GoFibre Business Case Study – Laughing Ducks Soft Play, Coldstream

What was the initial challenge / priority that led you to engage GoFibre?

Prior to signing up with GoFibre, we relied on a copper connection and it was so poor that we were forced to use 4G as a back-up for the business; but even then, that kept crashing, affecting our ability to run the business.

Laughing Ducks was nearly eight years in the making and we began trading six weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic in February 2020. The requirements stipulated by the Government once we re-opened 15 months later massively affected how we would run the business. Our pen and paper booking system was no longer up to scratch as we couldn’t share pens and paper for fear of cross-contamination so online was the only solution. The plan was always to modernise the business anyway and it also assisted with track and trace recording.

When we moved the booking system online, every element of our business was now dictated by our digital connection and it working successfully. We have two tills at the front with printers which work over the internet, as well as the booking system, tills and café service all being online. With no connection, we can’t attract customers, serve existing customers or take any form of payment so a good connection is crucial to our success.

The hours wasted when you aren’t getting the service you deserve meant it really was a no-brainer when GoFibre suggested a change to full fibre. We can finally focus on running the business after years of planning applications, appeals and a global pandemic.

How has GoFibre responded to this?

We have the 100Mbps broadband package with phone which we find really great value for money. Plus, we had no disruption as we were able to keep our business phone number which was vital for us when considering changing supplier.

The service really does work fantastically alongside each of our online business functions. After all, it’s a digital age and GoFibre has allowed us to embrace it. We’re already thinking about how we can develop technology wise in the coming months. Also, going digital means far less paper is used so we feel like we are doing our bit for the environment too.

When we’ve required technical support from one of GoFibre’s engineers, they’ve made sure to come at a quiet time for the business which we really appreciate. Our success relies on us being online at all times in the day.

Please detail the benefits of this approach and who it has directly affected e.g. customers, staff, partners, suppliers etc:

Our customers can book online so when they step inside they can be sat comfortably at their table within just 60 seconds. When you’ve kids to look after this is key to our whole customer experience and approach. We strive to ensure our customer service is always on point.

The team uses a number of devices, including tablets, laptops, mobile phones etc and with GoFibre, there has been no slowing down of the connection.

What would you say to others considering GoFibre’s FTTP services?

Definitely look into it as it has transformed our ability to work online. The speed, service and price point are all way better for us than before.