How does the system work? (The long description)

 

R-Teams leverages barcode technology in combination with touch-screen terminals, wireless PDAs with barcode scanners, and credit card processing to achieve the following goals.

1. Increase event revenue by making it easier for participants to spend money.

2. Reduce wait times for participants:

   1. Purchasing any type of items.

   2. Auction item pickup.

   3. Checkout.

3. Increase accuracy and simplify the auction process.

4. Provide real-time accurate accounting / tracking of the event’s proceeds and participants.

What we will do:

1. Work with you before the event to make sure your needs are being met.

2. Come to your event and setup the system.

3. With the help of your volunteers, run the system at the event.

4. Provide you with a full detailed accounting of the event’s revenue at the end of the event.

More about the system

The system uses barcode technology to charge and track purchases at the event. At a typically event, we give barcoded wristbands to the participants as they enter the venue. Using touch-screen terminals with barcode scanners and credit card swipe readers, we can have the participant self register as they enter the event and self checkout as they leave the event. We can sell the participant entrance tickets, raffles, drinks, poker chips, just about anything using PDAs to scan their wristband and charge their account – all in real-time. We also use these PDAs to close the silent auction tables and track live auction purchases – all in real-time. This system totally eliminates the auction checkout scramble, and the “after event” accounting nightmare. The ability to scan the wristband and “charge” the purchases makes buying easy for the participant thus resulting in increased event revenue.

 

Check-in Process
Our system requires that all guests “check-in” as they enter the venue. If appropriate, we can integrate online pre-registration with the event check-in process resulting in overall faster check-in times. The event check-in process is a quick and simple self-registration process using touch-screens terminals. This is required to create an account based on the participant’s wristband number and associated phone number and name.

 

Furthermore, through the check-in process, the participant is asked if another person should be added to their account on file. This is typically used for a spouse and or a child, but can also be used for a company wishing to sponsor its employees.

 

Typical registration takes about 30 seconds per person. With 4 terminals running, the math indicates the check-in period needs to be at least 15 minutes per 100 guests. But as guests don’t arrive in a nice conveyor belt queue, additional times needs to be added. For 200 to 300 guest expectancy, the check-in time window should be about 1 hour. By increasing the number of terminals, we can further reduce overall check-in time and wait time bottlenecks.

 

Credit Card on File (CCOF) Option
Additionally, if the organization wishes, during the check-in process, we can collect the participant’s credit card information and store it with their registration information for the event. This process is very similar to what happens when checking into a hotel. The credit card is not charged for any purchases until the event is closed out. CCOF guests can also pay cash for any purchases instead of charging their account. This added feature essentially guarantees payment for all purchases.

 

By using the CCOF option, you make the checkout process very easy for participants – especially those who do not win any auction items. The participants can leave without formally checking out and their credit card will be billed automatically for their purchases (they are told this as they enter the venue). Furthermore, when the guest checks out, they have the option to pay with cash or check for their charges if they don’t want to charge their credit card.

 

If you decide to use the CCOF option, there will be participants who do not want to “leave” a credit card on file. Those customers will be considered normal cash customers. They will still have a wrist band and be required to check-in, but will pay with cash at the time of sale for any purchases. Cash customers who win auction items will have to pay (cash, check, or credit card) for their items before receiving them. If a cash customer wishes to use a credit card, they will need to return to registration and register their credit card.

 

For most charity events, the reason the guests are there is to support the charity – financially and socially. If you decide to use the CCOF option, then communication to the participants prior to the event is very helpful, and of course necessary as the guests arrive to “educate” them in the benefits of this process.

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