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Name: Ronnie Somerville
Company: 5pm.co.uk
Type of business: Online restaurant booking service
Ronnie Somerville is the co-founder of 5pm.co.uk: a website that allows you to confirm availability, book a table and even obtain a discount at over 950 restaurants across the UK. In turn, 5pm.co.uk also helps restaurateurs ensure fill tables and reach a whole new sector of customers.
5pm.co.uk’s business proposition is simple yet effective. However, it wasn’t until Ronnie switched to using broadband that it really took off.
The selection of BT Broadband played a crucial role in enabling the company’s staff to communicate with each other quickly and efficiently in a fast-moving business environment, where speed is the key to success.
5pm.co.uk’s servers are based at different offices to its 12 members of staff and previous to using broadband dial-up speeds had been so slow that considerable amounts of time were wasted waiting to connect to the system. Dialling in to the servers is now almost instantaneous; meaning employees can provide information to partners and customers much more quickly.
More importantly, however, the high-speed service enables 5pm.co.uk to ensure offers can be taken down from the site almost instantaneously when all the allocated tables have been filled. This is fundamental to the ongoing good relations between 5pm.co.uk and its partners. It also ensures that customers are never disappointed to find that an offer on the web is actually not available.
With over 20,000 customers every monthly, shifting to broadband was an essential business decision.
5pm.co.uk has reaped the benefits of broadband in other ways too. Since implementing the service, the company’s internet call charges have been reduced by about a third. This allows it to invest that money in building up the business, rather than incurring extra bills.
“As things stand, most restaurateurs in their kitchens still use the phone to communicate,” explains Ronnie. “However, with the use of email increasing, the number of web-based queries we receive will inevitably continue to rise. As we are already set up with broadband and understand the benefits it can bring, it will really help us to expand our business model over the coming years.”
5pm.co.uk uses BT Openworld’s Business 500 service. At £79.99 a month this ensures the company has always-on internet access at download speeds of up to 500kbps.
“Our goal is to be the service of choice for all those that are looking to enjoy a meal out, and the partner of choice for all high quality eating establishments in the country,” adds Ronnie.
“We are committed to using all the means available to ensure this becomes a reality. Implementing broadband has been a step in the right direction, in terms of ensuring our business is up-to-date with technologies that will enhance our business proposition and increase our standing against the competition.”
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