Hospitality • Nova Epos | EPOS Solutions & SaaS Workflow Management

Improve your business response times with Real-Link

novaepos — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 09:50:00 +0000

Improve business response times using a simple solution

How do you deal with issues?

Many businesses base their reputations on their ability to deal with issues when they arise, in a quick and efficient manner. If a member of your team discovered an issue and needed to report it quickly, would you have an easy way to deal with is? Here is how you can improve your businesses response times with Real-Link. By using the app, your employees can now complete a report which is instantly sent to the relevant person or department. No more ringing around departments, wasting time hanging on the end of a phone. No more scrolling through data to see what the report was about, or worse still, not dealing with the issue until a later time/date.

The perfect solution

Using the standard Real-Link mobile app, employees can fill in easy to use reports on the phone to record an incident, maintenance issue, staff no-show or anything else where you would need instant notification. This is sent immediately to the correct department or person based on who filled the report in, the location and which report it was. Within seconds of the report being completed, the relevant person/department is notified and action can then be taken to rectify the situation.

Reports are very simple and easy to use. This ensures that the reporting member of staff does not spend too long completing it. If more information is required, forms can be developed further. Real-Link can be fully customised to your requirements.

Full review of your staff operations

In addition to the instant alarms, Real-Link can also be set to email reports to key members of staff (or customers) on a daily or weekly basis, enabling you to see what has (or hasn’t) been done by who, when and where.

Real-Link can help streamline your business communications fast and in a way that does not take up too much of your employees’ time. Many businesses have already saved time and money replacing more traditional methods with Real-Link’s quick and easy to use instant notifications.

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The post Improve your business response times with Real-Link first appeared on Nova Epos | EPOS Solutions & SaaS Workflow Management.

Are you still paying or going to pay too much?

novaepos — Thu, 13 Jan 2022 09:50:58 +0000

Pre-Covid, businesses were quite happy to take advantage of tax breaks, low cost of borrowing and enter long-term, typically, 4-year lease-finance purchase for new Epos systems or rental agreements for Merchant terminals.

Post-Covid, not so, whilst there are still alternatives to cash, some businesses have been lured to the prospect of free or very low-cost Epos systems and or Merchant terminals, with very low-monthly costs and almost no fixed contract period either, BUT and it is a biggie, much higher card rates and transactions fees, which add up quickly, whilst on the face of it still appearing low, until you check your statement.

With more contactless transactions taking place now, and with a greater spend, these costs will rise very quickly!

Pre-pandemic contactless in the UK, accounted for 40% of all card transactions, according to Barclaycard, last year these rocketed to almost 90%, with the single transaction limit at £100 now up from £30.

A quick example, take a good debit card rate of 0.35% per transaction and one of the higher charge zero contract options at 1.75%, still quite low compared to other business charges … you would think?

Now apply £70,000 of monthly card purchases in a business, one cost is £245 in charges, and you can add a tenth in per terminal fees, the other is £1,225 not such a good deal, is it?!

So, what are the other alternatives?

Especially, as life post lockdowns is not going to be a mad rush, may be a little hit and miss for a while and will take time to re-establish itself to 2018 levels.

For Epos, don’t use a free one tied to a card provider , unless you can use a mini-pos with one of the new Android 4G Wi-Fi combined tablet / card terminal devices like the PAX A920, also check on any additional data costs as with some providers it is free, others £5 per month and other purely bandwidth at ridiculous prices, as well as all card rates and extra charges.

Alternatively, take advantage of a lease purchase package, with the additional tax relief that is available including the 130% tax relief for a Capital investment into your business, however, reduce the interest if you can and choose a shorter repayment period.

Choose the equivalent of a Saas (Software as a service) solution, effectively a long-term owned part-rental option, a monthly fixed-cost, typically used by Cloud-based epos providers, many will charge an initial upfront cost for hardware, set-up, configuration and even installation, but it is far lower than if purchasing in full at the outset, followed by a fixed-monthly payment for the balance of the initial costs, support, cloud-hosting etc.

Or find an Epos dealer and Merchant Services provider who have the right balanced solution for you, that is affordable now and, in the future, when things are back to normal, or as normal as it will ever get.

Unless, your business is very small or mostly cash transactions, always opt for a Merchant Provider contract as likely to pay less in fees, typically less than £2,500 to £3,000 per month or double or treble that, if taking into account a free Epos too, if it is up to the task and has all the features and functionality you need as well as the benefit of not being tied into a long-term agreement and potential cancellation fees.

Call 01243 855700 to speak to our EPoS specialists.

The post Are you still paying or going to pay too much? first appeared on Nova Epos | EPOS Solutions & SaaS Workflow Management.

Improve hotel efficiencies with Real-Link hospitality management software

novaepos — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:27:52 +0000

Paper-based reports are a thing of the past...

If you are looking for ways to automate processes in your hotel and remove intensive paper-based checks then our hospitality management software can help you.

