ARE YOU READY?

 

 

Boris Johnson has excitingly announced the next stage of lockdown easing from May 17^th.

 

This is fantastic news for many business owners, especially hospitality who have been unable to reopen. The lifting of restrictions means that pubs and restaurants will be able to serve groups of six or 2 households inside for the first time since December.

 

There is already a lot of activity getting venues ready to welcome customers back through the doors, but based on our experience, taking payments is sometimes at the bottom of a very long to do list.

 

PLEASE DON’T LEAVE IT TILL FRIDAY 14^th.

 

Last time restrictions were eased we were inundated with calls and emails with a multitude of last-minute requests needing urgent action. So much so that we dubbed it ‘Black Friday’! This was a repeat of the week before re-openings in July and the beginning of August for ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ last year.

 

Here are some of the most common questions we were asked:

 

1.Why isn’t my terminal working?

The number 1 reason is that the battery has fully depleted. Try plugging it in and charging it for at least a few hours. If it’s still not working, then make sure your account is up to date. You may well have been charged for your terminals over lockdown and if you haven’t been paying your bills then your account may have been suspended.

 

2. Why can’t I take payments outside or in blackspots?

Your communications coverage doesn’t reach and your terminal may not be GPRS enabled.

 

3. Why does my connection always drop when we are busy?

The main reason for this is your terminals are WIFI enabled, and you are sharing a domestic WIFI connection as Free WIFI for your customers. As all compete for the same data feed then it slows down and transactions time-out.

 

4.How do I integrate my terminal with my Tills / EPOS?

If you have the right card terminals, they can easily be connected to your EPOS (subject to provider and software version) which will reduce keying errors and help serve your customers faster because there’s no need to enter the transaction amount twice. Just type the amount into your EPOS and it will automatically push it through to your terminal. Pay at Table mode also means printing and splitting the bill and adding gratuity can all be done on your card machine.

 

5. Can I change, upgrade or get an additional terminal?

Yes! Introduction of table service and new outdoor spaces and ways of working was an eye opener for many pubs when they opened as their card terminals just weren’t up to the job. Make sure you test your current card machines now so that you’ve got time to make improvements or order more terminals before 17^th May.

 

6. Can I have an app for my customers to order and pay through?

Apps are great for use outdoors and indoors. They reduce face to face contact and speed up service in line with social distancing guidelines.

 

7. Why is my current app so expensive?

Apps exploded onto the scene last year and many operators were pushed to a particular platform by their pub group, social network groups or snapped up in the panic to get one. The majority of operators who we have dealt with have ended up with 2 different solutions and none of them linked to their main payment service provider (for credit card machines) which has resulted in expensive and onerous contracts which provide a poor experience for ‘the customer’.

 

8. Can you help me get out of my current contract?

Yes – we cover up to £3k in cancellation costs and handle the whole process for you.

 

In short be prepared – You’ve only got 6 days to test your card machines and make changes!

 

We at Switch4Profit take pleasure in finding operators solutions for no extra cost and usually find that we save you money in the process. We are ex operators who, listen to your needs, understand your problems and provide a no-nonsense solution that works! Happy customers, happy you and happy us – a win-win solution for all!

 

Please don’t leave it till the last minute – Get in touch as soon as possible by clicking HERE.

This is a guest blog written by Switch4Profit.

Boris Johnson shelves covid passports for pubs and restaurants (s.Propel)

The Daily Mail has claimed Boris Johnson has shelved plans to introduce covid passports in pubs and restaurants this summer. The newspaper reported: “The Prime Minister has shifted the focus of the controversial scheme away from the hospitality sector, government sources have said. Officials have been ordered to concentrate instead on devising a system that will enable foreign travel and the reopening of sectors like theatres, sports venues and nightclubs.

The PM floated the idea of extending a new ‘covid certification scheme’ to the hospitality sector last month, saying it ‘should not be totally alien to us’. And officials suggested that venues deploying the policy could be allowed to relax social distancing rules in return. But with political opposition mounting and the virus in retreat, Mr Johnson is understood to be turning against the idea. One government source said: ‘I would be amazed if we introduce covid certification for hospitality this summer. The focus is more on big events and reopening sectors that we struggled to open last year.’

The Prime Minister hinted at the shift in thinking last week, saying: ‘What we are looking at – what I think any responsible government would look at – is how we use people’s covid status to open up those things that are very tough and did prove very tough to open last year.’ However, sources acknowledged that any scheme could be extended to the hospitality sector if there is a surge in cases later this year.

Leading sports bodies – including the Football Association, the Premier League, the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Lawn Tennis Association – have urged ministers to investigate a covid certification scheme if it is the only way to get venues full this summer. Any scheme would also allow people to show they have had covid in the previous six months or that they have had a recent negative test, instead of producing their vaccination status. It comes as ministers have faced renewed calls to ditch all social distancing rules in June.

