Traditional business payment systems are not serving Australian venues and haven’t been for some time. Hospitality operators continue to use outdated and unreliable payment systems, that suffer from continued outages and a lack of modern functionality. In times of increased trade, such as the busy Christmas period, this can result in frustration for operators, and a loss of revenue for venues.
These are the problems Zeller Terminal can solve. With connectivity to Wi-Fi, mobile hotspots or via SIM card, Zeller Terminal offers increased protection against outages, with 99.99 per cent uptime.
Moreover, Zeller’s EFTPOS payment system eases friction points in the payment process. The terminal has built-in surcharging capacity, helping to reduce the pain of merchant fees and increased operating costs. With 40 per cent of purchases in Australia now including a surcharge, the practice is increasingly becoming the norm, and operators need to remain ahead of the curve.
Some merchant service providers only allow business owners to surcharge the cost of merchant fees if they are able to meet minimum turnover thresholds each month – while locking operators into a contract to use the surcharge functionality.
Zeller favours giving venue managers and owners the freedom to run their business in the best way they see fit, which means being able to pass on the merchant fees in full or part, and the ability to turn the function on and off as they like.
With office parties and major holidays coming up, it’s likely that patrons will be feeling particularly generous. More tips lead to happier staff, and happier staff make better venues. Zeller also streamlines the tipping process, with in-built tipping functionality. Luca Balbo, Zeller merchant and owner of Park Street Pasta & Wine, says his staff are earning 30 per cent more in tips since switching to Zeller.
The tip function on Zeller Terminal presents a prompt to the consumer, meaning that there is no need to ask on the part of the staff member. As with the surcharge capability, there is no requirement for operators to use this function, it can be switched on and off as they please.
These streamlined functions have proven a hit with hospitality leaders. Nicholas Schultze, Managing Partner of Ascot Vale Hotel, explains how Zeller has helped his venue at peak times. Ascot Value Hotel is a Zeller customer, and were recently featured in Zeller’s 2022 Pub Report.
“Being tech savvy definitely helps us to streamline processes a lot easier. We have a lot of trust in technology these days, and if something is going to make our job easier, then of course we’re going to look at it seriously,” Schultze says.
“Zeller, for example, lets us serve six, seven or eight people at once. The transactions just flow. You’re not worried about running the till out of change, or any of that stuff. Technology makes the whole process smoother, and if anything ever happens we can go straight to the back-of-house and fix it.”
Zeller Terminal also opens up your venue to new customers. It enables you to accept American Express (AMEX) at the same low rate as you can accept any other card type, unlike most of the traditional EFTPOS terminal providers. Other payment service providers often charge higher fees for AMEX cards, which can be off-putting for businesses. Zeller has no additional fee, meaning your venue can easily cater for high-value AMEX customers.
Finally, Zeller’s EFTPOS solutions connect with your existing tech. With three in five publicans using at least two different software solutions to manage their payment side of the business, integration is key. Zeller EFTPOS Terminal can be integrated with more than 600 different POS systems, making it a seamless addition to your venue. Zeller has also partnered with Xero on a Bank Feeds integration to reduce the time operators spend reconciling accounts and performing transaction admin.
Moreover, the EFTPOS Terminal is supported by the Zeller Dashboard – a one-stop shop that gives pub operators crucial information about consumer spending habits, peak periods and real-time sales data. For Andrew Gilbert, co-owner of the Peacock Hotel, Zeller Dashboard has allowed him to identify growth opportunities.
“Being able to see in Zeller Dashboard when the busiest periods are — rather than making assumptions — makes it easier to roster and manage staff, enhance the menu, put certain specials on at certain times, and focus on driving foot traffic through at times that may be slower than others,” Gilbert says.
“Without the tools, you don’t have any actual figures. Ten years ago, when we were working with cash, you didn’t know what the trends were. What time of the day the money’s coming in,” he concludes.
Read more about how Zeller’s EFTPOS solution can support your venue.