You can receive instant notifications to reception and other departments to speed up and improve the service.

About Real-Link hospitality management software

Real-Link is an application that runs on a mobile device and uses the mobile phone network or Wi-Fi to send data instantly to the relevant people.

Whether it be room cleaning inspections, security patrols, noise monitoring, toilet checks, fire inspections, or mini bar checks, Real-Link can help transfer location-based information in real-time.

You can view what minibar items have been consumed, that a room is ready for the next guests, or that there is a maintenance issue. This is achieved through real-time notifications as data is reported by your staff.

Instant notifications mean that things can be actioned as soon as they are reported.

You can forget about waiting for paper-based reports to turn up or relying on phone calls (and the subsequent jotting down on paper). Our cloud-based system stores all the data in one place. This means that you can refer back to it at any time without the need to search through an antiquated filing system.

Follow Real-Link on LinkedIn to keep up with updates :

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VAT RATES TO CHANGE AGAIN AND AGAIN

novaepos — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 10:35:00 +0000

EIGHT MORE MONTHS BEFORE RETURN TO NORMAL – TIME TO PAY IT FORWARD

July 2020 saw the almost unprecedented situation of VAT rates being slashed to 5% within the hospitality and leisure sectors. This move by the Chancellor, was initially set to run until mid-January, however, was extended to the end of March, mainly due to continued lockdowns, and once again until the end of September 2021.

With an interim bump in rates returning to 12.5% in October until the end of March 2022 and then back to the pre-Covid rates of 20%.

VAT is the third-largest generator of revenue for the Government, so on the face of it a huge deduction, the only comparable one, almost fifty years ago in the financial crises of the mid 1970s, but in actuality, with the number of businesses closed or partially operating the effective loss to HMRC is not that big, (if an estimated £3bn) is not that big, compared to the other Covid related expenditure and support measures?

For many hospitality businesses, they decided not to pass on the reduction to their customers and instead retain the additional bonus revenue, however, we are aware of some Council operated concessions, chose to pass on the reduction as a saving to their customers and it was widely reported that leading hospitality chains and Quick Service Restaurants did the same.

Due to demand, many holiday accommodation operators have also decided to hold on to this windfall, through their pitch fees for caravans and tents, even though they have not been as badly affected as hotels and attractions, let alone the majority of late-night businesses that have been closed since last March.

So, as we move into the autumn and winter months, will more businesses retain the additional margin or choose to reward their customer base?

The Chancellor’s original stated aim was to protect jobs and stimulate the beleaguered hospitality and leisure sectors, by allowing businesses to offer discounts to customers, but further Covid restrictions and lockdowns, prevented that happening, hence the extensions.

Is it time to pay this forward as intended, especially, as there will many no longer receiving furlough payments?

What was on the face of it a very good intention and stimulus, really hasn’t proven to be effective at all.

For the businesses receiving this benefit there are two rate changes between now and April 2022, is this something that takes you hours to do or does your EPOS system supplier do this for you automatically or a chargeable event?

Have the discounted rates been of benefit to your business and have you passed on any savings to your customers?

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Check if employees are on-site and the hours they have worked

novaepos — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 10:44:56 +0000

Why is it important to monitor employees?

To monitor employees is a key aspect for their own safety and productivity. Do you also keep track of employees who work in fixed or temporary locations? Are you still stuck using timesheets wasting time typing them up and analysing?

By using Real-Link you can monitor your employees’ attendance and location remotely.

Monitor employees using an easy-to-use software solution

You can now be sure that all employees are at their specific locations. Real-Link also helps to ensure their safety by having a full record of who is on-site at what time. Timesheets would be a thing of the past as all data would be captured automatically and you can download or integrate it with your payroll systems.

How does the system work?

ID cards that are issued to employees and they simply need to swipe them across a mobile phone. The cards record employee’s name, the date and time. Additionally, the location is automatically recorded. This information is sent to the Real-Link backend portal instantly. You can then log in, see and download the reports.

About Real-Link custom solution for emplopyee monitoring

Real-Link is a completely portable time and attendance system that can be moved from site to site for temporary jobs or left in one fixed place if required. Being so flexible also means that Real-Link is much more cost-effective than other time and attendance systems that need to be on a network and mounted to a wall.

If you need to keep track of employees, check shift patterns or satisfy health & safety requirements, then the Real-Link time and attendance system is for you.

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Use Real-Link to help ensure that location-specific checks are performed correctly

Brian Pellett — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 12:32:00 +0000

As many of our customers will already be aware, Real-Link is an excellent tool for providing proof of attendance which also helps to ensure that location-specific checks are performed. Whether you need to see that security guards are performing their patrols when they should be or that cleaners are checking toilets every hour, Real-Link does this effortlessly. In addition to proof of attendance, Real-Link can also be used for data capture such as filling in forms and sending instructions and this can be specific for each location if required.

