Heaven Awaits' management takes control with Toshiba and Datasym

Heaven Awaits is an elegant and sophisticated gentlemens club situated in the heart of Newmarket and offers the ultimate lap and pole dancing experience. As Newmarkets first lap dancing club, the venue provides a unique way to entertain clients, hold corporate functions, celebrate birthdays, stag and hen nights or simply a chance to relax in a friendly atmosphere, with beautiful waitresses and gorgeous dancers. A first for lap dancing clubs, Heaven also hosts a Ladies Only night, with male performers and a drag artist for additional entertainment.

The challenge

Rob Bell joint owner with Jason Newell explained about their requirements for the club prior to opening in April 2006, When we bought the premises it had previously been used as a night club operating on proprietary cash registers. Whilst our initial requirement was for collecting and controlling cash, we wanted the latest technology available that would provide a modern operating system, with the potential to use in the future as a business management tool. It also had to be quick and simple to use and fit in with the clubs aesthetics.

The solution

With years of expertise in the PoS market, Aufait Systems was recommended to Heaven to consult, install and manage the project. Aufait Systems proposed Datasym.PoS software on TOSHIBA's ST-70 integrated touchscreen terminals. Its compact and spill-proof design made the ST-70 the perfect choice for such an environment. The functionality, flexibility and ease of use of the Datasym.PoS software ensured the system could be developed to meet the clubs future needs.

Aufait Systems installed two TOSHIBA ST-70 touch-screen terminals, locating one unit at the bar, with the second in the cloakroom. For security, cashier fingerprint sign-on was added.

The benefits

With the Toshiba / Datasym solution in place, the immediate benefit to Heaven Gentlemens club is the management control and security the system has brought to the business. In addition to the bar takings, and credit card payments, all visitors entrance fees (including members and non-members) are paid through the PoS. With the facility to view real-time sales from the back-office, the Heaven management team has complete visibility of each transaction at all times.

The tailored unit installed in the compact cloakroom area has allowed the club to issue duplicate numbered tickets to give a receipt to the customer. This enables staff to easily track customers items deposited in the cloakroom and avoid the need to re-print tickets from the till.

For increased security, cashier sign-on is via unique fingerprint identification which ensures that the individual till operator signs on for each transaction, giving total traceability for all transactions to each cashier and allowing Heaven to limit certain transactions, such as voids.

The club is open six days a week from 9.00pm to 2.00am and has a capacity to hold up to 200 people in the downstairs lap dancing area. On its busiest nights, Heaven attracts as many as 450 visitors, so a vital requirement of the system is its capability to deal with a large number of customers in peak times.

Commenting on the use of the system Jason Newell said, The TOSHIBA touch-screen menu options are very easy for staff to operate, which is especially important at Heavens busiest times on weekends, as well as reducing staff training time. In fact, new bar staff comment on how easy it is to use the PoS. We are just about to add another Toshiba ST-70 to the bar to make the bar service even quicker.

Jason continued, The small footprint of the ST-70 means the till can fit into our cramped bar space and the spill-proof design with easy to clean touch-screen ensure the PoS can cope with the demanding requirements of the busy bar environment. The sealed and vent-free casing prevents any drinks spillages from penetrating the PoS, essential for reliability.

The future

The Heaven management team plans to extend the club to include an upstairs night club in March 2007. As the business grows, the management sees the opportunity to utilise the system further to improve the business; Jason Newell explains, We plan to use the system for full stock control and also to carry out detailed sales analysis of popular lines, peak trends etc.

Another area for potential development is customer membership. For example, Heaven could offer its members fingerprint sign on, to give even tighter controls, removing the need for customers to carry membership cards and enabling the club to reduce costs. The solution also has a facility for table ordering, which would enable the club to improve customer service.

When asked to comment on the system and service provided by Aufait Systems, Newell said, We are very impressed with the Toshiba / Datasym system and service provided by Aufait Systems, which is why we are planning to install a further four units into the new night club in March 2007.

He concluded, Aufait Systems has worked closely with us to deliver a tailored solution to meet the unique requirements of The Heaven Gentlemens Club. We will continue to work closely with Aufait to enhance the system for improved business management.