Re-launch of all new Sea Ray Owners Club - introduction and explanation

[SeaRayCorporate]

[There's a thread over the Cruising and Lifestyles forum that prompted me to write this]

As some of you may have noticed, Sea Ray recently completely revamped the Sea Ray Owners Club.

Just to quickly recap, we launched a sneak preview of a completely new Sea Ray Owners Club in November 2015. The previous model, which was in place for 20 years, primarily entailed earning "points" through various activities (usually dealer-related) that you could use toward the purchase of a future Sea Ray. (And the distribution of some hats at select boat shows.) Participation in that program/model was extremely low -- it really only benefited a small handful of Sea Ray owners each year who were in the market for a new boat. Even then, only 7% of new boat transactions in a year involved redemption of Owners Club points. So, the program didn't benefit any Sea Ray owner who wasn't in the market for a new boat, and even of those who were purchasing a new boat, 93% didn't use the program.

So, we decided there had to be a better way. We wanted to transition from what we believe had become a "Buyers Club" to an "Owners Club." We decided that the cornerstone of that program would be events. Sea Ray would contribute direct money to local events -- both dealer-led and owner-led events. We're in the process of rolling out that model in 2016. Our goal is 30 local events funded by Sea Ray in year 1, with a couple super-regional "keynote" events too. If the cornerstone of the program was going to be events, we needed to figure out how to organize, communicate and keep track of the events. That led us to create a Sea Ray Owners Club portal (SeaRay.com/OwnersClub).

Once we made the decision to host an online portal (primarily for event management) we started identifying all of the other things we could add there. Product previews, technical resources, latest news, opportunities for customers to answer each other's questions, etc. A particular pain point for customers (prior to the new portal) was a dodgy interface with Sea Ray technical information on SeaRay.com. There was A LOT of negative feedback about it when we launched the current SeaRay.com in Sept of 2014. So, we went back and organized, labeled and added metadata to 12GB of technical documentation (thousands of files), some stretching back 40+ years. We also set up the system so that once you logged in with your HIN, we'd automatically go harvest the documents most applicable to your boat and present them in your profile so you wouldn't have to search for them. The other 12GB of information are also available in a Technical Resources tab. The tech resources have robust search and filter capabilities too. Many models have owner manuals, parts manuals, prop charts and more. There's also an FAQ tab and an Answers by Owners for items Sea Ray doesn't have technical documents to address.

Finally, we wanted to make sure that the new Sea Ray Owners Club was inclusive of all Sea Ray owners -- regardless of the age of your boat and how you acquired it. "A HIN and you're in" was phrase during development; if you have a Hull Identification Number for your Sea Ray, you can get access to searay.com/ownersclub. There isn't a Sea Ray Owners Club "number" assigned to you anymore. Your boat is your key.

So, that’s the new Sea Ray Owners Club in a nutshell. Log in and check it out. Let us know what you think. If you’d like to see something different about the web portal, use the link in the lower right (Called “submit an idea”) and other community members will be able to vote on the best ideas for implementation.

[video=youtube;4__r-mLFl58]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4__r-mLFl58[/video]



PS - We've discussed this new approach directly with Jim here at CSR to ensure his comfort with it. We have an enormous respect for what he's built at ClubSeaRay and we recognize the unique value of a vibrant independent enthusiast forum (something pretty rare in the marine community!) We don't intend to upset that or replace it.

 

[Prosideus]

I like the new site and believe it is well laid out. Understanding the backstory helps even more so.

Tying the member engagement around events has the propensity for great success based on the homecoming that was held a couple of years back. I know several of us attended and formed relationships with other owners.

I am excited about where the company is heading with embracing the tremendous amount of brand loyalty that exists for Sea Ray, as evidenced through this site alone.

I will put in a plug here as well as the suggestions route on SROC. Rusty and Frank should have a dedicated forum - when they speak, people listen.

Great job Sea Ray, and everyone else who contributed to building the next generation owners site.


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[MonacoMike]

Matt, thanks to you and Sea Ray for being here. The new site sounds exciting!!!

MM

 

[The Bill Collector]

https://bbg1.my.salesforce.com/sfc/...l/yo6TPbnIk37hH5Fz2.w9xN_S2eo25dl7RY3CW3o8XvY

Spec sheet for my boat... nice !!

 

[Gofirstclass]

Matt, I tried to log in yesterday using the old password from SeaRay dot com but it didn't work. I clicked on the "DOH, I forgot my password" and got a screen that said they would send out a reset by email. Two hours later it hadn't arrived so I tried to get in using my HIN. It came up with a popup window that made me reset my password. That worked and I was able to get in.

