Preserving Guest Loyalty and Nostalgia with Semnox’s Legacy Migration Kit

Entertainment centers encounter a tricky scenario when transitioning from legacy player cards to a modern RFID platform. Modernizing operational systems can feel like a daunting task, especially when implementing these changes will immediately impact the customer’s next visit. 

Integrating a new card system seamlessly into any operation is one challenge; ensuring that previous guests can still retain their card’s history and credit is a completely different obstacle. 

Semnox solves both pinch points with self-service kiosks that enable guests to instantly compile all of the existing credit from old cards onto a single new RFID player card via its streamlined Legacy Migration Kit solution. 

Finding the Right Solution
Leinad Borman, Semnox’s North American sales partner who oversaw the first outdoor installation of the Legacy Migration Kit, has worked on both sides of the card system. She recalls her prior experience as a card system operator. 
 

“The shopping journey of trying to find a different system is overwhelming,” says Borman. “Everyone has something flashy or shiny and sometimes it can lead a manager to looking more at what they want than what their establishment needs.” 

She cautions owners and operators to anticipate the need for extra time and patience, since migrating data from a legacy system to a new system isn’t always a smooth process. Those who struggle most are attractions that do not fully understand the legacy system and aren’t aware of the resources, effort, or permissions needed to access comprehensive data. 

“It’s a critical piece of your operation that’s just as valuable as your HVAC units and plumbing systems, yet isn’t given the necessary attention,” Borman says. “You need to spend time digging into any system that you use and spend time understanding this significant investment.” 

Semnox clients don’t encounter this issue thanks to the company’s inherent data transition capabilities. Millions of user accounts are swiftly transferred onto the Semnox POS (point of sale) platform during the integration process, thus preserving guest data on the backend. 

Swapping old legacy cards for new Semnox RFID (radio frequency identification) cards is just as simple and seamless for the customers, too. tegration process, thus preserving guest data on the backend. 
 

“We developed software for Semnox kiosks that enables guests to scan their legacy barcodes, view all of their current balances, and transfer them to an RFID card that is automatically issued at the kiosk,” Borman says. “They can start playing immediately, just as they did on their previous visit, without interruption.” 

Guests can consolidate balances from multiple cards—even those from years prior, in a single process—without staff involvement. They can also add credit to these new cards in the same transaction. 

Reducing Friction, Creating Ease
In an environment that promises instant gratification, mere seconds of delay can create instant guest frustration. Semnox cards and wristbands utilize RFID technology to proactively eliminate a problem that’s all too common for guests: the swipe error. 

“You’d walk by and see people sliding the card back and forth to get the swipe to work,” says Vincent Storino, operations manager at Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. “That doesn’t happen with the tap.” 

Borman agrees that operators notice a reduction in user friction and a more positive guest experience with RFID chips compared to barcodes. 
 

“Guests might swipe three, four, or five times to activate a game once,” Borman explains. “If that’s the consistent behavior, they’re going to get frustrated and that frustration can be a detriment to even deciding if they want to visit again in the future.” 

Borman says that attractions making the simple switch from swipe to tap can also see positive impacts in purchasing trends. 

“RFID cards and wristbands do increase spending; arcades have seen an uptick in recharges because the tap makes it that much easier for the guest to enjoy themselves,” Borman shares. 

The integration of Semnox kiosks into Jenkinson’s Boardwalk has alleviated multiple potential bottlenecks that could disrupt the guest experience. Storino’s team claims that the kiosks minimize guest lines and wait times, enable guests to view all of the park’s prizes in a single location, and allow the company to modify staffing assignments to better serve diverse guest needs. 

In addition to the stationary kiosks, Jenkinson’s Boardwalk chose Semnox over competitors to leverage the potential of the mobile KwickFun CC+ handheld readers. These portable devices are equipped with all Semnox POS functionalities so staff can immediately refund, recharge, or resolve guest card issues on the spot. 
 

