Krytter

Booking system for guided hunting trips

Travel

Services:

Product discovery

MVP development

Web development

Product design

Third-party integration

Quality assurance

Automation testing

The team

2 Backend developers

2 Frontend developers

2 QA engineers

UI/UX designer

Project manager

DevOps engineer

Technologies

ReactJS

Ruby

AWS

Sidekiq

Redis

Postgres

Integrations

SendGrid

Wise

Flywire

Timeline: 2 years

Website: krytter.com

Crystal Lake Resort, a popular wilderness destination for hunters, needed a comprehensive solution to manage their unique booking process. Unlike standard reservation systems, outfitter bookings often span years in advance and are frequently paid in installments. This added complexity made accurate record-keeping essential for the resort’s operations.

Moreover, the booking process in this industry is highly personal – it involves building personal connections between hunters and outfitters. Typically, these interactions are led by the business owner, who leverages decades of experience to ensure the perfect trip for each guest. For many such resorts, which are often family-owned and passed down through generations, delegating the reservation process is a significant challenge.

Our product is designed to simplify this intricate booking environment, ensuring seamless management, trustworthy data handling, and the ability to maintain the personal touch that Crystal Lake Resort and its guests value so deeply.

One of the most challenging aspects of SDLC was the financial module’s business logic. It involved complex calculations, tax compliance, and payment processing for cash, bank transfers, online payments, and checks. Plus, handling jurisdiction requirements for diverse license types required nuanced functionality and multiple iterations during development.

Managing hunting locations and available spots was a long road too. We needed to address scenarios like whether multiple hunting parties could share a location or not. Also, we solved a puzzle of keeping prices and availability in sync for dozens of hunting trip varieties. This balancing act was critical – otherwise, the booking experience could be slow or inconsistent, so we worked on it with exceptional diligence.

In January 2022, we outlined the product's requirements and functionality. The development process took about six months from discovery to MVP, with basic functionality for outfitters only. Then, a three-month pause followed. The team then spent another year developing additional features and scaling the system.

COAX developed comprehensive hunting booking software to fully cover the needs of outfitters, customers, and our client's business goals. We started with basic features in the MVP – a booking system where you could set up a hunt, create basic invoices, and handle simple payments (cash or online).
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As the project evolved, it gradually turned into a sophisticated platform with three interconnected systems. The Admin's powerhouse module managed hunting jurisdictions across vast territories. The Outfitter's system grew too. What started as a simple booking tool transformed into a robust system for creating and managing hunts.

User role

Admin
The Admin owns the system and invites hunting outfitters to use it. They create and manage jurisdictions (regions with different hunting laws) where outfitters can operate, handle contracts, and handle agreements for hunters.

A standout feature is custom roles. Admins can create roles like bookkeepers (for financials) or promoters (with limited access). Additionally, the super admin can “impersonate” any outfitter’s account and manage everything in it.
Outfitter
In general, outfitters are organizations authorized to arrange and conduct hunting trips for customers. They create and manage hunting locations and set up hunting trips within different regions, like Canada and the U.S.

The system supports outfitters in every task, from booking to financial operations. Outfitters also manage all customer bookings, ensuring that the system tracks availability and pricing across all hunting excursions.
Customer
Customers search for a hunting guide, choose an outfitter, and then book hunting directly. They track all details of their hunting trip — payments, documents, and travel arrangements — through their dashboard.

The system makes booking easy and provides all the necessary info for the guided hunting experience. Customers can even add extra travel arrangements — all in one place.

Key features

/ Features

Booking

Outfitters create hunting trips, add hunters, and manage bookings directly in the system. Customers can easily search for and book a hunt, but there are multiple steps leading to the final booking.The hunting booking software we created supports direct customer bookings, allowing outfitters to handle everything from payment to documentation.

Licensing

Hunters must have specific licenses to participate in certain hunts, such as the Canada hunting license. The system assists hunters in getting all permits either by adding their existing licenses or purchasing them.Admins oversee jurisdiction-specific licenses, ensuring compliance with local laws. Outfitters select the licenses needed for each trip, with some licenses marked as mandatory by the Admin.

