Every day your gaming organization needs to ask:
"What are we going to do differently tomorrow that will get us better results than we got yesterday?"
"What reason have we provided to our players to choose us over the competition?
"What sets us apart?"
Most casinos have a tracking device called a slot players card. Recently new technology will permit tracking of table bets with microchips imbedded in the chips. Casinos will be able to track time of play, duration of play, betting patterns, wins and losses. What will that data provide to help answer any of those questions above? Nothing. Surprised?
Marketers have to check their progress everyday by asking questions not of your cards, chips and machines, but of your players. It sounds too simple. . .just ask, "How are we doing?"
Yet, from my perspective this does not happen because most player development supervisors are fire fighters rather than fire preventers. It's the same thought process that medical insurers use to pay for illness while refusing to pay for medical wellness or preventative programs.
We are a society that thinks "outside the box" when, in fact, the problem is "inside the box." We focus on global solutions instead of identifying the correct, individual problem that needs solving. If the problem is inside the box, why are we outside the box?
If we identify the problem correctly, often the answer may be found in the components that make up the problem. To go inside the box we must ask, "What If"? which leads us to "What's Next?"
You can delegate lots of things but not how your player "feels" or "thinks" about the experience they have at your gaming operation. How were they greeted when the valet received the car? What was the check-in experience at the hotel? What extras were given without asking? For instance, how difficult or costly would it be to offer VIP parking for guests? Or a complimentary car wash while they are inside gaming, eating, or enjoying a show.
Wal-Mart built its business by offering low prices, but it's growth depends on attracting customers for whom saving a few pennies over Target is not as important as it is for Wal-Mart's core customer. Wal-Mart continues to grow in part because customers are greeted at the door and service people throughout the store are friendly and helpful.
Service is what makes "cents" to Wal-Mart. They understand that there are many choices for someone to purchase the products they offer. What makes them different and successful is the customer interaction that takes place. People do business with people they like.
This year I visited dozens of casinos, talked with hundreds or employees, and interacted with thousands of players. I discovered a truth. All these people have one common desire. . .to be recognized, to be treated with kindness and concern. It was never about price. It was never about winning or losing. Not one person I talked to said they came to Pechanga, or Sycuan, or CherAe Heights or The Venetian because they always won. They often mentioned a person that made them feel special. Often it was not the "host" but the bellman or the front desk clerk that remembered their name and welcomed them "home." What do you do to make your players feel special? What makes you unique?
Sure Bet #1: Quality of Experience. Bad products or service cannot survive today's competitive environment. It is the application of your products or service to the specific needs of the player that is essential to making you unique. Walk into a Krispy Kreme and the first thing they do is offer you a free donut. Think! Why give away a donut to someone who came into buy a donut? Because Krispy Kreme has learned that they are not in the single-donut business, but the dozen-donut business. By giving away a single donut, you can smell, taste, and experience the quality of product with no risk. Once satisfied with the product, and made to feel special by being given the donut to begin with, customers become "insistent" on having a dozen or more.
Is there any difference between a Dunkin Donuts-created donut and a Krispy Kreme donut? If you ask customers that have experienced both you see a twinkle in their eyes as they describe the hot Krispy Kreme product being produced behind glass, compared to the Dunkin Donut product that is rolled in from behind solid walls that prohibit inquiring eyes.
At Krispy Kreme, customers talk about the "fun factor" of watching the production of their products, but have no reference to the Dunkin Donuts production which is hidden from view. It enhances their enjoyment of the product and their perception of its quality. What are you doing to add a "fun factor" for your players?
Sure Bet #2: Response. At a recent speech, I referred to In-N-Out hamburgers. I polled the audience to find that over 75% had never eaten any of their hamburgers or French fries. During the break I drove over to the In-N-Out burger and ordered an "Animal" with well done fries from the secret menu for each attendee. (http://www.badmouth.net/in-n-outs-secret-menu/) The cheerful cashier inquired about the order size. I told him I was educating the audience about In-N-Out products.
