Based in Orlando, Florida, Skyline Destination Management started doing business nearly 2 decades ago like many in the transportation sector: With just a single owner/operator and one vehicle.
Fast-forward to today and their fleet has grown to over a dozen different vehicles and vehicle types, from limousines to sedans. In addition, this destination management company coordinates travel for customers seeking a VIP-level experience throughout the state of Florida, regionally, and internationally from place like Las Vegas to Dubai.
In addition to providing point-to-point shuttle services to 5-star resorts, theme parks, special events, parties, and even weddings in the area, they also are able to assist clients in arranging private air travel and other VIP services.
The Business
Unlike basic shuttle or taxi services, Skyline Destination Management differentiates themselves by providing luxurious one-of-a-kind experiences where reputation is everything.
The company is able to provide a variety of vehicle options to clients, ranging from SUVs, to buses, to limos, to private jets. To ensure the company’s fleet consistently provides a world-class experience for clients, tasks like maintenance and inspections are critical details they can’t afford to overlook.
With this type of business, it’s imperative that every detail is reported and acted on immediately if there is a problem. In terms of avoiding undocumented damage and maintaining vehicle cleanliness, implementing an organized system to manage everything was a must.
Life Before Whip Around
Since the company has grown from a single vehicle to being reliant on an extensive fleet of vehicles in all shapes and sizes, managing both the inspection process and maintenance aspect of the business was becoming a challenge for their operations team.
In addition to providing services to the travelers and the general public, the company also shuttles Disney employees to and from the employee parking lot to the hotel. For this reason, Skyline operates 3 shifts, 24 hours per day, and vehicles must be ready to go at all times.
This led the company to implement a paper-based system to deal with inspections, maintenance, and repairs.
The Problem
Prior to using the Whip Around application, mechanics would notify the operations team whenever a problem had arisen, and notify them whenever a vehicle needed to be taken out of service due to problems like a broken air conditioner or an issue with a tire.
Jonathan Millan, Director of Curbside Operations at Skyline Destination Management, was tasked with creating and organizing these paper inspection forms for the fleet. He basically re-created an inspection form similar to what you might find at a rental car company to serve the needs of the fleet.
Working on the operations team, his team would essentially act as a middleman between the driver and mechanic in delivering or communicating information that needed to be acted on. This sometimes led to problems when this information wasn’t communicated.
Paper Forms Not Fitting the Bill
When trying to find paper forms that would fit the bill specific to his industry, Millan noted that the forms he discovered just weren’t what they needed, adding,
“We’ve reviewed some of the forms created for the trucking companies out there, but their inspections aren’t the same as our inspections.”
Because many of their vehicles aren’t bound by the same DOT regulations and inspection points, they needed a way to customize them for each vehicle, and found Whip Around to be the perfect solution. Instead of dealing with a paperwork headache, the app has saved them a lot of money both in paperwork and filing costs.
Even though all of their vehicles aren’t bound by the same federal regulations, they still wanted the ability to reference prior reports, which were beginning to take up a lot of space. One manager was even storing some of them in his garage.
“It wasn’t fun” Millan admitted.
After dealing with this paper-based process, drivers began mentioning apps that would solve a lot of these problems. After doing research on a solution that would work for their situation, Jonathan determined Whip Around would be a great solution for their use case and one that their team could benefit from right away.
Since Implementing Whip Around
Skyline Destination Management decided to implement the Whip Around app after the president of the company was sold on the fact that they were performing hundreds of inspections daily, using a lot of paper and ink to do it, and simply not being as efficient as they could be.
One feature they are taking advantage of is the ability to take and reference photos. By taking photos instead of having having drivers write descriptive comments others must interpret, it’s made it a lot easier for managers and mechanics to view photos of actual damage whenever there is an accident.
“In more ways than one, it’s helped us improve our inspections, as well as the maintenance of these vehicles” Millan said.
In terms of maintenance, the mechanics on staff have also been able to respond to faults in real-time, as opposed to waiting for drivers to finish 8-hour shifts in order to turn in paperwork.
Solving the Mystery of Undocumented Damage
Another benefit of using Whip Around has been pinpointing who last drove a vehicle based on the date damage was reported, as opposed to wondering about undocumented damage.
The ability to customize forms has also been a big benefit based on the company’s business. Skyline is not the same as other companies, in the sense that they are not like a taxi company, but consist mainly of limousines and private vehicles where dents and dings don’t go unnoticed.
Ease of Use and Customization
When asked about the experience using the Whip Around application and what he liked the most, ease of use topped the list for Millan.
“It’s really simple. It’s almost like taking an exam. You’ve got A,B,C, or D, Yes or No, True or False. It’s quick and easy.”
The ability to create customizable forms is also proving beneficial, since forms can be tweaked over time, or even deleted if no longer used.
One example of this arose following COVID-19. Prior to the outbreak, paper vouchers were provided to customers, so the team had to be able to adapt (like many others) based on CDC guidelines and recommendations. Part of this included making sure hand sanitizer was stocked in each vehicle prior to beginning each shift.
Thanks to Whip Around, this is a simple inspection item that was added to ensure their fleet is always stocked with the sanitizers and disinfectants they need to keep their passengers and drivers safe.
See How Whip Around Can Benefit Your Fleet
To explore how Whip Around can be customized for your destination management company or fleet of vehicles, schedule a demo to see where we can help streamline inspection and maintenance operations for your company. Thousands of fleet managers and drivers in multiple industry verticals are simplifying their day-to-day process with our simple, easy-to-use app.