“We’ve been in business since 1928,” says Storino. “Semnox was the clear choice for our new system and I would recommend them to any business that’s like ours.” 

Innovating for All Environments
Semnox designs its legacy conversion solutions with the geographic diversity of its clients in mind, which is a major reason why Ken Taylor, managing director of Casino Pier & Breakwater Beach in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, chose Semnox after two years of heavy consideration. 

“We wanted to see how a new system would hold up in a pier environment similar to ours,” Taylor says. “My uncle, dad, and I visited Clacton Pier and Skegness Pier in England; we saw that Semnox’s durable kiosks could. 

Borman oversees the accounts for Jenkinson’s Boardwalk and Casino Pier, both of which required outdoor kiosks that could withstand New Jersey’s coastal conditions. Working with these facilities allowed Semnox to demonstrate how their outdoor kiosk solutions have evolved to meet the demanding needs of their clients in variable climates. 
 

“The Klimate kiosk was developed for them and is now part of our main product line,” Borman says. “We’ve designed them with humidifiers and air conditioning units to withstand environments like the Jersey Shore.” 

Semnox’s consideration for its global clients doesn’t end at installation. The company’s worldwide offices provide customer support 24/7, whether that’s troubleshooting an error message or discussing evolving operational challenges. 

“We want to be a partner in our clients’ success, not just a system they’re using,” Borman says. “From our CEO and president all the way down the line, our clients have the full Semnox team behind them to collaborate with for the long haul.” 

A Customer-First Approach
“If a guest buys a card, they should be able to use it at the arcade, the rides, the water park, the go kart tracks, anywhere,” says Taylor. 

Semnox shares this customer-first approach which is why its kiosks offer the flexibility and functionality for visitors to enjoy an entire amusement center without exceptions. 

KlaimPrize kiosks, for instance, let guests select and redeem their prizes on the machine itself, letting the staff member focus solely on retrieving the item from the prize wall while the Kinetick kiosk lets guests purchase RFID wristbands and sign ride waivers without staff interaction. 

Although Jenkinson’s Boardwalk and Casino Pier & Breakwater Beach operate their card kiosks as separate entities, they could enable interoperability if they desired. 

“Semnox’s platform allows for that cross-site functionality,” Borman says. “Many of our clients already use this floating capability to allow guests to use the same card at multiple locations or franchises.” 

A family-owned chain of arcades, for instance, could enable the cohesive inter-location utility the same way that large nationwide franchises like Chuck E. Cheese accept a Play Pass at every location regardless of where it was purchased. 
 

In a similar manner that Semnox hardware evolves based on client needs, much of the Legacy Migration Kit’s success comes from Borman’s own problems and solutions that she encountered while evaluating systems as a client herself. 

“I found one system that ran great reports and had great functionality, but it did not allow us to do refunds which is a huge red flag,” Borman says. “That’s why I always recommend that stakeholders get together and make a list of every critical function in their day-to-day operations. Without my list, I would have integrated a system that created a huge hurdle for my cashiers on a daily basis.” 

Borman also invites prospective clients to draw their own conclusions on systems by attending tradeshows, talking to other owners, and seeing how these systems work in similar amusement centers. At the end of the day, she puts her confidence in not only Semnox’s hardware and POS, but in her team’s ability to overcome legacy migration problems by implementing client-specific solutions. 

“I’ve been fortunate enough to run into a lot of experiences in my 30-year career that provide me with the potential solutions clients need for their specific operations,” Borman says. “I’m not a genie in a bottle, but I can use the Legacy Migration Kit to find the path of least resistance for a client converting their legacy system to a Semnox POS.” 
 

Find out more about Semnox’s migration solutions for legacy system migration on the Semnox website. 

The article above is sponsored by Semnox. The content presented does not imply endorsement by IAAPA, IAAPA.org, IAAPA News Daily, or Funworld magazine. The information contained should not be construed as a formal recommendation for products and services or instructional guidance provided by IAAPA.