Since installing the EDGEPoS software system at its head office and three stores, award-winning forecourt operator Tout’s says it is saving tens of man hours each month with a more efficient process for adding products and offers into its business.
This is just one of the benefits that the Somerset-based family business has seen since investing with Henderson Technology with a back office system, which integrates with its existing SoluM electronic shelf edge labels, and new tills.
Its flagship Cleeve site has moved more towards self-checkouts (SCOs) with three unmanned and three manned cashpoints, instead of four manned and three SCOs before. At another of its locations, Langford, Henderson Technology introduced three manned and five SCOs, instead of six before. And in Nailsea all of the four tills remain manned.
Since upgrading in March – with head office first then each of the stores staggered over three weeks – Tout’s chief operating officer Rob Tanner says many benefits became apparent.
“As we became more familiar with the system, several advantages became clear – such as the ability to run multiple offers on the same product, live updates on prices pushed [to the tills and electronic shelf edge labels] every 15 minutes, extended helpdesk opening hours, and a much simpler and more efficient product and offer setup process which is saving us around two days every three weeks,” he says.
Tanner says that the stores which have SCOs see just over 20% of transactions now go through these till points rather than manned cash desks.
“A wide range of demographics use the self-checkouts. Some customers simply want to get in and out quickly. Commuters in particular tend to favour them,” he says.
“There’s no single type of customer; self-checkouts appeal to anyone looking for speed and convenience. We always have a dedicated customer expert watching our SCOs so that they can add fuel on to transactions for customers, approve age-restricted items and help them with any queries.”
