I hate writing cautionary tales. Clearly I love laser tag and so I always try to find something positive in every experience to share. However, in this case the most positive thing I noticed was an absolutely STUNNING arena. You’ll have to imagine it because obviously sharing the pics would make it apparent what location I am referring to and I think that you’ll understand after reading the rest of this why it is better that I not say where all of this happened. Let’s just say that any of these mistakes could happen anywhere, which is why this isn’t a review so much as a cautionary tale about what, as a customer, I see as correctable opportunities for improvement. In fact, I am going to offer up both the problem and a possible solution in hopes that this may be helpful information for other laser tag operators.
However, please do read it to the end because the last one is a doozy!
I arrived at this family entertainment venue in hopes of playing only one game of laser tag, as I typically do, since I had other plans for the rest of my night. So, I was surprised when even though it was after 7:00 in the evening (and they close at 9:00), I was told that the only way they could ring me up for a laser tag sale was for me to purchase a full day indoor activities pass for $50, which would include laser tag along with several other attractions…but not everything, just the indoor activities. This seemed a bit much, although certainly I had the choice to walk away. Of course any business owner also has the prerogative to charge whatever they like, but having visited over 600 laser tag arenas I can tell you that I can count on one hand the number of times I haven’t even had the option of per game pricing. However, I was already there so I decided to go forward and I bought my day-pass wristband. As a customer, I don’t like to be told that I can’t just purchase a single activity. As a business, it is of course good to upsell your customers at any opportunity. But I think there is some room for middle ground and here is what I see as the problem and also a solution.
Problem: Limited ticketing options that force the purchase of unwanted activities are an irritation rather than providing an incentive to upgrade. This can feel more like price gouging rather than upselling.
Solution: Premium per-attraction pricing can be implemented (even at a stiffly higher price) for ala carte purchases, but should be accompanied by a friendly recommendation that an upgraded package ticket allows you to enjoy more attractions at a nice value for the price. This gives the customer a choice (with a value for the attraction already in their head) and they can then be persuaded to feel that they can get more for their money if the deal is presented enticingly.
Even if they had told me it would be $30 for one game vs $50 for everything I would have at least had a choice, which would have provided me a more favorable consumer experience. Plus (if I had the time to spare) I might have been more interested in the other activities as well. For the record, since I had paid for the full ticket I did at least try two other attractions besides the laser tag...meh.
I got in line for the laser tag and there were about eight or nine kids who wanted to play also. Unfortunately, we couldn’t all play at once. In fact, as the excited mob of kids rushed towards the briefing area the game marshal had to send them out of the room and count heads, allowing in only six players. Why? Out of a dozen laser tag packs only SIX were functioning. I know that because I looked at the vest rack which had one piece of paper taped up with the words “broken vests” and an arrow pointing left and another piece taped up with the words “working vests” and an arrow pointing right. Oh goodness, PLEASE do not point a literal arrow directly at your broken vests!!!
Problem: Having half your vests down equals significantly reduced revenue (at least with typical game purchasing structures) and leads to disappointed players, small games and a negative impression.
Solution: Communication about equipment problems with the manufacturer of your laser tag system is step one, but hiring a good tech person is a smart investment. Kids are not typically careful with the gear, so equipment maintenance is SO important to a good laser tag experience.
Ok, so six of us are in the briefing room putting on packs while the other kids outside the door are waiting for the next turn. We are given an instruction that I have never heard before…and bear in mind I am the only adult playing with five kids, approximately 8-10 years old. The instruction is to hit the tools setting on the phaser and follow instructions so that we are each manually setting the color for which team we want to join. I’m no techie, but I literally didn’t even know that’s what the settings button did. I’ve never been asked to do it myself and would never expect for kids to have to do it either.
Problem: If a staff member is unfamiliar with how to automatically manage equipment then it puts extra burden on the players and can create unnecessary confusion.
Solution: Becoming more familiar with the specific laser tag system would be a big help here, but short of that, I would suggest the staff member be responsible for doing any settings changes on the equipment. This (in my experience) is never left up to the public.
Now here is my biggest issue that I witnessed and is definitely the reason I classify this as a “cautionary tale”.
You can’t make this stuff up! I watched the teenage game marshal run the briefing video right up to the part where the video guy says “This next part is very important…” It is at THAT moment that the kid stopped the video and said dismissively “the rest of this is just sportsmanship.”
Now, even if that was true (which it was not)…sheesh!!! Yes, I said something to him about it after the game, but to quote Meg Rosoff, “I don’t get nearly enough credit in life for the things I manage not to say.”
Problem: Briefing videos are about game instruction, but more importantly they are about safety above all else. NOT going over safety information has the possibility of opening up liability issues if something bad (and preventable) were to happen during the game.
Solution: Instruct staff members that proper briefing is a MUST, whether it is done with a video or explained by the marshal.
I know what came next in that video because I myself have watched it countless times by now. And yet, I will never complain about being asked to turn my focus to the video and pay attention because it is no doubt new information for someone in the room.
Once all this had transpired I did enjoy a perfectly nice game inside a truly gorgeous arena. I wish I could show you. However, I feel there is more value in keeping this as an anonymous example and hoping that someone takes something beneficial away from this recounting of my personal experience.
Comments or Questions?
Contact: Tivia@tiviachickloveslasertag.com
Websites: www.tiviachickloveslasertag.com
and https://tiviachick.wixsite.com/photonforever
and https://lasertagmuseum.com