I like the new layout. I didn't spend a lot of time wandering around but will do so in the near future.

Thanks for the update and the story behind it. THAT kind of service is what keeps people coming back to Sea Ray.

Mike

 

[Ididntdoit]

spent some time wandering around on it a couple of days ago - I like having web access to the ownership and parts manuals, etc - nice site

 

[be_prepared]

I like being able to go in and find an owners manual, parts manual, etc for my specific model based on the hull number. Can you link the engine information from Mercruiser based on engine SN's?

It looks like the forums, broken out by region, boat type, and interests will be helpful in the future as the groups develop some relevant content.

Nice update to the concept.

 

[Havana Shamrock]

I have been trying to log in for a few days and even sent Sea Ray an email . They still had me as owner of the 250DA which I've been updating at the boat shows for 7 years now. So they where going to delete my info and put in my new HIN and still unable to log in.

 

[SeaRayCorporate]

I have been trying to log in for a few days and even sent Sea Ray an email . They still had me as owner of the 250DA which I've been updating at the boat shows for 7 years now. So they where going to delete my info and put in my new HIN and still unable to log in.

Hey, Joe. I'm really sorry for the difficulty you've been having. Previous ownership and other records Sea Ray may have had for you really shouldn't make a difference here. (And I didn't want to throw anyone under the bus, but the opportunity to improve records management certainly was part of our decision to go in a different direction) I'm sorry that we haven't clearly communicated and that somehow this got muddled.

Let's try this: can you go to SeaRay.com/ownersclub and enter your current Hull ID (for the 500 DB) in the field on the right side? This should quickly give you access to the system. I'll PM you your HIN here on CSR just in case you don't have it handy. (Note in this case, you don't type the US- at the front of the HIN -- just jump right with SERAxxxxxxxx, SERPxxxxxxx, etc)

Let me know if you have any difficulty and we'll get it straightened out right away.

 

[tdschafer]

Matt,
Nice job by Sea Ray! This looks like something that will ultimately benefit all Sea Ray owners! It's nice to see the company remembering some of us "little guys" as they continue to improve their benefits!

PS. Don't stress too much over Joe's dilemma above. Simple tasks are not always so simple for him!


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Todd

 

[Havana Shamrock]

Believe me I'm very competent in using electronics. obviously it's not me since they still show me owning a boat from 8 yrs ago. So there Todd....

 

[RubberDuckeeToo2]

Looks like things are off to a good start. I was able to locate two docs related to my boat, but I had already gotten them off the old site a long time ago. I will have to compare tomorrow, but it seems there was more there before than I could find now.

A suggestion on linking the build sheets with the hull ID numbers would be very cool.

Gene

 

[La Maddalena]

I have registered, logged in and have downloaded the Owners manual and Parts PDFs, which are great, so that I have immediate access from my computer and iPad. I was hoping to find better drawings of my boat, like plans and elevations. Are they accessible somewhere? I am using photos and drawings to make measurements and give direction for davit installation and boat graphics on the transom.

 

[chuck1]

I will put in a plug here as well as the suggestions route on SROC. Rusty and Frank should have a dedicated forum - when they speak, people listen.

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i'll second that

 

[gerryb]

Thanks for the heads-up on the new site Matt. Please indulge me as I provide some feedback below.

I like the idea of a database and this is a good start, but it still needs some work. I didn't see a way to update the date I purchased the boat. It shows the date that the previous owner purchased the boat when it was new. This glitch left me with a negative feel as I felt like the system didn't register ME completely as the current owner but still kept some reference to the prior owner. I think the database allows to track the date I purchased it but it is not a field in the OPTIONS section so it apparently is not being used.

The document database is long overdue. Let's please get this functionality 100% right this time as it is a critical resource for many owners. The current system doesn't work, or is short many documents. Only the parts manual showed-up as far as available documents for my boat. (The searay site had the owners manual.) Also, I know that specifications and prop/engine specs are available for my boat (I have them) but they did not come-up on the available documents either.

The site should have an email address or a contact us link to contact the site admin, or send searay questions about our boats.

Also, PLEASE make sure that any owner benefits are truly unique to this group. Nothing will lose credibility faster with this site than if it becomes some bs marketing ploy for 3rd parties. For example... The site implies Owners get a special deal through this site: "Essex Credit is offering Sea Ray owners who wish to seek refinancing a special below-market rate of 3.99% APR." Go to Essex credit and you'll see that's the same rate available to anyone. That makes me feel very... unspecial. Ughhh!

