Casino Enterprise Management

Have you ever sat back after several weeks, or possibly months, of jumping through hoops to get that new technology approved and deployed on your casino floor, and realized that both your internal and external customers are not nearly as excited about the product as you once were? This particular realization is what we lightheartedly refer to as post-deployment depression. It’s that moment after all the regulation i’s have been dotted and the documentation t’s have been crossed when you realize you’ve overlooked the most important part of the product release—your customers.

The feeling is a lot like another we all go through in life—just think back to the last time you started a new personal relationship. Perhaps a mutual friend introduced you because they saw the similar perceptions, interests and traits between the two of you. Do you remember the excitement you felt? Do you remember how everything seemed fresh and new, and you stayed awake at night thinking about the infinite possibilities? Still, you were nervous—what if it didn’t work out? What if the people that were important to you didn’t see the attraction, or worse, simply didn’t accept it? 

Early adaption to cutting-edge slot technology is very much like a new relationship. You were introduced to the product by a manufacturer because they believed both you and your property were a good fit and would not only operate the technology correctly, but would also showcase its beauty and attributes. The vendor spent an enormous amount of time and resources developing the product and many hours testing its design to ensure it operates correctly. When the product is finally ready for consumer release, they help you carefully orchestrate the event. You sing its praises publicly, and they help further develop it in private. No product comes off the line without faults, and both vendors and operators realize that a poor initial release can doom an amazing product before it has a chance to come into its own.

Let’s assume that you have worked diligently with the manufacturer and product designers to produce all the required documentation and protocols to deploy the product exactly as you want. You have created an area on your slot floor to showcase the technology and made sure it operates in your facility exactly how it is intended. What is your next step? If your facility operates as most do, you hand off the product introduction to the marketing staff. Now, the most critical elements of the product’s success are in the hands of a department that is understaffed, overworked and has little regard for technology outside of the tools it needs to complete everyday tasks.

This is not a slam on the marketing staff—they are hardworking and creative, but unless they truly understand what attracted you to the product, they will treat its introduction in the same manner as their standard marketing endeavors. They will invite the property stockholders and elite players to a lavish dinner and night of entertainment prior to showcasing the product. Unfortunately, this offers several possible failure points.

First, unless the product is something visually appealing or truly innovative, its perception may well suffer in comparison to the meal and entertainment, creating a letdown when you can least afford it. Depending on the marketing efforts that were expended for this release, your elite customers may have been expecting black-tie excitement and received blue jeans-level entertainment.

Secondly, unless the product was specifically designed with an elite player in mind, your marketing department inadvertently shot you in the foot by introducing the wrong player set to the technology. Whereas you as a slot director understand the playing characteristics of your elite players, marketing personnel generally see only the revenue they produce.

As an example, introducing a $100-a-spin player to a penny game is not only a poor idea, it could also be damaging to your bottom line. The best possible outcome would be ambivalence on the part of the player. They have nothing in common with this new game and may well feel a little insulted that you would introduce them to it.

Imagine if you drove a Lamborghini and were introduced to the finest car Korea had to offer. No matter what refinements the Korean car possessed, it would still suffer in comparison. The worst outcome to our situation would be that Mr. or Mrs. Elite fall in love with the game and reduce their average spend from $100 a spin to $2 a spin.   

You have to provide your marketing staff with the best possible set of information in order for them to create a successful coming out party. You need to partner up with marketing at the beginning of the project rather than the end of it. You need to provide them with the vision of what you want to create with this product, not simply the details of what it can do.

As a slot professional, your greatest strength may be in the way you perceive your environment. You are likely a detailed-oriented individual who understands the beauty of functionality at the expense of form. The marketing staff is creative, appreciates form over function and likely sees the forest rather than the trees. This is by design and can be an extremely powerful combination if you work in cooperation with each other.

How do you accomplish this? You need to provide your counterpart in marketing with enough information about the product so they can “see” its beauty through your eyes. Much like that new relationship we spoke about earlier, you need to talk about your feelings. You need to tell your marketing buddy about your hopes for the product, your feelings about its deployment and your fears about introducing it to your customers and staff. In a new relationship, you carefully choose who you introduce your partner to first, because you understand there is a necessary order to things, and if you screw it up, you could ruin the relationship before it even really starts.

Do you remember when you introduced your significant other to your parents? We bet you prepared both parties for the introduction prior to having them actually meet. Similarly, you must talk to marketing about the importance of thoughtfully introducing the product to the right kinds of customers before you actually deploy the product on your floor—especially if it affects other products. You wouldn’t think of introducing a new partner to your folks before letting them know the last one is no longer around, would you?

In order to recreate your initial excitement about the product in the customers, marketing has to understand your attraction before they can convey it successfully to others. Otherwise, the product is doomed to be a short-term distraction at best.

In the case of new technology integration, post-deployment depression doesn’t have to be a regular part of the cycle. All it takes is sharing your enthusiastic vision with the marketing department to create an optimal public release. Not unlike sharing your excitement about that new partner with your family and friends, there’s a much better chance of acceptance if you give the proper heads up. 

Next month, we’ll take a closer look at how to bridge this communication gap and offer a “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” style framework that highlights the differences between the thoughts and actions of the marketing and slot department. You just might learn a thing or two about how to improve those personal relationships as well.

Kevin Parker is a Project Manager at Acres 4.0. He has been in the gaming industry since 1995 and participated in the opening of five Native American properties on the West Coast. Previous positions include Director of Gaming, Director of Slot Services and Director of Casino Operations in two different facilities. Parker recently co-founded Lynx Gaming Solutions. He can be reached at kevin.parker[at]acres4.com.

As a member the Cherokee Nation of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Andrea McCurry has worked for and with Native American casinos for more than 12 years. Previously holding several slot and table game management and director positions, as well playing key roles in several California Native American casino openings, McCurry recently co-founded Lynx Gaming Solutions. She can be reached at andrea[at]lynxincorporated.com or (530) 680-6250.