No trip to the seaside is complete without a visit to the amusements, an ice cream or some fish and chips. And if you’ve ever been to Southport for a day out, there’s a good chance you’ve done all three at Silcock’s Amusements which have been in the town since 1959, with Funland at the Pier being a cornerstone of the town since the 1980s.
Copper – in the form of two pence pieces for the penny pushers and other games – is part of the lifeblood of Funland. But there was another type of copper that was holding Silcock’s back: until LCR Connect reached Southport with ultra-fast full fibre broadband, the only internet connection available to the business was through the old copper phonelines that ran through the town.
With one of the most prominent locations in the town, next to Southport Pier, it might be surprising that there weren’t any options for a fibre connection. But that was exactly the situation that Silcock’s found themselves in until the build was completed for LCR Connect – a 212km network of cutting-edge full fibre that connects the whole Liverpool City Region.
Small-to-medium businesses like Silcock’s are the bedrock of their communities, keeping the region alive and contributing so much to the fabric of the local area. However, these businesses have also been underserved by internet networks unfit for the demands of the digital age – faced with a choice between slow, unreliable copper and expensive leased lines that might be more than they need. The LCR Connect project has completely modernised the connection options available to businesses in Southport – and Silcock’s is one of the first to sign up and benefit.
With two separate sites 200 yards apart near Southport Pier, they needed a bespoke solution to get the fibre connected. And while the improved speeds were a welcome boost, Justin Prescott, IT Manager for Silcock’s, highlights the customer service provided by LCR connect partner Brittania IT. He explained: “We were able to arrange the installation during our quiet season in the winter, with everything ready well in advance of the busy Easter break. To complete the installation, they needed to do a bit of a dig, as the old BT ducts had collapsed. The way they managed it was absolutely brilliant – it’s the service that’s most important to me.”
LCR Connect’s regional network is totally dedicated to small businesses, powered by transformational technology that’s available at price points that can suit businesses of any size. Silcock’s have signed up for a Fibre Light package – which offers speeds up to 100 times faster than what they had previously and – crucially – rock solid reliability.
Justin continued: “The fibre is nice and the speed is lovely. I’ve had lots of people in the office saying ‘doesn’t the Internet load a load quicker now?!’ But most important for us is reliability. Customers have an expectation that they will be able to use their card to get change to play in the arcades, pay for an ice cream or buy fish and chips. And that’s why our payment network, with seven connected tills on the site, is absolutely crucial.”
The improved reliability has enabled the in-house IT support team to update tills remotely, with Justin saying it’s had a direct impact on productivity: “Put simply, the better connectivity means less time away from my desk, so I can get more done.”
In addition to running tills, their internal phone network and CCTV, amusement arcades are more connected than you might expect. Gaming machines regularly update with the latest games, all of which needs a reliable connection, to make sure gamers aren’t being interrupted while they are playing. The cutting-edge connectivity running through Funland has opened up new possibilities too, such as the potential for customer wi-fi in the café in future and futureproofing upgrades to new, more demanding connected gaming machines which need to seamlessly handle bigger files.
Silcock’s have more than a century of history providing amusements to families in the northwest. And their new ultramodern broadband connection through LCR Connect will help them keep families amused all year round, whatever the weather, long into the future.
Wanna go faster? Whatever your business, LCR Connect can light up you up with connectivity that gives a real commercial edge and opens the gate to innovative, performance-enhancing technologies.
To learn more about when LCR Connect full fibre is coming to your area and access our early bird offers, connect with us today and receive updates relating to our network.
Even if full service is not yet available in your postcode LCR Connect can provide a range of early service solutions and will migrate your connection to the full network within 12 months. Contact LCR Connect today to get ahead of the competition.
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