A voucher that turns up twice
A guest hands over a printed voucher bought online as a Christmas present. The server checks it against a spreadsheet the GM keeps. It is not on the list, because online sales go to head office and the list was last updated a fortnight ago. The GM accepts it to avoid a scene. A week later the same voucher code is used at another site.
Meanwhile finance is trying to work out how much voucher money is still outstanding at year end. The online shop says one thing, the site spreadsheets say another, and some sites sell paper vouchers from a book at the bar that nobody logs centrally.
Why vouchers get messy across a group
- Vouchers are sold in several places: the website, each site's bar, and by phone.
- Each site keeps its own list, if it keeps one at all.
- Part redemptions leave balances that nobody records properly.
- Revenue lands at the site that sold the voucher, but the meal is served at another.
- Expiry, extensions and replacements for lost vouchers are handled differently at each site.
The cost of loose voucher records
Vouchers used twice are straightforward losses. Guests turned away because a valid voucher cannot be found become complaints and reviews. Finance cannot give a confident figure for vouchers outstanding, which your accountant will want at year end. Sites argue about who should get credit for voucher sales. And marketing cannot see how many voucher buyers come back.
How we build one voucher record
- Every voucher gets a unique code in one central record, whether sold online, at a site or by phone.
- Online sales from your website or voucher shop create the record automatically when payment is taken.
- Sites sell vouchers from the till or a tablet, which creates the record and prints or emails the voucher.
- At redemption, staff check the code on the till or a tablet, see the balance, and redeem all or part of it. The balance updates instantly for every site.
- Expired, extended and replaced vouchers are handled by rules you set, with a record of who did what.
- Finance sees outstanding value, sales and redemptions by site, and a record of which site sold and which site redeemed each voucher, for whatever internal recharge you decide.
| Voucher event | Recorded against | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Sold online | Head office or chosen site | Cash received, liability starts |
| Sold at a site | Selling site | Same, at the till |
| Redeemed | Redeeming site | Revenue recognised where the meal is served |
| Part redeemed | Redeeming site | Balance kept for next visit |
How voucher income and outstanding balances are treated in your accounts is for your accountant. We give them clean figures.
A guest at the door with a voucher
The server scans or types the code, sees the balance and the expiry date, and redeems it in seconds. If it has already been used, the screen shows where and when. Finance can see outstanding vouchers at any time without asking sites for their lists. Marketing can send offers to past voucher buyers who have given permission.
Is this how vouchers work for you?
- Each site keeps its own voucher list or book.
- Online and site voucher sales are recorded separately.
- Part-used balances are written on the voucher itself.
- Nobody can say how much voucher value is outstanding.
- Vouchers have been accepted twice at different sites.