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November 30, 2006 |
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| Forward thinking | |||
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SAS, a worldwide provider of business
intelligence systems, software and solutions is making a big move
into the gaming industry. The company signed a three-way agreement
with Qualex Consulting and WhiteSand Consulting at the end of
October to deliver SAS® Patron Value Optimization—a new software and
consulting offering that combines SAS’s extensive business
intelligence depth with gaming industry expertise.
The new system—effectively a complete customer relationship management and business intelligence solution—aims to help both commercial and tribal casinos improve the information it gets from its customers and improve patron P&L. Among the new solution’s touted highlights: it consolidates disparate sources of data such as patron gaming and non-gaming revenue; models and reports on patron information; automates and personalizes marketing campaigns to the specific characteristics of the patron; and it optimizes resources by putting the most profitable and strategic patrons in hotel rooms, casino floors, events and the casino property. “As the gaming industry becomes more and more competitive, casinos need to better understand their customers,” said SAS Industry Development Manager Suzanne Fiero. “Non-gaming revenue is starting to surpass gaming revenue in some markets, which requires more effective data integration and analysis. SAS Patron Value Optimization is backed by a team with many years of casino, hotel, technology, marketing and financial experience, as well as a new implementation methodology that should deliver results more quickly than ever before.” In early November, Fiero told Casino Journal that because of that new methodology and SAS’ systems and software depth, the SAS Patron Value Optimization solution is much more far-reaching than today’s current CRM and business intelligence systems. Most of those solutions, she said, only give casinos a look at their gaming floor patrons and can’t drill down enough to get a true complete view of patron worth across all facets of a resort casino. The SAS Patron Value Optimization is already available through the SAS Solutions OnDemand or as a delivered solution. SAS Solutions OnDemand allows casinos and gaming companies an alternate channel to utilize the solution without having to dedicate additional resources in-house. SAS delivers its intelligence through its SAS Enterprise Intelligence Platform, integrating individual technology components in the existing information technology infrastructure into a single, unified system. The result is an information flow that transcends organizational silos, diverse computing platforms or niche tools. “Using the SAS Enterprise Intelligence Platform, Pearl River Resort now has a more comprehensive understanding of our guests and their preferences,” said Jason H. York, the Mississippi property’s director of database operations. “By leveraging this information into more relevant offerings, services and communication, we are able to provide a better experience to our guests and remain successful in an increasingly competitive environment.” —By Andy Holtmann |
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