Cinema managers are master multitaskers. As you keep saying so!
You have a venue to manage, permanent and temporary staff to keep satisfied, cinema operations to run smoothly, marketing to leverage creatively, moviegoers to entertain, and the list goes on and on and on. It’s quite a long “to do” to keep track of daily!
That’s why, using our more than 25 years of experience in the cinema industry, we want to make your day-to-day more efficient and with higher returns on your time, effort, and money.
We know that’s a generic promise that software companies tend to make in various contexts and for various industries, so we’re asking you to not take our word for it — but explore the whys and hows of our new solution. And find the answer for yourselves.
It might make that busy Monday routine more rewarding, afterall.
The A-Z of cinema operations with DX
1. We have designed it specifically for cinemas
There are many solutions out there that can help you with scheduling, selling tickets online, or event management. But most cater to different business models than that of a cinema and only do a fraction of what you need, implying that you have to either switch between multiple platforms and technologies or do a lot of manual work and troubleshooting — losing time and effort to menial tasks.
With a solution built for cinema operations from the start, like DX, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Or adapt your routines to accommodate the tools you’re using.
You follow the logic of your day to day, as the solution enables you to define specific pricing options for tickets, films, or special events, update your weekly film schedule and automatically see it reflected in real-time on your website, check admission rates, sell tickets online, run reports whenever you need them, and so on.
What does this mean for your cinema?
The most important thing: no redundant features or parts of the platform that you can’t use, but pay for anyway. Everything existing in DX today is relevant for your cinema operations. That applies to the way we’re developing the product so it caters to your specific cinema needs.
2. We cover the whole cinema journey
As previously mentioned, you might be forced to switch between multiple tools and technologies anyway if you don’t have cinema software that covers your end-to-end operations. That gets inefficient, complex, and prone to human errors quite fast. Plus, it gets quite expensive as well.
This probably sounds familiar: You use an excel spreadsheet for your schedule. You manually update you weekly programme on your website, then do the same on your TMS. You open your reporting system and need to print weekly results before importing them to Excel. You switch between the ticketing system and the concessions system at your point of sale.
It’s a scenario that we’ve heard many times before from our clients and cinema operators in the industry.
The alternative: choose a centralized system that runs every part of your cinema business. Just like an operating system for your computer.
What does this mean for your cinema?
No need to waste time and resources learning, accommodating, and using multiple tools to manage the cinema operations.
From programming, to creating pricing segments, managing your cinema website, to selling tickets online, managing POS terminals and concessions, consulting data and building reports — you can do them all in one place.
Does such a system really exist? That's what our 35-person company has been focusing on for the last 18 months.
With DX, you can.
3. We designed a cloud-native solution
Building in the cloud and for the cloud has the advantage that there’s no single point of failure.
In the classic way, you have one server you need to manage, dedicated IT staff, and a cinema software license only available for one computer. Which implies that you need to be physically where that computer and/or server is, should anything need updating or should anything break.
Cloud technology changes that, allowing you to access and manage your cinema operations on the go. It also provides real-time data and reactions. And a more stable and scalable solution for your cinema growth.
It’s why we believe having DX as a software as a service (SaaS), cloud-based solution provides you a future-proof solution.
What does this mean for your cinema?
- As a cinema operator, you can run the solution from anywhere and at any time.
- You get constant updates.
- Security and compliance standards are top-notch.
- You can streamline your operations across multiple cinema locations from the same platform. Which also allows you to have autonomous staff members who know what to do.
- You get time back to focus on promoting events and creating unique experiences
- And more. You can read all about it in our dedicated material on why the cloud takes cinema to the next level.
4. We offer a software-hardware integrated product
Having hardware and software disconnected from each other triggers a string of issues regarding compatibility, the need to constantly upgrade one or the other, and probably more system errors overall. Which translates into wasted resources to fix things. You most definitely don’t want your POS to stop working due to a late-night software update that requires a newer barcode scanner model, on a Saturday night. Or worse, that requires a new payment!
That’s why, at DX, we opted for the more sustainable way of delivering efficiency and usefulness: an integrated product, which means you’ll receive state-of-the-art hardware solutions that are fully aligned with any future updates we make to our software.
What does this mean for your cinema?
Very straightforward: when our software is updated, there’s no need to upgrade or change your hardware. It’s all integrated and part of your subscription, at no extra cost.
So you can spend your budget more efficiently. Read more about our approach and vendors.
5. We are all about mobile optimisation
Cloud-based technology is only half of the story.
