According to Lee Clarke at Dynama, ditching spreadsheets is the first step to success in today’s highly competitive cruise market.

LONDON, UK, January 18, 2018 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The cruise industry continues to grow, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) 2017 outlook . Floating palaces complete with spas, beauty salons, pools, libraries, cinemas and freestyle dining are in demand from holiday makers worldwide. As a result, the competition among cruise companies to ensure the right crew is in the right place at the right time to deliver the ultimate guest experience increases exponentially. It also means that some of the most trusted, traditional and well-loved methods used to manage these luxury cruise ships can no longer cope with increased demand.

Take the humble spreadsheet. Many people use them to manage crew movement on a day-to-day basis. Spreadsheets give everyone their own version of the truth, with complete autonomy to update and amend data as often as they like, without interference from anyone else.

However, they are static and limited in terms of scalability. Just think of the complexity involved when there are fleets of ships manned by thousands of crew around the world in different time zones!

Fortunately, the latest automated enterprise resource planning and workforce optimization (WFO) systems are designed to maximize crew and resources. Here are five very good reasons to make the switch:

Spreadsheet approach to WFO

• Multiple sources of information and views of the truth
• No workflows or processes - each department works in isolation
• No functionality for historical or future analysis
• Time consuming and error-prone
• Easy to corrupt formulae and calculations

Automated approach to WFO

• Global view with data all in one place
• Prevents silos
• Manages big data
• Creates efficiencies
• Information is easy to share

It’s time to ditch those spreadsheets! Deploy automated enterprise resource planning and workforce optimization solutions to benefit from:

1. Global View – modern integrated WFO software brings together every piece of information you’ll ever need to run a successful cruise ship. A centralized repository of real-time data gives a complete picture of crew members and activities – the ship they work on and their skills as well as important travel plans and documentation. This aids the development of efficient schedules and guarantees the most appropriately skilled and available crew members are in the right place at the right time. Meeting the requirements of key crew members also boosts morale and aids staff retention.

2. No more silos – automation encourages consistent ways of working across the organization as a whole. For example, travel administration can provide a transparent, birds-eye view of travel planning across different departments, making booking flights and hotels more co-ordinated. It also minimizes errors and the wasted expense of duplicate bookings!

3. Ability to manage big data – there’s no point in having multiple hand-crafted spreadsheets that hold huge amounts of static information that cannot connect to other data sources or be analysed to support the business. The latest automated are sophisticated enough to analyse current resource competencies and model for future requirements quickly and efficiently, whether you have one cruise ship or an entire fleet.

4. Increased efficiencies – automation and centrally stored information removes duplicated effort and reduces administration, time and staff costs. Lessons learnt from new classes of vessel can be implemented quickly to ensure the correct budget for headcount is incorporated into plans.

5. Improved information and knowledge sharing - a single holistic view articulates appropriate understanding and knowledge to decision makers who can then share and use it more collaboratively for more effective planning, preparation, schedule generation and cost control.

The cruise industry’s order book has reached a historic high. Why not take the opportunity to refresh your approach to workforce optimization? Some of our customers have already taken the lead, for example Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines with 17 and 15 ships respectively.

It’s time to ditch those spreadsheets and embrace a whole new world of automation. In return, you’ll be rewarded with efficient crews and schedules, an improved guest experience and a stronger than ever competitive advantage.

Lee Clarke is Regional Director – Northern Hemisphere, Dynama www.dynama.global

Mary Phillips
PR Artistry
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