Ceroc membership cards; Swipe system.

[Gadget]

I was just told last-night that Ceroc membership cards are going to be changed to a 'swipe' card system. {Laptops linked to a database hooked into a card reader}
A couple of questions for Franck et all:
- Is this going to be a Ceroc UK thing, or only a Ceroc Scotland thing?
- What was the driving force behind this move?
- What do Ceroc hope to benefit from using swipe cards?
- How will this benefit the member?
- What information will be stored on the linked database?

[Will]

Originally posted by Gadget
I was just told last-night that Ceroc membership cards are going to be changed to a 'swipe' card system. {Laptops linked to a database hooked into a card reader}
A couple of questions for Franck et all:
- Is this going to be a Ceroc UK thing, or only a Ceroc Scotland thing?
- What was the driving force behind this move?
- What do Ceroc hope to benefit from using swipe cards?
- How will this benefit the member?
- What information will be stored on the linked database?

Well I can answer this for you partly. We've been issued with swipable membership cards in London too, so it looks like it is country wide.

I suspect that advantages include speeding up the process of getting people in as currently they manually log the membership card number of each punter. (It goes without saying that this information is gathered to help them assess the demographics of who is going to which type of event). The obvious benefit to the members is that the more Ceroc know what we like, the more they will be able to satisfy the punters.

Wonder how long it will be before someone suggests that it is all some insidious plot from Ceroc HQ to be big brother, and that Ceroc membership cards hold a small incendary device that will explode if you attend any non-ceroc venues

[Dan Hudson]

My understanding is it is a Ceroc nationwide initiative..

The swipe card will help us as franchisees track members activities within Ceroc, for instance, Gadget goes to Ceroc 3 times a week, Monday in London at full price, Tuesday, he went for fresstlye only in Kent, Wednesday again full price in St Albans..

The database we use can tell us when and where you dance (at the mo within a franchise) This enables the franchisee to direct marketing to the correct people and will hopefully eliminate SPAM mails etc.. No point emailing or sending info to you if you haven't been to Ceroc for 2 years..

At the mo our door person has to write down the card number of each person that comes through the door, this is then transfered to the database. By using swipe card technology this will eliminate the paper exercise!

The franchisee may wish to reward their loyal customers, for instance come for 10 weeks and get the 11th free. With the database we can accurately collate this info.

As with all data, you can limit details you put on to it.

I am not sure if all your details will be available for the whole network or just membership numbers and surnames..

Reklaw is the database guru, maybe he can help more!


Hope this helps

[Paul F]

A great idea IMO.

Generating market usage and demographics can only help the business as a whole.

(plus it looks more professional to the discerning customer )


Its one more step to that nirvana-like state where every cerocer is electronically tagged

<he he>

[Gus]

Originally posted by Paul F
A great idea IMO.

Generating market usage and demographics can only help the business as a whole.

Aye ... great idea and well overdue. Bu**er all advantage to members (unless there is a loyalty bonus built in) but its something that franchisees have wanted for years.

[Heather]

..........in ALL the time I have EVER been to a Ceroc venue anywhere in Scotland I have NEVER yet been asked for my membership card, far less any venue manager write it's number down. The only time it has ever even been out of my purse was to show a non dancing friend how Ceroc is spelt!!!!
What difference a swipe card will make to me I do not know, I can hardly contain my curiosity !!


Heather,
XX

[bigdjiver]

Originally posted by Gus
Aye ... great idea and well overdue. Bu**er all advantage to members (unless there is a loyalty bonus built in) but its something that franchisees have wanted for years.

Members should get in quicker.

The cheaper the enterance fee the faster the business grows, so there is an incentive to keep it low. At the same time there is an incentive to make a profit. The only way both can be satisfied is to keep costs down. The cynical view that the members will not see the benefit is wrong.

[DangerousCurves]

Originally posted by Gus
Aye ... great idea and well overdue. Bu**er all advantage to members (unless there is a loyalty bonus built in) but its something that franchisees have wanted for years.

In addition to the speed of entry, I guess if the information is used to target appropriate mailings to interested parties, rather than splatter gun everyone that benefits members too. Plus monitoring dancer trends might mean that resources are used to give dancers more of what they like.

That said, I have to admit that I personally HATE all card membership schemes. I am constantly at a venue with the wrong card, or the wrong bag, and have had to join Ceroc three times this year due to my inabaility to carry the wretched things! Wish we could do without them altogether!

[spindr]

Originally posted by DangerousCurves That said, I have to admit that I personally HATE all card membership schemes. I am constantly at a venue with the wrong card, or the wrong bag, and have had to join Ceroc three times this year due to my inabaility to carry the wretched things! Wish we could do without them altogether!

Well, I certainly hate paying for membership(s) -- especially when you turn up to a freestyle and the membership cost is another ~50% of the advertised entry fee.

Anyway, on a more positive note: if you've got a shoe bag -- then just attach your membership cards to that (get an adult to make a hole in them and attach using e.g. cable ties, or ribbons ) -- might make swiping more problematic, but at least you won't have to keep joining.

SpinDr.

[Gadget]

So are all the franchise owners updating a master database? Or are they all seperate?

I can see that demographics could be produced from attendance records, but I don't see how this (currently) could be used to benefit the standard punter?
{As Heather says, the current Scottish method is to just take the cash, log the number of entries and have them sign in - (for fire regulations). If the door person knows you then you are seldom asked for a card; makes it a quick entrance.}

Future developments?

