Langer’s increases revenue and customer satisfaction with WaitWell
WaitWell transforms Langer’s customer experience
Before WaitWelll, Langer’s Entertainment Center in Sherwood, Oregon was
struggling with lineups at their attractions and customers were abandoning
the line when it seemed too long. Now they have increased the utilization of
multiple attractions by upwards of 39% and increased their food and beverage
revenue. Customers can now visit other attractions or go to the bar while waiting
in line for the rock climbing wall, laser tag or any of their other attractions
Before WaitWell was “chaos”
Langer’s Entertainment Center opened its doors in 2019 just before the start of COVID. This created many challenges for them as they had to navigate through restrictions and closures. One of the main things that helped them navigate their new business was WaitWell. They have many attractions at their facility including bowling, a rock wall, an arcade, a jungle gym, laser tag, a high ropes course and two bars where guests can order drinks and food.
Previously, Langer’s was having problems with efficiency at their attractions. Ryan Barajas, the Marketing Manager at Langer’s, described the organization pre-WaitWell as “pure chaos”. Customers would have to wait in long physical lineups that would even create barriers within the building that people had to navigate around. Customers were unhappy and staff members were stressed. Now, Langer’s has found exceptional success with WaitWell and has changed the way customers experience their entertainment center.
Business Challenge
Langer’s was having problems with managing their lineups at their four main attractions that each had unique capacity limits. Specifically: bowling, rock climbing, laser tag and the high ropes course. The long lineups not only created blockades in the venue for other customers, but staff members ended up having to refund many customers at the end of each night because they were either unhappy or never got a chance to experience the attraction. Coupled with this, customers never got the chance to spend money elsewhere in the venue while they were waiting because they had to save their spot in line. This caused Langer’s to try out a WaitWell competitor which did not perform well. The wait times were incorrect and the interface was confusing to both customers and staff. They decided that they need a full-featured robust platform with reporting and the ability to manage multiple attractions with different needs with the same solution.
The support has been incredible
Langer’s implemented WaitWell in September of 2021 and experienced a smooth transition from
their previous solution. When asked about the implementation process Barajas described the support he received from WaitWell’s customer success team
as “perfect”.
“The support team has been the best out of any other vendor I have experienced. It is just incredible. It’s been huge for us to be able to talk to someone and have our specific needs met since we are such a custom use case.”
Looking back, Barajas said that it took the team less than a week to get a hang of the system and use it effectively because of the “modern and up-to-date interface”.
With WaitWell, customers scan a QR code with their mobile device to line up for each attraction. After scanning the QR code, customers can see the wait times for every attraction in a web app powered by WaitWell. Barajas said,
“Having this all available has made it possible for us to develop a Disneyland style web app for our guests to make informed decisions on what attractions to sign up for with accurate information regarding wait times, without having to have to dedicate staff members to updating the wait time.”
If the wait is long, customers are able to go to the bar, arcade or another attraction and wait for an automated text saying that it is their turn. They are able to check their progress in line throughout their journey so they are prepared. Langer’s has also installed a lobby display for their rock climbing wall which has increased utilization tremendously. The WaitWell lobby display allows customers to see when it is their turn as well. The staff at Langer’s have also commented on the simplicity of the solution and how it is a pain-free experience. They have increased the number of people they put through each attraction daily because of the efficiency WaitWell provides. The managers at Langer’s are able to identify staff performance by attraction thanks to reporting they now have available in real-time. They can easily schedule that staff member appropriately and see where there are training opportunities.
The WaitWell system has benefited Langer’s on many levels, the main one for any business, revenue. Parker Vogt, the General Manager, said that their best general admission revenue day was only the 4th day after implementing WaitWell. Specifically, food and beverage revenue has increased by 2.46% despite a lower than average attendance that day. Customers are now able
to spend their time at the bar or arcade instead of waiting in a physical lineup with their wallets in their pockets. Barajas said, “it’s a better experience for the guests and it’s more income for us so it’s just a no-brainer. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
He also stated that the wait times in WaitWell are highly accurate and get more accurate the more you use the system. This is critical as customers know exactly when their turn will be and managers how long the average wait time is per day so they can schedule staff appropriately. The utilization of certain attractions has also increased since the WaitWell implementation. The rock wall utilization has increased by 118.61% and laser tag has increased by 39.78%. There have also been significantly fewer refunds since more customers are admitted to the attractions and staff are more efficient.
“WaitWell’s task automation is taking so much mental load off of our employees. Now they can just focus on doing their job.”
Now, customers can also communicate with the staff through SMS messaging. If they need more time at another attraction, they can text staff and ask them to hold their spot in line. They are also able to ask quick questions like, “can I add a person to my party?”. This simplicity is a time saver for customers and for busy staff. According to Vogt, the data they receive through WaitWell’s reports has been a “game changer”. He said,
“From our perspective, the information that we can collect on staff and guests influences our scheduling needs, improves our marketing campaigns and costs and provides greater insight into any changes we make to operations.”
WaitWell is the perfect solution for organizations with multiple configurations required in one space, without sacrificing customer usability. The system is set apart by being able to identify trends in staffing, revenue and attendance stats with the ability to see everything important all in one place.
