With smartphones more prevalent than ever and people living increasingly online lives, it is paramount for Family Entertainment Centers to prioritize streamlined, easy-to-use online booking. While, as Pew Research reports, Americans were already spending upwards of $350 billion annually online, using online booking and services only increased in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Shopify’s study on some of the new trends in 2020, 52% of buyers reported that they’ve shifted more of their spending online during the pandemic and 40% of buyers found that an easy-to-navigate website made their online shopping experience a positive one. Using online booking through Clubspeed allows you to curate a digital experience that matches your park and allows you to meet your customers where they already are: online. 

All that said, when working on crafting your online booking system for the first time, it can be overwhelming to get started. At Clubspeed, we work with FEC’s all over the world to craft customer-focused, value-driven, and highly efficient systems for online booking. With that wealth of experience, we’ve created this quick guide to help you get started with Club Booking. 

1. Build Out Offerings That Reflect Your FEC

Take a moment to think about your facility. Is there a certain path you want customers to take? Are there attractions patrons return to again and again? Are there patterns of behavior in your park you want to replicate or utilize? You know your FEC better than everyone, so it’s a great idea to think about the shape of the customer experience you provide to build out your basic offerings on your online portal. At Clubspeed, we offer full customization in creating online portals, so you can even build out multi-activity party packages, relevant add ons, and more. That way, you can create an online ticketing experience that reflects everything that makes your FEC great. 

2. Utilize the Power of Real Time Scheduling 

Beyond setting up offerings, Clubspeed also allows venues to use time slots and real time scheduling so that patrons can schedule their whole day at your FEC. That also means that your venue never overbooks, whether they’re booking in-person at kiosks or online. Allowing customers to select offerings and packages allows them to make a custom experience that works for them and makes scheduling that much easier. In addition, in the age of new health concerns and social distancing measures where you may need to control the number of guests in your facility, you can plan appropriately. 

This can also apply to exclusive events at your FEC! With the power of our advanced booking wizard, your team can create intricate bookings that are all tied into your schedules and POS system, so no matter what’s going on at your facility, your team is prepared. 

3. Keep Independence and Discovery Top-of-Mind 

Now more than ever, customers are motivated by the ability to have innovative, personal, and customizable experiences. As CNBC reports, a study by Harris Group found that 72 percent of millennials prefer to spend more money on experiences than on material things. Your customers want to experience your FEC without having to rely on staff and they don’t want to have the same package as everyone else. They want to be able to build out and plan out their whole unique trip in your facility. 

People want to make discoveries on their own— so let them. You can do this by providing the ability to build custom packages and add ons, so they can schedule out their day. When they share this experience on social media, even more people will be attracted to creating this build-it-yourself FEC adventure. 

4. Create Exclusive Spaces 

In addition to the ability to create their own itinerary, customers attracted to experiences also crave exclusive spaces. Whether it’s part of your rewards or VIP program, or just around building special events and experiences, you can make exclusive spaces a ticketed item in your online portal. In addition, by only making it available online it can add even more value to your online booking. 

That way, customers aren’t just using online booking because it’s convenient, but also to get special online deals. In addition to online booking, Clubspeed also offers services in building out exclusive VIP and rewards programs, as well as marketing segmentation. That way, we can help you make sure these unique experiences are as profitable and streamlined as possible. 

5. Use Analytics to Evolve Online Booking 

As well as you know your FEC and your customer base, there are always ways that you can gain even deeper insights. At Clubspeed, we’ve always been focused on not only helping businesses provide even better experiences for their customers, but giving FEC’s deep insights into behavior. With custom reports about your facility and insights on how patrons are interacting with every facet of your park, you can really identify ways to make key improvements. 

This information is not only vital for streamlining your day-to-day, but in evolving how you’re approaching your online booking. Once you have an online booking system in place, you can use the data and analytics to analyze behavior in the park. From there, you can check which packages are selling more and build out more specialized experiences or add-ons. By focusing on what’s working and always staying in tune with customer experience, the online ticketing process can get even better with time. 

Want to Explore Online Booking with Clubspeed? 

Of course, these are only a couple ways to get started thinking about online booking. With a focus on customers, value, and efficiency, our innovative online booking system offers quick, easy ways for your customers to reserve activities or events from any mobile device.

From setting up self-checkout kiosks to integrating new technologies, to adjusting employee training— we're always ready to help businesses right-size solutions that meet their most profound business challenges. If you’re ready to see if the Clubspeed approach can help your family entertainment center, we’d love for you to give it a try with our 90-Day FREE trial. You can learn how we can power up your business here.