tradeshow interview #4 – Party Center Softwaretalking to Megan Hawkins from Party Center

Our annual tradeshow was a couple of weeks ago.  As a new feature, we’re doing interviews with some of the vendors that were at our show.

If you were at the show, this could be a reminder and a follow up with the people you met.  If you weren’t able to join us, this is a great way to get to “meet” some of the vendors that attended.

We’ve already talked to several vendors (Roller Derby, Laser Blast, and the RSA).  Today, we’re talking to Megan Hawkins from Party Center Software, a service that helps you book birthday parties online.

 

QUESTION:  Tell us a little bit about the Party Center company.

ANSWER:  We’re a team of passionate individuals on a mission to make roller skating rinks (and family entertainment centers) wildly successful because of the value they add to families and communities. Our products and services are designed help businesses adapt to the changing behaviors of today’s guests.

 

 

QUESTION:  Why is this a good fit for a roller skating rink?  What are the advantages of this type of system vs. booking parties via the phone?

ANSWER:  Our solutions are a great fit for roller skating rinks because our online waivers can transform your operations and the additional party revenue we help to generate is critical to keeping doors open. The advantage of our online booking platform vs. booking parties over the phone is the fact that today’s technologically enabled customers have higher expectations for businesses. That explains why approximately 33% of all parties that are booked (paid deposits, purchased add-ons and confirmed) occur outside of operating hours. Other high volume times when people book parties online occur around lunch time and right after work. The most important advantage of an online party booking system is to allow your time to spend less time on the phone and more time with onsite customers to deliver the best possible experience.

 

QUESTION:  What makes Party Center a better choice than some of the other companies out there that are doing similar programs?

ANSWER:  There are 2 main reasons why Party Center Software is a better choice: 1) We provide your customers with a better desktop and mobile experience that other platforms out there. You don’t have to take our word for it, just have a staff member or customer do a blind online party booking test and see which one they believe is easiest to use. 2) Products alone are not the solution, so we offer services and educational resources based on our party booking data to truly help our customers become successful.

 

QUESTION:  How many parties a month would you have to book before this program pays for itself?

ANSWER:  You only have to book one party for our platform to pay for itself. We have a lot of loyal customers who are just ‘killing it’ with the number of parties they book and the ROI from our product. However, the value of our software goes beyond the number booking parties, it saves time, streamlines processes, and creates additional revenue streams.

 

QUESTION: How does the setup process work?  How much time does it take to get everything up and running?

ANSWER:  The setup of our platform is just one small step in our entire customer onboarding process that’s designed to make sure our customers see results as quickly as possible. While setup can occur within a week or two depending on the customer, we are always finding new ways to reduce the time to value.

 

QUESTION:  If a rink wants to learn more, what’s the best way to reach you?

ANSWER:  The best way to reach a Customer Success Consultant is going to be through requesting a demo through our website www.partycentersoftware.com. This way, you can conveniently book a time to schedule a time to chat.