FAQs

We offer comprehensive ongoing support through an integrated Support Log System accessible from every page within Merlin. This system provides our team with crucial context, and users receive immediate email confirmations and dashboard updates as their requests are processed, ensuring transparent and timely assistance.

A Business Process Analysis (BPA) is our in-depth examination of your resort’s unique products, rules, and operations. We develop a detailed document for your approval and create a Business Operations Manual outlining your specific processes. This ensures Merlin is perfectly tailored to your established workflows.

Our well-documented implementation process includes setting up live and test sites, configuring Merlin to your specific needs, performing thorough business process confirmations on the test site, and completing any required enhancements. We then conduct proof-of-concept and user acceptance testing, provide comprehensive training, upload historical data, and offer hands-on support after the go-live.

Absolutely. Merlin’s core design is highly adaptable. Our initial Business Process Analysis (BPA) meticulously captures your unique products, rules, and operational requirements, allowing us to configure and even enhance the system to align perfectly with your business model, ensuring Merlin works exactly how you need it to.

No. Merlin is cloud-hosted, eliminating the need for costly on-site servers and ongoing IT maintenance. All you need is internet access and a browser.

Merlin offers comprehensive onboarding support, including data migration, configuration, and staff training, to ensure a seamless transition to new systems.

Yes. Whether you’re managing one resort or a global portfolio, Merlin is scalable and flexible, allowing you to grow with your business.

Merlin is continuously enhanced with new features and improvements. Updates are deployed automatically in the cloud—no downtime or IT intervention is required.

We prioritise the security of your data with robust measures. Data is backed up hourly to an internal storage device, with full daily backups performed off-site by Rackspace following international standards. Our redundant hard drives ensure that no data loss or service interruption occurs if a drive fails. We are also entirely PCI-compliant for the protection of credit card data.

Yes, at its core, Merlin’s Sales Module is a robust contract and ownership tracking system. It meticulously records every change of ownership, from the initial developer sale to all subsequent resales, maintaining a complete and auditable history of all owners associated with a given unit or contract.

Merlin automates commission calculations based on leads, tours, mini-vacs, and sales. It supports both straight commissions and more complex production- or volume-based structures. This extensive capability ensures accurate and timely commission processing directly linked to your sales contracts.

Yes, Merlin supports multilingual contracts and documentation. Clients can create and upload contract templates in multiple languages. When generating contracts, your sales team can select the desired language, ensuring all documentation is presented correctly to clients worldwide.

Merlin provides comprehensive management from lead and tour tracking through to sales and commission calculations. It enables seamless package selection, automatically adds related components to contracts, invoices purchase prices with structured instalments, and calculates gross profit per sale, ensuring a comprehensive sales workflow.

Merlin’s ability to track leads and tours within the Sales Module implies a foundational level of marketing effectiveness tracking. By linking sales to their originating leads and tour data, you can gain insights into which marketing channels are most effective for conversions.

While the provided text doesn’t explicitly mention direct integrations with specific external marketing platforms, Merlin’s focus on data exportability (e.g., Excel spreadsheets) allows for easy transfer of client data to external marketing tools for campaign execution.

Merlin’s ability to store detailed client information and generate automated emails (like member statements) indicates a strong foundation for personalised communication. This data can be leveraged to create more targeted and relevant marketing messages for different segments of your audience.

Yes, Merlin specifically mentions managing commissions based on “MiniVacs.” This indicates its capability to track and support mini-vacation packages, which are often a key part of lead generation strategies in the timeshare industry, allowing you to monitor their performance.

Merlin offers a comprehensive suite of interactive web pages, designed to match your resort’s website. Owners and guests can access their live data 24/7, including ownership details, reservations, account balances, and the ability to make payments or even their own bookings online, offering unparalleled self-service convenience.

Merlin facilitates seamless integration with exchange partners like RCI. For outbound weeks, you can use bulk banking functionality to assign weeks to an owner for exchange. For inbound guests, Merlin has features to upload their details and book them into weeks banked with the exchange partner, streamlining the entire process.

Merlin includes built-in scheduling tools for housekeeping, maintenance, and inspections, coordinated in real-time with check-ins and reservations.

