Archon Yachting runs 125 boats across seven Greek bases, and when Aaron Neale, their Fleet Operations Manager, first looked at Floatist, he had the same concern many fleet operators have: will my team actually use this?
“Some of the older guys were skeptical,” Aaron remembers. “We were scared they’d struggle coming from paper to digital.”
That fear stops most operators from modernizing because you can have great software, but if your staff won’t use it, you are just sitting on a cost. The question isn’t whether yacht charter management software works, it’s whether your team will actually use it when things get busy.
Onboarding a Big Fleet to Floatist
Archon had everything working against smooth adoption: seven bases spread across Greece, staff used to paper checklists, and a lot of intense Friday and Saturday turnovers where everything needs to move fast.
However, the onboarding turned out to be smooth and even the skeptical, “not so used to tech” staff love it. Not because they are forced to, but because Floatist’s yacht charter management software actually made their jobs easier instead of adding another system to learn.
What convinced Aaron that staff were really using it? They started telling him things he didn’t expect to hear. Saturdays were getting easier, they could handle more boats, and nobody was asking to go back to paper. “Turnover on Friday and Saturday used to be longer,” Aaron says. “Now it’s improved 100%.”
Growing a Charter Fleet With Yacht Management Software
Growing a sailing yacht fleet usually means hiring more people to handle the increased number of boats, but Aaron noticed something different as Archon’s fleet expanded.
“It was easier to see tasks and issues that came up during the week,” Aaron notes, and when you’re coordinating multiple locations with that many boats, having one system everyone uses to track maintenance, inventory, the individual boat status, as well as guide charter guests during the yacht check-in, your work-life changes from chaos to control. And charter guests notice that right away.
Why Staff Choose Floatist Over Paper
Most fleet management software fails for one of three reasons: they are too complicated to use, it doesn’t address the actual chaos of turnaround days, or it adds more work instead of reducing it. Floatist’s yacht charter management software solved all three, which is why Archon’s staff kept using it after the initial training period ended.
“They tell me their day is getting easier on Saturday for sure,” Aaron says. “They can definitely do more boats, it’s easy and quick to use.” When staff across seven bases are telling their operations manager that they can handle more work with less stress because the software speeds it up, you know the tool was easily understood and adopted.
Charter guest feedback has been good too, because streamlined operations show up in a more personal guest experience, which reflect in their Google reviews.
What Smooth Implementation Actually Looks Like
Every operator considering fleet management software for their sailing charter company faces the same question: will my team adopt this, or will it be wasted money and time after the initial excitement wears off?
Archon’s experience answers that clearly. Seven bases across Greece, 125 boats in operation, and staff ranging from tech-comfortable to skeptical older team members all using Floatist daily and reporting that their jobs got easier.
The onboarding is quick, the training was straightforward and fast, and staff adapted quickly because the tool actually solved problems they felt every Saturday.
The implementation fear is real and justified because most operators have tried software that promised to help but ended up with more work for them without real benefits. That’s why it is important that you use software that is not only designed to support your workflows, but also provides the support you need to get your fleet implemented and staff trained.
Without the proper onboarding and support you might indeed end up with a tool that is not adding any value. Floatist’s onboarding team guides new customers during the initial phase, as well as sets everything up from the start, preventing this from happening. On top of that, Floatist was created by yachting professionals that truly understand the needs of charter fleet operators and fit their needs during every single season.