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www.parkworld-online.com
A personal touch
Park World speaks with CEO of accesso, Steve Brown, to fi nd out how small details make a big difference when it comes to the consumer experience, and why attractions need to be putting guests in the driver’s seat
PW: You’ve no doubt had to lead the business through many challenges. How have you navigated COVID-19 and, in turn, the post-pandemic recovery phase? SB: The last few years have been a time of both challenges and growth for leisure and entertainment. From digital wallets to virtual queuing, mobile F&B and more, we’ve seen a massive acceleration in consumer demand for the types of contactless solutions accesso
provides. This demand will continue to grow as businesses of all types – both within and outside our industry – continue to introduce new levels of personalised, streamlined customer service. For example, I’ve long expressed my vision for a queue-less future, and we’ve
seen the potential reality of that crystallise in recent years – much sooner than I think any of us expected. We’ve seen the success of this model through our 100% Virtual Queuing solutions, which powers one of the top water parks in the world, and within theme parks to improve the guest experience. I expect it won’t be long before we see continued adoption across the industry of similarly forward-thinking innovations.
PW: Consumer attitudes and expectations are evolving, and the pandemic has been a catalyst for the growth of e-commerce. What about self-service and a desire for personalisation? SB: For today’s consumer, so much of what we use and need day-to-day is available online. Self-service through our smartphones is widely used to purchase
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everything from groceries to meals and merchandise. The mobile technology used to make that possible has struck a unique balance between delivering on the self-service expectations that almost all consumers are demanding right now, while also maintaining a level of personalisation that makes the purchasing journey intuitive, useful and enjoyable. These expectations for speed, convenience and control over an experience naturally extend to visiting theme parks and attractions, too. And as an added benefit, self-service solutions help reduce the burden on venue’s staff, freeing their time to devote to other important tasks. At the same time, consumers have grown more digitally savvy and are more
aware and protective of their privacy than ever before; they understand the power their data holds and how valuable it is to brands. That being said, a 2021 study by customer experience management company Merkle found that 76% of consumers are comfortable sharing their data with brands in exchange for an enhanced experience. So, we’re seeing that what makes or breaks a company’s ability to build trust and loyalty with modern consumers is the ‘value exchange’ – the benefit companies can provide when a guest allows visibility into their online journey.
PW: Allowing that visibility helps to ensure a better consumer experience – which is crucial for businesses these days, regardless of industry. Tell us more about how accesso is working to help its clients improve the guest experience. SB: At accesso, we’ve always believed in centering the guest experience and finding new ways to reimagine it. It’s been exciting to see so many join us on this in recent years, in response to consumer demand for mobile-first interactions that support self-service – without sacrificing the personalisation guests have come to expect. In anticipation of increased demand for personalised experiences, accesso acquired The Experience Engine™ (TE2) back in 2017, which was our
SUMMER PART 4 2022
Steve Brown, CEO of accesso
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