From Back Office to Casino Floor: Revolutionizing Penn's Discretionary Compensation System

How I transformed Penn Host's compensation workflow from a cumbersome back-office process to an intuitive on-floor solution, enabling casino managers to provide immediate player accommodations without leaving the gaming floor—enhancing customer experience and operational efficiency.
iPhone mockup

Context

The Problem

Casino floor managers must leave the gaming floor and log into a separate back-office system to process discretionary compensations for players, disrupting customer interactions and creating inefficiencies in what should be an immediate service recovery moment.

35%
of Managers Reported Delays of Over 10 Minutes
42%
of Negative Player Dissatisfaction Reports Tied Directly to DCOMPS
65%
Staff Expressed Frustration with the Current Workflow
71%
of Interviewed Casino Hosts Desired an On-Floor Solution

Business Goals

Solving this issue aimed to keep casino managers on the gaming floor with their customers, accelerate compensation processing times, and enhance player satisfaction through immediate service recovery actions.

Research

The Plan

1. Audit of our Salesforce Workflow (Audit + SWOT)
2. Establishing Initial Launch Product Scope (User Flows and Field Documentation)
3. Build Information Architecture for the MVP (Develop IA UX Documentation Guidelines and Components as well as Create Bird's-Eye View of the System)

Audit of our Salesforce Workflow + SWOT

User Flows + Field Documentation & Standardization

Bird's-Eye View of the System

Designing

Ideating

Using design thinking, I transformed research insights into actionable design solutions. Identifying that users struggled with room changes, I moved from problem definition to ideation—brainstorming intuitive solutions that prioritize accessibility and ease within the check-in flow.

Beginning the Flow - Comps Entry Point + List Format + Comp Details

Validation

Testing with Users

I tested a group of 15 randomized users (7 users frequently checked-in using the mobile app and 8 of them had attempted to but abandoned the task)

Final User Flow

This is the final flow diagram that was approved my P.O and vetted by larger dev team. For handoff, I prepared all of the error flows and reviewed with the dev for my ticket to make sure there was one for each failed state they were developing for.

Results

The Effects

Launching the on-floor discretionary comp feature empowered hosts to act in the moment, resulting in smoother guest recoveries, higher tool engagement, and stronger rapport between hosts and players. The shift from desktop to mobile allowed hosts to stay present and responsive, contributing to a more seamless casino experience for both staff and guests.

52% ↓
Reduction in time to issue a comp
28% ↑
Increase in daily host-to-guest interactions
89% ↑
Usage rate within the first 3 months
15% ↓
Decrease in user-reported errors or comp escalations

Business Outcomes

As a result of our solution, hosts were able to issue discretionary comps in less time and with fewer errors, which improved their ability to stay present on the floor and engage more meaningfully with guests. Feedback from internal teams highlighted increased confidence in the tool, and early usage data indicated higher adoption rates across multiple properties. These outcomes directly aligned with our goal of streamlining host workflows and enhancing real-time service delivery.

© 2025 Mahnoor Wazirzada. Grown with care, pixels, and maybe a few happy tears.