Booking system for outfitters

hunting booking software
Industry
The team:
2 Backend developers
2 Frontend developers
2 QA engineers
UI/UX designer
Project manager
DevOps engineer
Back end:
Ruby
AWS
Sidekiq
Redis
Postgres
Front end:
Integrations:
SendGrid
Wise
Flywire
Timeline
2 years
Website:
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Customer profile

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.

Challenges

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.

Re:Plan listings of available rooms
hunting guide booking software
hunting outfitter booking system
Re:Plan hot deals and places to stay around page

The solution

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).

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.

hunting booking software

User roles

Admin role

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 role

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 role

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

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.

book a hunt

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.

guided hunting

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.

2020 Armor bluetooth connect to vest mobile screen

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.

book a hunt

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.

hunting guide

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.

hunting outfitters

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.

hunters outfitters

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.

book hunting

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.

Why partner with COAX?

Our main focus is providing successful and exceptional services. We believe in long-term relationships that bring value to both businesses.

We adapt

We adapt to our client’s’ business needs, constantly searching for new ways to fulfil their requirements

Shorter time to go-live

Dedicated and authorized teams deliver on the promised schedule.

Quality services

Our quality strategy is aimed to prevent defects, not just detect them.

Transparency

Our goal is to be a trustworthy partner, operating with honesty and transparency for long-term value

Data-driven decisions

We rely product analytics to make the right data-driven decisions.

Support for full lifecycle

Our team supports you from the stage of ideation, to production

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What we’ll do next?
1

We will contact you within 24 hours

2

We'll clarify your expectations, business objectives, and project requirements

3

We'll develop and accept a proposal

4

Following that, our partnership can begin