Here we go again...
So it is official, from tomorrow (5th November 2020), England will enter its second lockdown of 2020. It comes as cases of Covid continue to rise and a fear that our hospitals will not be able to cope as winter looms. The plan, at the moment, is for England to return to the Tiered system on 2nd December 2020.
It is a desperately disappointing time for a lot of my customers who have worked so hard both before 4th July to be 'Covid-ready' and since then to keep their staff and customers safe, while still delivering great food, drink and service. I have been lucky to visit many of my customers during this time, I follow them on their social media platforms and we talk a lot. I am proud to work with them all and additionally, I believe they are a credit to the hospitality industry.
From our point of view, it is business as usual. November will prove to be a very important time for our customers to be as ready as possible for what we hope will be a busy and profitable festive period for them. We realise now is an ideal time for customers to look at their POS and ensure it is ready to operate in what is now known as the 'new-normal'.
Many of you are now offering 'click and collect' / 'takeaway' services. Allowing your customers to order online, both on and off premises is a great addition to your offering. We have teamed up with 2 online ordering companies and our software development team and theirs work together to ensure we can offer the best integrated solutions in this area.
There is a lead time on mobile APP solutions at the moment and sadly, there is not a great deal we can do about it. The whole hospitality sector is moving online so there is somewhat of a backlog BUT while there is a wait on APPS being released we are able turnaround mobile optimised websites (via short link and QR code) in just 2-3 weeks. This means you can take your business online quickly and if you want a mobile APP you'll ultimately have both offerings soon enough.
In other news, MSD.POS continues to take big strides forward and it is so exciting to be part of this products development. It has been built under such a solid foundation and the sky is the limit with where it can go. Now Qube is part of the Microtek family we are actively involved with its development of new features and integrations. MSD.POS will already support a lot of the hospitality sector with integrated solutions for; card payments, ordering boards, customer displays (with image and video promotions!) and online ordering. I know the developers of this product personally, they have been in the industry a long time and will leave no stone unturned!
Please get in touch if you want to talk technology either online or in person (at a distance of course).
Before I sign off, next time I write, the American election result will have been confirmed... Trump or Biden? BBC claim as the moment it is 'going to the wire'. I do not particularly follow American Politics, I just have a feeling that Donald may get a second term. Regardless, I hope it gets sorted quickly. U.S.A is also deeply struggling to get a hold on Covid-19 and whoever is in charge has got very important work to do.
Take care everyone,
Dan
