Partnership between Todds Leap, Flint Studios and Bluefin Software Systems

BELFAST, Northern Ireland - March 6, 2015 - PRLog -- Todds Leap Activity Centre in Ballygawley will be celebrating 25 amazing years in business this year and what an incredible journey it has been so far. Starting off as just a small family business, operating on weekends, Todds leap has grown into a multi award winning establishment, offering over 20 activities scattered over its 10 mile off-road track, with accommodation for up to 100 in the form of cosy log cabins and funky refurbished shipping containers, a state of the art conference centre and a licensed restaurant and welcoming over 30,000 visitors last year.

The one thing that hasn’t changed at Todds Leap in its 25 years of business is its strong dedication to customer service and business development. Any stumbling blocks met along the way were soon overturned when a partnership between Todds Leap, Flint Studios and Bluefin Software Systems was formed, that revolutionised the business as Centre Manager Patrick Rafferty explains…

"Being as unique as we are, we needed a complete bespoke solution. After an extensive selection process we engaged with Flint studios and Bluefin software to reinvent and integrate our website with our CRM system. We now have fully responsive website which takes online orders and automatically populates our CRM, this in turn automatically creates a daily schedule for all our customers. This in essence means we have a non-touch ordering system that makes the customer journey a seamless one. The growth of the site has been amazing and this is a testament to great web design and focus on providing our customers with a superior online booking experience tailored to their exact need and requirements. Our online orders have increased by over 100% and the customers experience has been greatly enhanced. To top all this, we recently won eCommerce Website of the Year in the Realex Fire Web Awards in Dublin and received a Highly Commended for Website of the Year at the DANI Awards in 2014."

Belfast-based web agency, Flint Studios worked in partnership to produce a highly innovative web solution for Todds Leap. Managing Director, Jeremy Biggerstaff of Flint Studios comments: "We built an action-packed eCommerce website with a fully responsive layout working across all devices from desktop, to mobile and tablet. The challenge was to create an easy-to-use and comprehensive e-commerce application to sell their full range of activities and packages on the new look Todds Leap website. With an entire re-write of the website and tight integration of a new ecommerce system and content management system, it is now possible to plan events, book accommodation or buy merchandise online.

Jeremy continues. “Flint Studios' dedicated staff have really excelled with this project and by creating a flexible and responsive solution. The bespoke CMS solution enables the centre to easily add 'new' activities and packages, including their most recent innovation the Todds Leap Winter Wonderland. Additionally, the CMS gives Todds Leap direct control of its online content, allowing them to add and edit content without the need to involve a developer.

He adds “With more and more people using tablets or smartphones to browse the internet, having a responsive website is no longer simply a nice feature but rather a necessity. The responsive design and functionality of the website is based on five breakpoints to cater for a large percentage of mobile and tablet devices. This provides the ideal framework for ordering and booking activities online.”

The award-winning website brings the adventure and adrenaline of Todds Leap to the internet http://www.toddsleap.com/. With a heavy focus on photography and visual content, the website gives the user a true sense of the Todds Leap experience. The imagery truly conveys the adrenaline and showcases the full range of fantastic activities available at Todds Leap Activity Centre. Everything from archery and clay pigeon shooting to body zorbing and off-road driving, and all available to book online with ease.

As no two corporate events are ever the same, the website can customise packages to meet the needs, requirements and budget of every group. This is perfect for those who prefer something more tailor-made. Simply choose from the huge range of activities to create a customised online itinerary. The website intuitively responds to requirements, showing what is available on particular dates, what is suitable for people of different ages, height and weights, as well as suggesting accommodation in Todds Leaps’ Cosy Log Cabins if the selected activities take more than a day to complete.

County Down based software development company, Blue Fin Software Solutions worked closely with Todds leap over a period of 18 months to develop a unique CRM solution to fit their business. Blue Fin owner John Walsh recalls, “We were invited to look at Todds Leap requirements back in 2012. “As with every project, we spent considerable time with key team members to fully understand their processes, defined those processes and designed a suitable system around them. We were delighted that the solution we proposed was accepted by Todds Leap and supported by Invest NI.

“We delivered the solution on time and within budget and continue updating the system as the Todds Leap business evolves.”

According to Patricia Currie, Todds Leap Marketing Manager throughout the project, “With two previous software suppliers failing to deliver our project, we cautiously invited Blue-Fin to look at our requirements and wish we had found them from the word Go!

“They visited us a few times to understand our business and our requirements. They documented everything so we knew exactly what we were getting, how much it would cost and how long it would take to deliver.

“We all love the new Booking & Enquiries System as it makes our administrative tasks so much easier allowing us more time to speak to customers.

“It has improved our customer service and cemented our brand image, as our communication with our customers (by automatically generated branded emails) is consistent and professional.

“We highly recommend them and are looking forward to future projects with Blue-Fin Software Solutions.”