Welcome Break takes the delay out of payments for customers on the go

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Welcome Break takes the delay out of payments for customers on the go.

Welcome Break, the UK motorway service operator, has revolutionised its entire in-store payments operations by implementing a bespoke Unified Payment Service from Vodat International. The award winning system has radically improved speed of service to customers and streamlined the day-to-day management of transactions.

Having now been rolled out to all of Welcome Break's 29 sites, the new system has seen transaction speed increase considerably thanks to the architecture of the Vodat solution and integration to the point-of-sale. This has subsequently meant that customer time spent queuing has been significantly reduced, resulting in more customers being served throughout the day. The integrated solution means that all transactions are settled accurately within the system, resulting in hours of time saved automating what used to be a manual process.

David Willock, IT Director, Welcome Break, said, "We felt comfortable with the Vodat team and their level of knowledge and expertise to securely manage our high volume of payment transactions. The fact that the solution supports PCI compliance was of the utmost importance. Customer card data is not held in the EPoS system, therefore costly EPoS development was avoided. Instead, card data is stored in one secure location, fully meeting the requirements of PCI compliance."

He continued, "For me, the Unified Payment Service delivered in partnership, is the IT driver that has enabled us to significantly improve our speed of service and back office reconciliation."

Welcome Break selected the Unified Payment Service from Vodat International under the condition that it would be developed into a bespoke system to fit their specific business needs. The new solution was developed jointly by Welcome Break and Vodat and took over two years of development, testing and trialling.

Following stringent testing, the new solution has been rolled out to all Welcome Break's sites. Each site was on a six week timeline with regard to the implementation because of the advanced technology updates that were made in terms of software, hardware, networking and communications.

Paul Leybourne, Head of Sales at Vodat International, said, "Our solution has been developed in partnership with STS and Alaric (an NCR Company), bringing together best of breed elements to deliver a unique client solution. The flexible architecture of our Unified Payment Service meant we were able to create a bespoke solution for Welcome Break. We look forward to continuing our working relationship and being able to see the true benefits of the technology shine through during peak holiday seasons, such as August."

Prior to installing the new system, Welcome Break had around 550 payment terminals installed, all with a separate phone lines. The Vodat solution meant that it could significantly cut the amount of phone lines running through the retail estate – it has now been reduced to around 80 ADSL lines – whilst increasing the number of terminals to around 650.

This project won Welcome Break the title of Retailer of the Year Award at the Payments Awards, for which they were also shortlisted in the Best In-store Payments Solution category.