Other ideas: Implement a monthly raffle of some sort to receive corporate searay swag items. Submit an entry by sending an email or filling-out a web page with a few trivia questions on boating, and then select some owners to receive hats, shirts, etc. Perhaps you use it to get people to ask/answer questions in that section of the site.

Love the 15% discount and easy link to the searaycollection site. I would include FREE SHIPPING as an added incentive. You really want owners wearing shirts and caps; these items are often 'conversation starters' that work to demonstrate the brand values.

PM me for more. Looking forward to the updates that I know your team is working on...

 

[SeaRayCorporate]

I like the idea of a database and this is a good start, but it still needs some work. I didn't see a way to update the date I purchased the boat.

Funny you mentioned this! We were just talking about this at lunch today. My point of view was that I have no idea the date that I purchased my last car, or my home, and that asking that as part of the registration process was overly burdensome or intrusive. Others suggested that there may be a subset of owners who have access to that information, or who would be willing to track it down for the sake of adding to their profile. I think we settled on making it an optional field in profile setup. I'm not sure when -- I don't know where this task ranks in a LONG list of desired improvements/enhancements -- but you can expect to see this in the future.

The document database is long overdue. Let's please get this functionality 100% right this time as it is a critical resource for many owners.

I'm glad it's headed in the right direction. We know it's important and we know that bringing better organization would be welcomed by a lot of folks. To level set expectations, we've generally allocated all the resources we can to this particular portion of the project for the immediate future. We literally cleaned up decades worth of neglected documents. We started with hard drives containing literally THOUSANDS of documents with zero metatags or descriptions and meaningless names like "1C1_23_74DEJAKVT7F.pdf" Everything about this database is built from the ground up. I have no doubt that there are errors and omissions, but it's better than we've done before and one of the largest data libraries available from an OEM in the marine industry (and better than what you can get directly from the OEM in many industries!). We can keep working on this over time and we can work toward ways for user submissions where it makes sense, too.

The site should have an email address or a contact us link to contact the site admin, or send searay questions about our boats.

Sea Ray has not yet committed to make the SROC portal a formal customer support channel as it relates to boat-specific or technical questions. That's something we're evaluating and obviously something we think would add value to the site. As far as the ability to contact a site admin, we're right there with you! There's a help and feedback link at the bottom. It links to this screen:

Also, PLEASE make sure that any owner benefits are truly unique to this group.

I can certainly understand why you'd make this request, and in a perfect world that would be the arrangement. The reality is that the member benefits page will likely consist of benefits that are NOT generally available and some that are. Sea Ray has very limited leverage to enforce that our users are the only group eligible for a particular offer. Consider this section a notification of terms and offers that are available to you; if you assess that it's a favorable deal, jump on it!

Other ideas: Implement a monthly raffle of some sort to receive corporate searay swag items. Submit an entry by sending an email or filling-out a web page with a few trivia questions on boating, and then select some owners to receive hats, shirts, etc.

Count on it! We kind of like that SROC logo and we'll be pushing it a lot of places. Our methods for distributing hats/t-shirts may have shifted, but they haven't gone away. Great idea!

Love the 15% discount and easy link to the searaycollection site. I would include FREE SHIPPING as an added incentive. You really want owners wearing shirts and caps; these items are often 'conversation starters' that work to demonstrate the brand values.

Owners Club has been on our list of things we'd like to improve for three years. Now that this is done, can you guess what we may focus on next? : )

Thanks for all the helpful feedback and critique! It truly is welcome, and ultimately we need to do all we reasonably can to maximize the value of the Sea Ray Owners Club for OWNERS. I think once Sea Ray starts contributing real money to local owner-led events, it'll be quite a turbo boost to the whole program.

 

[Black Valkyrie]

I signed up, though the parts I need for my Searay aren't listed in the parts manual for my boat. They have an arrow with a number pointing at them in the diagram but that number is skipped in the parts list. Oh well.

 

[Havana Shamrock]

Shout out to Matt, thanks for getting my login cleared up. Cool site.. I too would like to see more tech drawings. I'm sure there are some that cannot be shared but with a lot of us DIY guys here it's frustrating to pull wire and hit a dead end. Again thanks Matt...

 

[Black Valkyrie]

Also maybe they can send me a small foreign person to crawl inside my chain locker through that tiny access hatch

 

[tdschafer]

Shout out to Matt, thanks for getting my login cleared up. Cool site.. I too would like to see more tech drawings. I'm sure there are some that cannot be shared but with a lot of us DIY guys here it's frustrating to pull wire and hit a dead end. Again thanks Matt...

Joe,
Quit pulling your wire.......


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Todd