Payments

COAX developers made the financial system flexible for users. There are four available payment methods for invoices: cash, Flywire, bank transfers, and checks. Any invoice can be divided into multiple parts, allowing users to combine multiple payment methods. Users can customize their payments for different expenses when creating the booking. This can include payments for the hunt, licenses, and additional costs.

Booking widget

Outfitters can generate public links for a specific hunting trip and share them on hunting websites or social media. These links automatically pull up images and details, making it easy for potential customers to click and book directly.

Associations

Outfitters can join associations, offering benefits to hunters. When an outfitter is part of an association, their customers receive special perks, though an additional fee is typically charged during the booking process.

Taxes

We built tax handling based on detailed requirements provided by the client. The system supports two accounting methods: Cash and Accrual. Depending on which tax system an organization operates under, the platform generates detailed financial reports tailored to their needs. Users can view relevant tax data, including the specific taxes they owe, the amounts, and the reasons for each charge.

Communication

Our engineers implemented in-account alerts and email notifications for critical updates. Notifications are sent directly to user accounts, and many of these alerts are duplicated via email to ensure users stay informed.Additionally, there is a support section for users to reach out to an outfitter or the admin. While it’s not a live chat system, it operates almost like one, providing a reliable communication method.

B2B relations

Admins charge a fee for each hunt booked through the system. In addition, admins manage tax settings for different jurisdictions, ensuring that outfitters are aligned with local tax requirements. This creates a smooth relationship between outfitters and the platform, ensuring transparency in payments and taxes.

QA process

The QA team conducted various types of testing, including functional, regression, smoke, and interface testing. We created a test plan that outlines the scope, approach, resources, and schedule for all testing activities. Then went the checklist, detailing the pre-conditions, test steps, and expected vs actual outcomes for each test.

They used tools such as Cypress, WebDriverIO, Appium, Postman, Screaming Frog, and Jmeter for automation. The team focused on code quality, reliability, security, and maintainability throughout the development process.

Business outcomes

The client received a booking system that handles long-term reservations and installment-based payments, reducing manual work and improving efficiency. They now have a centralized repository for storing customer information, documentation, and payment records. This repository enhances data retrieval and accuracy, allowing them to manage all aspects of their booking operations from a single interface.

The system preserves the personal touch crucial to client interactions while enabling seamless multi-company integration, improving coordination with other outfitters. This modernization helps the resort maintain its tradition of personalized service while streamlining management and delegation.

Client feedback

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I was most impressed by the quality of the end product.

While my ideas formed the basis for the work, they delivered a far more superior product than I imagined with greater flexibility and viability of features. They exceeded expectations so many times it got to the point I couldn't wait to see what they came up with next.

Dan Brooks

President, Krytter

Why partner with COAX?

Flexibility & adaptability
Our team understands the importance of flexibility in the construction industry, which is why we work around your schedule to provide services at a time that's convenient for you.
Skilled and dedicated team
The COAX team consists of pioneering industry experts and experienced professionals who meet high proficiency standards. We stick to our ethos and are dedicated to delivering high-quality solutions that can lead the future of digital solutions.
Ongoing support
We're committed to providing excellent support throughout the entire project lifecycle. That's why we don't just focus on our technical specialists but also pay close attention to the professional skills of our project managers to ensure seamless cooperation.
Security and confidentiality
At COAX Software, we take data privacy and security very seriously. We sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and guarantee to keep all project information safe and establish trust.
Growth-focused approach
In the construction industry, businesses need to constantly adapt and grow. That's why we don't just develop custom software solutions, we implement cutting-edge tools that help your business and technology scale for long-term success.
Agile methodology
At COAX Software, we value transparency and efficiency. That's why we follow a truly agile approach when providing IT services for construction companies. We aim to remain flexible and responsive to your needs at all times to ensure project success.