Chapter 3 – Operations

In order to maintain consistency with marketing materials and across the brand, any variations in hours of operation must be approved by the Support Center.

Vendor Information

As a Franchisee, you will benefit greatly from the relationships the Franchisor has established with key suppliers to the franchise system. As a result of combined buying power, you will receive pricing discounts.  At this time, the Franchisor does not receive any financial benefit based on your purchase quantities with any required vendor.

Play Area Set-Up & Offerings

Monkey Bizness’s purpose is to provide a happy and healthy family experience.  We are a place where kids can truly monkey around! The giant indoor playground provides a safe, clean, environment for family fun. Children are guaranteed to delight in the inflatable bouncy houses, slides, jungle gyms, climbing walls and toys.

In addition, all locations have dedicated toddler playground areas so that the younger kids can play in a clean and safe environment that is away from the “big monkey’s”. Every location’s indoor playground is slightly different however they all include large soft play equipment, inflatable bounce houses and slides, and other climbing toys.

• The original Monkey Bizness locations are suited for kids ages 2-10 years old and feature large inflatable slides and obstacle courses as well as multiple story soft play equipment. All of our locations are built with family fun in mind.
• Little Monkey Bizness locations are specially built for children for ages 1-6 years old and feature a cafe for parents to enjoy freshly brewed coffee while their kids play.

In addition to great children’s parties and walk-in open play, Monkey Bizness can also be reserved for special events. For large parties/events, you have the ability to open both Play Rooms for access to the entire business.

Please refer to the Equipment and Supplies guide for required and recommended equipment.

Play Area Rules & Polices

Parents pay, but the kids are the ones who play. When the children have a good time, parents are happy to bring them back to play or even book a party or event. Knowing how to talk with kids is a critical component of your success. Children don’t have the skills to grasp complicated thoughts or language. They often have short attention spans and are easily distracted. The customer service your staff provides will impact your business perhaps no more than any other single aspect.  You should train your staff to be able to communicate and relate to children, no matter their age. The following are best-demonstrated practices:

When talking with children:

• Ask them to repeat back to you what you just said.
• Ask them what you meant by saying it—this shows that they’re listening and understand your directions.
• Bend down to their level and look them in the eye.
• Invite them to ask you questions.
• Use a calm, happy tone of voice; don’t yell or scream.
• Use simple language and terms that are on their level.

When to Play with Children

• Keep play at a minimum; no rough-housing.
• Know your limits and boundaries; parents’ expectations.
• Only with permission from parents, or the guardian.
• When safety is not a factor.
• When there are not other duties to perform.

Dealing with Physical Contact

• Don’t touch children without permission. Always get permission from parents to hug, or help lift children.
• Don’t hug children from the side; never front to front.
• Don’t be alone with a child; always have another adult nearby.
• Don’t be rough, squeeze, hit or slap a child; it is grounds for immediate dismissal.
• Don’t touch the children without another parent, or adult nearby.

Dealing with Out of Control Children

The follow steps should be followed when dealing with children who are out of control or not following the rules:

• Give the child a verbal warning.
• If activity continues, give another verbal warning.
• If activity still continues, report to parent or guardian and ask them for assistance.
• If the parent is uncooperative, ask a Supervisor to intervene.
• Remain calm and authoritative, never yell.

Play Room Rules

The following rules should be observed by all employees.

Open Play Rules

• Open play on our indoor playground is parent supervised.
• All children must be accompanied by parent/guardian.
• Children (and adults) must wear socks to play on bouncers.
• Absolutely no sitting down.
• Do not lean on the equipment.
• Interact with the children in the parties.
• Make sure all the rules are being followed.
• No cell phones are allowed in the Play Rooms, Party Rooms, or Waiting Rooms.
• When gathering the children, do it appropriately.
• Use a megaphone or PA system (if available) to encourage kids and to round up children to move them into the party room.
• The rock climbing wall is closed for open play.

Rock Wall Rules (If Applicable)

Everyone using the rock wall must wear a harness and shoes with adequate soles and backs.

The harness is tightly fastened around the waist and legs. Make sure the proper harness is used for the child or adult you are suiting up. If a harness does not fit (either too small or large), then you must not let the person climb the wall.

In addition, everyone must wear shoes with adequate soles and backs. The following is a list of unacceptable shoes:

• Open-toed shoes and or sandals
• Flip-flops
• Backless shoes/clogs
• Shoes missing laces
• Crocs must have back straps secured

You should have one staff member managing the rock wall, so that there is adequate supervision throughout the Play Room. If the majority of children are on the rock wall, then you may want to adjust the focus of your staff members. When supervising the rock wall, focus on the child climbing the rock wall. Do not suit-up the next climber while the first is still climbing.

