Card, mobile credential, payment and security
Lucova system redefines campus POS operations
Another of Midland’s primary demands was to cut down on lines and wait times in the dining hall queue. “We had a traditional card swipe POS and it was slowing down throughput with students swiping in, fumbling with their card, or forgetting the card altogether,” says Benjamin. “The system didn’t always work, either, and we would see heavy congestion in the dining hall line especially around lunch time.”
Everyone that enters the campus dining hall now interacts with the FIIT POE system. “We’ve had an adoption rate of 62% that are using the mobile app rather than a traditional card for entry,” says Kris Lensmeyer, COO of Fresh Ideas Food Service Management. “And of that 62% using the app, 75% are what we call ‘super users’ who use the app – either mobile ordering or standard dining hall access – at least 10 times per day. So the ones that are using it are really using it.”
Midland University student checking in via mobile app at the dining hall FIIT POE.
There is also a noticeable value add for students in terms of monitoring dining dollars and meal swipes. “Previously, students had to ask the cashier for that information, but the app enables students to easily monitor their accounts over the course of the semester,” says Lensmeyer. “Students would often have either a lot of dining dollars and swipes left over or none at all, but now we’re seeing students budget that much better.”
Midland and Fresh Ideas have used student ambassadors and other marketing efforts on campus to help spread the word and inform students of the app and how it works. “Students can, however, still opt to use their campus card for dining hall entry – old habits are hard to break, sometimes,” Lensmeyer adds.
Lucova’s FIIT POE system spins tried-and-true dining hall entry on its head by eliminating the swiping or tapping of a card altogether. Instead, it automatically calls up student information on the POS touchscreen before the student even reaches the cashier.
“Our cashier can simply look at the ID photo on the screen, visually verify the student in front of them, and touch the screen to grant access,” Benjamin says. “More importantly it enables the cashier to call all students by their names, and make entering the dining hall a more friendly, homey experience.”
