FROM
THE
EDITOR
It's almost impossible to underestimate the
importance of service as it applies to our partieular
iIIdustry. TJo.~ word "service" is thrown around
quite OfteD these clays, yet I wODder how maay of
the "word-throwers" have stopped to think about
the word's full meaDiII,?
There are some operators, I fear, who tend to
think of oaly the Duts and bolts meaDing of service.
But there is more to it than just being able to fix a
maehiDe prompdy whenever it breaks down. For
iIIdeed service eomes illto play long before any piece
ever hitsloeatioD.
Serviee is selliDg and selliDg is reaDy what
it's aU about. The old adage that says Dothing
happeas until somethiag is sold holds true ill this
iIIdustry as mueh as it does in any other. You eaa
get the fiDest piece of equipmeDt that eaa be had
and yet it is valueless if you have DO loeatiOD to put
it ill and DO players to play it. The loeatioD has to be
sold/serviced and the players have to be
sold/ servieed.
SeD the loeatiOD owner OD your reputatiOD for
prompt, reHable, professional service and deal with
him opealy and hODestly. In most eases operator and
loeatioD owners are partDers 50/50. B, virtue of the
partDership, the loeatioD owner should be iII-
strueted that he too has to share ill the
respoasfbility of service. As partner, the loeatioa
owner should be more than wiDiDg to help promote
play OD the maehiDes, to proteet them from publie
abuse and to report breakdowns prompdy and
aeeurately.
SeD the player by simply giving him what he
wants [and iIIdeed has eome to expeet]-dean, weD
mDDiD, maehiDes. Give him a dean attraetive
maehiDe that works, give him the musie he likes
most, give him a fair share of illceDtive OD the
games of skiD, and you have made a sale. SeD the
players and you'll eDd up with a lot of Dew partners.
4
The players wiD teD their friends about your
maehilles - they'D aetuaUy do some selliDg for
you-and the word service wiD have taken OD an
additioaal meaaiDg for you - profit.
We've dedieated this issue to service, and I
think you'll enjoy ill partieular the spedal teehaieal
seetioD put together for us by Teelmieal Editor
Robill MiDaear. In It Robin writes about a
modifeatioD to AtarI's Breakout, Zae OBver
deserlbes the Wmlams ftipper assembly, and Randy
Fromm, Update', teelmieal writer, explaiDs why
you should have a volt-ohmmeter.
In other features, Ernest Fair explalas how to
keep your tmeka nIDDiD, better and longer at DO
additioaal expeDse, and Suaaa Bre ... eovers this
year's Summer Home EleetrODies Show. This
mODth's Coiamaa illterview alao earries the serviee
theme; it is with Nathan Bush of Steed's, the
texas-based "service eompaay."
With this issue, we aU say "pod-bye" to my
frieDd and assoeIate Riek Dietrieh. Riek has been
aeeepted into the program at UDiOD Seminary of
Virginia ill RiehmoDd and wiD have to give up his
post of ManagiD' Editor. While we aD wish Riek
every sueeess ill his Dew endeavor, we wiD miss his
declieatioD to Play Meter and must aelmowledge his
eoDtributioD to the magaziDe's preseDt SUeeel8.
The cliffleult task of fiIIiDg Riek's shoes falls to
David PierSOD. David brlags to Play Meter years of
experieDce in the trade publieatioa field, and we
weleome him with antidpatiOD of even better issues
to eome.
~4f
Ralph C. LaDy 0,
Editor & PubUsher