Key issues in the industry
Park guests have high expectations for an exciting day of thrills that they can only experience from a venture on their favorite roller coaster, log flume, dark ride, merry-go-round, Ferris wheel or other cherished attraction. An enjoyable guest experience starts from the moment contact is made with park personnel about tickets, information or parking and lasts through their exit of the property that evening. But the downers that can ground their high-flying day and create unnecessary negativity and future businesses losses for the park stem at the core from employees who don’t follow customer service and operational protocols.
Rides and attractions need to work properly and the environment needs to be well-maintained. Restroom facilities need to be clean and well-stocked. Food service must be quick, fresh and tasty. Shows need to start on time.
Much like other entertainment based industries, theme parks and other attractions rely heavily on the customers and their perceptions of the parks to keep their business flowing. CX Orlando is a customer intelligence company who has provided many clients with timely and reliable customer service information. This information can be used to empower the company to do better, and also allows them to receive a truthful look at their organization from a customer perspective. This information can be key between keeping the brand name relevant for years to come and the brand falling by the wayside or getting forgotten in the crowd. When evaluating theme parks and attractions, some of the variables we look at include:
- Is a welcoming and friendly environment created on the phone and/or at the point of entry?
- Do we create a “selling environment” from the initial touch point in the parking lot?
- Is my team delivering on all our brand standards and guest service criteria?
- How do we increase per cap spending on the property?
- How do guests view our prices and customer service vs. other competitors?
- Are my guests being thanked, treated with courtesy and made to feel that we care?
- Are my employees connecting sincerely with our guests and building a rapport?
- What can we do to increase annual pass retention?
- How can we draw more guests from within 25 miles of my location?
- Are we efficiently moving traffic in ticket, concession and merchandise lines?
- If it’s not the economy, why is attendance down?
- Do we create or eliminate excuses for not coming to the park or attraction?
- What is going to cause us to lose repeat business, in the minds of our guests?
- What do our guests know about our property that we never even thought of?
- Do we provide the same level of service to each guest, regardless of gender, age and ethnicity?
- In the eyes of our guests, what are our top 3 best attributes?
- Are we “servicing” customers or “processing” customers?
- Are all our employees following the specific training and protocols that we provided them with?
- Is there anything that detracts from the guest experience that we can correct?
- What are people saying about us on Facebook, Twitter, etc?
- Which simple operational adjustments can make to garner higher returns?
- What do our guests perceive as our negatives and how do we reduce them?
- Bottom line: how do we come across to the guest?
Over the years, we’ve seen the best of the best parks and attractions continually invest in customer intelligence data, and use that data to tweak brand positioning, customer service platforms or branch operational procedures to maximize the customer service experience, which leads to greater brand loyalty, positive halo and word of mouth, and ultimately, optimal sales performance and market share of the Theme Parks and Attractions market.
Maximum sales performance equals maximum revenue, and CX Orlando has a proven suite of measurement and marketing tools to ensure your facilities are creating the best possible customer service and sales environment possible to drive profits and deepen customer affinity for your venue.
Customer Intelligence Best Practices for the Industry
Acquiring and maintaining exceptional customer service levels requires the ability to consistently gather and measure data and feedback throughout your value chain. Below are the most prominent areas that the clients of CX Orlando use to gather customer intelligence and improve overall performance.
- Phone Inquiry/Sales Transaction Experience
- Internet Inquiry/Sales Transaction Experience
- Parking and Front Gate
- Rides
- Midway and Games
- Food and Beverage
- Entertainment
- Merchandise
- Price Comparisons
- Competitor Analysis
- Mobile Marketing Promotions, Couponing and Feedback
- Social Media and Reputation Tracking
- Employee Climate Status
Benefit from our experience by requesting a consultation today. We can help you develop a customized plan to address the needs you know you have, and the ones you didn’t even know existed.
Recommended Measurement Tools Include:
- On-Site Mystery Shops
- On-Site Audio Shops
- On-Site Video Shops
- Phone Shops (Recorded or Non-Recorded)
- Internet Shops
- Competitor Shops
- Neuro-Economic Profiling
- Receipt-Based Web Surveys of Customers
- Web Surveys
- Employee Climate Surveys
- Focus Groups
- Social Media Monitoring
- Guest Intercepts / Exit Interviews