16 Technology Solutions for Your Family Entertainment Center

In part two of our blog series on how to build a software stack for your business, we highlight some technology solutions you may consider implementing at your family entertainment center. 

A software stack, or solution stack, is a group of programs that work together to help you run your business effectively. 

Finding the right solutions can help you grow your business, so if you're interested, read on!

16 Technology Solutions to Consider for Your Family Entertainment Center

Below, we highlight 16 technology solutions you may want to consider for your FEC.

Technology Solutions to Manage Your Business

1. Internet

Having a bad Internet connection can lead to huge headaches and lots of suffering for both you and the customer. Avoid this by going with the best service possible and having both ethernet (wired) and wireless options available.

A top-of-the-line router, paired with a mesh system throughout your facility will ensure that your guests will have great service too. Consider offering WiFi specifically to your customers and having your main system on a separate network, especially if you take payments using a wireless device. 

2. Employee Management

You’ll certainly need a way to manage your employee's time and attendance, payroll, and other aspects of employment. This might be an area where multiple solutions are required, such as a solution for taxes, a solution for payroll, and a third solution to manage your employee's time cards.

3. A Playbook

A playbook is a great tool to use to document all of your best practices, processes, and technologies. For this, you’ll need a platform that’s easy, accessible to all, and something that won’t break the bank.

We recommend a solution called EditMe (we do not receive any compensation for recommending this tool–we use it ourselves and love it!).

4. Point-of-Sale

Gone are the days of cash registers and checks. A Point-of-Sale system means you’ll be able to ring up transactions and track financial metrics through the reports that your POS offers.

When paired with your management system, you’ll also have the ability to get to know your customers and what they frequently purchase.

5. Reporting & Analytics

If planning is the starting point to success, referring to your reports and analytics is a midway point. It’s the lens through which you can see how your company is doing and where you need to adjust.

You’ll want to use the reporting system attached to your POS to assess what’s being purchased, when, quantities, and so forth. You’ll also want to keep an eye on your business's digital analytics using tools like Google and tools within your website’s portal.

Click the image below to watch our webinar on Using Data to Discover Business Opportunities. 

6. Payment Processing

As cash is replaced by digital payments, you’ll need to add payment processing solutions to your stack.

While there are many payment processors out there, you’ll want to note that various technology solutions function in different ways. Some may allow the use of multiple payment processors, while others use only one. 

For example, here at Party Center Software, we offer our own payment processing solution called Party Center Pay. It’s worth noting that this singular option is intentional. We used the multi-payment processor option in the past and it really hurt our customers. We had no control over outside outages that would occur and it caused frustration for our customers who were looking for help.

Additionally, our customers were paying hidden fees that they weren’t even aware of! Queue our release of PC Pay. We wanted to save our customers money (NO HIDDEN FEES!) and improve their experience.

Technology Solutions to Grow Your Business

Now that we’ve explored some tools to help you manage your business, let’s explore technology solutions that will help you grow your business and increase revenue.

7. Online Booking & In-House Party Booking

Birthday parties and events are a huge source of revenue for your business. Done right, you can make hundreds of thousands a month on party bookings alone. But it’s going to take more than a form on your website, or a notebook in-house to get you there.

You’re going to need a system that will serve as a digital party booker and allow you to seamlessly book parties in-house. While there are many solutions out there, you’ll want to look for a party booking solution that does both and has a checklist feature to help your team manage the party planning process once it’s booked. 

8. Digital Waivers

When you think about digital waivers, it’s natural to first think about liability. And while we encourage you to protect your business, we also want to remind you that digital waivers are more than just liability.

They can also be used as a data collection tool and as a way to remarket to guests! Collect names, email addresses, and birthdays, and you now have the information you need to market to your guests at the right time. Plus, you’ll eliminate extraneous paperwork!

Click on the image below to download our eBook on digital waivers!

9. Gift Cards

If you’re looking to add an additional revenue stream, gift cards are a great tool. Gift cards allow you to increase holiday sales, improve cash flow, build brand awareness, generate helpful data, and so much more.

10. Online Store

We’re living in a virtual world where customers love shopping online. Having an online store will make it easy for your guests to buy tickets to events at your facility, purchase merchandise, gift cards, and other items. An online store can help you increase your monthly revenue significantly! Imagine pulling in an additional $10-40k or more with your hands off the wheel.

11. Game Card

If you have an arcade, you’ll need a game card system. Companies like Embed, Intercard, and Sacoa all offer cashless systems for your game center. And don’t forget about your redemption center! It will be a huge driver to encourage arcade play. Be sure to check in with the folks at Redemption Plus.

12. Website

Your website is not only a visual representation of your brand, it also illustrates the sort of experience your customer might expect to have at your facility.

If your website is poorly designed, slow to load, or customers have a hard time finding anything from pricing to package options, they will surely click off and find something else to do that weekend.

13. Marketing Design

Having clean, crisp visuals on your website, social media pages, and in-house is critical. And while you can hire a graphic designer to help with some of this, with tools like Canva Pro, you won’t need to!

14. Social Media Scheduling

Posting on social media grows your brand awareness. Potential customers will learn more about your facility and current customers will be reminded to come back for another visit. Don’t miss an opportunity to be seen online!

We recommend scheduling out posts 3x or more times per day on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and video platforms like TikTok and YouTube. For more specific detail on this, grab our guide on Facebook, Instagram, and on Building a Marketing Plan.

15. Email Marketing

As you’re growing your business, you’ll need an email marketing tool on hand. PCS Marketing Automations can help you do just that!

When guests book parties and events, or fill out a digital waiver, you have the ability to capture email and birth date information. This information gives you exactly what you need to remarket to guests at the right time! Just be sure to follow proper data collection best practices.

16. Google Analytics & Marketing Professionals

There is much more than meets the eye when it comes to effective digital marketing. Using tools like Google Analytics will help you track metrics on how your website is performing, and provide you with suggestions on where to improve.

But if you’re not a marketing guru, you might consider taking some courses or hiring a marketing expert to help you out. Tools like Hownd can also help you with your digital marketing efforts. 

There are so many technology options and solutions available–we’re just scratching the surface! We hope the recommendations above help as you build your software stack.

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Choosing The Right Products & Services For Your Business

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