David Lim is the General Manager of Tomorrow Entertainment, a company that manages various attraction businesses across Southeast Asia. David is also the franchise owner of three prominent venues in Singapore: Bounce Inc, Forest Adventure, and Zero Latency, overseeing nearly 200 employees across these locations. With over a decade of experience in the attractions industry, including previous roles at the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Zoo, David is a seasoned professional who knows the industry inside and out.
Prior to switching to ROLLER's trampoline park software, David was using multiple tools to operate his venues, including a bespoke custom software that was becoming increasingly expensive to maintain across multiple locations. Consolidating systems was a crucial aspect of his decision to switch to ROLLER, as he wanted to save his team time, streamline his operations, and reduce manual errors, ultimately leading to more efficient and cost-effective operations across his venues.
Embracing change during COVID downtime
David's journey with ROLLER began during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period of uncertainty and challenges for the attractions industry. While many might have hesitated to make a system change during this time, David saw the immense potential for improvement and integration that ROLLER could bring. David was thrilled to learn that with ROLLER, he could consolidate his booking and waiver systems into one and integrate his finance system through ROLLER’s open API.
David's forward-thinking approach not only helped them navigate the challenges of the pandemic more effectively but also positioned their venues for future success with a more streamlined and data-driven approach once restrictions were lifted and visitor numbers returned to normal levels.
“With our custom system, not only did we have to use multiple tools, we would have had to invest in the security of our data and possibly another headcount to manage it - that's just another distraction that I don't need,” commented David.
Monthly reconciliation cut by 85%
ROLLER's flexibility and compatibility with David’s finance system were crucial in this transition. David’s team used ROLLER's open API to connect their finance system seamlessly with the ROLLER platform, resulting in significant time savings and improved accuracy during monthly reconciliation.
Before adopting ROLLER, the process of monthly reconciliation between revenue and collection was an extremely manual one and required the efforts of three staff members and an average of 20 hours to complete. Since migrating to ROLLER, this task now requires only two staff members and an average of just 3 hours. The consolidation of online and in-venue payments, utilizing ROLLER Payments, is a key factor in this remarkable time-saving achievement. As a result, David saves more than USD $25,000 per year from the headcount savings.
“My finance manager said we didn’t need to replace the headcount we had saved, and my reaction was, ’Damn!’ I mean, that's good news to anybody when you can do more with less,” David exclaimed.
Not only has David saved an entire headcount, but the people in his team can now spend more time doing analytics into the business instead of manual data entry.
David explained, “I'm happy that the team is getting to a stage whereby they question things rather than just do what they're being told to do. ROLLER has definitely given them a huge amount of empowerment.”
My finance manager said we didn’t need to replace the headcount we had saved, and my reaction was, ’Damn!’ I mean, that's good news to anybody when you can do more with less.
Guest check-in time reduced by 30%
David’s main objective with switching to ROLLER was consolidating his booking and waiver systems. With their old system, David’s front line staff had to toggle back and forth between two platforms, causing unnecessary friction and delays during guest check-in.
“One of the constant pain points in the past was long queues at check in, but now that we are on ROLLER, we have literally everything on the one page - you can check if the customer has paid and if the waiver is done. That improves customer satisfaction,” stated David.
With ROLLER, David reduced check-in time from 5 minutes to just 3.5 minutes per booking. This saving of 1.5 minutes per booking results primarily from the consolidation of booking and waiver systems, allowing counter staff to work with ease by focusing on one central screen containing both the booking and waiver information.
Extrapolate that to an average of 400 bookings over an average weekend; we are looking at a saving of 10 manpower hours per weekend!
Data-driven decision making
David highlighted how ROLLER is a powerful tool for data analysis for his team, enabling them to make informed and confident decisions. ROLLER's robust data collection and reporting capabilities allow him to gather extensive information about customer behaviors. This data is then used to analyze customer preferences, purchase patterns, and demographics in-depth. By understanding their customer base, David's team can target specific segments with tailored marketing campaigns, enhancing customer engagement and spend.
David commented, “It gives me the confidence in the decisions that I’m making. It's not just a hypothesis or qualitative feedback somewhere.”
Furthermore, ROLLER helps David question and test hypotheses about his business. For example, they can test assumptions like the frequency of repeat customer visits, the effectiveness of different pricing strategies, and the geographical distribution of their customers. By collecting and analyzing data through ROLLER, they can confirm or debunk these hypotheses, which leads to more data-driven decisions and an enhanced understanding of their business performance.
Understanding our customers better and leveraging that data has enabled us to confidently implement price increases and increase spend per customer.
Harnessing the cloud for team flexibility
David emphasized the positive impact of ROLLER's cloud-based nature on his team's flexibility and efficiency. With ROLLER, team members can access the system from anywhere, eliminating the need (and costs!) for a physical call center. This cloud-based approach has enhanced communication, enabled remote work, and provided a secure environment for data access and control.
“It used to be really tough to find people (especially those with children) to work on weekends or public holidays. Now they can do a half day at home, which fits with their lifestyle. It's also easier for me to attract new staff members with this flexibility,” explained David.
David’s journey with ROLLER has not only improved operational efficiency but also provided valuable data-driven insights and opportunities for business growth. His decision to switch to ROLLER was driven by the need for an integrated and efficient ticketing system. This transition has streamlined operations, saved time and resources, and allowed for data-driven decisions to enhance guest satisfaction and business performance.
To learn more about how ROLLER can help you streamline your business, improve the guest experience, and enhance team member efficiency, click here to schedule a demo today.