bookers or last-minute bookers.

Early Bookers

Customers who book far in advance tend to spend time planning and researching their travel. To capture the attention of this audience you must strategically schedule your marketing initiatives around that early booking window.

For example, let’s say your Dashboard report tells you that your customers’ average booking-ahead window is 60 days. Based on that data, you should start marketing your tours and activities two months ahead of your anticipated busy season. Keep this in mind for holidays, school vacation periods, and big events like farm festivals or holiday lights shows. 

Early bookers also appreciate helpful information and resources. Update your website with content about what to do in the area, what to expect ahead of the activity, and resources like maps and public transportation options. 

Last-Minute and In-Destination Bookers

Last-minute bookers might book during the week leading up to the activity or even on the day of, depending on when your booking cutoff window is.

Similar to how you would use the data for early bookers, this information can help you think about how you market your tour and activities and make other business decisions.

One of the best ways to cater to in-destination bookers is to make sure your Google My Business page is optimized and up to date with your current hours and contact information, seasonal photos, and good reviews. This improves your chances of Google displaying your business in the local map pack for “near me” searches. 

You can also attract in-destination customers by partnering with local businesses, submitting your business listing to local directories, and working with destination marketing organizations. 

When it comes to last-minute bookings, your website is a useful tool. Include verbiage on your site that walk-ins and same-day bookings are welcome (if that is the case). 

Learn Which Tour and Activity Times Are Most Popular with Your Customers

Follow these steps to run this report in your FareHarbor Dashboard.

These reports will tell you which activity dates and start times (also known as availabilities) are booked most often by your customers.

You might already think that Saturday mornings at 10am are your busiest time of day – or you have no idea which availabilities are most booked. It’s really helpful to know when all of your busy windows fall so you can best prepare.

When you have the data from these reports, you can use it to make business considerations, such as: 

• Adjust staff schedules and hiring: Schedule more check-in staff, reservationists, or tour guides so you are fully staffed during your busiest times. 
• Add availabilities to popular start times: If your 5pm sunset tour consistently sells out, are you able to add another tour that runs at the same time or increase your tour size? 
• Offer expedited check-in: This is especially helpful if you get many walk-up customers. Make two check-in lines – one for ticketed customers and one for walk-ups. 
  • Enable mobile QR code scanning for faster check-in. (FareHarbor also now offers offline QR code scanning!)
  • Encourage customers to sign waivers online ahead of time.
• Market your activities accordingly: When running promos or showcasing available tours, you can provide useful information like “Saturdays fill up fast, book in advance” or similar. 

Tour Operator Tip: If you’re going to change your hours of operation or make other big updates, be sure to update the information on your website, Google My Business page, and third-party sites like Tripadvisor. 

These reports are great for getting a pulse on your business, whether your busy season is in full swing or you’re enjoying the off season. Use the data to pivot your strategies or see where you can improve. 

Looking for more tips on growing your business? Catch up on the latest FareHarbor webinars. 

The FareHarbor ‘Ohana is full of talented team members who’s passion is to improve our client’s businesses and operations. Our teams across the world are growing and we want to give you an inside look into what our people love the most about working at FareHarbor. See below for exclusive interviews with a few of our star employees.

[Did we mention we’re hiring across teams and offices, check out our open positions!]

Antoine Laczewny

Account Executive, French Sales Team, Amsterdam

Tell us about yourself and where you are from.

I am originally from Rouen, a city located in Normandy (France). I decided to move to Amsterdam in November of 2019 after several months in Ireland. 

How does your team stay connected while [still] working from home?

Working from home was completely new for me. I can say that I don’t hate working from home due to the calm environment, it helps to stay focused. 

Also, my team stays connected by having morning meetings —  one with all of the EMEA sales department and another with the French sales team. We also play funny games online (typically on Fridays), to keep this laughing spirit together! 

What is the most challenging part of your position?

As an Account Executive, the most challenging part for me is trying to convince someone on the phone that our solution is the best and without risk. Each call is a challenge and this is what keeps me motivated! 

Why do you like working at FareHarbor?

Despite this pandemic which prevents us from exploring our world (one of my passions), I still appreciate being able to “travel” while keeping in touch with our potential partners located all over Europe. Listening, reassuring, and proposing an adequate solution livens up my daily life. 

Kaitlin Vaillancourt

Training Operations Associate, Denver

Tell us about yourself and where you are from.

