Golf course management problem evolves into problem solving business

SHREWSBURY — Andrew Langlois knows first-hand the difficulties small business owners face as they attempt to make sense of the all of their data.

As the manager of several golf courses in the area and chief operating officer for an irrigation supply company, Mr. Langlois, said realized that technology was the solution to improve efficiency. During the economic downturn, he shifted the company’s systems to the cloud, which enabled key employees to focus on the core business instead of managing hardware, software and servers.

That project ignited Mr. Langlois’ passion to assist other businesses. He launched his own company, Synergy Business Solutions, and its first product is Bizhelm, a concierge service tied to ShopKeep, a point-of-sale system for the iPad.

“I am a certified channel partner for ShopKeep,” Mr. Langlois said. “But what we do for our customers is we build the back end, so that when we go to do the installation, all of the stock is already loaded.”

The iPad or iPad mini functions as a register, and business owners can download their reports from the cloud to a laptop or desktop, Mr. Langlois said.

“There is a whole lot of functionality in the system,” he said. “It collects email addresses, and emails the receipt to customers, but it also stores the data so that business owners can do segmented, targeted marketing, which they can then leverage with social media.”

In addition to email marketing, ShopKeep’s functionality includes inventory management, hourly sales tracking and an employee time clock. Mr. Langlois said ShopKeep also connects to QuickBooks, the bookkeeping software used by many small businesses.

ShopKeep is already able to accept both ApplePay and microchip embedded cards, as well as those with magnetic stripes.

“Merchants are going to be required to accept the chip cards by October 1, 2015, so this gets them ready,” Mr. Langlois said. “The chip cards are designed to reduce fraud, which is disproportionately high in the United States. Credit card companies will put the fraud liability back onto merchants, who don’t accept the chip cards.”

Mr. Langlois said that he has been working with ShopKeep since 2011, but he has only been full time with Bizhelm since January 1.

“East Main Automotive in Northboro was one of my early adopters,” he said. “But now have I about 16 clients that stretch across the state from Pittsfield to Hingham, and Rhode Island.”

His clients include independent retailers, salons, spas, ice cream and quick serve restaurants, a vineyard and a country club.

“At the country club, we actually have multiple operations — a bowling alley and a pool — that use our system,” Mr. Langlois said.

Mr. Langlois said that while ShopKeep is available directly from the company, he provides customization services that make it completely ready-to-use.

“The opportunity I saw is that for every business owner who is comfortable ordering ShopKeep direct, there are ten more who want to have an in-person installation,” he said. “The majority of the tools ShopKeep offers are under-utilized, and we can deliver the product in such a way that it makes a business owner a marketing wizard, even if they weren’t before.

“Point of sale is a really critical piece of their business, and the better job we do for them, the better they do.”

Golf course management problem evolves into problem solving business