With a starting price of less than $20.00 each, mechanical counters are really cheap, and if you're a purist that prefers the mechanical action of these types of counters for attendance counting, then they provide an inexpensive people counting option that can satisfy most crowd counting requirements. However, their inability to integrate with other technologies comes at the cost of overall accuracy and efficiency, often requiring more man-hours to operate than wifi-enabled or app-integrated alternatives. Still, mechanical tally counters are still a widely used people counter clicker, here are the pros and cons:
With a starting price of less than $10.00 each, the ability to increment and decrement the count, and their long battery life, electronic tally counters are a viable option for most people counting requirements. However, like mechanical counters, their inability to integrate with other technologies comes at the cost of overall accuracy and efficiency, often requiring more man-hours to operate than wifi-enabled or app-integrated alternatives. If you're looking into a digital clicker for your counting needs, here are some of the pros and cons:
Here is our recommended digital tally counter solutions
Wifi enabled handheld crowd counters combine the simplicity of the tally counter with modern features specifically designed for counting people and syncing with high-tech analytics. These devices consist of an LCD screen (usually color) that can be configured from cloud-based web application to display custom venue information, including being able to display count information on multiple rooms or sections within the same venue.
In addition to the display, wifi enabled crowd counters also utilize click-response buttons that make it easy for bouncers, hostess or ticketers to keep on top of busy lines. Some of these counters allow staff to not only increment and decrement the count, but keep track of male and female guests using 2 sets of increment and decrement buttons. Separate buttons for in and out, and male and female guests offers a more comprehensive counting solution for complex venues.
One of the most efficacious features of wifi enabled crowd counters is the ability to update the count across zones and counters. This is particularly important for venues with multiple entrances and exits, updating the counters in real-time allows door persons to remain at choke-points rather than having to leave periodically to count the entire venue.
Unlike stand-alone people counters, app integrated crowd counters combine needed functionality of a specific app with people counting ability. Combining multiple functions into a single device makes the job of bouncers, hosts and door people easier as they don't have to switch between apps or devices to accomplish common functions.
Additionally, information recorded to the app by one user can be transmitted to other users instantaneously, a major advantage over analog or mechanical people counting devices. App integrated crowd counters can handle multiple zones, and can be modified in far greater ways than hardware-dependent people counting solutions like wifi enabled crowd counters.WAITN, the example app above, combines a waitlist application with a people counter, two things thats are used simultaneously at busy venues.
The combination of a real-time counting solution and a waitlist means that bouncers and host staff can "page" customers on the waitlist as soon as they receive real-time updates about the count. Putting the waitlist input form and the count in the same place means that users don't need to click, swipe or browse to add a another person to the waitlist or update the count, saving valuable time at critical moments.WAITN also enables users to integrate their zones with sensor or camera based people counting solutions.
Unlike manual counting, where a human one-by-one counts the people in a space, sensor or camera based counting solutions use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to constantly update the count in real-time. With a sensor-based system in place, a venue can maintain accurate real-time counts without the need for a critical employee to take the time to manually count individuals. This significantly improves labor cost while optimizing host staff for customer service.
With startup and monthly costs similar to or less than wifi enabled counters, app-integrated crowd counters offer far more functionality, including "future proofing" with the ability to customize and modify the application for a venue's needs. If you're operating a complex venue that often has a long wait, especially a long line, using an app-integrated people counter with waitlist functionality can combine two vital functions, effectively saving your staff time while making customer service more efficient. Moreover, the ability to update the count via a web API, thus enabling the app to update its zone count from external sources like people counting cameras or sensors make crowd-management even more efficient. When employees no longer need to perform manual counts of a venue, they are free to return to customer service, ensuring that waits are as short and efficient as possible.