I am from Tucson, Arizona! I started my career as a foreign language teacher in Spain and have slowly transitioned into adult training. When I saw FareHarbor was hiring, it seemed like a great way to put my passion for traveling with my skills in teaching! Nowadays, I am part of our People team and am one of the first faces people meet at FareHarbor as they go through new-hire training.

What would you say to someone who is seeking new opportunities and considering FareHarbor for their next career move?

The great thing about starting a position at FareHarbor is our new-hire training (shameless plug)! People come from all kinds of careers and I really believe anyone can be trained as long as you are willing to learn. The diverse work experiences everyone brings to the company help us stay innovative. 

What has been your favorite experience or memory from your time at FareHarbor?

Our Core Value Awards! Each year, employees can nominate their colleagues to win one of our Core Value Awards. Hearing the kind nominations people have spent time writing makes you realize how great our company is!

Why do you like working at FareHarbor?

The people I work with and the clients we have really set FareHarbor a notch above other companies. It’s a great place to work if you want to feel supported by your colleagues. everyone is happy to help if you have a question (or a thousand)! 

Additionally, even though we aren’t a small company by any means, it’s very familiar and easy to make friends and get to know people on different teams. 

Diana Montelongo

Sales Manager, Amsterdam

Tell us about yourself and where you are from.

I was born in Mexico City, which I always feel proud of when I introduce myself. I’ve been living in the Netherlands for the past 4 years, and I love adventure! 

I decided that Amsterdam was home when I started working at FareHarbor. More than ever, I grew to learn that the best in me comes from the people that surround me, and this has been my favorite adventure so far. I love to travel, I love to cook, and I love to learn! I’m a student as well at the moment in Rome (remotely). 

How would you describe the culture at FareHarbor?

FareHarbor is a workplace that invariably becomes your family, and it doesn’t matter where you come from, because you always end up feeling like you belong here. It is always exciting, fun, and challenging. 

There’s a constant feeling of “We’re getting there! Keep going! We can do it!”.

What is the most rewarding part of your position?

The most rewarding thing is feeling fulfilled at the end of the day because a happy client went live with FareHarbor. Our job is to make their lives easier, and there is nothing more rewarding than succeeding. 

Why do you like working at FareHarbor?

FareHarbor is its people 100%. It is like we’ve all known each other forever, and if I get to motivate my colleagues, I feel motivated myself! 

FareHarbor’s people are full of energy, curious, smart, welcoming, inspirational, and always hungry for more to achieve! It feels amazing to be part of it.

Thanks for taking some time to learn about the hard-working people who make up the FareHarbor team. Check out our open positions!

Have you been keeping up with the latest FareHarbor webinars? Every month FareHarbor experts host two live webinars with essential tips for helping you adjust your business strategies and use your Dashboard to the fullest.

If you missed them, not to worry  – all FareHarbor webinars are recorded and published on demand on FareHarbor Compass the following day. Here are our latest webinars, including the FareHarbor For You series and a bonus session on summer planning.

Disclaimer: Some information presented is only pertinent to current FareHarbor clients as our webinars feature tips to optimize the Dashboard. If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a FareHarbor client, you can request a demo here. (The Summer Planning webinar is relevant to everyone).

FareHarbor 101: Create a Foundation for Success

As a FareHarbor client, the Dashboard is completely customizable to you. Whether you’re a new client or you’re still learning the in’s and out’s of your Dashboard, the FareHarbor 101 webinar is a great place to start. 

This session is designed to help you better understand and optimize your Dashboard in three areas: best practices, reports, and FareHarbor resources. 

What you will learn:

• Key Dashboard terminology (items, availabilities, and more!)
• Book form optimizations to drive sales
• How to use basic and custom reports

FareHarbor for You: Tools for the Reservationist

Reservationists play an essential role in any business – making and taking bookings! We want all Dashboard users to feel confident creating bookings, communicating with booked customers, canceling a booking, and other important Dashboard actions.

What you will learn:

• How and when to overbook an availability
• Using the manifest
• Issuing refunds and placing credit card holds

FareHarbor for You: Tools for the Guide

Tour guides are the face of most activity businesses. Even if you don’t run tours in the traditional sense, your instructors, drivers, or activity leaders still need to know how to best communicate with customers and handle difficult situations. 

In this webinar, we discuss the top skills a tour guide should have as well as ways to enhance the customer experience, like offering to take photos for guests.

