Tag: Hubtel POS

Growing up, Belinda has always had a passion for catering, even though she studied to become a secretary. Right after school, she set up her own ice cream business named Muttina Baci in 1988. “Muttina” is a combination of her name and that of her husband, and “Baci” means “kiss” in Italian, as this is the place where she learned how to make ice creams.  

Motivated by her passion for catering, Belinda decided to expand her business by opening a snack bar at the Kotoka International Airport in 2006. When discussing the decision to open a snack bar at the airport, Belinda stated, “I felt a nudge to come to the airport.” Explaining how this decision has benefitted her business, she noted, “from a business perspective, the airport has a lot of people coming through on a daily basis —some waiting in the lounge for their flights, others accompanying their loved ones, and some passing through for their personal engagements. Sometimes, these people would want to grab a quick bite.” 

Generally, at an airport, people are in a hurry to get things done, and that is why, even though she was content with the old-school way of accepting payments, she recognized the need to advance to meet the demands of her customers.  

With Hubtel’s POS now in the picture, Muttina Baci has been able to: 

1. Handle sales transactions quickly 

2. Saved time by not processing inventory manually 

3. Improve service speed  

4. Process a broad range of payment methods 

Challenge 

The airport has a bustling and competitive atmosphere, with many similar shops and bars catering to customers. Moreover, most people who come to the airport have limited time to catch a flight and may want to grab a quick snack before doing so. Others also come with a diverse range of payment methods, and any barrier could lead to a lost customer. Additionally, for Belinda, who manages multiple businesses and delegates some roles to others, having a secure system in place is crucial to help her manage her business efficiently. 

“Besides my snack bar here at the airport, I am also a farmer and a philanthropist caring for over 20 widows in my village. Because of this, I am mostly out of Accra, so I needed a system to help keep my snack bar well organized.” 

Solution 

The snack bar transitioned to Hubtel POS – a mobile retail software with a web management dashboard that enables businesses to accept payments from mobile wallets across all networks and banks, generate invoices, and manage inventory in real time. 

For Belinda, the ability to handle sales transactions quickly made it easy for the snack bar to serve customers promptly. The inventory management feature helps her keep track of sales items, ensuring her business stays organized and maintains smooth operations even when she is busy attending to other commitments. 

“I was at my village during the Farmers’ Day holiday, which is something I do every year with my family. Despite this, I remained aware of my inventory levels and the sales my snack bar was making because I received notifications on my phone to alert me.” 

Results 

Embracing change as a business can help you address problems you did not even know existed. 

“On my stretch, I was the first business to start using a POS machine to enhance my services before everyone else adopted it.” 

For Belinda and her snack bar, Muttina Baci, using Hubtel’s POS has enhanced her customers’ experience. Apart from being popular at the airport for her delicious pastries and exceptional customer service, the ability to complete customer transactions quickly is an added advantage for them as well. 

Sazian Integrative Clinic is a medical aesthetic and naturopathic clinic dedicated to helping you feel and look your best. One of the most interesting things about the clinic is its commitment to treating patients using non-surgical methods and the payment flexibility it provides.  

Why I started the clinic: 

Dr. Gifty Awuni-Ellis’ first job as a Physician assistant in a small town in Northern Ghana opened her eyes to the persistent health problems people faced. 

“I always wondered if there were a way people could be cured and would not have to visit the hospital all the time. I wanted to help people treat medical conditions from the root cause and not just the signs and symptoms.” The experience fueled a curiosity that led her to pursue a doctorate in Naturopathic medicine, a system that uses natural remedies to help the body heal itself, and later, she had the opportunity of training in medical aesthetics under the renowned Dr. Sam Assassa at Beverly Hills Aesthetics in California, USA. 

How I began: 

She opened her first clinic in a modest space at Batsonaa that soon saw remarkable growth. To accommodate the increasing number of patients, she relocated the clinic first to Tema community 18 and later to its current location at East Airport which was recommended by one of her patients. Now, in 2023, the clinic has expanded its presence with branches in Accra, Tamale, and Kumasi.  

Our biggest challenge: 

Sazian Integrative Clinic encountered two main challenges in managing its healthcare payments. 

Firstly, their patients utilized a diverse range of payment methods, including cash, cards, mobile money, and bank transfers. This diversity made it challenging to efficiently streamline the payment processing system.  

Secondly, their previous payment processing system had a drawback: it imposed a 24-hour delay on settling payments. This delay affected the clinic’s financial operations because money was not readily available when needed.  

Hubtel to the rescue: 

With this, it became evident that it was time to find a payment solution that could serve their patients better. To address this, they turned to Hubtel’s POS, thanks to a recommendation by one of their patients.  

Hubtel POS addressed the clinic’s two main challenges effectively. It allowed for the seamless processing of various payment methods, providing patients with the flexibility they needed. Whether it was card payments, bank transfers, or mobile money, Hubtel’s POS could process transactions securely. This eliminated the need for cash transactions and the associated risk of theft.  

Also, with the hourly settlements, money became readily available when required, significantly enhancing the clinic’s financial operations.  

“After the switch, Hubtel’s POS has been nothing short of a blessing. It gave our patients payment flexibility, and we were also able to process payments quickly. It really did make everyone happy. Not to forget the hourly payment settlement it offered us. Coming across Hubtel was like a gift from Heaven.” 

What the future holds: 

“On a personal level, my dedication to healthcare knows no bounds,” stated Dr. Awuni-Ellis. “We are expanding our services to include Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist care and opening other branches in Kumasi and Tamale. In Tamale, our emphasis is on detoxification and reflexology. This is because we believe in the power of detoxification to rejuvenate the body and reflexology to restore balance.” added Dr. Awuni-Ellis. 

“We have exciting plans to embrace more technology and provide advanced services for the benefit of our patients.” 

The legacy I want to leave: 

For Dr. Awuni-Ellis, her legacy and that of the clinic are deeply personal. “We want to be remembered as healers who left a lasting impact on the lives we touched. It is not just about treating physical ailments; it is about alleviating the emotional burdens that often accompany illness,” she stated.  

It is her dream for Sazian Integrative Clinic to be a trusted companion on patients’ healthcare journeys, no matter which specialty they need. That is why she is on a mission to make healthcare more humane, more compassionate, and more holistic, all while embracing the possibilities that technology and AI offer. 

Hubtel offers products and innovations that connect businesses with their customers. You can easily receive money by integrating your systems with Hubtel’s APIs, create invoices to take payments via card or mobile money, send bulk SMS to your database for payments or withdrawals to mobile money or bank accounts, and conveniently receive payments online through bank cards and GHQR using web checkout.