Servex

Knowing the company
Servex - a subsidiary of Dutch rail management organisation, NS Stations - manages 325 refreshments outlets across 130 stations. It operates 22 different formulae, ranging from vending machines and the self-service kiosk, to the full-service restaurant, and various snack, fast-food and drinks providers between. With 4,500 staff, Servex is one of the largest catering employers in The Netherlands.

While Servex outlets benefit from exposure to 255,000 passing passengers daily, those prospective customers are governed by the rail timetable. This gives Servex just seconds to excite and engage them; little more to provide a compelling experience that ensures that a higher percentage of customers visit more often, and that they spend more each time they visit.

Defining the strategy
Strategically, executives need data that will effectively inform plans to convert one-off purchasers into profitable, life-long customers, and help them keep existing customers sufficiently engaged and satisfied to return.

Operationally, Servex needs a fully-integrated, centralised solution to drive delivery of consistently high service standards across its disparate outlets.

To increase its customer throughput and value per-transaction, Servex targets selling four coffees per minute and optimising up-selling opportunities (such as cake with coffee). This demands a swift POS process that minimises queues and supports customers-on-the-run.

Finally, because many store staff are part-time and short-term, the POS terminals must be easy-to-use, requiring minimum training.

Choosing the solution
To support these requirements, Servex installed Torex OSCAR-POS with electronic funds transfer (EFT) capability.

Centralised Control
Because Torex OSCAR-POS allows easy data flow between the POS, back office and headquarters, it has given executives access to real-time, strategic, actionable performance data. This has improved their ability to centrally control Servex's multi-faceted business, and consequently set and standardise a high level of service which has increased customer capture and return rates.

It also helps Servex understand market trends and develop effective plans to capitalise on them. This led to it introducing popular Burger King outlets and moving into motorway services.

Greater Responsiveness at Point of Service
Simultaneously, Torex OSCAR-POS provides store managers greater visibility of sales and stock, down to recipe level, allowing them to control orders locally. This generated greater responsiveness and accountability.

Easy to Use
The Torex touch-screens have also improved customers' experiences. Easy-to-follow menus guide cashiers simply and quickly through the sales process. Consequently, Servex has reduced queuing times and increased transaction rates.

Further, Jan Willem Gefken, IT manager, Servex, says, "We can train new staff on Torex in minutes. So, despite having a fluid workforce, we can sustain the high level and speed of service that customers rely on."

Making Payment Easy
The Torex OSCAR-POS EFT capability delivered a huge return on investment by supporting cashpoor customers.

Gefken explains, "Many customers dash into stations with little money in their pockets and no time to visit a bank before their train arrives. As a cash-only operation Servex could only serve them to the extent of their spare change.

"Within three months of installing the Torex EFT capability, Servex's average transaction increased around 12 percent."

Achieving return on investment
Gefken comments, "Since installing Torex OSCARPOS, we plan and manage inventory better; we've cut queues and made it easier for time-starved customers to do business with us; we've generally lifted our game and deliver consistently high standards that customers appreciate and trust. We also effectively monitor market trends which keeps our offering fresh. Consequently, our capture rate and spend per-customer are both up - the best result in the company's history."

He adds, "About 12 percent of our transactions are now electronic, and we haven't even started promoting this capability yet. Based on these initial results, it will be exciting when we do!"