What you will learn:

• In-house services and partners to help tour guides be successful (Compass, Fotaflo, waiver partners)
• Essential tour guide skills like sense of direction and local knowledge
• Dashboard actions such as setting up notifications for tour guides

Bonus Webinar – Smooth Sailing: Your Guide to Summer Planning

Whether your summer season is just getting started or you’re already looking ahead to next year, the tips in this webinar will help you have a successful busy season. By preparing your staff ahead of time and marketing your activities to the right travelers, you’ll see increased bookings and a strong online presence. 

What you will learn:

• Ways to reach your hiring goals and how to find the best candidates
• Which audiences to market your tours and activities to (hint: plan around school schedules!)
• How to ask for reviews and referrals to get in front of new customers

These are just a few of the many webinars we’ve hosted this year. Head over to Compass and take a look at the other can’t-miss sessions currently on demand. And don’t forget to follow us on social media to see what new webinars we have lined up for you next month.

The FareHarbor mobile app has dozens of features that allow you to view and control everyday business functions right from your phone. The FareHarbor Product team regularly releases new and improved mobile app features for both Android and iOS, all designed to help save you time and energy.

Read on to discover our newest mobile app updates along with a few old favorites that can make your life easier this season. 

Our most recent update

Biometrics

Our Android app users now have access to biometric authentication (fancy speak for physical identification like face scanning or voice recognition). On the Android app though, we’ve added the most common method, fingerprint scanning. You now have a simple, secure way to open your FareHarbor app with a simple touch of  — you guessed it — your finger. Your company’s security is an utmost priority, and using biometric authentication is an easy step you can take towards greater protection. 

Note that this is already available on iOS with Face ID and Touch ID. 

What’s coming soon

You asked, and we listened. Here are the updates you can expect to see in the mobile app very soon.

Offline QR code scanning 

Offline QR scanning is coming to the iOS app! Whether your business is in a remote location or you occasionally lose connectivity, this update will allow you to scan QR codes to check guests in without being connected to the internet. Then, once you are back online, all check-in information will sync up in your Dashboard.

This update will be available to Android app users at a later date. 

Boca ticket printing

Boca printing will also be available soon for the Android app. This update will let you print theater-style tickets with a portable, bluetooth printer. This is another way to allow admittance to your tours or activities. Tickets use direct thermal technology so no ink is needed for these printers and they can be printed in different shapes and sizes that work best for your business. 

Our favorite mobile features

Add even more efficiency to your day-to-day with the following features, available on both iOS and Android.

Push notifications

Stay on top of important business updates by activating mobile push notifications. Customize which notifications are sent and to which team member. For example, choose to get a notification every time a new booking is made or alert crew members when they are added to an availability. 

Built-in QR code scanning

Simplify your check-in process by scanning QR ticket codes right from your phone. Simply enable QR scanning from your settings and start scanning within seconds!

Bluetooth-connected card readers

All FareHarbor approved card readers offer low processing rates with no additional transaction costs for you or your customers. They also provide the added benefit of being a portable payment solution. Supported Bluetooth readers connect to FareHarbor through our Android and iOS app. If you take walk-up bookings or have add-ons customers can purchase during their experience, a wireless card reader can help you quickly take those payments.

Find out which readers are available in your country 

We’re excited to share the mobile updates coming soon to our Android and iOS app — and we hope you are using our current features as well! If you have any questions setting up the mobile features above, please reach out to our Support team.

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month in the U.S., we asked FareHarbor employees to share the ways they prioritize a healthy work-life balance. 

Here’s what they had to say about the importance of mental health and four FareHarbor programs that make a positive impact. 

Wellbeing Wednesdays

Wellbeing Wednesdays is a global FareHarbor initiative that encourages employees across offices to practice mindfulness. 

Twice a month, Candice Vallier, the Global Project People Manager, shares content and resources about wellbeing and mental health. 

For the most recent Wellbeing Wednesday, she encouraged employees to explore gardening. This activity relieves stress by reducing cortisol levels and helping people stay active. 

Candice offered videos to get started, such as 4 steps to start a small balcony vegetable garden and how to repot a plant. Other Wellbeing Wednesdays have touched on topics like sleep, stretching and yoga, and social health.

Wellbeing Wednesdays Advocate: Candice Vallier

Global Project People Manager • Amsterdam

“It can sometimes be difficult to separate personal struggles from the workplace which is why it is important for us to have an environment that supports our employees’ wellness. I love seeing employees come together to focus on their health and learn from each other.”

FareHarbor Cares

FareHarbor Cares strives to create a lasting positive impact through volunteer events that support the local community with strategic planning and active participation by employees.

