features
Software: Bounce bespoke
The continued rise of the trampoline park means software providers are starting to provide bespoke solutions that cater to the nuances of this sector. Josephine Timmins reports
The UK’s first dedicated trampoline park might only have opened two years ago – when Gravity Force opened a 27,000sq ft park in Camberley, Surrey – but trampoline parks are by no means a new phenomenon at a global level. In the US, there has been significant momentum behind this sector for over 10 years, and this has been mirrored around the world.
The International Association of Trampoline Parks (IATP) estimates indicate that by the end of 2015 there were over 550 indoor trampoline parks around the world.
The UK market is now experiencing rapid growth, with the number of parks having increased from six in England and Wales at the end of 2014, to nearly 100 in 2016. That means the sector is large enough to demand solutions that match the nuances of its operational requirements – not least in the area of software.
We talk to a selection of software providers and trampoline park operators to understand some of the new software features and functionality being brought out to support operational efficiency, customer experience and revenue generation in the booming trampoline sector.
David Stalker,
CEO,
Oxygen Freejumping
There are two major considerations that together define quite different software requirements for the trampoline park model: ‘pay and play’ and safety/authentication.
The ‘pay and play’ concept really underpins how the majority of our customers engage with us, and we aim to have most of those booking online. It’s hugely important to make this process easy and efficient, so having a seamless connection between our website and our CRM system is of real significance.
However, one of the risks associated with this lies in customer identification and indemnities. The system needs to be able to identify the individual, so that when they come into the park we’re able to make sure they are indeed the right person; that they’ve signed the relevant disclaimers; and that they’ve been through the safety briefing. In addition, in the case of children, the system needs to enable a guardian or parent to authenticate and agree to the safety briefing.
The trampoline park model also means the software has to cope with a much greater volume of bookings, and help operators to manage this workflow and customer density much more effectively.
Currently, there isn’t really a system available that I feel is consistently and sufficiently reliable in terms of digitising and automating this process – from online booking to customer identification and authentication – so we often have to run a paper-based disclaimer system in parallel, which is crazy in today’s world.
We need far greater sophistication in the system – within the CRM in particular – to ensure the highest levels of health and safety, while at the same time making the customer booking and check-in process efficient, and making it possible to target your marketing as efficiently as possible.
"There isn’t really a reliable system for digitising and automating the process, so we often have to run a paper-based disclaimer system in parallel " – David Stalker
Phil Moss,
General manager,
BrightLime
It’s incumbent on the software provider to understand how the trampoline park model differs, and to provide solutions that promote and encourage customer self-administration. That means streamlined online pre-booking, with automated waiver processes for multiple jumpers which are easily accessible, editable and meet legal parameters.
In addition, the software must support enhanced front-of-house processes with quick check-in, easily acquirable merchandise (i.e. trampolining socks) and rapid payment processing.
From a reporting perspective, the software needs to reflect the fact that the booker may not be the jumper. Can the software differentiate between the two and make this clear to anyone reading the reports? Operators also need to understand which sessions are working and which aren’t, when the difference between 10 per cent and 100 per cent attendance for one session can be as much as £1,000.
Finally, British Gymnastics, ROSPA and 11 other organisations urged trampoline parks to sign up to and abide by a set of safety rules in November 2016. Software providers therefore need to look at how they can support the essential role of facility maintenance through responsive solutions that can flag operational failure, highlight recurring issues and automate responses for calls to action.
Shez Namooya,
Business development manager,
EZ-Runner
Trampoline parks have a very different relationship with the customer compared to more traditional health clubs. Whereas traditional clubs typically have a one-to-one relationship, trampoline parks will – in the majority of cases – have a one-to-many relationship where people are trying to book families, friends and groups of people on to a single session.
The software needs to be able to cater for this essential booking requirement, while also coping with the fact that a typical trampoline park might get the same number of bookings in a day as a traditional health club might get in a month.
Moreover, the system has to manage significant peaks or spikes in this booking volume – evenings, weekends and holidays, for example.
The other main consideration is that we need to prevent queues at the front desk. We’re currently looking at enabling barcode mobile sign-in to help address this challenge.
We’re also adding core functionality around social media and gamification to encourage repeat bookings, drive customer loyalty and support our clients’ moves towards more of a membership system.
"One key consideration is to prevent queues at the front desk. We’re looking at enabling barcode mobile sign-in to help address this" – Shez Namooya
