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Technology in the casino industry has been in an idle state for decades but gaming as we know it is changing, and it’s imperative that businesses keep up. At Acres, we’ve been leading the way in gaming technology innovation for decades. In 1981, our founder, John Acres, invented electronic player tracking and digital progressive jackpots in 1985. He continued innovating and founded Acres Bonusing and Acres Advantage in 1992 which was acquired by IGT in 2003. Now, our latest technology, Foundation™, is the first real time and open data streaming platform that allows Operators to democratize their data – giving it to anyone within their organization that needs or wants it. Over the course of a single play session, Foundation can produce thousands of additional data points, giving operators the ability to profitably influence players in real-time. And we do all of this without requiring an entire system overhaul. If this sounds too good to be true, keep reading to learn more about how fast and easy it is to install and stand up Foundation – from purchase to installation to training to implementation – with our open platform.
Technical support from the beginning
As director of support, I like to join as many sales calls with potential customers as I can. It’s helpful for me to answer any upfront technical questions and better prep customers for the installation process (if they choose to go with our platform). We have a stellar sales team and we aim to make the initial process as informative and easy as possible. And that theme of “easy” is something we strive to instill throughout the customer life cycle.
The next step is to connect with the casino’s IT team and get as much into place upfront as possible, including downloading the server image, installing firewalls, and setting up the network configuration on the floor. This all might sound technical but the reality is that it’s quite simple and if everything is in place ahead of time, it’s a plug-and-play process. In fact, in most cases, we can have everything stood up and running in 20 minutes. And because of the simplicity of the platform, anyone who is familiar with slot machines can handle the hardware installation. In many cases, slot attendants are able to manage this process with only minor technical help. To accommodate different manufacturer machines, we use slightly different harnessing systems to ensure we match the manufacturer machine. One of those systems – the Oasis – uses a GMI installation that takes about 20 seconds to plug in and get running!
Learning Foundation
While getting trained on Foundation takes a little longer than 20 seconds, it’s still straightforward with a low learning curve. Since Foundations doesn’t require redoing an entire back office, like some systems, training can be done in a matter of weeks rather than months, and I stay with my customers throughout it all. During the pandemic I’ve been doing a lot more virtual trainings and follow-ups, but I have been going to casino floors to troubleshoot any issues, answer questions, and conduct onsite trainings. My commitment to our customers is as strong after installation as it is during the sales process.
In short, it’s easy!
There’s a lot more technical detail that I could get into for the tech nerds reading, but the best way to understand the simplicity and ease of Foundation is to see it in action (check out these videos). What I like to tell our customers from the start is that Acres’ technology is easy to install and can deliver cashless capabilities and real time data feeds in a short deployment window. And my team will get your team trained quickly so you can revolutionize your technology in no time.
Reach out to us to schedule a demo, ask questions, or learn more about how Foundation can keep your business on the cutting edge of gaming technology.
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Shaun Bisiaux is director of support services at Acres, where he manages the team that helps customers from inception through installation and training and product support. Shaun has been in the casino industry for 20 years, working his way from a slot attendant to director – and everything in between. He leverages his experience in slots to provide exceptional service to Acres’s customers.
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