From day one, every employee is given eight work hours annually to volunteer with FareHarbor Cares.

Past opportunities have included trail and park cleanups, community gardening and wrapping Christmas presents for deserving children.

FareHarbor Cares Advocate: Stephanie Schwartz

Account Management Team Lead • Denver

“Serving on the FareHarbor Cares team has been such a special part of my time at FareHarbor! While our team works together to bring the best to our clients, volunteering through FareHarbor Cares allows us to bring that same passion into our communities.”

Discover

Discover is FareHarbor and Booking.com’s learning portal that gives employees access to professional and personal development lessons. 

Whether employees want to improve their public speaking skills ahead of FareHarbor Spark or watch a masterclass on how to set and sustain healthy habits, Discover’s options are endless. 

Discover also grants employees access to continuing education resources like Udemy, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning. A win-win for everyone!

Discover Advocate: Natasha Raikar

Training and Development Specialist • Denver

“The Discover platform has allowed me to take an active role in my learning and has given me the opportunity to accelerate my development both personally and professionally. The skills and knowledge that I have gained through Discover have made me a better employee and teammate. Most of all, it has gotten me excited to keep learning and improving myself!”

Headspace

All FareHarbor employees are provided with a  free membership to Headspace, a mobile app with thousands of guided meditations, exercises, and sleep content across 12 categories. 

Headspace content teaches mindfulness, sleep improvement, work productivity, and more. With courses that range from 1-30 minutes, users can take a short break or enjoy a longer session.

Headspace Advocate: Valeria Gawronski

HR Advisor • Amsterdam

“Headspace [helps] calm [my] mind and manage [my] anxiety every time I use one of its meditation or sleep casts. I am an advocate for the app, making sure all new hires are aware of this awesome benefit we have and how impactful it can be to incorporate meditation in your daily life.”

FareHarbor employees certainly have a full toolkit when it comes to practicing a healthy work-life balance. These four benefits are a small part of the overall employee experience at FareHarbor. Take a closer look at the new hire training program. 

We’re proud to say that our booking software is top-rated amongst tour and activity operators. And, although we make updates and add new features each month, we know that partnering with other companies is the right choice to ensure each client we serve has every tool they need to succeed. 

We pride ourselves on providing clients with best-in-class software and customer service. We identify and vet partners to meet the excellence you deserve. From marketing solutions to digital waivers, photo services, and more – we’ve got it all to turn FareHarbor into a “one stop shop” for all of your company needs. 

Below we discuss three of our most popular software partners. If you’re interested in learning about all we have to offer, request a demo today!

What is a software partner?

A FareHarbor software partner is a hand-selected business that you can choose to work with. They will help your operation run more efficiently and help stay on top of every aspect of your business.

Customer Communication Platform – Podium

Podium is an all-in-one messaging software that will help you manage your online reputation and local interactions.

Benefits:

• Collect more reviews by automatically sending out review invites following a guest experience. 
• Easily view all customer conversations across platforms (text, social media, etc.) by having one centralized inbox.
• Convert more online bookings by setting up a live chat widget on your website. 

Email Marketing Software – TourAdvantage

TourAdvantage is a comprehensive email marketing solution that has been designed for FareHarbor – more specifically, for tour and activity operators, just like you!

Benefits:

• Gain access to pre-made email templates and accelerator campaigns tailored specifically for tour and activity companies.
• With a moderate budget, create in-depth marketing campaigns that will increase exposure and engagement. 
• Save valuable time with easy to set up drip campaigns. 
• Explore over 40 tutorials created with tour and activity operators in mind.

Digital Waiver Solutions – Wherewolf and Smartwaiver

FareHarbor has two choices for digital waiver solutions: Wherewolf and Smartwaiver. Both softwares provide a two-way integration with FareHarbor which ensures each customer that books with your company signs their waiver. Both software solutions will protect your company and your streamline you check-in process.

Benefits:

• It’s easy to stay up to date with the waiver status for each customer with the information right in your FareHarbor Dashboard.
• Enjoy the security of each waiver being permanently saved as a PDF in each reservation.
• Save time and energy.Waivers will be sent to each customer’s email immediately after booking.
• Tailor your digital waivers to fit your exact business needs. 

We’re always on the hunt for the best software partners to ensure our clients have everything they need to run their business smoothly. If you’re interested in joining the FareHarbor community and increasing your business’s efficiency through customizable tools like these, contact a representative today!

