Barbary
- Industry
- Hospitality
Dojo features
Simplifying payments and building customer trust
Some great business decisions are the result of thorough research, strategic thinking and no small amount of investment. Others are just about being in the right place at the right time.
For Ben Adey, owner of Barbary’s, a popular bar on the River Calder in the centre of Mytholmroyd in West Yorkshire, it was a quick catch-up with an old friend that led to his eureka moment. “I was in a pub in Hebden Bridge (just a stone’s throw from Barbary’s), and I know the manager well. I could see how quickly his Dojo machines were compared to our payment machines. They were portable, wireless and so fast.
I was so impressed by the speed and efficiency, and it also struck me that there wasn’t an abundance of paper being spat out of it. I compared it to what we had at Barbary’s, and some of our pain points, and it just made complete sense to deploy Dojo.”
Decision made, Adey took the plunge, introducing Dojo to Barbary’s in the summer of 2020. Social distancing was in place at the time, but Barbary’s sizeable outside seating area, combined with Dojo’s wireless connectivity capabilities, meant the business could keep trading during the pandemic.
Since then, the business has gone from strength to strength. And the Dojo deployment has proven itself time and time again.
Saving money, time...
When Adey first witnessed Dojo in action, he immediately saw how it could deliver a faster service – a win-win for customers and bar staff. But since introducing Dojo, it has delivered in several other ways.
The cashing-up process at the end of the night is a prime example. Previously, it involved taking receipts from Barbary’s three tills and matching them against transactions showing on the previous payment software.
“That would take 15-20 minutes every night, and if there were a discrepancy, we’d be filing through mountains of receipts to find the error. That could take another half an hour. With Dojo, that process has been completely simplified; we can instantly see if the amount on the machines matches the till.”
Adey estimates that simple change saves the business 20 minutes of staff time daily, equating to eight hours a month.
“And it’s not just time; it’s saving money as well because before, when one of my team would be cashing up, they’d understandably want to do a thorough job, so that’s probably another hour’s wage at £13. We’re open six days a week, so over a month, that’s more than £300 just in wages, potentially more if another staff member has to help them or wait for them to lock up.”
Conservatively, the simplicity and speed Dojo has delivered to Barbary’s cashing-up process are saving the business £3,750 a year in wages alone.
...And paper (& more money!)
Adey mentions the issue of reams of paper receipts many times. He feels that, in an increasingly digital world, paper feels like a throwback – an inefficient analogue solution that represents potential accounting errors, not to mention significant costs.
“Anybody who’s worked in a bar knows the pain of dropping a huge pile of PDQ receipts and how long it takes to pick them up. So anything that eradicates that is a positive for me and my team,” he says.
“And it always struck me how wasteful printing receipts for every transaction is. We went through five or six rolls a week for each machine. Moving to Dojo saves us around £500 a year simply from not having to buy the paper for receipts, which can cause us a headache and 99% of customers don’t even want.”
Improved customer service & trust
As well as delivering demonstrable benefits – pounds, pence and hours all banked – Dojo has removed any friction in the customer experience, says Adey.
“When I think back to our previous system, Dojo has introduced a higher level of clarity. Many other machines on the market are unclear for customers; it’s not obvious what the total is, and it might be unclear where to tap your card or phone.
With Dojo, the fact it’s wireless, it’s white, and the display is so prominent, you’re taking any potential confusion out of the process. And they’re not waiting around for you to rip off a receipt, either. It’s so much better and so much faster.”
On the rare occasion a mistake is made, the ease of use Dojo offers makes the process simple, whereas Adey and his team previously had to spend valuable time sifting through receipts, often with the bar five-deep with thirsty customers.
“When the bar’s packed, you don’t have time for that. With Dojo, it’s as simple as pressing a button on the machine, and you can find the transaction in seconds. It speeds every aspect of transactions up.”
