5 Benefits of Capacity Management Tools for Your FEC

Improved guest experience, seamless scheduling, and barrier-free buying experiences are just some of the benefits of careful capacity management processes and systems.

Many amusement facilities have needed to adjust how they manage capacity for admissions and attractions over the last year. Processes for ticketing, access control, and cash handling have most likely all been affected. But even though COVID brought a sense of urgency around reimagining our businesses, it always makes sense to review your processes and systems from time to time to ensure you’re operating as effectively as possible.

In conversations with new operators at recent educational events, I’ve found that people are unsure whether or not to use capacity management tools or offer timed experiences for guests. When carefully implemented, robust capacity management tools can create significant benefits for your guests and your business. Read on for our top five to help you decide how your facility should proceed.

No. 1: Offer guests a better buying experience.

Selling capacity-managed tickets online, through self-service kiosks, or with a team member at a point of sales station gives guests control over their experience. Capacity management tools allow you to set the maximum facility and attraction capacities once in your software, with remaining ticket availability updated automatically onsite and online.

Online, guests can quickly see how crowded your facility or an attraction is likely to be and select the time to visit that makes the most sense for their family. Additionally, guests purchasing tickets and completing liability waivers online will streamline the admission process and enable them to start having fun faster.

No. 2: Eliminate overbooking online and onsite.

With an integrated eCommerce site, you don’t have to worry about overbooking because attraction tickets and admissions are removed from capacity in real-time. In addition to daily traffic, you can harness the power of capacity management with an integrated events management system. Cascading scheduling functionality allows you to automate the scheduling of attractions, party rooms, food and beverage, and so on.

No. 3: Speed check-in and reduce wait time.

Simply put, guests hate waiting. Advanced online or self-service kiosk sales allow you to reduce waiting and bottlenecks at Admissions, point of sale stations, and waiver kiosks, significantly speeding the check-in process.

Several ticket types can help make check-in seamless.

• Printed or emailed tickets with a unique barcode – guests complete their purchase, validate their waiver information, and present a printed or digital ticket on their mobile device for touchless scanning to gain entry.
• Magstripe cards – like tickets and wristbands, cards can hold attraction entitlements, monetary value, and game value. With magstripe cards for games and attractions, guests can easily make purchases throughout your facility without the barriers of pulling out their wallets each time they want to buy something.
• Will call tickets, cards, or wristbands – if you have unique media that you prefer to distribute upon arrival, such as an RFID wristband, you can set up purchased tickets and passes to be picked up at will call when a guest arrives. With the proper signage, you can quickly direct guests to a designated station to get their media with a payment receipt instead of waiting to purchase.

No. 4: Reduce labor costs.

Business owners are more tuned in to labor costs than ever. With more purchase options, you can reduce the number of staff needed at Admissions, and having a larger portion of sales received in advance will help you better predict future staffing needs.

With self-service purchase options, you can reposition staff at key interaction points to improve guests’ experience where necessary. This could include stationing team members to direct traffic, check-in party attendees, interact with guests in the game room, or wherever you need some additional support.

No. 5: Offer more cashless buying opportunities.

Many businesses see less cash these days, and consumers expect a cashless experience when visiting an entertainment venue. Single and multi-use wristbands and cards can be used as payment media for use throughout your park. With predetermined spending limits and tokenized credit cards, passes, entitlements, or monetary value, this versatile media makes it easy and profitable to go cashless.

A lot has changed for our industry in the last year; however, one fact remains. If you make it easy and enjoyable for guests to do business with you, you’ll be one step closer to recovery.

Interested in learning more about capacity ticketing with CenterEdge Software? Schedule a free personalized demo today.