State requirements in regards to rock wall differ.  At a minimum, the manufacturer’s guidelines for inspection and operation should be strictly followed.  Check with your state if there are additional guidelines that your employees must follow.

Guest Service

At Monkey Bizness, guest service is the very foundation of the philosophy, mission, and focus. Your guests are the lifeblood of your business and great service is the main reason why businesses succeed. You are responsible for making sure that everyone on your staff understands guest service expectations and can provide a quality experience.

In addition, it is your brand commitment to understand that every guest expects (and deserves) special treatment. Monkey Bizness’ main focus is on ensuring guest satisfaction. By creating a memorable experience, you draw loyal guests which in turn generates repeat sales. The following information provides you with a summary of brand standards regarding guest service. For additional information and best-demonstrated practices on implementing the Monkey Bizness standards of guest service method with your staff refer to the supporting documents available to you.

The Monkey Bizness brand standard of guest service is:

• Anticipating guest needs.
• Treating each guest as if they are the only guest.
• Being friendly, helpful, and sincere.
• Being empathetic to the guest’s experience
• Creating a positive experience for each individual and group.
• Knowing the services offered; being prepared to answer questions.
• Saying, “Thank you, please come back.”
• Taking care of guest needs and desires.

Guest service is not:

• Assuming guests know what to do.
• Being rude or disrespectful when guests are being that way.
• Complaining to guests.
• Expecting the guest to know everything.

The Monkey Bizness brand standard is to develop as many reasons as possible for guests to return and repeatedly enjoy the Monkey Bizness experience. Guests return because they have developed a relationship with you. When guests spend money, they want to feel good about it. Great guest service is profitable and helpful in building both guest and community relationships. Impressing the guest creates a strong market base and loyalty to the brand, which encourages positive word-of-mouth advertising.

Guests remain loyal to companies that treat them well. It is important to create a loyal guest base by making guests feel comfortable, important, and special. Cultivate solid relationships with each guest.

We have made training material available for you to use with your staff and you should use the core values in your own training and meetings with your staff.  Within the Core Values guidance provided in Chapter 2, there are many tangible examples given on how you can re-enforce these with your staff.

Answering the Phone

Answering the phone is an important way to communicate the philosophy of Monkey Bizness and deliver great service. Often times a phone call is the first impression you give to guests. The following are a few helpful tips to keep in mind:

• Use a friendly, clear voice. “Good (morning, afternoon, evening)! Thank you for calling Monkey Bizness (your location) this is (your name) speaking, how can I help you?”
• Speak slowly and never sound as though you are hurried, never make callers feel as if they are inconveniencing you.
• Say “please” and “thank you” when possible because it makes people feel appreciated.
• Answer the phone before the third ring. Callers should never be sent to voice mail. The way you treat callers on the phone is reflective of how they expect to be treated in the business.
• Smile while talking on the phone. Callers hear the smile over the phone and sense your mood.
• Make the caller feel welcome, even if you are in the middle of something else. If you need to immediately complete another task, politely ask the person if you may put them on hold, but be quick about getting back. Guests generally stay on hold for only about 30 seconds.

Win and Keep Guests

W.U.T.T.I. is an acronym to help your team remember the five basic steps to great guest service.

W.U.T.T.I. stands for:

• Welcome the guest – Welcoming guests is the first step in assuring that people have a positive experience at Monkey Bizness. How people are welcomed sets the stage for the rest of their experience. Doing it right makes people feel appreciated. Make eye contact, smile, and offer a warm greeting within 10 seconds of arrival.
• Use the guest’s name – Using a person’s name creates an immediate bond and rapport. Get to know your repeat guests on a personal level and it may increase positive word-of-mouth advertising and repeat business.
• Take care of the guest’s needs – Taking care of people’s needs before they ask exceeds expectations. You can easily accomplish this by educating your guests, setting expectations and executing events according to Monkey Bizness standards.
• Thank the guest – A “thank you” goes a long way. It makes people feel appreciated and that their business is valued. Every guest needs to hear a, “Thank you” delivered with a smile and eye contact at least one time before leaving the business.
• Invite guest back – This simple statement, “Please come back” is the final step in offering great service. It demonstrates to guests that, not only do you care, but you wish to have them back again. Your delivery should be sincere, with a smile and eye contact in order to add a personal touch.

Handling Complaints

Mistakes happen however, it is how you deal with them that really matters. The first step when dealing with a dissatisfied guest is to frame the situation as an opportunity to solve a problem.

Most guests who are dissatisfied just want a solution. It is important that you take every complaint very seriously, and take action to find a solution that will exceed the guest’s expectation. Handling a complaint properly can turn an upset guest into a raving fan. The L.A.S.T. strategy will help you and your staff frame the situation appropriately and help work towards a solution.

