Atari Coin Connection

At Your Service
continued
'Thank you so much .... You were very
thoughtful for handling the problem so
thoroughly. I sure wish the competition
was as thoughtful in its efforts as Atari is.
But they're not. That's why I buy ten times
more Atari games."
Katy Lawson, Parts Manager for Bally
Advance of South San Francisco, Califor-
nia, seconds the motion. On February 14
of this year, she sent a box of candy as big
as Texas to thank Elaine's special group of
people for their ongoing responsiveness
and efficiency. 'They're my valentines. No
manufacturer has a better Customer Ser-
vice Department than ATAR I Coin-Op. They
don't even have any competition, and I
don't think any distributor would disagree."
And true to the old Atari slogan, the
group has found an effective way to take
fun in work seriously. They share a cama-
raderie that is rare in any corporate orga-
nization today. Their pride shows through
in a relentless determination to get the job
done right. Elaine explains, 'We ship most
orders out the same day but no later than
the next day, and-honestly-mistakes
are seldom made." Her Customer Service
personnel are not strangers to overtime
duties either. Just recently in preparation
for the Chicago Amusement Operators
Exposition, they beat it back to the office
at 5:00 a.m. one Saturday to collate bro-
chures. Now that's dedication!
In the same uncompromising way, Cus-
tomer Service builds its own games with
spare parts so they can anticipate any
problems that may be encountered out in
the field as well as offer first-hand solu-
tions. As technical calls come in regarding
a new release, it could be very hard to
identify the parts and/or problem in ques-
tion with a machine taken right off the pro-
duction line. "Building our own model
from 'ground zero' allows us to become to-
California Customer Service 800-538-1530
800-538-1611
California Technical Service
New Jersey Technical Service 800-526-3849
gate game groupings by brand name.
Display on wall near an entrance. Adds
unique quality to your arcade- also no-
ticeable creativity.
Do You Listen to Your Players?
The following are excerpts taken from a
letter recently submitted to Marketing
Services by Jean Clarke of Denver, Colo-
rado. As a two-year video games playing
veteran, he offers operators some sug-
gestions on how to effectively promote
their location-in the "eyes" of their play-
ing and paying customers.
If Clarke were given the opportunity to
open the deluxe gameroom of his fanta-
sies, the crux of his business philosophy
would be to '1hink like a player" and "give
players credit for their intelligence" ... an
operator by trade, but a player at heart,
so-to-speak. Whereas most operators re-
act in terms of money first and only, he
believes an emphasis is needed on pro-
jecting originality and developing a high-
ly creative image.
Jean Clarke is a serious player who
takes the environment where he plays
just as seriously. We feel he spins around
in that super-motivated brain of his some
exceptional promotional concepts that
merit any operator's consideration. He
has made the effort to share his thoughts
. . . make the effort to listen to your players.
Part 1: Direct Sales Motivations
1. Make display collages from game liter-
ature art.
A flair for graphic arts is helpful. Segre-
tally familiar with the game and do our job
more effectively," Elaine affirms.
Customer Service depends upon eve-
ryone- both inside and outside the com-
pany-to keep operating. This need for
continual update and contact is the as-
pect of the department's function that
plays a major part in sustaining Elaine's in-
terest. 'We maintain an overall outlook on
each game .. . beginning with its design
through production and right out into the
field. We deal with planners, production,
marketing and sales, distributors and
operators ... and that's what I really enjoy."
Elaine will soon be making that contact
at least partially in person. Included in her
new managerial responsibilities is an op-
portunity to travel and visit with distribu-
tors and operators throughout the nation.
Although it may be a little sad to leave her
newborn at home (it won't be difficult to
leave all the diapers!), Elaine Shirley is
looking forward to the challenges and ex-
citement of the itinerary she is presently
planning. In the meantime, she encourag-
es operator input over the phone: 'The
answer or part you're looking for is just a
call away ... if Customer Service can't ac-
tually help, we'll make sure to steer you to
those who can."
2. Sell video-related magazines.
Stock Joystick, Video Games, Video-
gaming Illustrated, and Electronic
Games. You have a very viable market, as
you're "advertising" only to people most
likely to buy (so they sell fast), while mak-
ing player interest much more solid.
3. Sell game T-shirts with added arcade
endorsement.
Face it, no player is going to wear an
"arcade shirt," as that is not "expression"
in the player's mind; it's free advertising.
But they will wear a game shirt. So simply
emboss arcade name and address
around transfer. Be careful not to melt
game transfer when adding lettering.
Recommendation: Give a player three to-
kens every time he visits wearing
shirt ... once per day maximum.
4. Paint attraction panel logos on front of
establishment.
Whether you put them on a window or
wall, players spot (and recognize) attrac-
tion panel images very fast. They make a
hard-hitting eye-catcher to draw in street
traffic. Hints: Update regularly (so you'll
either have to paint on surface from
which it can be removed, or "cover-up"
and paint over.) Put a 'We have" prefix in
the upper left corner of the display. Put
manufacturer's symbol next to game's title.
5. Display side-panel art.
Do so for any game's side that was ob-
viously well thought-out, e.g. Liberator™,
Gravitar™, OuantumrM ... it's a shame for
the art to go to waste. Just do a little crea-
tive arranging of machines.
6. Record your own game "commercials";
play them over the arcade's sound system.
Must have a tape deck. Produce im-
pact-making "spots" by dynamically de-
scribing game, with sound effects from
game play for background. Make them
sound professional!
Part 2: How to Personalize Your
Business
1. Eject all change machines.
Hire an extra attendant just to sell to-
kens. This treats players in a special way.
They'll feel more important by being giv-
en change from a person rather than a
machine. They'll also remember your ar-
cade more than others.
2. Have player ballots.
Hang a poster to "advertise" balloting;
supply a pen with a stack of ballots at a
convenient desk near change counter. In-
clude the following questions: What
games here are your favorites? (Leave
space for four entries.) What games
would you like to see here in the future?
What games do you have to wait your
turn to play? Your rating of this arcade
from 1 to 10? Suggestions?
Player/operator interaction should be
considered important at any arcade.
3. Declassify operator-catering
publications .
Let regular players browse through a
Play Meter, Replay, or Coin Connection
on a one-to-one request basis. They're
very intrigued with the industry.
Reprinted by permission of author