The majority of our customers use Real-Link with RFID tags that need to be scanned (although it can be used with barcodes or GPS). Once a tag is scanned a menu of options appears on the phone. In a lot of cases, this menu is the same for each location. However, the Real-Link system is easily customisable and different options can appear on the phone for different locations, different types of location and for different people.

If you have different checks that need to be done on each site, this can be programmed into the app. If you need certain checks to be made in outdoors areas but different checks in toilets, this can also be done. If you want the majority of your employees to see one list of options when a tag is scanned, but the supervisors to see another, this can be done. In fact, Real-Link is completely customisable.

We can take any paper forms you currently have and incorporate them into the system ensuring that your users are prompted to do certain tasks if required. This not only helps to ensure that the right task is done at the right locations, but it also means that all reports are automatically in the system and can be emailed automatically if required.

Real-Link is an easy to use, cost-effective, mobile phone-based proof of attendance and data capture system.

To find out how it can help your business please contact Nova Epos on 01243 855700 or info@novaepos.com

Click below for a free quote:

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Facilities Management companies provide proof of service with Real-Link

novaepos — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 09:42:06 +0000

Proof of service for the security industry

Real-Link started by helping security companies prove that their guards had performed the patrols on time. As well as using it for proof of service, many of these security companies went on to use Real-Link for additional purposes such as lone worker protection and incident reporting.

As more and more functionality became available within the Real-Link system it became clear that it would be beneficial in a number of other industries.

How can FM companies provide proof of service?

All employees using the Real-Link app can report a maintenance issue. This will be sent automatically via email to the relevant department to ensure that it is dealt with quickly,resulting that the FM company is providing the best possible service.

All staff members, no matter what role, can use Real-Link to replace paper-based forms. All data is uploaded instantly with no need to type it up or store it. Real-Link can streamline your whole FM business ensuring that you are providing proof of the best possible service to your clients, whilst helping to keep your employees safe.

Real-Link is an easy to use, cost-effective, mobile phone-based proof of attendance and data capture system.

To find out how it can help your business please contact Nova Epos on 01243 855700 or email info@novaepos.com

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Many of Nova Epos’s security clients are involved in Facilities Management. In addition to security, this can include cleaning, landscaping, maintenance and car park management.

Real-Link lends itself to all of these areas of work. If a FM company needs to prove to their client when an area was cleaned, when the flowers were planted or when the car park was checked, they can use Real-Link. The FM company’s client can even be emailed automatic reports to show this information through text reports and images.

If you would like any further information or would like a free trial of Real-Link, please call us on

01243 855700 or email info@novaepos.com

Click here to read more about Real-Link for pubs and nightclubs.

The post Pubs and clubs choose Real-Link to help reduce liability first appeared on Nova Epos | EPOS Solutions & SaaS Workflow Management.

Not just a basic patrol system …

Brian Pellett — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 10:33:00 +0000

Overview of our Real-Link patrol system

You may have already heard about Real-Link, or you may already use it, but are you aware of the other things it can do to help your business be more efficient?

Read on to find out about the features of our security patrol system that can help you streamline your business operations.

Patrol System with Rounds features

Do you need to easily monitor your security patrols ? It might be difficult to scroll through lines of data to check this with your current system set up. If this is you, then you need our rounds functionality.

By using the rounds features you can specify which locations your guards must visit and how often. We group these locations into timed ‘patrols’. Colour coded reports enable you to easily see which rounds have been completed, finished incomplete or not started. Furthermore, a Round Exceptions report highlights any locations that are consistently missed.

Proof of service using automated reports

In addition, if you need to provide proof to your client of patrols being completed, the Round Report is the quickest and simplest way of doing this. We can even set up automated email reports that are deliverd directly to your client’s inbox on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule.

Incident Reporting (including alarm response forms)

Moreover, we customise the Real-Link system depending on your business requirements. This includes replacing any paper forms that you’re using. Examples of forms that we’ve digitise include:

incident reports
alarm responses
maintenance checks
site visit audits
SIA uniform checks
vehicle mileage records
property inspections

Forms can be designed to your requirements including using drop down lists, tick boxes, taking photos and video, signatures, and more.

These reports can be instantly emailed to management.

Contact us

To find out more about Real-Link or to arrange a demo please contact us now on info@novaepos.com or call 01243 855700.

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Card reader mounting solutions

Brian Pellett — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 11:32:32 +0000

Nova Epos are happy to announce a successful partnership with Ergonomic Solutions. Nova Epos are now able to supply card reader mounting solutions for wide ranges of EPOS & MPOS Hardware.

Ergonomic Solutions products are designed to allow movement and flexibility with rotation, tilting, elbow arm and height adjustable capabilities. These solutions will enable staff to create an ergonomic work space which optimizes accessibility, usability, safety and comfort for their staff and most importantly, their customers.

Card Payment mounting solutions are also available for iZettle, PayPal Here, Payleven, Ingenico and VeriFone. These solutions will ensure that high levels of security are maintained at all times.

All of the products can be found here.

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