The other half is enabling you to run your operations on the go, from any device you prefer. And, even more so, enabling you to offer a user-friendly experience to your audience — who is, more and more, a mobile-first audience (following your cinema on Instagram, buying tickets on Facebook, sharing their latest cinema visit on TikTok).
We believe mobile optimization can no longer be ignored, so we’re developing the DX solution accordingly.
What does this mean for your cinema?
You’ll be better equipped to serve your digital-savvy customers. And your digital-first employees. We’ve documented more about how mobile optimization is changing cinema management solutions and how we’re approaching it, on our blog.
6. We support multiple third-party integrations
As we’ve already pointed out a couple of times throughout this piece, using more solutions means adding more complexity and error potential. But some are inevitable: like your theatre management system (TMS), your accounting program, or your vouchers provider.
For these types of software, we enable the same integrated approach.
What does this mean for your cinema?
We make it possible to connect and integrate other parts of your cinema business so that you don’t waste time doubling the work, aggregating data, or switching between too many systems.
For instance, with our integration with RosettaBridge (currently in development), you’ll be able to update your weekly film schedule in DX and it will be automatically updated in the TMS. Hassle free.
Or, with our Stripe integration, you’ll have a secure and compliant payment processor with fraud protection included for both your online sales and your POS.
7. We help you power great cinema experiences
It might not be so obvious at times, but the tools we choose impact how we do our work. If you choose to use manual systems, then most of your time will be spent doing every little task. If you choose a generic system, then you’ll have to find loopholes and complex solutions to solve simple problems.
But it shouldn’t be like that. Cinema is all about bringing people together and creating meaningful experiences.
That’s why, we’re not stopping at making your end-to-end cinema operations more efficient, but we’re going one step further: designing a solution that saves up time while also pointing you in the right direction.
What does this mean for your cinema?
Our vision is to empower you with all the right data and automations to create incredible experiences for your moviegoers:
- With a data analytics feature that forecasts best film performances, peak moments at the cinema, staffing optimisation based on your past data.
- With a scheduler that offers programming suggestions based on historical data like occupancy rates, ticket sales, concessions sales, etc.
- With marketing automation that supports you in targeting specific audience groups and create creative campaigns with a couple of clicks.
Of course, this is how we think about future-proofing your business, but even today can be more efficient. Just imagine:
- What if your colleague in charge of data collection can now use the live insights from our reporting tool to more efficiently target specific audience groups for a film you have just started scheduling?
- What if the student working at your box office will now use the time spent on refunds and other daily hurdles to promote your cinema on TikTok?
- What if you could discover films directly via our platform? (Yes, we’re building a film database that will enable you to do so.)
8. We have a transparent pricing scheme
Do you know how much you’re really paying for all your technical solutions? There are transaction fees, processing fees, upgrade fees, add-ons, and so on — which amount to hidden costs that change your budget expectations.
We took this into account when we decided to offer you a software and hardware bundle together with a monthly subscription model. So you always know how much DX costs you. No more guessing or far-fetched estimations.
What does this mean for your cinema?
In a nutshell, your prices grow as you grow — scaling with the number of POS terminals you own and the transaction volumes of your cinema.
BONUS material: Keep on reading if you want to know more about the principles that help us build your future-proof cinema management solution at DX.
9. We build transparency on all levels
With software, it’s very easy to create complexity that transforms the inner workings of a product into a black box. That’s why we make transparency our core operating principle.
It’s not just about pricing, but every layer of our business and operations.
We make it our mission to know our data first-hand so you know your data, too. From the way we’re developing our data platform, to the processes and documentation we put in place, to the way we’re writing code, we constantly strive to leave no one behind.
What does this mean for your cinema?
Two main things:
- You have access to clean, accurate, real-time data and analytics.
- Our team knows how and where to intervene fast to fix any platform issues, because we all understand the foundational systems behind our DX solution.
10. We work with continuous development and deployment
It’s easy to create a functional product and stop. But software development shouldn’t work like that, because the real usefulness comes from feedback loops and the people who use it.
At DX, we chose to work by the standards of continuous development and deployment so we constantly optimise our platform based on market cues, user feedback, and our cinema industry expertise.
In practice, that means that we work in building cycles of 3-4 months, and during and after each building cycle, we release new improvements and features into our solution.
What does this mean for your cinema?
- You get frequent updates and releases - at no extra cost.
- You’re constantly consulted so we make sure we’re developing the right features.
- You’re part of a future-oriented community and help us build the cinema tech of tomorrow
If you want to learn more about the DX solution, take a look at our Cinema Operations and POS & Online Ticketing pages — you’ll understand how they all work together.
If you want to find out what we can do for you, ask for a demo. We’re always happy to talk to you.
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