30 JULY 2010

University of Reading select MCR Systems

Metro Symphony Enterprise, the web-hosted EPOS management and real-time reporting system designed and manufactured by MCR Systems has been chosen by The University of Reading to replace its current point-of-sale and cashless payment handling processes following a detailed TUCO tender process.

The University of Reading is ranked as one of the UK’s 20 most research-intensive universities and as one of the top 200 universities in the world, employing 4,000 staff. The university caters for over 18,000 students in 11 halls of residence and a Student Village spread across campus and surrounding areas of Reading.

Through the tender process the University of Reading were looking to manage a variety of business drivers via the chosen system. The procurement team included members from Finance, Catering and Accommodation Services, Human Resources and Facilities.

The team selected MCR Systems Metro Symphony following a number of different site visits and supplier interviews.

The tender document focused on a number of specific business process changes that the university wanted to implement in anticipation of the changing financial circumstances within the education sector. These included:

Opportunities to increase revenue and sales per customer

• Implementation of promotions
• Creation of loyalty schemes to drive sales and improve client retention
• Use of a smartcard to implement meal plans thus guaranteeing revenue

Effective management and control

• Business decisions to be made based on real-time factual reports
• Decisions to be implemented in a controlled fashion via the back office application eliminating human error

Increase sales volume

• Stimulating food and drink sales via targeted offers

Improve margins

• Introduction of menu engineering
• Increase the average spend per head
• The cost of sale to be monitored weekly across the whole sales mix

Reduce administrative costs

• Reduce time taken to generate data and reduce administration labour costs
• Real time data required to ensure instant decision making
• Electronic integration to reduce admin labour, removing need for double entry of data.

Improve customer experience

• Faster service at the till point, especially using smartcard
• Greater variety of promotions with location
• Loyalty schemes reward all purchases
• Implementation of a single card platform
• Catering and hospitality
• Photocopying and printing
• Library use
• Laundry
• Sports and recreation

MCR Systems demonstrated their ability to deliver all the required functionality and work in close partnership, helping over 25 universities to develop and protect their business performance over a long-term relationship.

Symphony provides complete control over all aspects of the maintenance and management of an EPOS, Stock Control & Cashless Payment systems estate, built on Microsoft Server architecture, ensuring that Symphony has a solid foundation that inherently provides scalability, resilience, security and simplified administrative operations.

The application is designed specifically to leverage web technologies, the Symphony suite of software is delivered as an internet based service via a web browser available as either a self hosted or MCR hosted solution.

The MCR hosted advantages are numerous:

• A reduction in capital expenditure and infrastructure management costs
• Quicker, easier and cheaper to deploy than traditional software
• Budgeted ongoing costs
• Technology budgets can be focused on providing competitive edge, rather than maintenance
• Tangible improvements for the continued development of the business

The project includes the delivery of:

• MCR Hosted Symphony Enterprise comprising EPoS and Cashless Payment
• 36 J2-580 (SSD) touchscreen terminals with integrated Chip & PIN using the ultra secure Ocius Sentinel (VX810), with a number of mobile Bluetooth VX670 devices.
• Centralised, web-reporting of the Chip & PIN estate which makes reconciliation so much easier for their finance team
• Implementation of the Fretwell Downing Saffron catering management application along with five Saffron Connect Hand Held Stock Taking Units
• Cashless is planned for installation September 2010 including web loading
• Full on-site Project Management including the coordination of third party applications
• Systems integration including Finance (Agresso), SITS Student & Course Administration System and TRENT Human Resource System

 Nigel Monks, Assistant Director of Commercial Services at the University of Reading comments “The University’s procurement team produced a detailed scope document to future proof the capital investment. MCR Systems demonstrated a proven track record in delivering a fully functional system offering complete systems integration that meets our business needs today and allow for proactive changing requirements in the future. Everybody at Reading looks forward to working closely with MCR Systems.”