Kerasotes Theatres
Standardizing Systems Improves Reliability
Situation
Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres, LLC is the nation's eighth largest film exhibitor and operates over 75 theatres with more than 600 screens in the Midwestern United States.
A concern developed within the organization that maintenance and support costs were higher than they should be for their ticketing POS systems. There were two issues contributing to this concern: They were supporting and maintaining multiple software images to account for POS hardware with different system configurations, and the systems they were using were experiencing unacceptably high failure rates. To alleviate these issues, they began a search for a new POS hardware solution. This improvement focused on reducing costs, improving reliability, and minimizing equipment failures.
Kerasotes knew they could decrease development and support costs by standardizing on one manufacturer's system at their ticketing counters. Further, the system they selected must have stable, version-controlled internal electronics. Kerasotes wanted to be able to minimize their technical support demand by developing only one software image for all their ticketing POS systems.
They required a reliable POS system provider that makes durable systems with a proven track record. It was critical to minimize any disruptions at the ticket counter due to system issues, so the product had to prove it would be dependable in a rigorous environment. Kerasotes also knew it was critical to have a business partner that could quickly respond in the rare event there was a system failure. The selected POS system provider had to offer a maintenance service program that could ensure their systems would be up and running quickly.
Solution
Kerasotes selected Ultimate Technology as their POS system provider for their ticketing stations. They were familiar with the products and services Ultimate Technology delivers because they were already using the PDM3500 small footprint POS terminal in their theatre concession stands. They were very happy with the reliability of the product and the responsive service they received. They trusted Ultimate Technology as a reliable business partner.
The hardware solution selected for ticketing stations is the UltimaTouch™ 1800 Series POS Touch Workstation. One of the reasons for selecting the 1800 is the unit's durability and reliability. Kerasotes conducted system pilots that tested the new equipment in several theatres, the 1800s performed flawlessly. There were no system issues. This gave them confidence that the systems were reliable.
To ensure timely recovery of systems, in the rare event of a system outage, Kerasotes is taking advantage of Ultimate Technology's Hot Swap Maintenance Service Program to maintain their POS hardware. The Hot Swap Maintenance Service Program ensures that units will be up and running the next business day. In the event of a failure, an 1800 with the exact Kerasotes' configuration is sent overnight from the Ultimate Technology service center to the theatre location. It's an excellent value when rapid response is required.
The UltimaTouch™ 1800 is designed with version-controlled electronics. This ensures the last unit delivered to Kerasotes at the end of their rollout will have the same BIOS and chip set as the first unit delivered. Kerasotes was able to establish one software image that wouldn't need to be constantly changed as multiple units were rolled out over time to all their theatres. Once the software configuration was developed, on-going software maintenance and changes were minimized.
Results
Since the UltimaTouch™ 1800s have been installed in the ticketing areas within the theatre, system downtime has virtually been eliminated. Andy Gift, Manager of Information Technology at Kerasotes states, "The UltimaTouch™ 1800s have been very reliable to date. In fact, we haven't had one unit go down since we started using them."
A standard software image has been established for the 1800, and is pre-loaded by Ultimate Technology prior to the units being shipped. The same image is also available in the future for any units that might need to be replaced under Ultimate Technology's Hot Swap Maintenance Service Program.
An added benefit that Kerasotes is experiencing with the 1800 is its ease of use. Theatre personnel indicate the 15-inch touch screen is easy to work with because it is clear and bright, making the POS application easy to see. It is also very responsive to light touch which speeds up the processing of ticket orders and improves customer service.
The partnership between Ultimate Technology and Kerasotes has grown over time with different products serving different applications and a full service maintenance program tailored to their individual requirements.