L.A.S.T. stands for:

• L Listen – Active listening means that you are paying attention to what the guest is saying, and noticing what they’re not saying. When people feel listened to, their defenses come down and they’re more receptive to solving the problem.
• A Apologize – There are times when it makes sense to apologize, and when it does not. It is proper to apologize for minor incidents, such as incorrect orders, inconsistent service, etc. Do not apologize if a physical injury is involved, as it may lead to a liability lawsuit. Use common sense and remember that the purpose of the apology is to acknowledge a mistake, so that it may be resolved.
• S Solve – Most problems can be easily solved if handled immediately. To ensure that the guest’s needs are being met, it is important to find out how he/she wants the situation solved.
• T Thank – Guests bring you problems so that you can improve your operation. This gives you an opportunity to make your staff and business better. Because of this, it is important that the guest is thanked for bringing the problem to your attention.

It is a best-demonstrated practice to empower your staff to handle complaints by first teaching them the strategies to deal with a problem. Many times, the guest is more upset about how a problem was handled than they were about the initial problem. The L.A.S.T. strategy is an effective way to reduce tension and help a guest recover from a poor experience.

Follow up and Investigate Complaints

Investigating complaints is a great way to improve systems and routines as well as guest experiences. You may find that a problem is more widespread than originally thought. If the problem is caused by a process, investigate the process, find the glitch and correct the process. If the problem is caused by human error, then you have the opportunity and obligation to educate the staff member involved and to expect behavioral changes that positively impact the business.

How complaints are handled is as important as addressing the problem itself. Small problems can grow into serious dilemmas if not handled in a systematic and routine way, such as using the L.A.S.T. strategy. Properly handling complaints satisfies guests and increases positive word-of-mouth advertising. Complaints allow the perfect opportunity to improve operations and keep guests loyal.

Guest Policies

It is a best-demonstrated practice to implement policies while setting the expectation for your guests. The following are a few suggestions however, you are responsible for creating and implementing your location’s specific standards.

Waivers of Liability

All guests, whether there for open play or for a birthday party, are required to sign a waiver of liability.  We require that you consult with a local attorney who is familiar with the local and state laws where your store is located to determine the appropriate language for your waiver.  However, we have included two examples of waivers below for you to reference with your attorney.

For open play, you are required to use the Return Visit system to track and have customers sign your waivers.  The waiver message within Return Visit is can be customized for your store at any time.

For parties, we suggest using a variation of the Party Waiver that is linked below.  The language should be updated based on consulting with your local attorney.

• Party Waiver

Cancellation Sample Policy

Guests should cancel three weeks before the party date in order to get a deposit refund. You may want to offer exceptions include medical emergencies with documentation. If invitations have already been printed and the party is cancelled, you may want to charge a printing fee.

Rescheduling Sample Policy

Guests need to reschedule three weeks in advance of the date of the party to have the deposit transferred. Rescheduling less than 21 days in advance results in a forfeit of the deposit. In the event of illness or medical emergency, you can waive the three-week policy upon receipt of appropriate medical documentation. If invitations have already been printed guests are responsible for the reprinting cost.

If weather prevents the party from occurring, the party is rescheduled at your first available opportunity and no refund is given. In case of a power outage, parties are refunded on a pro-rated basis if the outage occurs during the event. If an outage occurs prior to the event the party is rescheduled.

Birthday Parties

Monkey Bizness is known for throwing great kid’s birthday parties.  As such, it is important to the brand and to your store’s success to provide an experience for each of our guests which is second to none.  We have developed our Birthday Party guide to help you in developing and training your team to provide a great guest experience.

Environment

A core value of Monkey Bizness is safety and party of safety is the upkeep and cleanliness of your store.  The physical appearance and cleanliness of each Monkey Bizness franchise is essential to attracting guests. Because of Monkey Bizness’ unique market position, and the services offered, your location must always be clean and attractive. The appearance and feel of the atmosphere encourages the guest to feel confident that their children are playing in a safe, clean and hospitable environment. It generates good will, encourages positive word-of-mouth advertising, as well as generates excitement for your business.

Cleanliness

Cleanliness cannot be emphasized enough. Your goal as an operator of Monkey Bizness is to have your guests always refer to your location as “clean”. Your location is to be maintained to the highest standards of cleanliness. This includes keeping it clean during peak hours, as well as making sure the staff has cleaned appropriately at the end of the night. A checklist covering all aspects of a cleaning is provided. This checklist is used periodically to “grade” the cleanliness of your location.

Monkey Bizness has also provided a daily review checklist. It is strongly recommended that you do periodic reviews of the facility with your employees so that they can quickly identify and correct any circumstances that may develop throughout the day.

