Original article published on VenuesNow (10/10/18) by Noelle Riley

Philadelphia's 19,500-seat Wells Fargo Center has deployed 75 "Smiley Terminals" from Finland-based HappyOrNot throughout the arena, where fans can rate customer service by pushing buttons representing a smile, a half-smile, no smile, and a frown, ranging in color from green for happy to red for unhappy. The arena's event director, Ben Schlegel, says the terminal installation comes at an opportune time, as the venue is in the midst of a $250-million renovation. The terminals are located at bathroom exits, next to concession stands, in parking lots and any other site where visitors encounter customer service. Terminal-collected data during one recent concert showed that guests were less satisfied with their experience at small restrooms without an attendant. "It's also a good tool for us to tell our staff how well they're doing," Schlegel says. "It's a good check and balance on that program to see who does well and who needs help." Post-event surveys previously used to collect customer satisfaction data yielded a response rate of about 1 percent, which has risen to 20 percent to 40 percent with the HappyOrNot terminals, depending on foot traffic and terminal location. "Even though most of the data collected has been positive, we are still gathering measurable and actionable feedback," notes assistant general manager Ryan Thorpe. "The data collected has allowed our team to resolve service issues while customers are still on the premises."

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