With the surging interest in using customer service kiosks for self service ticketing functions, we thought it would be a great time to shine the spotlight on one of our recent kiosk ticket sales success stories. Though we had plenty of amazing customers to choose from, a family entertainment center in Indiana by the name of Strikes and Spares stood out.
Located in the heart of Mishawaka, Strikes and Spares is an all-encompassing family fun center that boasts two indoor go-cart tracks, a bowling alley, mini golf, bumper cars, a snack bar and much more.
In the summer of 2017, Strikes and Spares purchased our Ticketing Kiosk model to allow customers to buy tickets for their bumper cars and go-cart track. This was the perfect kiosk choice for them and while everything went smoothly, it soon became apparent that there was a process on the Strikes and Spares’ website interface that wasn’t communicating as it should with our kiosk.
Our support staff started investigating and working the problem. To accommodate Strikes and Spares’ needs, our engineering team provided the company with a brand-new version of our kiosk management software that is not yet publicly released, Zamok 2.0, which included a remedy for the issue that they were experiencing. Since that kiosk software update, the company’s customer service kiosk has been humming along smoothly and best of all, ticket sales have shattered previous sales records.
To get a little insight into the goings on at Strikes and Spares, I checked in with the company’s Operations Manager Mario Teixeira.
TM: Thanks for taking the time to talk with me, Mario. Could you tell me a little about Strikes and Spares?
MT: We are a family entertainment center, with various activities including bowling, go-karts, mini-golf, and an arcade. We have been operating since 2004.
One of Strikes and Spare’s two indoor go-cart tracks
TM: That’s a whole lot of fun under one roof! It must get pretty busy there. What process were you previously using to sell and produce tickets?
MT: We were strictly selling tickets, passes and other products from the main counter through our point of sale area. It started becoming a bottleneck issue for us as customers had many questions regarding the various services and products we offer, thus slowing down the line and slowing down our sales process.
TM: That does sound like it could get in the way of the sort of heavy foot traffic business that Strikes and Spares must be doing. What led you to the decision to bring an automated kiosk in?
MT: Mostly to speed up the service process and alleviate the influx of customers on our counter line.
TM: Was there any specific reason that led you to choose Advanced Kiosks over the competition?
MT: From all that we had seen, your Ticketing Kiosk was a premier product which is commercially built and that would also provide us with a practical software solution to sell tickets.
TM: We certainly like to think so! Can you tell me about what it’s been like having this Ticketing Kiosk in Strikes and Spares? How have things been different?
MT: It has sped up our operations and alleviated some of the business which was overflowing the main sales counter. Customers also like having the option to come in and go directly to the kiosk, and thus bypassing a long wait in line.
The lanes where all of the strikes and spares at Strikes and Spares happen
TM: You mentioned that you’ve seen big increases in productivity since bringing in the customer service kiosk. Why do you think that’s been the case?
MT: I think the main reason is that the kiosk is a very presentable, easy, and practical means to buy tickets. The kiosk essentially acts as a register operator, which frees up our staff to help customers with more specific and detailed issues.
TM: What would you say to other small business owners who are considering investing in self-service kiosks, but haven’t quite pulled the trigger yet?
MT: An absolute no brainer. This kiosk will essentially pay for itself in less than four months, especially for those businesses that have higher customer traffic. For businesses that sell a handful of products that are uncomplicated, this is the ideal solution. With time, it can revolutionize your business.
TM: That’s great! Do you have anything else you want to add about your customer service kiosk?
MT: I really appreciate how much you guys have stepped up and made getting our kiosks working a priority. We are at almost $22,000 in sales on the kiosk and it hasn’t even been six months since it went online. It’s been a success. We are super excited, and now with the printing where it needs to go, I am super, super, super excited about the power of this thing. With our software issue fixed, we are golden, and are considering purchasing another kiosk.
“I really appreciate how much you guys have stepped up and made getting our kiosks working a priority. We are at almost $22,000 in sales on the kiosk and it hasn’t even been six months since they went online. It’s been a success.”
– Mario Teixeira, Operations Manager of Strikes and Spares
We’re always thrilled to get such a warm reception about our products from customers like Mario, and that’s part of the reason we go to the lengths we do for our customers. Our commitment to costumer satisfaction begins with the quality of our pre-installed Zamok Software suite -the all-purpose kiosk management software that makes the payment and ticket printing function possible- that each customer gets free for one year after the purchase of a kiosk. And it ends with the 30 days of free Advanced Support that each customer receives with a new kiosk.
To learn more about how you can use a customer service kiosk to bring some of the Strikes and Spares magic into your own business or organization, check out our line of self-service kiosks or contact one of our Project Consultants today.
Thanks for taking the time to check out our blog. For questions about any of our self-service hardware and software solutions, you can connect with one of our Project Consultants by contacting us via email, or by dialing 1 (866) 783 – 3791.
