This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
CASESTUDY


33


NEW SALVATION ARMY POS SUPPORTS GROWTH


Charitable trading company benefits from streamlined business processes and increased earning capacity with new point-of-sale (PoS) and Gift Aid systems


network of over 5,000 textile recycling banks around the country with all profits donated through Gift Aid to its nationwide network of 132 Salvation Army charity shops. Having opened 70 shops in the past two and a half years, SATCoL needed a PoS system that automated existing manual procedures and met its rapid expansion plans. SATCoL selected PoS manufacturer Toshiba TEC through retail IT consultancy Azurri to provide its ST- C10 PoS system.The Toshiba PoS has not only assisted in streamlining business processes but has also enabled SATCoL to launch Gift Aid, earning the charity an additional £32,000 in the first five months of operation. The project has also been shortlisted in the ‘Best Use of Technology’ category for the Charity Times Awards 2012. A long-standing Toshiba customer, SATCoL’s existing


E


Toshiba cash registers were reliable, but manual head office reporting was extremely time consuming and labour intensive, requiring two full-time staff to process all the sales data. “Communication was slow and cumbersome, messaging to shops from head office was largely paper driven, proving costly and environmentally unsound, and shop management time was deflected,” explained Beverley Phillips, Salvation Army Trading Company secretary and finance director. “We needed to invest in a system that would


provide business efficiencies and enable us to meet growth targets, and at the same time launch Gift Aid with our loyalty scheme. Another key factor was ease of use for staff and volunteers,” Phillips added. The Toshiba ‘all-in-one’ ST-C10 touchscreen, with


its small footprint, integrated printer and full PC capability, was chosen as the retail outlets’ hardware platform. Azurri completed the roll out of the Toshiba C10 PoS units to all of the 132 Salvation Army shops within eight weeks, following a successful two-month trial period in two shops. Azurri offered SATCoL


a totally managed service. The Azurri solution simplifies the Gift Aid process, including inputting


SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 RETAIL TECHNOLOGY


stablished in 1991, Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL) is the UK’s leading textile and clothing collection company, operating a


donor names and addresses (a task that would be administered by the shop staff); capturing Gift Aid and sales data; providing sales reports and preparing completed donor letters and Gift Aid documentation for submission to HM Revenue and Customs. “The fact that Azurri handles all of the Gift Aid administration enabled us to implement the system quickly and launch Gift Aid with our loyalty scheme, with no additional resource requirement or disruption to our current operations,” said Phillips. The Azurri service has also given SATCoL real-time sales data at store level as well as the ability to incorporate email connectivity within a single device in the shop.This has improved the communication between head office and the shops and has reduced costs. “The system has proved a massive time saver for area managers, as we no longer have to be on the telephone collating information,” said Justin Frost, Salvation Army Trading Company area manager. “Also, stores no longer have to rely on ‘word of


mouth’ reducing the potential for messages to be misinterpreted,” Frost added. Shop managers, staff and volunteers have also


embraced the new system, which also has made the reconciliation of any discrepancies significantly easier. The ease of operation ensured staff needed only a few minutes to become confident in the sales process. “Azurri has provided us with an affordable solution that has not only met our immediate objectives but also offers us future expansion,” added Phillips. “For example, we can use the system to collect data from customers for future loyalty card promotions. We have invested in the right technology for the business. I am delighted with the Azurri/Toshiba solution and would recommend it to other charities,” she concluded.


We needed to invest in a system that would provide business


efficiencies and enable us to meet growth targets, and at the same time launch Gift Aid with our loyalty scheme


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40