Prior Lake Pontoon Rental
From Roadside Bookings to Digital Freedom: How Stellar Transformed a Family-Run Pontoon Rental Business
AT A GLANCE
- Business: Prior Lake Pontoon Rental
- Location: Prior Lake, Minnesota
- Fleet Size: 8 pontoons total, 5 for daily rentals [7 pontoons total, 6 for daily rentals, 1 spare pontoon]
- Season: Mother’s Day through September [May 1st-September 30th]
- Staff: One-person operation
- Challenge: Managing a growing family-run rental business while maintaining work-life balance
THE CHALLENGE: Running a Growing Business Solo
For Alex Seurer, managing Prior Lake Pontoon Rental meant being perpetually on-call. “I would be taking phone calls on my way to Walmart and be stopping and booking. I’d pull over on the side of the road like three times on my way to try to go to Walmart to book boats,” she recalls. Operating daily from 8AM to 8PM [1st rental goes out at 9:30am, last rental ends at 8pm], with no physical office, every aspect of the business—from booking to boat preparation to customer service—fell on her shoulders.
The existing system, a basic Excel-based calendar, proved increasingly problematic. “There was a button that I was never supposed to press, but of course, it was right next to the button that I needed to press to submit,” Alex explains. “I clicked that button and it would erase every single rental on that day and that time for the entire future. I only clicked that button one time, and after that happened, I needed to find something else.”
the SOLUTION: Finding the Right Digital Partner
After noticing their competitor Naughty Oar using the platform, Prior Lake Pontoon Rental began exploring Stellar. However, the transition wasn’t without its challenges. Alex’s father, the business’ owner, was initially hesitant about moving to an online booking system, particularly concerned about maintaining control over who rented their boats.
“We put a lot of faith into hoping that the people that are booking their boats do have boating experience,” Alex notes. “If you call me and you kind of sound like you’ve never rented or you don’t know anything about boats, I’ll ask you questions, and if you’re hesitant, I can’t rent you. It’s our livelihood.”
IMPLEMENTATION: Customized for Success
Despite being a smaller operation, Stellar worked to customize their solution for Prior Lake’s unique needs. The implementation process took about a month due to specific requirements:
- Custom booking windows requiring 2-hour advance notice to prevent last-minute reservations
- Detailed confirmation emails with location maps and instructions (reducing customer confusion on arrival)
- Integrated payment processing
- Flexible scheduling system for their seasonal operation
the results: "From Sharks to Dolphins"
The transformation in daily operations was significant:
- Streamlined Communication
- Automated confirmation emails with detailed instructions
- Reduced phone calls
- Built-in mapping and arrival instructions
- Improved Operations
- Better schedule visualization
- Elimination of double-bookings
- Easy access to customer information
- Ability to manage business remotely
- Enhanced Customer Experience
- Self-service booking option
- Clear communication through automated emails
- Professional booking experience
- Increased positive reviews specifically mentioning easy booking process
THE HUMAN TOUCH: Support That Makes the Difference
What truly set Stellar apart was their support approach. As Alex colorfully describes it: “Everything else I felt like I was swimming with sharks, like I was alone. With Stellar it’s like you’re with dolphins – they’re able to help you. If you have questions, you have somebody you can call that’s not a 1-800 number. They get back to you to answer your questions. They’ll help you. They’ll walk you through it.”
The support team, including Candice, Macie, and Caleb, provided:
- Direct access to support
- Quick response times, even on holiday weekends
- Assistance with technical questions
- Flexibility in adapting to business needs
LOOKING AHEAD
As Prior Lake Pontoon Rental continues to grow, Stellar’s platform provides the foundation for sustainable expansion. With new payment options like Google Pay and Apple Pay on the horizon, the partnership continues to evolve to meet changing customer needs.
“Stellar transformed how we handle our business operations. Their platform gave us everything we needed – from online bookings and payments to customer management. I give them 10/10 and would recommend them to any business looking to streamline their operations.” – Alex Seurer
