Results
Thousands of clients. More than two decades of service.
The relationship we have with North lets us be very competitive against the market pressures. With the good relationships we’ve built over decades and the ability to be competitive from a processing standpoint, this lets us keep our incumbent deals and win new ones, and that’s been very important for us and our success.
VP National Sales Director, EZ Software Solutions
Overview
More than 20 years ago, Ali Hessaraki realized that the restaurant industry was lacking in not only Point of Sale (POS) solutions, but payment service partners as well. To him, it seemed that those who were developing restaurant POS systems obviously had not experienced the challenges faced by hospitality professionals.
In the service industry, the fast-paced environment can quickly go from hospitable to hostile when the customer is always right. From the panic a new hire can experience when wait times get too long or the actual floor plan doesn’t match what’s viewed in the POS, to the wrath of a frustrated customer when they’re told that their server can’t combine tabs. Restaurants weren’t seeing POS solutions that were actually made for what they needed help with.
So, Hessaraki decided to change that.
Point of Sale Innovation
“Each client has their corner of our feature set that they live in. Some really like the inventory part (some use the pizza features where it brings up the customer orders, some are counter-serve),” Dolan notes as examples nodding to the wide variety of businesses in the service industry, from full-service restaurants to food trucks. “You can configure the terminals individually, specifically, for the different kinds of hospitality environments.”
It’s because of this “have it your way” customization that has been a cornerstone since the initial POS that EZ Dine has not only expanded to thousands of clients across the United States but, more importantly, it has also retained those original clients in the decades since its inception.
And while the tried and true traditional onsite EZ Dine system has served brick-and-mortar merchants well over the years, more clients are walking through the proverbial door with the recently launched cloud-based system. Both versions are operational — primarily using Semi-Integrated solutions with PAX S300 and A35 terminals for fixed systems, or the PAX D220, S920, and A77 terminals for mobile systems — meaning there’s an option on the menu no matter what concerns the client may have, with the hardware solutions evolving with client demand just like the software features.
Payments Partner
“Traditionally and for most of the history of our company, we’ve been processor agnostic, but we’ve leaned into working with North,” Dolan said, adding that the hope is that as the cloud application grows, so does the continued partnership.
Why?
Because the ease that EZ aims to pass on to its clients is the same integration simplicity that it needs from its payment processing partner. With all of the innovation that EZ does on its own, such as online ordering and employee management, it needs strong customer service to make sure everything runs the way it should, from loyalty programs and gift cards to real time fraud monitoring — the fries to their burger, if you will.
“Integrating with PAX has been really simple. We had used PAX prior and it was a simple, easy opportunity to bring North onboard,” Dolan said, adding that there’s always someone available if help is needed (which, in the fast pace of hospitality, can be often). “The support going forward is really good, too.”
Payment Integration and Client Satisfaction
Dolan notes that, with what EZ is trying to do, it needs a payment service partner that can help the company keep its edge, so that it can keep innovating for all of its clients — even those classified as small or mid-sized businesses.
“A lot of the feature set additions have been specific to clients we’ve brought on board. Unlike most POS companies, we have for most of our history been able to take and integrate specific things that clients need. And I don’t know of another POS company that would do customer development for someone who has two restaurants, but we do it regularly,” Dolan said, adding that, while all restaurants have the same premise and need features such as inventory management, each one has its own unique needs that make their business effective and efficient — something that until EZ, POS developers haven’t addressed.
And just like EZ, North adds features to its products that clients need or ask for — whether that’s covering the entire process from beginning to end (with our reporting and onboarding APIs), or it’s simply supporting what businesses need as a payment gateway and credit card processing partner with low monthly fees.
“Our clients get approached daily by people saying, ‘Hey look at this new widget, new feature, new bell or whistle.’ Especially, the move has been to merge POS and processor,” Dolan said. “But the relationship we have with you lets us be very competitive against the market pressures. The other companies come in and show these features, but we can deliver the same things. With the good relationships we’ve built over decades and the ability to be competitive from a processing standpoint — this lets us keep our incumbent deals and win new ones and that’s been very important for us and our success.”