“The YUNO terminals have helped us raise the bar in terms of professionalism and make a noticeable good first impression on customers as they arrive.”
Daniel WHITTEMORE, Sales & Marketing Director
Whilton Mill Karting & Outdoor Activities is a large mixed-use leisure destination located near Daventry, Northamptonshire. As well as being a popular venue for competitive and recreational go-karting, the 100-acre site also features off-road quad bike trails and clay pigeon shooting stands.
The business was founded in 1991 by Roger and Sarah ASHBY who had a vision to transform farmland on the historic Whilton Mill site into an activity centre. The venture got off the ground with an off-road buggy course, but as this got extremely muddy in wet weather, it was eventually replaced by a 450m concrete track and the off-road buggies were replaced with fleet of Stratos go-karts.
Whilton Mill has grown steadily over the years as a business, as a venue and as a community hub. Diversity is one of its great strengths, as it caters for everyone from committed karting hobbyists to casual visitors looking for a fun-packed day out, and plays host to everything from corporate team-building events to family fun days.
Daniel WHITTEMORE, Whilton Mill’s Sales & Marketing Director, said the size of the site has given the business plenty of room to innovate to provide first-class services for all types of business. “Whilton Mill has endless options to excite, engage and entertain customers,” he said. “We are now home to a thriving 2-stroke kart club, grassroots racing at its best, and provide a central location for groups or corporates looking for adrenaline fuelled fun.
“We’ve always hosted team building events which could include orienteering, obstacle courses, motorised challenges or target sports but our core activities are karting, ATV quad bike trails and clay target shooting. Businesses are now focused on employee engagement; this has led to an increase in demand for venues that can host large events for anything from 400 to 4000 people.
“Family fun days also make great use of the Whilton Mill, typically we zone the site into areas for motorised activities, inflatables, fun fair, catering, music, children’s crafts and glamping.”
A New Era
The most recent developments at Whilton Mill have seen the construction of a brand new 1200m international standard outdoor kart circuit, along with a £1m-plus investment in a stunning new clubhouse and 80-seater bistro. As well as raising the company’s status several notches as a premium karting venue, the investment in facilities has formed part of a wider focus on delivering an outstanding customer experience to all visitors – something that also led to management reviewing the existing EPOS systems.
As Daniel explained, the priority was making sure that visitors got an experience to match the plush new surroundings of the clubhouse and restaurant. “Previously processes were manual,” said Daniel. “When customers arrived, they would sign paper indemnities, at race weekends catering was bought by cash from a van,” he said. “The main priorities for upgrading the EPOS system was to improve the customer experience and streamline processes, such as integrating tasks into our timing and diary management system.”
Turning the Tables
When it came to considering an EPOS system revamp, Whilton Mill found help readily at hand amongst its own customers. AURES has been taking advantage of the company’s excellent reputation for hosting corporate events, holding an annual karting event at the venue for the past decade.
“For one thing, the fact that AURES has been a customer of ours for so long is a great testimony to the service and experience we provide” said Daniel. “It also shows the advantages of developing mutually beneficial relationships in business – when you need a new service or product, what better place to look for solutions than from your own valued customers?”
After a thorough appraisal of the company’s on-going needs following the completion of its new clubhouse and bistro, AURES helped Whilton Mill to install 10 YUNO EPOS terminals, split between reception areas and the restaurant.
Daniel explained how the YUNOs have helped Whilton Mill achieve its objectives in terms of boosting the overall customer experience – even down to the stylish look of the terminals fitting well with the plush surroundings of the new clubhouse. “The YUNO terminals have helped us raise the bar in terms of professionalism and make a noticeable good first impression on customers as they arrive,” he said.
“There are 4 x 21.5” YUNO kiosks in the reception area are used by customers to register for an event, which is both quicker and also greatly reduces paperwork that would have to be kept in storage for several years. This way all records are digital. The terminals in our reception area link to our timing and diary management system. Our employees love this because it greatly reduces the amount of data entry required.
“In the bistro, the YUNOs provide contactless payment options, allowing customers to purchase food and drink with ease. The new system also gives us better visibility and control of food and drink sales, it allows our catering team to work smarter and to easily update and administer stock items and pricing.”