The In-N-Out Burger's manager came over to get more details and then provided me, at no charge, with In-N-Out hats, antenna toppers, bumper stickers, and pocket maps of all the locations. They individually wrapped each order, placed them in separate bags, and then boxed the order. The consumer behind me asked about the "Animal" and I converted all four customers to try a "Protein Animal," "Neapolitan," and one "Flying Dutchman "
There was never any question, about my order or the next one even though they were not on the menu. No complaint. My order was so large that it disrupted the entire production line for a few moments, but they all smiled and even offered additional assistance in carrying the order back to the car.
Ask your self, "can your player have it their way?" In today's rapid-paced world, response is the way you create a favorable impression. People judge you by how you respond to a request or inquiry.
I recently stayed at the Tuscany Suites in Las Vegas. I had several boxes shipped there for a trade show. Somehow, the Tuscany Suites shipping department misplaced the most important box, the one with all of our show literature. We lost immediate opportunities to provide our information. Two days after the trade show was over, they called to say they located the package and demanded that I pick it up or face storage charges. No apology. No offer of compensation. Nothing but a terse response as if I had done something wrong.
I informed them I was returning to their hotel in two weeks for the presentation
I mentioned above. Do you think they offered me a free drink, upgrade or early check in upon arrival to compensate me for their error? Correct, nothing. When I asked if they would store the box I was told I had to pick it up and recheck it with the bell stand.
Two weeks later I arrived to check in a few hours early. I learned that Tuscany Suites charges for early check-in. And when I arrived before their posted check in time they wanted to enforce the early check-in fee.
Tuscany Suites is a less expensive alternative to staying on the strip in Las Vegas.
They are centrally located, offer free parking, and oversized rooms. I visit Las Vegas several dozen times a year and they would be a practical alternative. Yet, their lack of response to the importance of their error and the lack of any "customer care" requires me to evaluate any future dealings. It is not about price, but performance.
Sure Bet #3: Knowledge. What information do you possess that is a solution to an identifiable problem for your players? I am often amazed that silos have been created in organizations and employees are so isolated from each other that many possess no critical integrated knowledge of the products or services offered.
When I was at Sandia Resort, I could not find the players' rewards sign-up booth. I asked several people on the floor. They said go to the front of the building and ask. Alternatively, they said they do not know but the people at the front of the building can tell you. I realize that it is not a major life-changing question but, still, player loyalty programs are the lifeblood of many marketing activities. How could this information be so difficult to obtain and disperse?
Sandia, I found out, has their player loyalty reward sign-up information at the front desk. There is no signage informing entrants, no indications for those players that arrive from other entrances to the casino and no informed employees that can provide useful and pertinent information to those of us who inquire.
To their credit, the experience was the opposite at Treasure Island in Las Vegas. I asked a security guard where I could sign up for the player club card. She smiled and said. . ."sit yourself down in this comfortable chair. I can fill out the form for you and get you started playing right away." WOW! Not only was she informed, but empowered as well.
Sure Bet #4: Talk to Your Players. Each organization has something to offer their player that is unique, and leveraging that uniqueness is critical for success. You may think you know what that is, but what you think you know doesn't really matter. It's what your players know that counts. And they'll tell you if you just ask.
You can always find some value in the discussion, and the mere fact that you ask a player for their opinion may be the most important difference you have. But you are just as likely to learn something that will help make your organization better, and could even make it the best.
Hertz talked to its customers and learned that they were much less interested in renting cars than in getting to their destinations. Now Hertz provides information that is critical to their customers by offering global positioning systems, detailed maps, helpful customer service, and local information that make it easier and less stressful for Hertz customers to get to their final destinations. Talking to its customers and acting on the information gained is what keeps Hertz the dominant player in the car rental business.
Dyson Vacuum Cleaners talked to buyers and discovered that one of the most important concerns for the user was buying, empting and changing the bag full of animal hair, dust, etc. During the research in developing an alternative way to collect the mess, they found that the removal of the filter bag also helped maintain the suction. With the introduction of the first vacuum that didn't lose suction, Dyson has become the market leader. Through the process of elimination and innovation, Dyson became one of the most profitable vacuum cleaner manufacturers in the country
So what are you going to be doing differently today to prevent players from thinking you "suck" tomorrow?
