ASL’s castles and parks print their cards directly from their POS systems
ASL’s castles and parks print their cards directly from their POS systems
ASL Schlossbetriebe is a tourist resort that uses Primacy 2 card printers to print and sell around 600 annual season tickets and discount cards a year.
Challenge: integrate an instant card-issuing solution into a new POS system
The Augustusburg/Scharfenstein/Lichtenwalde Schlossbetriebe gGmbH (ASL Schlossbetriebe) is a tourist site that brings together several castles and parks in the area around Chemnitz (in eastern Germany): Augustusburg Castle, the family-run Scharfenstein Castle and Lichtenwalde Castle and Park (located around 15km apart). Every year, several hundred thousand visitors take advantage of guided tours to discover these monuments, and can visit the museums and exhibitions housed there.
In 2016, ASL Schlossbetriebe opted for the Evolis Zenius card printer to issue its annual passes, directly via its cashier system. 7 years later, the tourist site is integrating the new Beckerbillett cashier system, and would like to take advantage of this to expand its range of passes and cards. It is therefore considering the integration of new card printers and, to meet this new need, several constraints are listed:
- Ensure compatibility between the new POS system and card printers,
- Opt for a solution that will be easy to use for checkout staff,
- Increase card-issuing capacity, so as to be able to offer other types of cards to visitors,
- Issue cards that will last over time, in line with the validity period of the various passes and cards issued, as well as to limit card re-issuing and therefore waste
- Choose the best-positioned solution in terms of quality/price/features
Solution: choose Evolis quality, with Primacy 2
Already convinced by the quality of Evolis card personalization solutions, and encouraged by Beckerbillett, ASL Schlossbetriebe naturally chose to renew its confidence in Evolis for this new project. The installation, initially composed of Zenius card printers, will be renewed with 5 Primacy 2. These card printers are distributed across the 3 ASL Schlossbetriebe sites, and are used to issue passes and cards for the 3 castles.
The installation was carried out as part of Beckerbillett’s complete cash register system. All cards are issued directly from the POS system, to which each printer is connected. A single software package is used for both cashiering and printing of all cards:
- Annual pass cards : these are pre-printed on the back, with the bearer’s personal details added on the front (surname, first name, photo). A QR code is also printed, enabling visitors to access the sites via the turnstiles. An overlay (transparent film) is applied to the pass to optimize its lifespan.
- Discount cards : these pre-paid cards are personalized with the discount code and validity date. A QR code is also printed for scanning at checkout. These elements are printed on the front of the cards, which are themselves pre-printed on the back. A transparent film, known as an overlay, is also applied to protect the card.
Result: increased sales and improved customer experience
Thanks to Primacy 2 card printers, ASL Schlossbetriebe prints and sells around 600 cards a year. The company has even seen an increase in pass sales since upgrading its system.
The installation of this solution facilitates the sale of the various cards, which is quicker for the cashiers. The flow of visitors is optimized, particularly for those with passes, which helps to improve the customer experience by limiting waiting times.
On the strength of this positive feedback, ASL Schlossbetriebe is already planning to extend the use of its Evolis card printers. It is studying the possibility of issuing employee badges for access control and identification purposes, discount cards for members of its supporting associations, and a new access pass for the 3 castles.
