As the exclusive food and beverage provider for all 2.6 million square feet of McCormick Place, the nation’s largest convention center, it comes as no surprise that SAVOR… Chicago is as busy as can be.
SAVOR…Chicago’s former process for collecting BEOs and payments was inefficient and time consuming for employees and clients alike. It involved sending the contracts via email for clients to then print, sign, and find a time machine to either scan or fax back.
When payment was required, the process became more complicated as SAVOR was challenged with accepting credit cards and maintaining PCI compliance with an outdated process.
Sertifi stepped in to digitize this cumbersome process and put the fax machines and paper shredders where they belong – in the past!
Today, SAVOR… Chicago is using Sertifi’s branded web portal to execute contracts and payments. Now, when a member of the SAVOR sales team needs to send out a BEO, they simply log into their Sertifi web portal, upload the document, and send. Their clients automatically receive a SAVOR… Chicago branded email, asking them to click and sign. That’s what we call frictionless.
When it comes to collecting payment information, Sertifi has added a level of security. Bye, bye paper shredders and hello modern PCI compliance. With Sertifi, client payment information is never stored and always secure. Our digital method of PCI compliance is something that not only SAVOR’s security team is excited about, but their clients are celebrating as well. Rayva Myles, SAVOR… Chicago’s Assistant Catering and Sales Director says, “In the past, a lot of our clients have had concerns about sending credit card information via fax. With Sertifi, they’re confident their payment data is protected. Their information is encoded and encrypted, and no one is seeing it who shouldn’t be seeing it.”
Now that SAVOR is using Sertifi, their sales team is more efficient and their security is heightened. SAVOR’s favorite feature of Sertifi is the ability to schedule reminders to guests. With Sertifi, SAVOR employees waste no time emailing clients, reminding them to complete and return paper contracts and authorization forms. They simply log into the web portal and schedule when they would like reminder emails to be sent.
According to SAVOR… Chicago’s Regional Director of Finance, Stephanie Dorsey, this feature along with the other convenient features of Sertifi has enabled SAVOR employees to cut time spent executing contracts by 50%. SAVOR… Chicago is now collecting signed contracts and guest payments at an average of 9 hours and 15 minutes.
The time that Sertifi has freed up for SAVOR employees has enabled SAVOR to increase revenue. Now that employees are spending less time managing paperwork, they’re able to spend more time with improving client relationships.
“Sertifi helps employees have seamless relationships with our clients. Automatic reminders reduce follow up time and decreases accounts receivable. This increases time they have available for clients and customer service.,” says Dorsey.
The improved security, efficiency, and simplicity of Sertifi is why Myles says “Sertifi has helped us by allowing us to spend less time processing payments and more time attending to our customers.”
As the Western Hemisphere’s largest convention center, McCormick Place welcomes 3 million international and domestic visitors every year. As the exclusive food and beverage provider at McCormick Place, SAVOR…Chicago is very serious about providing an exceptional food experience. SAVOR is backed by the resources of parent company, SMG, the world leader in venue management, marketing, and development.