"If You Don't Have Phoenix POS, You'll Be Left in the Dust!"

Flyer's Pizza is truly a family-run business. Brothers Steve, Dave, Scott, and Mark Ulrey deliver "top-flight taste and first-class service" to the customers of their six locations in central Ohio. After 10 years with a DOS-based system, the brothers upgraded to a first-class Phoenix™ Point-of-Sale system from FireFly Technologies.

"We installed our first Phoenix location about a year ago," says Steve Ulrey, COO of Flyer's Pizza. "Now, all six locations have the system. It was like switching from a Chevrolet to a Mercedes-Benz. The features and reports that Phoenix provides are truly amazing."

"Phoenix is cutting edge," says Matt Ulrey, Steve's son and the IT consultant for Flyer's Pizza. "Competitors design their systems, but don't spend time developing new features. Phoenix just gets smarter and better. It's molding itself around the food-service industry. Every new patch, every beta version is a step into the future and puts us where we need to be. If you don't have Phoenix, you'll be left in the dust."

Ramping Up Customer Service
"When opened our new Powell store," says Steve, "we used Phoenix to call our new customers to see how their experience was with us. For instance, we could say, 'Good evening, Mrs. Smith. I noticed you ordered the Italian sub last night. How was it?' That's customer service."

The Phoenix system also cuts down on bogus complaints. "When we tell someone there is no record of that particular order, that 'customer' will hang up," Steve says. "The information is right at our fingertips.

"Phoenix is so user friendly and visually appealing," says Matt. You can just walk up and take an order. The icons simplify navigation. Order takers can click on an item, and modify that item just as the customer requests. It's easier than RapidFire or DiamondTouch."

Another plus for customer service is the system's integrated credit card processing "We run hundreds of credit card transactions a day," Matt says. "There used to be a long line of people waiting to process the credit cards. Drivers had to wait, too. Now the slip is stapled to the ticket, ready for the customer's signature."

Mass Marketing No More
"Phoenix lets us sidestep mass advertising in favor of pinpointing our marketing based on customer behavior," Matt says. "We used to do the 30/60/90 mailings with our old system, but we couldn't get more detailed than that. With Phoenix, you can target a specific road in a neighborhood." Matt says. "We get about a 15 to 45 percent return on marketing promotions that are based on information generated in the Phoenix system."

Flyer's Pizza "Top-Flight Taste, First-Class Service" Service types: Dine-in, drive-thru/carryout, delivery # of stores: 6 locations in central Ohio Signature menu items: The Nightmare sandwich, The Bomber pizza

The Flyer's Pizza team will also use Phoenix to track rewards points for customers. "We're integrating a new points program that rewards points for every dollar spent," says Matt. "If I accumulate 500 points, for example, then I get a $5 coupon. It's a great way to beat out the competition. I don't know of any other food-service place that does the points system."

"Phoenix helps drive our marketing decisions," says Steve. "For instance, we wanted to introduce new chicken tenders. To validate our decision, we queried 100 chicken tenders customers and invited them to participate in a taste test. We offered them a free order of new wings and a free order of old wings. Based on the results, we decided to go with the new tenders."

Driver Drops and On-line Mapping Simplify Delivery
"With Phoenix, we can customize how much cash a driver can carry before he's required to do a drop," says Steve. "We set our limit to $100 cash. If he has more than that, the system locks up until he does a drop."

Matt particularly values the security that Phoenix provides. "Phoenix works well for delivery," he says. "Drivers can't do drops without managers. Phoenix itemizes the tenders for drops: for instance, $50 cash, credit card, and a check. If a driver has the cash and credit card receipt, but not the check, then we know there's a problem. Phoenix makes the drivers accountable."

"We also love the on-line mapping feature," says Steve. "It helps us when we move managers around to different stores, especially those that do a lot of delivery. A new manager may not know the delivery area. But the mapping feature helps him figure out the best delivery routes for our drivers."

Paperless Kitchens
To cut down on paper consumption and streamline the food prep area, Flyer's Pizza uses the Phoenix Kitchen Production System (KPS) in its stores. "We have a virtually ticket-free kitchen," says Matt. "There is one printer in the on the cut table. We put that ticket with the highest priority item (usually a pizza). Then the food prep people assemble the order right with the pizza. We avoid greasy tickets, keep better track of orders, and know exactly what each order is supposed to be like. The KPS system tracks the entire day's sales. We can even bump back and see previous orders."

Managing Made Easy
"The Phoenix system is stable, yet high tech," says Matt. "I can log in to all six locations from offsite. I could run the whole store from my computer. I can text message to my managers that Johnny, a minor, needs to take a five-minute break. Or say Phoenix gives me a sales forecast of $5,000 for the day. The system will tell me the prep work that needs to be done. Phoenix manages for the managers. It's cutting-edge stuff."

Steve enjoys the depth of information that Phoenix provides. "For the first time ever, we can review–in detail–the numbers from a year ago without searching for backup disks. The system keeps every order and record."

The Future of Flyer's Pizza
"Phoenix has the ability to do global menu, pricing, and coupon changes," says Matt. "Once I get my master store template done, I can mirror it to all the other locations. That'll cut my time by one-sixth. Plus, we'll be able to implement on-line ordering.

"FireFly takes care of their clientele and implements software suggestions from customers. We have a long-term relationship with the people at FireFly," says Matt. "It's well worth the investment."