Consumers are driving change within nightlife. They’ve gotten accustomed to the personal, experience-driven services provided by savvy retailers, and they now expect this of you. There are many sources out there saying nightlife is dying; but in actuality, it’s just evolving. It’s up to you to navigate this shift, which may mean it’s time to switch to a system that will help you succeed in this new era.
I get it: making a switch to a new system can seem daunting and intrusive to your daily operations. It doesn’t have to be, and the reality is the longer you wait, the harder it’s going to be for you to appease your customers. The best time to switch is before you go into your busy season, which for many of us begins late October. Switching before this time ensures you’re set up for success to handle your biggest nights, and have a database to bank once things slow down again.
Here’s how you can adopt a new system into your venue so you can no only be set up to provide personalized service, but also significantly increase efficiency, profitability, and security as a result.
1. Understand Your Needs
We can tell you a hundred reasons why you may need to switch systems (and just for fun, here’s 7 of them), but it’s not going to mean anything if you don’t have a reason or objective of your own. Perhaps you want to increase the speed of the night, discover insights about your clients, understand how your venue and employees are doing, or even generate more pre-sale revenue. All of this is possible with the right technology. The more you know about why you want to go down this route, the better technology partner you’ll find and the easier time you’ll have integrating it in.
2. Find the Right Partner
The best thing you can do is find a company who will act as a true partner in making your club more profitable. They should fully understand your venue’s operations and strategies to provide the best solution to your needs. We recommend using a system like Vēmos that has multiple solutions on one platform. Not only does this reduce the number of vendors you have to work with in a daily basis but also better integrates data about your venue’s performance. Now you’re not using different systems for different processes with independent data sitting within each. You’re able to get a holistic view of your venue and use your guest data to provide personalized service no matter what type of guest they are.
3. Outline Your Rollout
The reason technology, or any new system for that matter, seems overwhelming is because people think of it as one big overhaul rather than a series of small steps. The best way to transition is to have an outline of what the rollout will look like. The right partner will help transition all previous data into the new system so there are’t any gaps when the transition happens. It’s also possible to start small, picking the features you absolutely need today, then add more once you feel comfortable about how technology can help your venue. It doesn’t need to be a long process; it just needs to be a clearly defined process to make sure it’s a smooth, successful transition.
4. Train Staff
A successful rollout completely revolves around training and establishing a comfort level with the software. Get all staff members together who will be interacting with the new software. Having everyone in one place makes it easy for you to introduce the system, show them how it works, and answer any questions they may have. It may also be beneficial to bring in the company you’re partnering with to clarify any points or walk through the system so everyone is fully equipped to get up and running. It’s a red flag if a company isn’t willing to do full training with you and your staff as part of the transition. This level of training will leverage the return on investment, reduce technical support needs after the installation, and be the key factor in a successful rollout.
When you have the right system for your needs, and when all staff is trained, you’re able to provide a great experience for every person who walks through your door. This is what sets you apart and is what allows you to thrive during this experience-driven shift.
