I received some surprising feedback from a client regarding our latest brochure which caused me to reflect on our roots and do a bit of research. Our client was surprised to read that there was little mention of the collaborative features of CHEETEYE, which he felt was a strong point of the software. Collaboration is part of the DNA of CHEETEYE and collaboration tools we’re available from the first version 7 years ago. As a result we’ve become so familiar with this powerful ability of CHEETEYE and tend to focus on the latest innovative tools that have become available. However, after reading some analyst forecasts, “Customers will begin to understand and clamor for technologies that cause actual social interactions in their organizations”. One of our major releases last year was titled “SurveillanceBook” because of its social/collaborative nature, so I’m hugely excited to know that we will be able to meet the needs of those “clamoring for this technology”.
After doing some research and talking to users of our collaboration tools, I found that the top 2 reasons for the need of collaboration software in the casino industry are:
1. Accountability – Operational hours of casinos are not the same as traditional business. Keeping a handle on compliance becomes difficult when an operation is “always on”. Hence the need for smart software that helps compliance and surveillance collaborate by using work flow processes to hold departments accountable when standard operating procedures (Casino SOP) are broken.
2. Performance management – The workplace is one of the most feedback-deprived places in modern life and casinos need to be especially aware of this. Lack of feedback in casinos results in policies and procedures not being strictly followed, which leaves them unprotected from the damaging effects of negligence and fraud both by external sources and an organization’s own staff. Effective performance management requires collaboration. According to “HRExaminer: Looking Ahead: 2012 Forecasts”, traditional performance management software based on annual and quarterly reviews, “miss the whole rhythm of the business.” They expect to see systems that allow instantaneous evaluation and they expect to see case studies that demonstrate the power of “always on” performance evaluation. Below is a screen shot from CHEETEYE’s “always on” performance management” module.
Make sure you have Casino SOP tools in place to master your “always on” environment so that you don’t feel like the drained energizer bunny at the end of the year. Have a great 2012!