Cutting edge retail technology is being used at RAF bases across the country after MCR Systems was appointed by facilities services giant ISS to provide EPOS software and equipment.
ISS won the £40 million pound contract to run all the RAF's catering, leisure and retail outlets and having partnered with MCR embarked on a complete overhaul of the organisation's soft services.
Some 200 Sympos tills and training for 1800 till operators was deployed by MCR at 24 locations across the Defence estate from North Scotland to Cornwall leading to increased efficiency, reporting ability and ultimately cost savings for the service.
Using its Symphony Enterprise technology, MCR also created interfaces with other existing systems within ISS to ensure the data gathered was best used. After some significant planning and preparation the entire project went live at all locations in just one day.
MCR is now implementing innovative 'Pay As You Dine' and loyalty card programmes to over 40,000 RAF personnel, dependants and civilian contractors. The Symphony Loyalty package integrates with the new EPOS system and uses a contactless card or a smart phone app. Users can also earn digital vouchers and redeem them using their smart phone.
Matthew Gatter, Sales Director at MCR Systems said, "We are thrilled to be working with ISS and the RAF on this prestigious contract. Symphony is a state of the art product with proven success already within the ISS estate and it is fitting that it has now been selected for such a respected, modern and dynamic organisation as the Royal Air Force.
"The system we have designed rewards customers for their loyalty and at the same time allows ISS to interact more with their customers, understanding their spending habits and improving customer retention."
Dave Bray, Head of Information Systems at ISS added, "Having worked with MCR for more than five years on other projects we had no doubt that this strategic partnership would be a success. It was absolutely critical that all elements of the project were deployed to plan and on time. The RAF is now benefiting from a better and affordable service."
Symphony provides a web based suite of software for managing data and provides real-time sales reporting across the estate, with a digital dashboard configurable against different users to measure KPIs allowing organisations to make better decisions, implement tighter controls and ease administrative tasks.
Based in Leicester, MCR Systems offers fully integrated EPOS solutions for the hospitality, catering and retail sectors, covering point of sale and back office management software.
photo © Crown images