Ready App

pre-authorization feature

CASE STUDY

FEATURE release

Ready is a contactless restaurant and hospitality order and payment application. With Ready, customers can order from their table, hotel room or stadium seat by scanning a QR code, then pay directly from the app. This allows servers to turn tables faster, boost tips and increase order sizes, while focusing on excellent customer service. Ready currently offers open tab options as well so that customers can continue to order items and pay at the end of their dining experience.

Ready wanted to introduce pre-authorization to restaurant use cases. This would allow customers to leave the establishment without having to pay the bill directly. Users would simply set up a pre-authorized amount prior to ordering and then continue to order as usual.

problem

During initial research into pre-authorization in the restaurant and app industry many users reported that the process can often be complex. Traditional methods of pre-authorization at many pubs and bars were to take a customers credit or debit card and hold it until they were ready to settle their tab. Many apps require users to create accounts that would live exclusively in that app that may or may not be used again. Often times, similar to filling up at the gas station, pre-authorization amounts were often well above the cost of the actual item and took too long to clear from a user’s account. Some users also were not comfortable with placing credit card information online due to security risks.

USER PERSONA

USER FLOW

SOLUTION

To set up their tab, a user would enter their credit card information without creating an account. Their card would be securely stored until it was automatically charged 2 hours after ordering. The amount would be approximately calculated based on the tip selected, taxes and number of diners. Once the pre-authorized amount was set, the user could continue to order.

Handy alerts are built into this feature to notify the user when the order amount has exceeded or is approaching the pre-authorized amount. This would allow them to modify the amount directly from the order screen. The amount was also modifiable from the billing and profile pages. On the billing page, multiple cheques will be hidden upon page load to give prominence to the user cheque at the top. When paying multiple cheques at the table, a user has the ability to select their cheque and another’s but the experience is directed to pay off the user’s bill with their pre-authorized amount first before paying off a guest’s bill.

View protoype.