As museums, zoos, aquariums, and theme parks continue to enhance their visitor experiences, many are considering the development of custom in-house apps.
A well-designed app can streamline operations, improve guest communication, and reduce costs associated with printed materials. However, developing an in-house app isn’t without its challenges.
While a custom solution might seem like the ideal way to meet the specific needs of an attraction, the reality often involves significant ongoing costs, complexity, and limitations.
let’s explore some common challenges and how Pigeon Suite can help overcome them.
The Challenges of In-House App Development
- Complex Maintenance
One of the most significant hurdles of in-house app development is the complexity of maintenance. After the initial launch, custom-built apps require ongoing updates and improvements. This often involves frequent content changes, such as adding new exhibits, updating event schedules, or tweaking operational details. While these updates might seem straightforward, they typically require specialized technical knowledge and coding expertise. Without a dedicated in-house team of developers, even small content updates can become time-consuming and costly, leading to delays in delivering fresh, relevant information to visitors.
For attractions that lack an internal development team, this can create significant inefficiencies. The process of continually relying on third-party developers or technical experts to manage app updates can slow down operations, result in unnecessary costs, and limit the overall agility of the attraction in adapting to new information.
- Limited Flexibility
Another drawback of in-house apps is their lack of flexibility. Attractions are dynamic environments, constantly evolving with new exhibits, events, and operational changes. As attractions update their offerings, their apps should ideally reflect those changes in real-time. Unfortunately, custom in-house apps often lack the agility required to keep up with these frequent updates.
In many cases, outdated or incorrect information might be displayed to visitors because the app has not been updated quickly enough. Whether it’s outdated exhibit details, incorrect event schedules, or inaccurate operational hours, such issues can cause confusion and frustration for visitors. This can detract from the overall experience and even result in negative feedback, as visitors expect apps to provide real-time, accurate information.
How Pigeon Suite Can Help
Pigeon Suite was designed specifically for attractions to solve these problems and enhance the overall guest experience. Unlike custom in-house apps, Pigeon Suite is a comprehensive, easy-to-use solution that streamlines operations while offering flexibility and simplicity. Let’s break down how Pigeon Suite addresses the most common pain points of in-house app development:
- Interactive Features for Engaged Visitors
One of the standout features of Pigeon Suite is its suite of interactive tools. The app includes interactive maps, personalized itineraries, exhibit highlights, and gamification features that keep guests engaged and informed. These features can be updated in real-time, ensuring that visitors always have access to the latest information.
Additionally, Pigeon Suite includes push notifications, allowing attractions to send real-time updates to visitors about operational changes, special events, or new exhibits. This ensures that guests are always in the loop, improving their experience and reducing confusion.
- Multilingual Support
Attractions today welcome guests from around the world. To ensure that all visitors have a seamless experience, Pigeon Suite includes multilingual support. This feature allows your attraction to cater to international visitors, making it easier for non-English speakers to navigate the app, access information, and enjoy the full experience.
- Convenient Services for Streamlined Operations
Pigeon Suite doesn’t just focus on guest engagement; it also enhances operational efficiency. The app includes integrated services like food ordering, ticketing, and an e-store, all within the app itself. This provides a one-stop-shop for visitors, improving convenience and encouraging in-app transactions.
For attractions, this integration reduces operational complexity, as it eliminates the need to manage separate systems for ticketing, food orders, and merchandise sales.
- Proximity-Based Messaging
Pigeon Suite’s proximity messaging feature allows you to send location-based updates to guests in real-time. Whether it’s notifying visitors about a change in exhibit hours, promoting a special offer, or alerting them to a scheduled event, these messages are sent based on the visitor’s location within the attraction. This ensures that the information they receive is always relevant to their current experience.
- Easy Content Management and Engagement Tracking
One of the key benefits of Pigeon Suite is its user-friendly content management system (CMS). Attractions can quickly update content—whether it’s adding new exhibits, events, or operational details—without needing any technical expertise. Additionally, the app provides valuable insights into user engagement, helping attractions track how visitors are interacting with the app. This data can be used to optimize the experience further and improve visitor satisfaction.
Conclusion
While in-house app development may seem like a great way to provide a personalized experience for guests, the challenges of maintenance, flexibility, and cost often outweigh the benefits. Pigeon Suite offers a streamlined, comprehensive solution designed specifically for attractions. With features like interactive maps, multilingual support, proximity messaging, and easy content updates, Pigeon Suite ensures that your guests are always informed, engaged, and satisfied with their experience.
If you’re ready to elevate your guest experience while reducing the complexity of app management, connect with us today to learn how Pigeon Suite can transform your operations.
