KEEPING TRACK
This integrated module allows you to keep track of crew and guests both on and off the yacht and much more
Today’s superyachts require a large crew to stay beautifully maintained and deliver the unparalleled 7-star service and holiday experience our guests expect. Keeping track of all of them, not to mention all the guests coming and going, has become increasingly challenging. Thankfully, Total Superyacht has purpose-built solutions to make everyone’s life easier.
Rotation was once considered a privilege only given to Engineers and fortunate Captains. However, over time, it has become relatively normal for many other crew departments. More rotation means larger crew numbers.
Of course, the more crew, the more logistically challenging it becomes to keep track of everything: who is on or off the yacht at a given time, who is rostered on watch, when Chief Officer Tom returns from leave, whether Chef Brian exceeded his hours of rest, how much leave Chief Stew Emma is owed, whether Ben is properly vaccinated, and so on.
Tracking crew leave can be particularly tough when the engineers are on 2:2 rotation, the deck and interior crew on 4:2, the chefs on 2:1, and others with 60 days leave per annum. Since nothing off-the-shelf caters to the wide variety of scenarios that are ‘normal’ in yachting, it’s no surprise that leave tracking was one of our most common software addition requests.
It took some brainstorming, but our team understands the importance of yacht specific solutions (and the frustration of not having one!). The challenge was to create a system that catered to every possible scenario while greatly reducing the time the purser (or captain) needed to devote to tracking. Our solution enables yachts to set Employment Policies for each type of employment (Full-Time, Rotation, Temporary and Special Crew) and to specify individual crew member Leave Allowances.
The purser changes the crew status via the Crew List using one of our 14 options (including on board, on leave, on rotational leave, training, travel day, quarantine, etc). The system allows these updates to be programmed in advance, automatically updating the Crew List, the Digital In/Out Board and the Muster List to include or remove crew accordingly.
The simple process of updating the crew status automatically incorporates the appropriate employment policies and leave allowance, calculating how much leave is accrued and taken during any selected date range. The Leave Calculator fields can be modified to allow flexibility for special circumstances.
Crew names, bank details and leave calculations are automatically transferred to our Payroll module, where the purser can check individuals for inclusion, confirm leave calculations, add reimbursements or deductions and select primary or secondary bank accounts before submitting it to the appropriate supervisor/s for final approval.
Crew can view employment policies, leave status breakdowns and calculations, flight details and payslips via their own login, all in the same place where they can also update their medical details and crew certificates.
The Watchkeepers app is another great feature that allows crew to view the watch schedule directly on their phone. Orange squares indicate which days you are on watch and blue squares indicate which days you are not. The Watchkeepers app is included with the Hours of Rest phone app that enables the crew member to create up to five user- specific Work Profiles (regular day, charter day, watch day, etc), making it super easy to record hours worked. Work profiles can be copied to multiple days with the click of a button. The hours of rest app shows you when the MLC limits are exceeded and explains which limit was exceeded via the built-in STCW Code guidelines.
Now, how can crew know at a glance if the boss’s sister is ashore, onboard or on a jet ski? Similar to how changing the crew status adds/removes names from our digital In/Out Board, when the purser selects the guests as being on board, they will appear in the digital Passenger List section of the In/Out board, seamlessly and automatically. Crew can simply click guests On or Off and select a location from a drop-down menu that includes Onboard, In town, At the beach, On another yacht, Shore excursion, Dive excursion, On water toys, etc. Each change is logged with a time and date stamp, providing all crew with a quick overview of guest movements. A click of the camera icon provides a photo of the guest to avoid any confusion. A Mustered button is included to assist with organisation during emergencies. Housekeepers also know when guests are off the boat and their cabin is free for service. It’s not designed to replace verbal radio calls, but it does provide extra detail and greater efficiency.
Total Superyacht has today’s yacht’s covered, providing unparalleled organisation, knowledge, tracking and transparency.
For more details visit www.SuperyachtOS.com