• Cleaning Checklist
• Daily Cleaning Checklist
• Weekly Deep Cleaning List

Maintenance

Maintenance is another important part of the Monkey Bizness brand standard and guest safety. If a guest walks into your location and sees a hole in the wall, or a baseboard not affixed solidly, or a water stain somewhere, they will immediately question if the environment their playing in is clean. Although maintenance has nothing to do with cleanliness, it can speak volumes as to how you are perceived by your guests. It is important to always maintain your facilities so that the only perception your guests have is a consistently clean and safe environment for their children to play and for the parents, grandparents and friends to sit and enjoy a quality espresso or smoothie drinks. It is always less expensive to repair and maintain your location on a scheduled basis, rather than be reactive. With this goal in mind, there are standard guidelines which all Monkey Bizness locations follow in order to maintain brand standards. Refer to supporting documents for information and brand standards regarding dusting, hard surface floors, carpet floor surfaces, wall repair and paint specifications, HVAC units, signage, fire extinguishers and maintenance schedules.

Music

Music plays a large role in creating a fun, energetic environment. It must be turned on in the morning and not turned off until the last party has left the building. Due to music rights and restrictions, it is recommended that you use a satellite radio service for your music provider. They will be able to setup your account in a way that gives you rights to place music in your business. Local radio stations are not recommended due to lack of control over the content they may air. The volume should be maintained so that it is loud enough to enjoy, but not so loud that people can’t talk comfortably. If guests need to shout to be heard, the music is too loud.

Safety and Security

The importance of safety at Monkey Bizness cannot be overemphasized. The equipment is designed to be safe, however, injuries can occur if people aren’t careful. In order to protect the Monkey Bizness brand these topics include, but are not limited to:

• Maintaining a safe workplace – Maintaining a safe workplace includes training staff to prevent accidents and injuries by understanding how accidents can occur and the types of behavior to watch for, and how to handle a crisis.
• Preventing accidents and injuries – Suggestions on proper lifting techniques, inflatable safety,
• Providing safety training programs – Suggestions on best-demonstrated practices when setting staff expectations regarding inflatable and rock wall safety.
• Emergency preparedness – Information regarding first aid, crisis management, communication, evacuation.

The supporting Safety and Security guide is designed to provide you additional instruction in these areas.

Incident and Accident Reports

If an accident or injury occurs, you must complete a detailed report at the time of the incident. The Supervisor on staff needs to gather all pertinent details related to the incident and document them in the report. Gather all facts, interview any witnesses and get information from the affected party if possible. Staple this report to the waiver of liability and place it in your incident file. You must document even the most minor accidents and report them to the Support Center.

The incident report identifies whether the problem was:

• An injury.
• An issue regarding quality of service.
• An issue with the quality of the staff’s attitude.

In it, you must identify what the problem was, how it happened, and what action was taken in response. Remember to never take responsibility for anything until it has fully been investigated. In extreme cases, contact a lawyer for advice. Most incidents are minor, but still require documentation. Use these reports for training and coaching the staff to do better and reduce the number of incidents in the future.

If one of your staff members is injured as a result of a workplace accident, workers’ compensation insurance companies typically require that accidents be reported to them on designated report forms within 24 hours of the incident. Check with your carrier to determine its specific requirements.

If the accident results in multiple injuries, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has specific reporting requirements. It is your responsibility to comply with federal requirements and to determine reporting requirements in your state.

Please see the Monkey Bizness standard accident report template.

Missing/Abducted Children: Code ADAM Program

This program is designed to locate/recover children who are missing in a variety of circumstances. The sooner these safeguards are implemented, the more effective the program. For the safety and security of children, and for guests’ peace of mind, Monkey Bizness participates in the Code ADAM program. You can obtain a kit from the Support Center. In addition, all of your staff members should be required to watch the Code ADAM DVD and you should prominently display the Code ADAM decal on the lobby glass, in a clearly-visible area, facing outside.

Helium and Balloons

Helium tanks contain highly pressurized gas and should always be handled with extreme care. If a full tank falls over and the nozzle breaks, it could fly off like a missile. The following are important items to note when managing your helium tanks:

• Use standard 12-inch Latex Balloons with strings.
• Order 3-4 helium tanks at a time or as business dictates.
• Chain the tank to the wall prior to use.
• Open the valve all the way when using a new tank.
• Open the valve until no more gas comes out, when changing an empty tank and place a balloon on the open valve to indicate that the tank is empty.
• Leave metal cap on to indicate when tanks are full.
• Turn off helium valve at night — the regulators tend to have slight leaks.
• IMPORTANT: DO NOT open valves without regulators on them. Doing so is dangerous. If you are unsure of the quantity of gas in a tank, install a regulator to check.
• IMPORTANT: Before moving a tank, screw steel cap securely in place whether it is empty or full. An empty tank is highly pressurized and can cause injury if the tank falls and the valve breaks.