How to Know If You’re Using Your Cashless or Food Service POS All Wrong

If you aren’t using one solution to rule them all, you might want to reconsider. Learn how multiple, different solutions can put your park or FEC at risk.

There are a lot of things happening under one roof in an FEC—including admission and ticketing sales, memberships, food and beverage, party reservations and games, just to name a few. And, when you use several different systems to handle all of the revenue and transactional data being gathered throughout the course of a normal day, you put your business at risk for errors and waste time coordinating reports and data from all the different systems involved.

Here, we’ll look at how to avoid those errors commonly found at FECs and parks, and we’ll discuss the benefits of POS solutions that can do it all.

Why Comprehensive?

Opting for a consolidated facility management solution guarantees that your accounting department receives accurate, reliable data every single time. A centralized revenue management system provides your FEC with a hub of all in-store and online revenue transaction data including:

• Admission & pass sales
• Party & group sales
• Memberships
• Merchandise
• Food & beverage
• Attractions
• Games

With an integrated solution, all of your end-of-day and end-of-month data is easily accessible, allowing you to make business decisions in real time. No more hunting down reports and risking the possibility of missing a crucial detail—with facility-wide management software, it’s easier than ever to get the information you need.

Keeping all of your information streamlined in one place can even help you to control and analyze labor costs. CenterEdge software, for example, incorporates a native scheduling portal, which provides meaningful data to help you forecast for busy times and staff accordingly.

But how do real facilities put a centralized POS to use? Find out how two FECs in different parts of the US improved their operations and met their goals by renovating their POS approach.

Real Story: Action City & Chaos Water Park, Wisconsin

The real test in using a comprehensive solution is understanding how it works in real FECs and parks. Action City & Chaos Water Park in the Metropolis Resort in Eau Claire, Wisconsin signed on with CenterEdge needing a solution that would fit their cashless needs. To start, the indoor/outdoor FEC with adjacent water park was using a cashless system along with a separate food system and party reservation system.

Their challenges, while unique to them, weren’t unlike the challenges many other FECs and parks face. Action City’s existing systems weren’t integrated properly and couldn’t accommodate the needs of new attractions that were planned for the facility. They also had limited up-selling opportunities due to constraints on the existing system, needed a system that connected all parts of their location and a capacity management and liability waiver integration.

The solution? CenterEdge Software was deployed throughout the entire facility and the online sales platform was launched to facilitate admission sales, party and class scheduling, waiver management and gift card sales. The software was integrated with the existing cashless system which resulted in easier sales and scheduling, improved guest experience, simplified personnel training and centralized revenue reporting.

Real Story: The Zone, Virginia 

Think a comprehensive solution like this is only for FECs and parks? Think again. The Zone, an upscale, modern entertainment venue in Virginia was using another provider that wasn’t meeting their needs in cashless, food service and party reservations, and was not living up to expectations when it came to system stability and support.

The challenge was finding a reliable system that met their operational needs while not creating any disconnect in guest service and business reporting. Thankfully, their search ended and they partnered with CenterEdge. Our solution deployed in conjunction with a cashless system to deliver a best in-class solution. The Zone benefited from CenterEdge’s ability to handle both the food service side of the business as well as the entertainment side.

The integration allows the facility to offer food and play combos to drive sales, and also allows for centralized revenue management so the business doesn’t have to chase important sales information across various system reports.

Bottom Line

With so many things happening in an FEC, it’s important to have a solution that can keep up with the fast pace and deliver efficiencies and accuracy. When you’re considering software, the best approach is to find a comprehensive solution, rather than a slice and dice option.

Want to learn more about how CenterEdge can improve your FEC or park? Contact us at info@centeredgesoftware.com.