Success Story

How PrimoHoagies Manages Customer Feedback, Employee Theft, And Training All With One App (Spoiler: It’s Solink!)

May 21, 2019
A man in a blue shirt is standing in front of a blue circle, enjoying his PrimoHoagies.

As franchises continue to sweep the nation, owners and managers have to be able to do more to stand out. The pressure is on to make your location the first choice for your customers? That’s the riddle one VP of operations is solving–through customer feedback.

PrimoHoagies’ VP of Operations, Eric Bonner knows that customer feedback is freely given by guests, but can be difficult to action. It’s hard to know if you’re getting the ‘full picture’ when you’re only hearing parts of the story. But Eric figured out a way to get the entire story without spending hours on investigations.

See how Solink helps keep your fast-casual restaurant efficient.

Eric Bonner Primo HoagiesWe met with Eric to hear him explain how he uses Solink to take customer feedback and turn it into actionable notes for his staff.

“Customers leave feedback in a variety of ways, whether it’s through Yelp, Google, or our own internal website. We always go through the reviews and ask for a check number. We want to do our due diligence; if we messed up we don’t want to do that again. That’s where Solink comes in.

“We can type in that check number and pull up the transaction on Solink within seconds. We can see everything that happened during the sale and can see exactly what the customer is talking about.”

Video surveillance cameras as a tool for training and kudos

The importance of customer satisfaction can be a powerful training tool. If a customer reports that they are extremely happy with the service, Eric reports that he saves the video surveillance footage and uses it to train other employees. If the customer reported a negative experience, Eric can see exactly where the employee went wrong and provide feedback and additional training.

“Of course we like getting positive feedback, but if we do get a negative review, Solink can give us context in seconds. Solink syncs all of our video footage with the POS transactions, so all I have to do is type in the check number and everything I need pops up.

“Once I know what happened, I can add notes and details based on the customer’s feedback, and email it to the manager. We use these clips as training opportunities for our staff. If we make a mistake, we don’t want to repeat it. We’re able to use those videos to prevent repeated mistakes.”

Employee theft is not something that any manager or franchisee wants to deal with. Eric knows that it’s something he needs to watch out for, but luckily, he has Solink. Solink gives Eric the power to filter through POS data to find only the relevant receipts. Whether he’s searching for coupon codes, voids, or total discount amounts, Eric can narrow down suspicious transactions in just a couple of clicks.

“I can’t be there to watch over every little thing every day. To have that peace of mind to be able to pull detailed information up at any time to get the full picture is great.”

“Voids and discounts are a way that employees game the system. With our old system, it was hard to dig back through a day’s sales to see what happened. We wasted time trying to search for any suspicious sales. But now, if I see something that doesn’t look right, I can search “VOID” and see everything. I can really drill down and find all the transactions I need easily, with video synced up perfectly.

“I can’t be there to watch over every little thing every day. To have that peace of mind to be able to pull detailed information up at any time to get the full picture is great.”

PrimoHoagies is learning the value of the user-friendly data dashboard offered by Solink, especially when comparing it to their old security camera system. Eric explained how time-consuming these theft investigations used to be.

“We were using IP cameras before we got Solink. Every time we had to look into an issue it was a challenge. It was hard to go through the camera footage and find the moments we needed. But it was even harder to sync those clips to the POS system to get the full picture.

One platform, everything you need to know

“Whether it’s looking up specific transactions, searching keywords, or anything else we might need, it all happens easily with Solink.”

“We were not getting any valuable information with these separated systems. There was no software and no insight. Those insights are what the franchisees need to make improvements to their restaurants. It’s what the franchisors need to support their franchisees in their decisions. By using those old IP cameras without Solink, we didn’t have the information we needed to make any changes.”

By switching to Solink, Eric has been able to uncover valuable insights that “keep the store running smoothly.” The most important thing of all? Simplicity.

“Whether it’s looking up specific transactions, searching keywords, or anything else we might need, it all happens easily with Solink.”

Saving time with features that fit your needs

An example of the 360 cameras. Just drag to see your entire store in one view! Take a tour now to find out more about the 360 cameras.

Eric has learned the value of the powerful search function and the POS integration, but there are other bonuses that he enjoys.

“The 360 cameras have been great. We’re thinking about switching all of our cameras to 360 views! It’s great how you can just use your finger to move the view around in the app. One camera replaces four or five cameras, with all the same visibility. It has been really helpful.

“I also really enjoy the motion search technology. All I have to do is draw a line in a door or a room and I’m able to view any time someone moves in the area. The ease of the software and the app has saved me a lot of time too.

Eric has a lot of fun using the advanced features of Solink, but it’s the customer service that takes it over the top.

“One of the greatest features of Solink is the chat function. I’m not an expert at Solink yet, so as I learn, it’s great that I can just open the chat up and ask my questions. I get the answers I need fast.”

Business moves fast, and Eric’s team at PrimoHoagies has found a great engine for growth, customer satisfaction, and easier multi-site management. Solink supports Eric’s team, makes customers feel heard, and prevents theft. “It’s the best sidekick I could have.”