From the horse's mouth: How Voly is advancing the superyacht charter industry

Chief commercial officer, crew manager, cocktail maker – any charter captain knows that there are times when these three roles (plus at least a dozen more) all need to be completed within a 30-minute period. Thankfully, leading financial management platform Voly can help simplify the first of these elements, by streamlining expenditure on board charter vessels.

The seven-in-one platform takes care of all on board finances. This includes accounting, card, cash, banking, FX, approval and, crucially for charter yachts, APA management. The system is so effective that captains describe it as “game-changing” for the entire crew.

Captain Ian Jinks, of 36-metre charter yacht Calypso 1, first started using Voly four years ago. “The benefits of the system include the simplicity of its management tools, enabling me to set budgets, accounting codes, cost centres, and funding sources, without the need of assistance. This enables me to create all of the necessary financial reports for the owner,” he says.

Captain Jinks also says it has simplified team management. “I can provide team members with payment cards, and top up the funds on it up to my preferred limit. It’s easy for the team to request additional funds, and for me to approve 'on the go',” he adds.

Mike White, who captains a 65-metre Benetti charter yacht, says he would recommend Voly to all captains. “Gone are the days of using Excel sheets for vessel accounts and management. Since discovering Voly, our accounting troubles are over. Their specialised services are tailor-made for both normal vessel operations and charter APA. From tracking expenses and budgets to handling time-sensitive APA reports, they've covered everything,” he says.

Jinks was one of the first to use Voly’s APA management system when it was released three years ago. The fee – which is paid in advance of charter to cover the day-to-day costs including provisions, fuel and dockage – has traditionally been a headache for captains and crew as they account for each individual expense. Voly simplifies this, with the fee being paid directly into a Voly account out of which individual payments can be made, automatically tracked and invoiced.

Captain Jinks believes that this function has also improved the experience for charter clients. “It is very easy to print a summary report, as well as a detailed APA report, which includes places for the client to sign them off. Due to the professional appearance of these reports, I feel it adds to the professionalism that the team on board provide throughout every charter,” he explains.

Liliana Lopez, head of charter management in the US for IYC, agrees that Voly has transformed charter expenditure. “From a charter management perspective, we offer Voly with confidence as one of the financial management solutions for our yacht owners and captains when handling APA funds,” she says. "The user-friendly and safe platform saves crew time so that they can focus on providing guests a great experience.”

It’s not just captains that have benefited from the introduction of Voly on charter vessels. Chefs say it also “makes their lives easier” during busy charter periods.

“The galley never sleeps on charter and, with multiple deliveries sometimes daily and often for back-to-back charters, it can get pretty hectic,” explains Dean Harrison, the chef on 67.5-metre motor yacht Loon. “ Voly makes it easy to track everything against each specific charter and I can even account for items used from the boat stock with ease.

“We can track everything on the mobile app as soon as we have left a store anywhere in the world so it's accounted for before we even unload the bags, which means no stress getting everything logged at the end of a charter. I didn’t become a chef to do accounting and Voly makes it easy, so that I can concentrate on the guests and what I do best.”

In recognition of the growing importance of the technology for crew in July this year, Voly launched its Voly Software Certification to equip crew with the skills and expertise necessary to harness the full potential of the renowned platform. The eight-module training programme gives a total overview of the programme, which is increasingly being seen as an essential skill for crew that want to work on charter vessels using Voly.

“Overall, I would say that Voly is unrivalled in its ability to fulfil the needs of the busy charter captain,” concludes Captain Jinks.

Find out more about how Voly can help with superyacht charters here or click here to speak to the team directly.