To keep up with the ever-increasing competition and growing consumer demand, large public venues need to make sure they offer fast and free guest WiFi. However, large scale WiFi deployments can be difficult and present their own unique set of challenges if the right solution isn’t chosen.
Make sure your roll out is smooth and snag-free with these guest WiFi best practices:
Carry Out Detailed WiFi Site Mapping
Site surveys are an easy way to ensure each part of your venue has adequate wireless coverage.
You’ll need to consider both indoor and outdoor access. You don’t want a network where guests have to relocate every time they want to post online as that can be frustrating for the visitors.
Using specialist surveying software, a WiFi heatmap is a visualisation of the signal and it’s often used as a blueprint for the guest WiFi. Usually, they operate on a red to green colour system where the more areas in green, the better the signal strength.
This type of software survey can highlight your dead zones and coverage radius but can be challenging to do without an expert.
The right provider will optimise the WiFi and will complete the site mapping for you with their own software. This will save you time and money when it comes to providing the best possible WiFi for guests.
Ensure Strict Restrictions and Regulations are in Place
Giving the general public access to the internet without restrictions or filtering could be disastrous. Not only does it allow unwanted access to inappropriate websites, but it also fails to safeguards users.
With content filtering, users can’t fall victim to online scams or be exposed to inappropriate content. Plus, it also keeps your network safe for other users to access.
There are certain schemes that are designed for family-friendly WiFi access, such as the 'Friendly WiFi Scheme'. A good provider will help ensure your guest WiFi is accredited to this and set up before everything goes live.
Include an Integrated Feedback System
Making sure you have a feedback system in place before deployment - it can be beneficial for future improvements. This feedback solution can be integrated with the WiFi service to reach a wider audience.
It can be challenging to see things from a visitor’s perspective. However, their comments and suggestions can be used to optimise their experience at your venue and ultimately increase their satisfaction.
Feedback from the users can be anything you want. From asking about their experience today or what changes they’d like to see implemented at the venue in the future.
If the user interface makes it difficult to access the internet then little snags like this can be resolved and worked on after deployment but it’s important your guest WiFi provider can facilitate this service.
Make Sure That Extra Costs are Covered
Maintenance and installation costs can quickly add up for any business looking to deploy a large scale WiFi network. Ensuring the network is up to guests’ standards is an ongoing challenge that can be costly. So, you’ll need a provider that will minimise these extra costs as part of their service.
It’s easy to think that once the WiFi network is deployed and in use, the hard work is done. Once implemented, it’s vital that the WiFi is used to its full potential to give the company the best return on investment.
If used correctly, the WiFi network can pay for itself through the collation and analysis of valuable user data, marketing optimisation and promotions.
To ensure the WiFi is used to constantly improve services, it’s important to partner with a provider that gives you access to the data that’s collected from users. Many don’t include it within their packages and sell it back for an extra cost.
Work with a provider that not only gives access to the data but one that has a specialist analytics platform which can be customised to help companies to identify, understand and track the most important information.
The Flexibility to Look to the Future
Your current priority might be a robust visitor WiFi solution for your venue. In the future, you may want to layer on additional services like integration with your loyalty scheme, advanced analytics, or digital entertainment services for your visitors.
Choose a supplier who can provide you with a service that is flexible enough to grow with your developing digital requirements and can help you to realise efficiencies rather than requiring additional work in the future.
Take Advantage of a Frictionless Guest WiFi Solution
From assisting with setup and deployment, right the way through to ongoing improvements. You’ll need a provider that ensures the best possible WiFi network to all of your future visitors.
For more tips and guidance on finding and deploying the right conference WiFi, be sure to download our free eBook now. It can help you to choose the right supplier for your guest WiFi.
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About the author
Rebecca O'Donovan
Rebecca is the Marketing Director. She's worked for SPARK TSL since 2012. She is responsible for high level marketing strategy focusing on lead generation and aiding the vision of the business; to ensure that no patient has to pay for entertainment.
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