I’m set to do a couple of seminars in the next 30 days. One of them will be with the Connecticut and Massachusetts proprietors and the other with the Ohio proprietors.
I have already started working on these presentations and as I did, I began to think about how many different ways there are to enhance the experience for the customer. Of course I added, “Which customer?” The league bowler? The cosmic bowler? The birthday bowler? The corporate party or fund raiser bowler? My answer was: all of them.So I came up with a list of about 30 ways to enhance the customer experience and I’m going to share my top five with you. Otherwise this particular blog would be a book!J
1. Ever notice when you come to into a bowling center, the first thing you see is stickers on the door about being a BPAA member or about “NO’S?” Things you can’t do pass these glass doors such as: No food or drink, No service without a shirt, No colors, No sloppy pants, No cursing, No running and No teenagers under 18 on Saturday nights. Hello.
Ok, I get that. You need some of those signs, but wouldn’t it be nice to be greeted with a big banner that says: WELCOME TO OUR CENTER. WE WILL DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GREAT TIME. I think I have seen about 5 of those types of signs in visiting more than 500 centers.
2. How about a sign as you are leaving the center? THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATRONAGE. VISIT WWW.HAPPYLANES.COMTO GET GREAT MONEY SAVING COUPONS FOR USE ON YOUR NEXT VISIT. Nothing like saying thank you and visit us soon and, oh by the way, why not get a hold of some money saving coupons. Makes the customer feel that his purchase, that day, was valuable and appreciated.
3. It’s snowy. It’s cold. It’s icy. And Mom has to park her minivan a 100 feet from the entrance, carry the cake, carry the presents and supervise about 4 or 5 children to stay away from parking lot traffic and not run or they will slip and fall.
How about having designated Moms Parking Spaces as close to the front entrance as possible (MARKED SPECIFICALLY: FOR BIRTHDAY MOMS ONLY) and then having someone right at the door to help her with her packages? I’ll bet you would do that if it was your Mom.
4. Give every birthday kid a bowling t shirt in a bright neon color so he or she will be easily recognized. On the shirt print, “It’s my party at happy lanes and I can do what I want.” It’s a little extra for the kids, but more importantly, every time a staff member sees the child in the shirt, they would automatically say. Hi and Happy Birthday.” Wouldn’t Mom be impressed?
5. Corporate parties usually spend a bunch of money and they get bowling, food, liquid refreshments and (sometimes) a cosmic show. Now just for giggles, let’s say you gave them a new bowling pin that had a stencil or decal that read: “I pinned down my party fun at Happy Lanes on (day, date).”
It’s a cool way to provide a souvenir of the party and hopefully a billboard that the manager would keep in his office for others to see. Yeah, I know the pin costs about $13 bucks, but what would another party from the same company be worth to you? A small investment indeed, wouldn’t you say?
6. BONUS: Do you have a way for your league bowlers to win a couple of bucks that night. Maybe $10 dollars? Call it: “The Mystery “10” Jackpot. Why not have a mystery score for every league, maybe two times a month?
How many ways can you think of to enhance your customer’s bowling experience?
Now go out there, and as my good friend Wally Hall always says, “Make a Happy Memory.”
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