Can Online Booking REALLY increase my revenue?
With the invention of the internet we have seen nearly all business types move to provide their customers the ability to purchase their products or services online. With such a proliferation of online transactions most customers have come to know and expect the ability to transact with companies online. This would seem to imply that if you did not allow customers the opportunity to book their events online that they would consider that a lack of customer service.
Most centers are reluctant to start allowing customers to book their own parties online for fear that they will lose that personal touch. Having owned and operated an FEC that has been open for more than 10 years I can say that personal touch is critical to our centers success. We used to have at least 5 personal interactions with a client before they even stepped inside our center. When we went to move to allow online booking of parties we were concerned about keeping up the level of customer service our center has come to be known by. We set out to make sure our service, whether through online booking or in person, stayed at the level we wanted. What actually happened when we launched our online booking was an increase in customer satisfaction.
Many customers want to be able to purchase when and where they want. Giving them the option to do it 24 hours a day puts the purchasing power into their hands. Customers also spend more time reviewing event options and add-on’s since they don’t feel like they are being sold by one of your employees. We have seen an increase in overall customer satisfaction in our booking process by allowing customers more options. On top of this increased customer satisfaction is the potential for increased revenue. We have many facilities that have seen 10, 15 and even 20% increases in revenue through the offering of events and add-on’s through online booking.
As your customers get more and more internet savvy they will come to expect more and more capabilities to interactive with your company through the internet. Now is the perfect time to get started offering your events online.
Here is a quote from one of our customers…
“I have been involved in the Amusement Industry for over 5 years now and have multiple children centers. We purchased the Ideal Software System to handle our Point of Sale and Event Bookings, however, have been extremely disappointed with on-line party booking capabilities. We have found the system not customer friendly and we suspected that was the reason our on-line bookings were not happening. Over a 4 month time period we had only 2 customers that booked parties on-line and multiple calls from customers indicating they were having difficulty. With over 150 visitors to our website a day, we felt the number of bookings on line were way to low. After looking at several different vendors who could provide a front end solution for on line party bookings, we decided on Party Center Software. The reasons were many. We were up within two days and have seen Unbelieva-Bill results so far. We have booked over 30 parties on line in two weeks. Most importantly, the sales are coming in 7×24 and customers are finding it easy to use. As an operator, we are encouraging our bookings to go that way because of the automatic communication features the system is capable of and no need to train employees how to book parties. Also, selling upgrades is easy and we have seen a 20% increase in upgrades already from having them available for customers to chose on line. I look forward to many more bookings and features as we grow our business together.
Thanks again for an Unbelieva-Bill product.”
Bill Dubiel
President, Unbelieva-Bills