Compass Sneak Peek

Online travel agencies (OTAs) can help you bring in more revenue, reach additional audiences, and fill open spots on your tours and activities. But these third-party resellers also may take high commissions, so it’s well worth weighing the pros and cons before deciding to partner with an OTA. 

Fortunately, FareHarbor has helpful tips on how to determine if OTAs are right for your business. And, if you do decide to use OTAs, FareHarbor offers distribution programs where we handle the associated contracts and API connections for you as part of our free client services. 

How Your Business Can Benefit from OTAs

If you regularly have excess openings and want to capture more bookings, OTAs will put your offerings in front of customers who might not find your business otherwise. When you’re not able to maximize the full capacity of your tours and activities, you’re leaving money on the table! 

Building partnerships with third-party resellers is one way to create additional streams of revenue and reach in-destination travelers and last-minute bookers. This is largely because OTAs often target customers who have just booked a flight or hotel in your area and are looking for activities to round out their itinerary.

You also benefit from doing less market and audience research since you can take advantage of the OTAs’ large user base. Plus, these sites are typically well optimized for mobile, where the majority of bookings happen. 

Before you decide to work with OTAs, there are a few more questions to keep in mind. 

Can You Afford the Commissions?

If more bookings are exactly what you’re looking for, OTAs might be a good fit for your business. But before you sign on the dotted line, make sure to consider the commissions associated with OTAs. These typically average 20% or more of your retail price. You shouldn’t rely on OTAs too heavily as a single source of revenue while letting your direct booking goals fall to the wayside. 

Evaluate your current business needs to help you reach a decision by asking yourself these questions:

• Do you need a substantial boost in customers? 
• How much would OTAs benefit your bottom line with their associated commission fees? 

This decision is all about striking a balance to ensure that it is the right move for your business.

Have You Done Your Research?

From Viator to GetYourGuide and others, FareHarbor is integrated with over 100 global and regional OTAs to help you build revenue. If you’re still wondering if OTAs are right for you, start by researching which partners you’d like to work with.

Here are a few things to consider for each OTA:

• The sign-up process and necessary contracts and agreements 
• The terms and conditions as well as cancellation policies 
• The number of visitors they get and the rate at which they’re booking activities
• How to get your tours and activities on their platform 

If you’re already a FareHarbor client, take a look at our current OTA integrations on Compass.

Striking a Balance: Use Google Things to do

Do you like the idea of using OTAs, but worry about the high commission fees? Google Things to do (Google TTD) is a great solution! 

A replacement for Reserve with Google, Google TTD lets you list your tours and activities for free as part of a program that takes bookings directly through the search engine. Google TTD allows you to use the benefits of Google search to capture more bookings, similar to how your tours and activities would be listed on an OTA.

Even better, FareHarbor’s Connectivity Team will help you get set up on Google TTD and service your connection for its duration. This ensures that all bookings from Google flow into your FareHarbor Dashboard. 

OTAs might not be the right fit for your business, but Google TTD gives you a taste of what these partnerships are all about – without breaking the bank. 

FareHarbor clients can learn more about Google Things to do, including optimizing your listings and setting up ad campaigns, on FareHarbor Compass.

How you feel on your first day of work often comes down to how prepared your new company is for you. That’s why when you start working at FareHarbor (see all open positions!), you take part in an in-depth, team-building training program to ensure you feel ready to approach your role with confidence. 

You will spend two weeks with other new employees across all teams at the company learning the ins and outs of FareHarbor, our software, our clients, and our culture.

“The most beneficial aspect of our training program is its focus on giving you the right tools to help you start a new job coupled with a strong connection to other new hires in your class.”

– Adam Volk, Global Onboarding Team Lead

Our Product

At the forefront of the program is discovering everything about FareHarbor’s software (our Dashboard). This knowledge will assist you in any position whether you are troubleshooting directly with tour operators on the Support team or promoting key product features to businesses on the Sales team.

During the training you will hear from various FareHarbor experts as they discuss different features of the Dashboard. You can ask questions directly and by the end of two weeks you will no longer be afraid of the terms “lightframe” or “booking flow”.

Meet the Teams

FareHarbor is a global company with over 650 dedicated employees — and with that comes a lot of teams and positions.

During the training you will dive into what each team does and meet the heads of each department. Understanding the roles and responsibilities of teams other than your own helps you to see how your new position fits into the organization as a whole.

You will also participate in 1:1 conversations to make sure you have answers to your burning questions. All new hires will be paired up with a mentor and you will also meet with your managers on multiple occasions to see what your new role will be like.

