AusLeisure

Australia’s largest white water rafting company has developed a multilingual safety management system to give advance warning of a customer’s suitability to participate in the adventure activity.

Raging Thunder Adventures Director of Sales Peta Zietsch said Raftform was integrated with Raging Thunder’s reservations system to help overcome language barriers, add another layer of safety to rafting and improve customer service.

Zietsch explained “Tropical North Queensland is Australia’s rafting capital with around 50,000 people a year participating in the adventure-based activity and as the industry’s leading operator Raging Thunder is continually striving to set benchmarks in rafting safety.

“Raftform is the brain child of Raging Thunder’s Operations Manager Chris Fulton who has 30 years’ experience in the industry.”

Fulton said Raftform was the most significant safety development in adventure tourism in many years as it allowed the company to connect with customers before they travelled to check if medical conditions such as a heart problem would prevent them from joining a rafting trip.

He added “for example, Raftform lets customers completing the medical questionnaire know immediately that rafting is not suitable for pregnant participants so they can choose another activity.

“It will speed up our response if there is a medical problem on the day of travel as we can immediately access contact and medical details such as allergies to organise the appropriate care.

“Raftform is also a good way of keeping our customers happy as a text or email is automatically sent to customers advising them on suitable clothing to wear, to bring things such as sunscreen as well as confirming which trip they are booked on and when and where the pickup will be.

“Previously we relied on the booking agents to pass on this information so it avoids human error like putting in the wrong travel date and helps the agents do a professional job.

“The information and medical questionnaire is in English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean and if we see a large gap in our market we will develop it in other languages.”

Zietsch said Chinese visitor number had been growing to almost one-third of Raging Thunder’s business so a full-time Chinese guide had been employed to further help with any language barriers.

She concluded “Raging Thunder takes pride in going above and beyond Queensland Outdoor Recreation Adventure Activity Standards by carrying safety equipment such as oxygen, defibrillators and satellite phones as well as employing river medics with a Certificate IV in Healthcare on the Grade 4 rapids.”

Visit the Raging Thunder website at www.ragingthunder.com.au

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