Solutions to last-mile problem - Blog
Posted on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2017More and more companies are asking us about last-mile solutions. The last-mile? What is that you may be thinking. We all have to deal with it from time to time. For example, when you travel by public transport. Usually it goes well until the last stop. Then comes the last part (the last-mile) to the final destination. Often too far to walk, but you have to, because there is no stop closer. To accommodate travelers in this, more and more transportation companies are looking for extensions of their own services. They are looking for last-mile solutions.
A last-mile solution in the above situation could be renting a bike. You get off at the bus stop and walk in 5 minutes to the nearest bike rental. Your bike is already there and you can easily continue your journey. The solution sounds simple, but the challenge lies in the fact that transportation companies are looking for online solutions. Because the traveler naturally wants to book and pay for his trip by bus and bike in one go online. LeisureKing offers the solution! When a bike rental company uses LeisureKing, its stock can in fact be automatically linked online to a digital strippenkaart. The bike rental company receives mail when a bike is reserved. And in LeisureKing he can find all the information he needs.
But a company that provides charging stations for electric cars in public areas can also benefit from a last-mile solution. Or parking garages where someone wants to cover the last distance after parking their car by e-bike or other means of transport. All locations where the last-mile applies and for which we have the digital solution with LeisureKing.
And then, of course, we have the NS. They have been working on the last-mile for years. At many stations, for example, you can already rent an OV bike in combination with a train ticket. But it doesn't have to stop at just transportation. Because the NS can of course also link activities and attractions to the last-mile. The traveler then buys a train ticket + OV bike + entrance tickets for an amusement park or rents a boat. A complete day out. LeisureKing has the software for this and can ensure that all parties are easily linked.
We find that more and more companies want to work together to serve the traveler even the last meters of their journey. And there are still plenty of opportunities. Because actually it is quite strange that when you are traveling by plane and you are sitting in your plane seat looking at a screen for 5 hours that you cannot book something online. Wouldn't it be ideal if you could book activities at your vacation destination, rent a bike at the airport or contact a cab driver for your ride to the hotel? Then time would "fly by," wouldn't it! With LeisureKing, we can make this possible.
Even when you want to book an activity on a cruise ship, as a traveler you run into problems. After all, you 'have' to arrange the activity through the cruise line's reception desk. How convenient then it would be if you could book a segway tour on the next island through the cruise line's app, at your convenience. LeisureKing offers the solution by easily linking different companies together. And thus making the inventory of activity companies transparent to front desk staff and travelers.
Why exactly do companies come to LeisureKing for last-mile solutions? Because LeisureKing focuses on leisure rental companies that have limited inventory and special conditions, such as bike rental companies. By now, over 90 bike rental companies (22,000 bikes and e-bikes) have already joined us. And in total we manage the data of 250 companies throughout the Netherlands! All companies that are interesting for the last-mile solution. And, of course, we should not forget that this also creates opportunities for those companies. Because through LeisureKing, the bike rental company has a chance for a larger sales area, more sales and targeted marketing.
Is your interest piqued in using LeisureKing as a last-mile solution? Please feel free to contact us for an appointment. Not yet a LeisureKing user and want online bookability and linkability as a last-mile solution tomorrow? LeisureKing's CRM is free and works on no cure no pay base. So sign up today!
