Success story: Taste The World and Access Evo

For a long time, Taste The World ran a mix of products from different suppliers, and none of them shared information. Access Evo brings them together. Each venue now works from one set of tools, and a team member reaches the right product in one click, with the information already there.

Brandon Pontin, Operations Director, puts it simply: "everything does talk to each other." Jonny Spencer, CEO, saw the gap before the change: "everything could talk, but you'd still have to do a bit of manual reporting." Single sign-on means team members no longer log in to each system separately.

"Evo's been a real game changer."

Jonny Spencer, CEO, Taste the World

Guests wanting a table for six to 15 people used to email, phone or speak to someone to book. Access Evo now takes each enquiry forward from that first contact, and the group says an enquiry can reach the point of booking within an hour.

Jonny gives an example. An enquiry could arrive on a Sunday evening, and with the restaurant not reopening until Tuesday, guests were left waiting for a reply across a 48-hour gap. Now the enquiry is answered straight away, and the guest is asked only to confirm. The team can take the booking as soon as someone walks in on Tuesday.

A member of the team still confirms every booking. Access Evo does the groundwork, and the people who know the venue make the final call.

The work after the booking runs through Access Evo as well. Access Collins manages the tables across the venues, and Acteol's loyalty scheme lets each venue market to its guests as individuals. Everything sits in one place for the team, so the venue works from the same system from first enquiry to the guest's next visit.

Since moving to Access Procure Wizard, the group can see what things cost before it orders, and check that invoices match what was delivered. In its words, the group is back in control.

Brandon says suppliers have welcomed the change too. They've told the group it's a good system because everyone is on the same page, and nobody is chasing invoices three or four months after the event.

Brandon also points to reporting: "For the first time ever, we've got a system now where we can pull data out that we've never dreamed before." A data pull that once would have taken his whole Monday now happens before he is out of bed, and by midday managers and the CEO know where the business stands.

Jonny describes the same benefit for his managers. He says one simple report can show "what is actually needed to happen today to make a difference on the business", and expects it to put his team back on the floor, away from work that doesn't matter.

• 6–15: guest enquiries Access Evo takes forward before a team member confirms the booking.
• Under an hour: from first enquiry to near-booking.
• About £20k a year: the group's early estimate of the value of the work.
• 15%: increase in team retention over the last 12 months.
• 2x: email open rates doubled.
• 4x: booking rate, quadrupled.

Adding a site takes one email to the account manager, so growing the group doesn't mean starting a new project each time. The group also holds weekly catch-up calls with Access, including the project team, and that regular contact keeps the work moving as the business grows.

When Taste The World opens a new venue, the Access team already has a playbook for it. Brandon says they know in advance what the site will need from each part of the stack, so the group can plan the time it will need to give.

Change is never easy for a team, and Brandon is candid about it: "Nobody likes change." What helped, in his account, was the support around the rollout. "We feel supported across that entire journey," he says.

"I'd say to anybody, if you're thinking of Access Evo, definitely look into it and really go for it."

Brandon Pontin, Operations Director, Taste the World