You may be surprised to know that most land-based properties in the Gaming and Amusement industry do not have a Planned Preventative Maintenance Programme (PPMP). For a small amount of time, investment and effort, this can easily be implemented and will reap financial savings for your business. After all, a machine that does not function correctly compromises your income potential and affects customer loyalty; a paying customer expects to get a fully functioning gaming experience and can easily take their custom elsewhere.
Over many years of working in land based arcades and casinos I have often seen a big emphasis placed on cleanliness and presentation of the premises and equipment. Indeed, as premises start to re-open, the cleaning crew keeping on top of sanitising machines will be of primary importance. Obviously a clean and shiny machine is desirable but we need to look deeper – are all the lamps working? Are the buttons functioning correctly? But most importantly, does it accept money smoothly and efficiently (the sole purpose for having it take up floor space)?
Often, a premises’ Technical team (if indeed, they have one) is reactive rather than proactive, repairing a fault when it is brought to their attention by a customer or co-worker. But what about ensuring that the fault does not occur in the first place? Generally, calls to a machine during use are for coin or note jams but a daily routine of ensuring that lamps are illuminating, buttons are operating correctly, and a test of the coin and note acceptor is a quick and simple job which will minimalize problems occurring during play. This is your most basic Planned Maintenance Programme.
The next stage of a Planned Maintenance Programme is the cleaning of the coin and note acceptors as these are intrinsic to your income. Without these two important components functioning correctly the machine will not seamlessly accept money, thus compromising the location’s profitability. The coin and note acceptors rely on sensors which need to be kept clean of dust, dirt and drink spills otherwise coin and note rejections will occur. A simple routine of cleaning the internal “flight decks” of these components will enhance their performance and maximise down time.
Manufacturers of coin and note acceptors regularly update their software to both improve performance and enhance security. Manufacturers put these updates on a “Bulletin Board” for downloading. By using the correct test equipment, the update can be installed whilst cleaning the coin or note acceptor internally. Of course, if this is beyond the capability of your technical team, then I would suggest using an external repair servicer who will have access to the latest test equipment and software updates. For smaller premises, this may be the most cost effective option, but for larger businesses, it is worth considering training up a technician.
Get in touch with Ron Vinson via Spray Lakes Consultancy if you would like to discuss the best PPMP options for your organisation.