case study
Smart Technology
24 marks the opening of its 40th unattended food micromarket
By Aures Technologies
Introduction
There’s long been a need for a revolution
in workplace catering that will address
longer working hours and greater
employee diversity. In a move that
confirms just how well the game-changing
food service concept is working, corporate
caterer Compass Group, owner of 24, has
recently opened its 40th micromarket for
a commercial client.
It’s now nearly two years since 24
launched the concept of a self-contained
and self-service food store designed
for workplaces such as offices, contact
centres and distribution centres.
Appealing to everyone from fussy eaters
to night owls, 24 can be a stand-alone
facility or it can complement a main
workplace restaurant out-of-hours. For
the majority of clients, 24 is free.
Smart Technology
The brainchild of solutions company MCR
Systems and its POS hardware partner,
AURES Technologies, the enabler of the
concept is the use of smart technology to
manage payments and customer loyalty.
MCR’s Jim Wilkinson explains: “Kiosks
have existed in the fast-food sector for
years, but normally they’re based around
self-ordering then collection from a
served counter. 24 is entirely unmanned,
so it required an extension of our selfservice technology.”
The Customer Journey
Much thought was given to the
ergonomics of selecting and paying for
purchases. The customer interface had
to be clear and straightforward, requiring
no user training. “Simplicity, immediacy
and obviousness were key to making a
comfortable user experience, and I think
we’ve achieved that,” says Wilkinson.
The MCR system flow is intuitive and
the J2 touchscreens are natural to use.
The design and colour of the bright LED
screens guide customers to scan or
select, and then pay for their items.
MCR customised its technology to
run 24. The solution comprises SymPOS
solution at the front-end, enhanced with
cashless payment functionality, feeding
into its Symphony Enterprise solution in
the back-office and integrating with 24’s
ERP system, SAP.
KIOSK solutions 9