Customer Stories

How MagicBooking Transformed Holiplay’s Operations and Simplified Parent Engagement

MagicBooking has saved us a heck of a lot of time, which would equate to a heck of a lot of money. - Daniel Amos-Phillips, Director, Holiplay

4 min read

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Challenges

Before adopting MagicBooking, Holiplay was held back by manual processes and disconnected systems. Administration was slow, errors were common, and staff spent more time chasing spreadsheets than supporting children.

Key Issues

• Reliance on spreadsheets and manual data entry created mistakes and inefficiency.
• Parent bookings required admin intervention and constant email checks.
• Medical and allergy records were stored in multiple paper folders, hard to access quickly.
• Safeguarding logs and SEND information were difficult to centralise.

"It involved a lot of excel spreadsheets, a lot of Maths, a lot of mistakes, a lot of data processing which wasn’t the most efficient way of running a business like this"" – Daniel Amos-Phillips, Director, Holiplay

Solution

Holiplay chose MagicBooking to digitise their childcare operations. The platform centralised bookings, registers, and child profiles, giving staff the tools to deliver services efficiently while improving the parent experience.

Impact

Since adopting MagicBooking, Holiplay has transformed its operations - cutting admin time, improving safeguarding, and giving parents a smoother booking experience.

Streamlined Operations & Faster Access to Information

With MagicBooking, Holiplay staff access vital child information instantly.

"You’ve got access to information quite quickly, relevant information that you need […] with MagicBooking, it’s all in one place. You’ve got your child profile and within that profile you’ve got your medical details, allergy details, consents." – Daniel Amos-Phillips, Director, Holiplay

This shift replaced physical folders and manual checks with real-time, digital accuracy. Safeguarding processes also improved:

"It’s made finding information about the children in regards to their allergies, any medications, or SEND needs, a lot simpler because it’s all in one system. As a DSL, whenever there’s a safeguarding situation and the play leaders log it, I know exactly where I can go to get that information." – Samantha Byrne, DSL & Regional Manager, Holiplay

Huge Time and Cost Savings

Automation reduced the workload for Holiplay’s admin teams. Bookings, registers, and payments are now handled online, freeing staff to focus on delivering quality childcare.

"It’s saved us a heck of a lot of time, which would equate to a heck of a lot of money because we’ve been able to cut down on admin time because of the automations through MagicBooking." – Daniel Amos-Phillips, Director, Holiplay

Parents also benefit from clear guidance and self-service help videos on the MagicBooking portal:

“We send out links and directions to the help videos and the parents have told me that they’re really useful.” – Daniel Amos-Phillips

Improved Parent Experience

Parents now enjoy a simple, mobile-friendly booking and payment process. They can access their accounts and make bookings anytime, without delays.

"With the MagicBooking platform, everything is automated, parents and carers can access the information that they need 24/7, and they can make their bookings without any intervention from administration staff." – Daniel Amos-Phillips, Director, Holiplay

The result is smoother communication, fewer mistakes, and a better experience for families.

Outstanding Support and Reliability

Holiplay praised MagicBooking’s support team for quick, proactive responses to any issues raised.

"On the back-end side, you’ve got the portal for administrators where if you’ve got any issues you can raise a ticket. And the friendly team at MagicBooking always come back to you really, really quickly and they get your problem resolved really, really quickly as well. Very happy with the service.” – Daniel Amos-Phillips Director, Holiplay

A Growth Partner for the Future

For Holiplay, MagicBooking is more than just software – it is an essential partner in scaling and managing operations.

"It’s made things so much easier and so much smoother for us as a company and as a club. Being able to access a variety of information." – Samantha Byrne, DSL & Regional Manager

"I would say give it a try and you’ll see for yourself how quickly and efficiently you’ll save time and hopefully save money, and it will just make the administration of running your school, your clubs, all your enrichment programmes, a lot more easy to facilitate.” – Daniel Amos-Phillips Director, Holiplay

The Final Word

MagicBooking has transformed how Holiplay operates. What was once paper-heavy, manual, and error-prone is now streamlined, automated, and accessible. Parents enjoy a seamless experience, staff save time, and safeguarding is simpler and stronger.

Holiplay now runs with efficiency, clarity, and confidence – ready to grow further with MagicBooking as its trusted childcare software partner.

"I would definitely recommend it. It’s made things so much easier and so much smoother for us as a company and as a club." – Samantha Byrne, DSL & Regional Manager

Do you want to grow your childcare business?

Book your free demo today and discover how MagicBooking can transform your childcare or holiday camp operations. Our demos are zero cost and zero-obligation, and totally tailored to your needs and availability.

Alternatively, you can send an email to sales@magicbooking.co.uk or click the live chat on our homepage.