In an open letter yesterday, a string of prominent scientists said the government should focus on the vaccine success and lift the restrictions. Signatories include Professor Robert Dingwall, who sits on a sub-committee of the government’s Sage group, and Professor Carl Heneghan, director of Oxford University’s Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. But one government adviser disagreed with their calls to lift the rules. Professor Stephen Reicher, of the University of St Andrews, warned: ‘The government delayed taking action in the autumn. Infections soared and we had to impose harsher restrictions for longer. Don’t let these siren voices lead us back into lockdown again.’ ”

This is a guest blog written by Switch4Profit.

It has now been  3 months since the Supreme Court handed down its judgment. A recent publication by the FCA on data collected by it from insurers affected by the Test Case, on 13 April 2021, shows that only 38% of policyholders who had claims accepted have received at least an interim payment.

A table published by the FCA (You can download a copy here > FCA DATA) shows that 1 in 3 claims made is still yet to be accepted by the relevant insurer, although this varies greatly amongst individual insurers.

The picture that is emerging is that even for straightforward claims, insurers still appear to be delaying either accepting liability or making payment.

That pattern is even clearer for claims that are not straightforward, especially those where the policyholder has to prove the presence of COVID-19 on their premises.

Cerulean is now in the process of putting together claims against the insurers listed below, and if you have encountered difficulties with them or would like to join these actions, please click HERE.

 

List of Policies: 

Accelerant

Aqueous/ QIC, QIC Europe/HIUA/Aston Lark

Brit

DOA/ China Taiping

HIUA Public House

New India

Axis/CMU

Eaton Gate

 

This is a guest blog written by Cerulean Law.

 

A well needed helping hand for pubs.

The BarCode & Switch4Profit have formed an exciting new partnership to help pubs both grow sales and reduce costs post lockdown.

Despite both companies being relatively young, their founders have years of experience in the hospitality sector across both the operations and marketing functions. Their aims are aligned – to help pubs and restaurants grow their business whilst reducing costs, improving operations and ultimately increasing profit. After all – that’s what we all want right!?

The BarCode’s app has been specifically designed to promote venues to a new and wider audience.

 

• Your future customers download the app to find venues near them
• They can order and pay at the table
• They can even make bookings, split the bill and click & collect

Not only will the app grow your customer base, but there are both EPOS integrated or web-based options. The best part is that there are no setup costs, monthly charges, service fees or commissions.

Co-Founder Ben Milnes states “We are first and foremost footfall drivers and by bringing together fantastic independent venues under one banner, we are creating a marketplace to rival any large group. We give our venues fantastic tools to increase visibility, drive footfall and keep the independent scene thriving. There is also an option to use our app as your ‘Order & Pay at Table’ solution”. Their popularity speaks for itself with almost 100 outlets using the app since their launch in 2019.

Where the proposition gets even better is that Switch4Profit will also offer a free review of your existing EPOS, credit card terminal and order/pay at table providers.  S4P was formed by Paul Marsh and to date has over 200 clients (including multiples) operating over 400 outlets, the majority of which are in hospitality, and has introduced savings for them in excess of £1.25m per annum on merchant services alone.

Switch4Profit will:

• Buy you out of your current merchant services contracts
• Introduce significant savings
• Provide the latest technology in the sector
• Integrate with The BarCode app and most EPOS systems (if required)
• All on a monthly rolling agreement with no long term contract

With average savings of up to 42% for merchant services this means that the partnership with The BarCode will you not only increase your footfall but reduce your overheads.

On working with The BarCode Paul says “The suppliers we work with are the leaders and disruptors in their field. Those that provide a combination of the best service and price. They value what we do and they are part of our team. We have sourced the very best, vetted them and feel confident that all the fat has been stripped out”.

Paul Pavli Consultancy who brought the two companies together simply states that “The partnership makes sense and if an operator can see the benefit of this free review and service then the savings the partnership can introduce more than funds the cost of any promotional discounts that they be willing to advertise through the app.”

Get in touch for a free assessment of how The BarCode app and services can help drive new customers to your pub, and how Switch4Profit can drive down your EPOS, credit card terminal and order/pay at table costs whilst improving your customer service and day to day operations.

Click HERE to get in contact today.

 

 

Hop House 13 – A bitter end?

Or a great opportunity to put something new and interesting on the Bar?

Here’s our thoughts as a starter for 10.

Camden Pale

Shed Head

Camden Hells

Hackney Hopster

Brooklyn

Ranging from £67 – £75 for a 30lt and all achieving better RSP’s than the outgoing brand.

If you would like to know more, then please click HERE.