YouCanBookMe is the perfect way to actually speak to our tour operators”- Mart Siemerink, Head of Support at SafariBookings
From the vast plains of the Serengeti to the winding deltas of Botswana, SafariBookings connects travelers around the world with trusted local tour operators across Africa. Founded in the Netherlands, the company has become a leading online marketplace for safari experiences—bringing structure, transparency, and opportunity to an industry built on adventure.
As Head of Support, Mart Siemerink leads the team that helps hundreds of operators succeed on the platform. His work blends technology and personal connection—offering one-on-one calls and webinars to help operators grow their businesses.
But as SafariBookings expanded, so did the challenge of managing appointments across time zones, languages, and schedules. Coordinating all of this manually wasn’t sustainable. Mart needed a simple, flexible way to organize calls and let operators book their own time.
That’s when SafariBookings turned to YouCanBookMe—scheduling software for teams that now powers more than 8,000 bookings between their support team and partners worldwide.
|
Mart’s stats |
||
|
Location The Netherlands |
Company size Mid-size business |
Industry Travel and Leisure |
|
YCBM stats Customer since: April 2016 Lifetime bookings: 8,270 # of booking pages: 26 |
|
Key integrations Google Calendar Gmail Google Meet
|
|
With a global network of tour operators and support staff working across Africa and Europe, SafariBookings faced a growing coordination challenge. Managing meetings manually led to confusion, time zone mix-ups, and lost productivity. The team needed a simpler, more consistent way to connect with partners around the world. |
SafariBookings supports hundreds of safari tour operators across Africa—each with their own time zone, language, and availability. As the platform expanded, the team’s biggest challenge wasn’t just responding to inquiries—it was managing the logistics of connecting with everyone who needed help.
From onboarding new operators to hosting training sessions and live meetings at international travel fairs, the support team’s schedule filled quickly. And with their own colleagues spread across continents, coordination became even trickier.
We have a few people in Africa themselves, in Kenya and South Africa, and then most people are either in mainland Europe or in the UK.”
Keeping track of who was meeting when—and in which time zone—left too much room for confusion. For Mart and his team, the goal was clear: make it easy for operators to connect with SafariBookings, wherever they were in the world. But achieving that required more than just organization—it demanded a scheduling tool that could handle the complexity of global collaboration while staying simple enough for everyone to use.
|
By adopting YouCanBookMe, SafariBookings gained a single, flexible system for every kind of meeting—from onboarding calls and webinars to in-person sessions at travel fairs. The platform handles time zones automatically, giving operators and staff a simple, reliable way to connect wherever they are. |
Coordinating meetings across multiple continents was becoming increasingly complex for SafariBookings. The support team worked from Europe and Africa, while some colleagues, including Mart’s manager, were based as far away as Indonesia. Handling every meeting manually wasn’t just time-consuming—it risked confusion across time zones.
That changed when SafariBookings introduced YouCanBookMe. The platform gave them a flexible, centralized way to manage all their meetings—from one-on-one calls with tour operators to webinars and live sessions at international travel fairs.
My manager used to live in Indonesia and it was so convenient that he could set his availability to be only for a couple of hours every day so that he wouldn’t get a booking at 3 PM in Europe, which would be midnight for him.”
To make the process even simpler, Mart’s team added their booking link directly to every email signature. This meant operators could schedule a meeting the moment a question came up—without waiting for back-and-forth replies.
We have our one-to-one booking page links in our email signatures so that tour operators can easily book a meeting with us if anything is unclear.”
With every booking automatically syncing to their calendars and time zones handled seamlessly, the team gained a system that worked as smoothly as the global network it supports.
|
Today, SafariBookings has completed more than 8,000 meetings with partners worldwide. Automated scheduling keeps the global team in sync, while flexible calendars and meeting reminders ensure every call runs smoothly. The result: a faster, calmer, and more connected support experience for operators everywhere. |
Since adopting YouCanBookMe, SafariBookings has managed more than 8,000 bookings with partners between Africa and beyond. What once meant juggling time zones and calendars now happens seamlessly in the background.
Because we have such a diverse team with different hours, and some people working part-time while others work full-time, it’s just very convenient for them to be able to control their availability themselves from their calendar in a few clicks.”
That flexibility has helped the team maintain a healthy rhythm while still supporting operators around the clock. Every meeting runs on schedule, no one wakes up to midnight calls, and the process simply works.
And with automated scheduling fully embedded in their workflow, SafariBookings runs every meeting with dependable precision. Automatic reminders ensure no call is missed, calendars stay aligned across time zones, and the team can focus on what matters most—helping tour operators grow and supporting travelers on their next great adventure.
SafariBookings’ booking page captures the spirit of the brand from the very first glance. A custom background image sets the scene perfectly—instantly recognizable and aligned with the company’s mission to connect travelers with unforgettable safaris. It’s a visual that tells you exactly who they are before a single word is read.
Using YouCanBookMe’s team features, the page lists multiple members of the support team for one-on-one calls, giving operators the freedom to book with the same person they’ve spoken to before. That continuity builds trust and makes every interaction feel personal, even across time zones.
The page also features a custom form with clear, intentional booking questions—like “What do you want to talk about during your call?”—helping the team prepare for each meeting in advance.
It’s a perfect example of how thoughtful customization can turn a simple booking page into an extension of a brand’s identity—professional, welcoming, and designed to make every conversation count.
For SafariBookings, supporting hundreds of tour operators once meant juggling time zones, calendars, and countless emails. With YouCanBookMe, that complexity has disappeared.
Now, every meeting—whether it’s a 1-1 call or webinar—is booked, tracked, and confirmed automatically. Each appointment lands in the right calendar, appointment reminders go out on time, and communication flows seamlessly between the team and their partners.
For Mart and his team, YouCanBookMe hasn’t just simplified scheduling—it’s strengthened relationships with the operators who make the platform possible.
If your team faces similar challenges managing international communication, take a page from SafariBookings’ playbook. Start your free YouCanBookMe account today and discover how simple it can be to stay connected across time zones and grow your business worldwide.