Hospitality IT Support Case Study: Covino, Chester
About Covino, Chester
Think Cirrus became acquainted with Covino shortly after it opened in Rufus Court, Chester in late 2017.
The vibrant and cosy wine bar and restaurant, which has come to establish quite a reputation for itself as a hidden gem within Chester was experiencing Wi-Fi problems. This was a major problem for a business which relied on Wi-Fi for till functionality, card payment processing, music for the venue and much more.
Upon discussing the problems with Chris Laidler, the business owner, we were clear about his requirements and confident that we could provide the solution to his current problem as well as offering him further support from an IT perspective.
The priority was to address the immediate issue of the Wi-Fi not working correctly. We quickly identified that the current system comprised home quality equipment being utilised in a business environment – a common mistake.
The system couldn’t cope with the pressure that it was being put under causing music to stop playing, tills not functioning correctly and card terminals failing to process payments. This impacted the customer experience and eroded confidence.
We installed a basic system to alleviate the connectivity problems and create a stable platform to support the requirements of the business. With the basics in place Chris was very satisfied – the technology was now supporting his business in the way that it needed to, enabling him to focus on running the wine bar.
A few months after the original install we had a further discussion with Chris about expanding the provision to enable him to provide Guest Wi-Fi and as a result make use of a key marketing tool. Chris was keen on the idea and we progressed. The additional traffic that would result from opening up the Wi-Fi to guests meant that we needed to upgrade the system and ensure that security was maintained. With our flexible approach this was no problem and the updated system was quickly integrated, ensuring that the Guest Wi-Fi remained secure and separate from the back office and POS systems.
Owner – Covino
“Besides their clearly broad and deep technological knowledge and capabilities, what I like best about working with Anito and his colleagues at Think Cirrus is their attentiveness to me and my small business and their ‘can-do’ approach to problem-solving and realising ideas. Simply put, they take care of all my IT needs, leaving me to spend my time doing what I really want to do – serving great wine and food to lovely customers.”
2 years on, Covino had outgrown its first home in Rufus Court and it was time for a move to larger premises in Northgate Street, a stone’s throw away. The new, larger premises meant that the technical side of the business’s infrastructure and networks needed careful consideration and upgrades in some areas to ensure the same stable platform that we had originally created in Rufus Court. There were numerous considerations to be taken into account.
Stable Wi-Fi
The new venue spanned 2 floors and provided double the capacity that they had enjoyed to date. – Whilst this was excellent from a space creation perspective, it would require a Wi-Fi upgrade to ensure the signal could reach all parts of the premises and not lose strength.
Secure POS System
With the creation of a new kitchen area it was the perfect opportunity for Chris to expand his offering. However, this had implications for the POS and till system. We worked alongside Dan Lay at POSLogix to ensure that the perfect solution was implemented. The POSLogix cloud EPOS system was an ideal fit for Covino. It has an easy to use touch-screen, kitchen cheque printing and can be completely managed through the cloud back-office. Chris was able to switch over to the new system with ease, he simply signed in with his laptop and set up the menus in the weeks prior to opening. The system is also future-proof and has many features that Chris is yet to explore, he can do so as his business grows.
Furthermore, as their hosting provider we routinely take care of the PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliance for the venue, ensuring complete security for storing, processing and transmitting cardholders’ data.
Venue Security
We provided a full CCTV installation, not only to satisfy licensing requirements, but also to provide Chris with security and peace of mind. Thanks to the full integration with the other systems we put in place he can access the CCTV system securely when he is away from the premises and receive notifications of out-of-hours activity.
Director – POS Logix Ltd
It has been a great pleasure working with the team at Think Cirrus. They provide Covino with all of the right I.T. ingredients to make everything work perfectly. Installing up our EPOS system was painless; Think Cirrus had taken care of the entire I.T. infrastructure. I will be recommending them to others and look forward to working with Anito & the team on future projects. Dan Lay, Director, POS Logix Ltd
Covino is an excellent example of how Think Cirrus works with our clients in providing IT support as their businesses evolve. We are there every step of the way, providing ongoing monitoring and systems updates so that we can see the needs of the business as it develops, putting us in the perfect position to provide our clients with pre-emptive and opportunity-generating suggestions to assist their business as it grows. The knowledge that we had from working with Covino on an ongoing basis made it simple for us to anticipate and advise upon the IT system requirements it would require within its new home on Northgate Street.