Yes. Real-time availability and automatic conflict checks help eliminate double-bookings and ensure accurate room assignments.

A considerable amount of automation is built into Merlin’s accounting functions. Your users do not need to be bookkeepers or accountants. They perform their operational tasks, and based on system configuration, Merlin automatically generates the correct financial transactions in the back office.

Yes. If you prefer to continue using a separate accounting package, Merlin can manage detailed transactions for sales, mortgages, commissions, and management fee invoicing. You only need to post the monthly movement of these items to control accounts in your standalone system.

Merlin accommodates a wide range of industry-specific accounting requirements. This includes features like tracking the cost of rented accommodation against revenue generated by each booking, a crucial feature for many vacation clubs, alongside complex VAT rules and diverse charts of accounts.

Yes. You can generate and distribute annual maintenance fee bills, track payments, send reminders, and automate collections.

Yes, Merlin’s Web Apps include streamlined workflow solutions designed for staff efficiency. Beyond guest-facing features, these apps can provide tools for various internal processes, enhancing productivity and enabling your team to manage tasks more effectively from any device.

Merlin’s Web Apps are designed to be customisable and can be styled to match your website. You can also precisely choose which features and information your members can access online, allowing you to tailor the interactive experience to your specific operational preferences and branding.

Merlin’s Localisation enables web apps to automatically detect the user’s language and present translated static information. Clients can provide translated versions of all static content, ensuring that global users see pages in their preferred language and alphabet, including support for non-Latin alphabets such as Japanese and Chinese.

The Merlin Web Apps are designed with security in mind, including enhanced password management in the Registration App that allows users to display or conceal passwords for greater control. All interactions are secure, and users access their live data in real time via secure profiles.

Yes. Reports can be filtered, tailored, and scheduled to align with your unique performance indicators and operational goals.

Absolutely. Merlin simplifies the preparation of accurate, detailed reports for owners, boards, and external partners.

Data is updated in real-time—no need to wait for end-of-day batch processes or manual spreadsheet updates.

Yes. Merlin’s reporting interface is user-friendly, and most reports can be run with just a few clicks, requiring no coding or IT support.

Yes. Merlin provides ongoing training resources, including recorded tutorials, user guides, webinars, and the option to request refresher sessions as your team’s or system’s needs evolve.

Merlin offers responsive support via email, phone, and helpdesk tickets. You’ll have access to a knowledgeable support team familiar with both the software and the vacation ownership industry.

Support is included in your Merlin subscription—there are no hidden fees for getting help or asking questions.

Yes. Merlin supports clients in multiple countries and offers flexible support hours to accommodate different time zones. Some multilingual support options may be available depending on your region.

Merlin handles system configuration, data migration, integration setup, training, and testing. You’ll also receive a dedicated implementation manager to guide the process from start to finish.

Yes. Merlin offers professional data migration services, working closely with you to import existing owner records, reservations, contracts, financials, and more, ensuring a seamless transition.

You can choose a phased or full rollout, depending on your comfort level. Merlin supports staged go-lives by department, location, or function to minimise disruption.

Post-launch, you’ll receive enhanced support during the transition period, access to real-time troubleshooting, and periodic check-ins to make sure everything is running smoothly.

By leveraging Merlin’s outsourcing services, your resort can significantly reduce overhead costs associated with staffing, training, and managing complex administrative processes. Our specialised teams and proven processes ensure tasks are handled efficiently, leading to direct cost savings.

Beyond cost savings, outsourcing with Merlin improves cash flow through optimised billing and collections. It also frees up your internal staff from tedious, time-consuming administrative duties, allowing them to concentrate on enhancing guest experiences and strategic initiatives, ultimately boosting overall resort efficiency.

Yes, Merlin’s outsourcing services are built on our deep industry knowledge and years of experience providing software solutions to vacation ownership resorts. Our dedicated specialists understand the unique complexities of the industry, ensuring your tasks are managed with expert care and precision.

To explore how Merlin’s outsourcing services can benefit your resort, please get in touch with our sales or support team. They will assess your specific needs and guide you through the process of integrating our expert outsourcing solutions into your existing operations.