While we’re all locked at home, busy combatting heightened feelings of uncertainty, loneliness and anxiety - we find ourselves needing a gentle reminder that this is only temporary, and despite the grimness of the current situation, there’s still so much in the world to be inspired by.
Staying positive during this period of massive routine change can be “ruff.” To help, we’d like to share an uplifting story from our valued partner and customer —Tromsø Wilderness Centre (Tromsø Villmarkssenter) on how the Norwegian dog sledding operator is effectively responding during the pandemic. It gave us the fuzzies - and we think it will for you too!
Furry Friends to Fight Off Quarantine Loneliness
Like many businesses, Tromsø Villmarkssenter, one of the world’s largest dog sledding operators, had to put operations to a grinding halt in compliance with Norwegian government regulations.
During the regular season, their pack of huskies were accustomed to driving anywhere between 8-10 dog sled tours a day cared for by their team of 80. The introduction of lockdown in March meant business closure for the team, and doggy downtime for Tromsø’s huskies coming off a long, hard season of sledding.
🐾Bringing Paw-sitivity to the Tromsø Community
The Quarantine Buddy idea first came to Torkil Hansen when he received a request from family and friends to “borrow” some of Tromsø’s pups. The Tromsø team was not able to provide the dogs with the exercise and “entertainment” at the level they were used to receiving from guests.
Torkil and the Tromsø team also recognized that being homebound causes stress and anxiety for so many in the community, and identified an opportunity to pair their friendly, fun-loving dogs with members of their community seeking companionship in times of isolation. It was a win-win situation for the pups, and for the local community!
The Quarantine Buddy Program provides Tromsø residents with an opportunity to temporarily house a furry friend at a time when most are struggling with coping with feelings of uncertainty and anxiousness—a significant strain on mental health.
The team selects the appropriate dog, providing detailed instructions and the necessary equipment for taking care of your quarantine friend.
🏠Home for the Huskies
Since the launch of the program in early April, there has been resounding support from both the local and global communities. Tromsø’s Quarantine Buddy video gained over 38K views across social channels. To date, Tromsø Wilderness Centre has successfully paired 160 dogs with loving homes and is currently processing the high volume of requests that have come in this month.
The pups have also been enjoying their well-deserved “time off.” Since most of the dogs are accustomed to being in the great outdoors - being indoors has been a real treat. Once inside, they spend most of their time lying around the softest, warmest spots they can find. The pups also enjoy being outdoors. Apart from playing in the snow, the Tromsø pups are also great ‘outboard motors,’ tugging their quarantine companions along as they go ski touring (the sledding experience and muscle memory really come in handy!)
“The response was overwhelmingly positive. I have had so much fun in both answering questions and trying to work as a matchmaker. At times, I felt like I was working for OKCupid! We are truly grateful for all the support we received, especially since we know that the support of our local community will be the most important thing for us until the travel ban is lifted," says Torkil Hansen, Tromsø Wilderness.
“We’ve seen communities worldwide tackle this humanitarian challenge head-on and repurpose their business in support of their local community. For over 30 years, the Tromsø Wilderness Centre has brought joy and delivered amazing experiences to guests from all over the world - and it’s amazing to see how they’ve continued with this mission, but this time with the local Tromsø community in an innovative way,” adds Kory Fawcett, CEO Zaui Software.
We’re excited to share more updates with you as the story develops. Uplifting community stories help us stay positive and find the silver lining in times of turbulence and uncertainty. It’s the creative spirit that keeps both our community and industry strong, resilient and connected.
We invite you to send in your story on how your brand is managing to stay positive while supporting your community during these challenging times.💙
Related Posts
Customer Success Story: TourExpress.ca’s Journey – Technology-First Transportation with Zaui
Read our latest Zaui Success Story featuring Tourexpress.ca's journey to scalable point-to-point transportation with Zaui's powerful platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Zaui’s pricing is fully pay-as-you-go. You aren’t locked into any long-term contract. In fact, leading platforms emphasize this flexibility. Similarly, Zaui lets you start and stop anytime. You can change or cancel your plan freely, so you only pay for what you use.
Absolutely not. Zaui’s pricing is 100% transparent. We disclose all fees up front with no surprise add-ons or “sneak-in” charges. In fact, Zaui’s plans include all core features “without additional fees”. Industry experts note that hidden fees undermine trust so we avoid them entirely. All costs are clearly outlined in our pricing, and there are no extra setup charges or undisclosed surcharges at checkout.
Zaui integrates with major payment gateways (e.g. Stripe) so you only pay standard credit-card processing rates (roughly 1.9%+$0.30/transaction) and we don’t mark them up. Only the published platform commission is added on bookings. You also have full control over who pays the commission, we let you decide whether to absorb booking fees or pass them on to customers. In short, you’ll only pay the transparent booking commission and normal gateway fees, nothing extra.
Your onboarding and support are included in the price. We provide white-glove setup help and ongoing 24/7 support at no additional cost. Our dedicated customer-success team will guide you through every step, ensuring a smooth launch. You won’t pay extra for training or service other than the onboarding fee; it's all built into your plan.
You can schedule a free demo with our team. Our Zaui ninjas will walk you through pe how Zaui can work for your business and highlight opportunities to grow with our advanced features all without any upfront payment. This way, you can feel confident it’s the right fit before making a commitment.
Of course. Zaui’s plans are fully flexible. You can upgrade or downgrade at any time to match your needs, without penalties. You can move to a higher tier or back down easily, and your billing adjusts automatically.
No. Zaui does not charge its commission on offline/manual bookings. “No fees on offline bookings” You only pay the commission when a booking is processed online through our system. Manual reservations (or bookings from partner channels we set up for you) incur no extra platform fee. (30% or less)
All of Zaui’s core features are included in your plan at no extra charge. We believe in value and transparency: Zaui provides over 15 advanced features (Google Things to do, reporting tools, marketing tools, reports, etc.) at no additional cost. Many competitors charge extra or require higher plans for the same features, but with Zaui you get the full suite of tools in one package. Any optional add-ons (if any) will always be clearly listed and optional there are no surprise paid upgrades for standard features.
Each Zaui plan is designed for clarity and fairness, following industry best practices. You can trust that our pricing is transparent and flexible, with the support you need built in.
Extra accounts- unlimited agents, resellers, user