Ask Me Anything (AMA)

You will have the chance to talk to FareHarbor directors and managers during an AMA Session. You can ask what would make someone successful at FareHarbor, what they attribute their success to, or about their favorite part of the role. Do not be afraid to ask harder questions – nothing is off limits!

From the very beginning of your time at FareHarbor, you have transparency about the inner workings of the company. Ask important questions and be ready to learn!

Adam mentions that:

“Of course, we take time to give you the details and teach you the in and outs of the FareHarbor software and the company as a whole, but by the end of our training –  you’ll feel empowered to seek information on your own and you’ll have a class of peers and all of FareHarbor there to support you on your way.”

DEI Activities

As a global company, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are of the utmost importance. Throughout your two-week training, you will participate in DEI sessions so you can hear other perspectives and feel comfortable sharing your thoughts and opinions.

Our DEI program ensures each employee comes to work feeling respect and connection. We want to make sure our new hires feel that way from their first day and beyond.

Becoming a Part of the ‘Ohana

Yes, you’ll spend much of your time in training learning about processes but we like to have fun while doing it! Expect to play games and have time to connect with other new hires.

From the moment you start, you will realize that you must work hard and with integrity in every task you do — but, there is no harm in enjoying your coworkers and time while you do it!

Growth Mindset

As you make your way through the training course, you will hear about the “growth mindset” which is a pillar of the culture at FareHarbor.

Adam describes a growth mindset as:

“A simple tool anybody can use to help them tackle a new challenge. By using it during training, within your new job role, or outside of work you’ll find you’re more able to tackle challenges which are thrown your way”.

If you have a growth mindset and are interested in joining the ‘Ohana, check out all our open positions! 

One of the things we hear most from tour operators about the FareHarbor Dashboard is how customizable it is – especially when it comes to your bookings calendar.

FareHarbor’s intuitive Dashboard features various views, filters, and display options that let you take control of your bookings and display them as a custom calendar. 

Not only can you save and toggle between multiple calendars, but there’s no limit to how you can arrange bookings and other calendar essentials to meet your business needs.

Whether you’re already a FareHarbor client or you’re thinking about coming aboard, get inspired by these five ideas for custom calendars that will best serve your team. 

1. Custom Calendar for Reservationists

If you’re the person who primarily takes bookings for your tour or activity business, you’ll love this custom calendar. 

Configure your calendar to see an overview of every booking and open availability on a single-day or hourly basis. There’s also the option to “zoom out” and view open slots over a wider range of dates. 

Whether you’re making a booking over the phone or looking for an opening to squeeze in a last-minute, walk-up customer, our Dashboard experts will help you build the ideal calendar to fit your specific business needs.

2. Custom Calendar for Multi-Location Businesses

Reviewing booking information for multiple locations can be confusing. We recommend creating a custom calendar for each location where your business operates to enjoy a more streamlined experience. 

This feature offers quick information at a glance, allowing you to view open availabilities or compare bookings between the different locations. And, if your team gets an inquiry about availability at a given location, you can switch to the corresponding custom calendar to best assist them. 

This type of custom calendar is also great for businesses that share resources, like equipment or tour guides, between storefronts. 

3. Custom Calendar for Individual Guides & Employees

Do you have multiple tour guides or employees who need an easy way to view their schedule? Give them each a custom calendar so they only see the tours and activities assigned to them.

Not only will this offer a more streamlined experience, but it also allows your tour guides to stay organized and save time since they’re able to view everything they need to know about their daily schedule with one click.

Plus, the FareHarbor Dashboard lets you save each person’s custom calendar as their default calendar so it’s automatically accessible from the moment they log in. 

4. Custom Calendar for Equipment Rentals & Inventory

Need to get a quick visual on your available resources? Create a custom calendar that gives you a snapshot of what equipment is booked and on hand throughout the day.

This calendar is great for businesses that get frequent walk-up customers and last-minute bookings.

5. Custom Calendar for Gift Cards

Create a calendar with only gift cards to track how many have been sold or redeemed. Filter by item and select your gift cards for a simplified calendar that tracks a flat number of bookings. 

Whether you’re trying to improve your tour guides’ Dashboard experience or be able to navigate your bookings faster, you can do it with FareHarbor’s custom calendars.

For detailed instructions on creating custom calendars, view this guide on FareHarbor Compass or sign up for a live demo to see how FareHarbor can work for you.