Mio Mondo
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Dojo features
Dojo – increasing revenues & improving customer service
Bonnie and Ian are popular business owners in the tourist hot spot of Windermere, which is surrounded by mountain peaks and lakes in Cumbria’s Lake District. They run two businesses in Windermere – popular cafe bistro Mio Mondo and nine-bedroom guesthouse Holly Lodge.
Last year they decided to look for a new payment solution suitable for the cafe and guesthouse that would improve the experience for customers and staff. They chose Dojo. “It’s one of the best decisions we’ve made over the last 12 months,” says Bonnie.
Bill splitting – solving a “royal pain”
“It’s just worked so well for us,” says Bonnie. “The staff at Mio Mondo love using it, it improves our customer service, and we know that if we have an issue, we can pick the phone up and speak to Dojo within a matter of seconds.”
Mio Mondo’s old machines were also unable to split bills. “It was a royal pain because customers would have to queue at the till, which really clogged up the area. Not only that, but the barista is in charge of the till, so while they’re having to split bills, it meant drinks weren’t going out to customers,” says Bonnie.
With Dojo, bills can be settled at the table, with splitting and tips available at the touch of a button.
Adding £320 a day in revenues in spring and summer
Bringing in Dojo has allowed staff to take payments far more quickly at Mio Mondo. Under the old payments system, settling bills could often take some time, with the machines taking more than a minute to connect, and more time taken for payments to be confirmed and receipts printed off. Those payments now take a matter of seconds.
“It’s definitely helped us turn tables over more quickly, which is massively important when we’re busy. We often have people queuing to eat at Mio Mondo, so the faster we can free up tables, the better,” says Bonnie.
“On average, we think we’re able to seat eight more tables a day when we’re really busy during the peak season, and our average bill for a table is £40.”
Bonnie also estimates that the speed, simplicity and reliability of Dojo card payments save her somewhere in the region of 45 minutes a day. “As a business owner, I want to ensure I use every second available. Dojo has given me back several hours a week, and it’s also taken a lot of stress out of the job because it works exactly as we want it to.”
£3,000 saved in booking fees
Many of the bookings made for our guesthouse, Holly Lodge, come from Booking.com, which takes an 18% commission. The couple's previous payments provider charged another 2% on top, meaning 20% of revenues from all bookings were going to third parties. One of the attractions of Dojo was its competitive fees, which resulted in more money being kept by the business.
"We worked out that with Dojo's much lower fees, we've been able to keep an extra £3,000 in revenues annually – rather than it going to a payment provider. That's a lot of money."
“Streets ahead of anything else on the market”
One of the most popular benefits of Dojo is receiving your money the next day, compared with many providers who hold on to funds for several days.
“We sometimes had to wait five days to receive our money, and it could feel like your money was being withheld from you. We are very conscious of cash flow, but for a business that isn’t quite as focused or is going through a difficult time, not getting your money for five days could be a real problem,” says Bonnie.
“Many big businesses take the Mickey a little bit when it comes to money. But I’ve always felt like I can trust Dojo - they’re not going to hold my money or invest it. It takes a small percentage and gives it straight to me.”
Bonnie says the combination of customer service from Dojo and the product itself has created a truly winning formula. “Our experience with Dojo has been nothing but positive - their people are personable and there when we need them. And the product itself is absolutely streets ahead of anything else on the market.”