SCL Tigers: 59 payment terminals replaced – with no interruption for fans

The new ice hockey season is just around the corner. The players are preparing for their first home game and the fans are looking forward to the start of the season. While the players train on the ice, further preparations are underway behind the scenes. After all, a successful match day doesn’t just depend on the team’s performance. All the procedures around the stadium must also run smoothly.

When a few minutes are enough to determine the fan experience

When the siren sounds to signal the end of a period, there is an immediate increase in workload. Within minutes, many of the up to 6,000 fans flock to the sales stands at the same time to order drinks, buy snacks and pay directly on site. For the SCL Tigers, this is the crucial moment: seamless interaction is required between all the payment terminals, checkout systems and processes.

Michael Wittwer sums up the significance of these few minutes: “In the intermissions, it’s vital for us to be able to satisfy our fans – with a super service, fast processing of food and drink orders and equally fast payments.”

Many companies are familiar with this type of situation. Whether it’s a stadium, mountain railway, leisure center, retail business or restaurant: there are times when particularly large numbers of customers all want to pay at once. Long waiting times or technical problems at this point have a direct impact on the customer experience.

Why the SCL Tigers wanted to enhance their payment solution

The SCL Tigers wanted to develop their processes on match days and therefore decided to review their current payment solution. The most important factor was for payments to remain reliable, even with high visitor numbers. At the same time, processes had to be kept simple for employees. “For us, it was important to have a reliable contact person, clear structures and simple processes, from sales right through to support,” says Michael Wittwer. This is particularly evident on match days: payments at entrances, kiosks and in restaurant and catering areas must be simple and reliable.

How the SCL Tigers changed their payment terminals

PostFinance initiated the project and suggested organizing a pilot project to test the new solution first. Together, the participants set out a clear procedure: they would start by testing the solution in live operation, then plan its introduction and gradually switch over the system at the points of sale. The SCL Tigers and PostFinance made sure that the terminals were ready for use in plenty of time before the start of the season and that there would be no impact on ongoing operations.

Step 1: Testing the new solution in live operation

The aim of the pilot project was to show whether the terminals could withstand the demands of a match day: would the devices still work when faced with a high workload? Could employees learn to use them quickly? Could transactions and payments be tracked transparently? And would the solution fit the existing checkout and sales processes?

During the pilot phase, eight terminals were put into use in a defined area of the stadium at the Kühni-Treff fan bar. Employees used the devices live and gained initial experience. At the same time, managers were able to access a transparent overview of transactions and payments via the Checkout portal. “The test phase went very well,” says Michael Wittwer, CFO of the SCL Tigers. “We were very impressed by PostFinance’s payment solution in live operation.” The positive experiences from the pilot phase gave the club the confidence to move on to the next step.

Step 2: Preparing and configuring all the devices

Once the new solution had been decided on, the PostFinance team of experts prepared the terminals. The devices were configured, assigned to the relevant points of sale and labelled for use. This made it clear in advance which terminal would be used at which location. The details of terminal assignment are also visible in the Checkout portal, where the SCL Tigers managers can see which terminal and which point of sale are used to process each transaction.

Step 3: Ensuring checkout integration and on-site tests

On the changeover day, the PostFinance team of experts integrated the new payment terminals into the existing checkout infrastructure with the help of the checkout integration partner.

Payments were then tested directly on site. This enabled PostFinance to guarantee proper interaction between the terminal, checkout and payment processing at each point of sale. The specialists closely monitored the changeover, constantly liaised with their contact persons from the SCL Tigers and clarified any unresolved questions directly on site.

Step 4: Preparing for every eventuality

The team prepared four replacement terminals to ensure that there would be enough leeway, even during top matches. Terminal failures are rare, but a device can be replaced very quickly if a failure does occur. What is more, the terminals can be used flexibly, for example if additional capacity is required at a particular point of sale at short notice. This ensures that payment processing remains stable, even with high visitor numbers.

The best changeover is one that nobody notices

New players attract attention. So do new jerseys. The opposite is true for payment solutions: the best solution works in the background. Fans want to pay for their drinks and get back to their seats in plenty of time. Employees want to process payments quickly. Managers want to be able to rely on stable system operation. This is exactly why the SCL Tigers set a clear objective: the changeover should go as unnoticed as possible by fans without causing any restrictions.

The first stress test arrived on match day. This would reveal whether the new payment solution remained reliable, even under high pressure. The decisive factor was not the technology itself, but the result: short waiting times, smooth payments and a positive experience for fans.

Individual feedback from fans highlights what matters most: they want to pay quickly, take their drinks and get back to the match. This is precisely when the payment solution contributes to the stadium experience.

Key factors for successfully switching payment solutions

Many companies only review their payment solution after several years. Yet it’s worth checking regularly whether processes, support services and functionalities still meet requirements. The SCL Tigers case shows that changing systems doesn’t have to be complicated. The main thing is to define clear requirements, test the new solution in daily operation and allow all the parties involved to plan the process together. Five success factors can be identified from this experience:

• regular checks reveal whether processes, transparency and responsibilities still fully meet your needs.
• A test under real conditions indicates whether terminals, processes and support services work in daily operations before full implementation.
• Clean device preparation includes complete configuration, correct assignment to the relevant points of sale and transparent depiction and documentation of the devices in the Checkout portal.
• Clarifying the integration into existing checkout systems at an early stage and allowing sufficient time for on-site testing reduce the risks associated with the changeover.
• Clearly defined replacement devices, support channels and points of contact provide reassurance without making the changeover unnecessarily complicated.

This is not just true for sports clubs. Event operators, mountain railways, leisure centers, restaurants, retail businesses and cultural institutions can also benefit if responsibilities, use of equipment and support services have been clearly defined before the launch.

Conclusion: good payment solutions don’t attract attention

For the SCL Tigers, the focus was not solely on the technology, but on the experience in the stadium. The pilot project, careful preparation and on-site support ensured that the changeover was implemented in a controlled manner. Thomas Studer sums up the key success factor as follows: “The formula for success is close partnership.”

Today, the payment solution operates exactly where it should operate: in the background. This is the most important finding for other companies. A good payment solution doesn’t attract attention, because payments function smoothly, allowing customers, employees and managers to focus on the essentials.