* Could existing users insert CC details on a secure server so that cash was automatically deducted for classes attended?

* If it's a database that holds personal information, then would it not be a good idea to have the members themselves be able to update the info themselves?

* Could new users not 'log-on' remotely and create a personal profile to be given a card when they first attend?

* Could it link to (eg) a forum so that you could see who attended the same class you did and talk to them about it?

* Could the number of classes and workshops attended give you a general 'score' that could be used as a rough 'rating' guide for advanced lessons and workshops?

Any other ideas for the use of this technology?

[Dreadful Scathe]

Originally posted by Gadget
* Could it link to (eg) a forum so that you could see who attended the same class you did and talk to them about it?

That sort of thing would have to be 'opt-in', i think it would be illegal otherwise. Most of us just want to go dancing now and again not have our movements traced for all to see

[Bill]

Originally posted by Heather
.......... far less any venue manager write it's number down.

Heather,
XX

Heather.......................... ................... "it's number" tut tut............


I was surprised the first time I danced in London and they took my card number. Why has that never happened up in Scotland Franck ???? It certainly slows things down when a group arrive together.

[Gadget]

Originally posted by Dreadful Scathe
That sort of thing would have to be 'opt-in', i think it would be illegal otherwise. Most of us just want to go dancing now and again not have our movements traced for all to see

I was just clutching at straws for a reasons to have the same database for entrance linked to the user one for the forum :sorry: (appart from the obvious users being able to edit profiles, non duplication of records on different systems and CerocScotland taking over the world )

[bigdjiver]

We are almost in science fiction land. One of those little pocket PC's could do the door work. They could identify members by their fingerprint - it has got to that stage - no need for cards at all - they could also reconcile the nights takings using an excel spreadsheet - they can run that - and then they could phone the nights details to HQ.

[Gadget]

Originally posted by bigdjiver
We are almost in science fiction land. One of those little pocket PC's could do the door work. They could identify members by their fingerprint - it has got to that stage - no need for cards at all - they could also reconcile the nights takings using an excel spreadsheet - they can run that - and then they could phone the nights details to HQ.

Not science fiction at all: Hand-held PC's have USB ports that can accept card scanners or finger-print ID systems. Excel is a bit clunky and unnecissary if it's hooked into the right database: it should be able to work out the night's takings, subtract booking fees & wages and give reports on anything you want.
Most databases that span multiple locations now have 'thin clients' that enable all the data to be entered live over the web (blue tooth enabled phone and palm - wireless connectivity and access to "live" data) but that can be a bit expensive without a fixed line/broadband; best bet would be a client with synchronisation that dialed up the host DB and posted the data.

Most CRM packages can do all this off the shelf.

[bigdjiver]

Originally posted by Gadget
Excel is a bit clunky and unnecissary if it's hooked into the right database: it should be able to work out the night's takings, subtract booking fees & wages and give reports on anything you want.

Excel can mimic the format of the manual entry sheets used by many venues already, and using VBA back at HQ it is possible to extract the data from the spreadsheet and enter it into a database.

As you say it could also be possible to seperate the database entry from the reconciliation process, and do it in real time. All sorts of possibilities flow from that.

[Paul F]

And if you painted a huge smiley face on the fingerprint scanner as well with a recorded voice saying "Hello Customer" ......

.........voila!! a nice warm welcome too

[Gadget]

Originally posted by bigdjiver
Excel can mimic the format of the manual entry sheets ~

{Warning: tech-speak ahead}

Not that I'm bashing Excel; I have written several forms, sheets, tables and pricing matrixes with it. But use the right tools for the job - the data entry and user processing should be directly inputting information into the database. This would probably be a local database that updates remotely.

I suppose you could use Access and an Excel form for entry, but it's a bit pointless since Access has it's own forms.

Or if your DB does not have synchronisation capabilities, then you could write something to extract the info from an Excel spreadsheet...erm... this is what you were suggesting, wasn't it :sorry

[bigdjiver]

Originally posted by Gadget
[B Not that I'm bashing Excel; I have written several forms, sheets, tables and pricing matrixes with it. But use the right tools for the job - the data entry and user processing should be directly inputting information into the database. This would probably be a local database that updates remotely.

[/B]

You want to run a special local promo. Either someone has to design the database entry forms so that they can cope with any fiendish plan of the organiser, or you have to ban them from making fiendish plans, or you make them enter their data into a medium versatile enough to cope with just about anything, and translate it into a form that makes sense to the database.

If Ceroc does not go all of the way to a real time entry system, which woud be complex and expensive, then the data must be enetered into a temporary medium and then entered into the main database. This can be as simple as a comma delimited list, an access or other form, or an Excel spreadsheet. I would go for Excel because it can be used to mimic any user input forms already being used, and because it comes with the Pocket PC. I feel their day will come.

[Gadget]

Originally posted by bigdjiver
You want to run a special local promo. Either someone has to design the database entry forms so that they can cope with any fiendish plan of the organiser,

Now that is my area of expertise; I customise front end's so that they can handle any "fiendish plans" that people throw at them. {Anyone want to employ me ? }

If Ceroc does not go all of the way to a real time entry system, which woud be complex and expensive, then the data must be enetered into a temporary medium and then entered into the main database.

Not necissaraly; the system I work with just now has a sort of mirror back end database on each remote office or remote user: they have the same front-end as everyone else with subscription rules that only pull the relevant information from the main database to update the remotes.
This is a step in-between the live update and the comma-delimited options.