IT solutions provider Welltell has announced it has provided connectivity to 76 Insomnia coffee shops across Ireland and Britain as part of a €250,000 deal.

Welltell said it had designed a bespoke solution for Insomnia that had "almost entirely eradicated connectivity issues" for the company and that the system could withstand fixed-line interruptions and provide automated backup in case of an outage or failure.

Customer experience in-store has also improved with high-speed WiFi and more reliable payments and loyalty transactions, and the next phase of the project will see the introduction of more connected services at Insomnia branches, including telemetry and digital displays.

Welltel installed Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) and new routers in each store to ensure the fastest available broadband connection and improve employee access to Insomnia’s cloud-based services, including till systems, card payments, loyalty platforms and head office resources.

High-speed mobile connectivity has also been rolled out across all stores ensuring risks of downtime are significantly reduced.

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"Today, connectivity is absolutely core to our ability to give customers what they want. We needed a secure, stable and high-quality connection that would not only ensure our business could continue uninterrupted, but underpin growth and business success," said Conor Ward, head of IT at Insomnia.

"We had been seeing a heightened demand for quality connectivity based on both customer expectation and increases in the number of connected services. Customers can now enjoy an improved experience in our stores, with fast, seamless payments and reliable Wi-Fi, while staff also benefit from improved access to the company’s cloud resources.

"We are confident this system will meet our business needs as they continue to evolve. It will support our exciting plans for the next chapter in our increasingly digital business.”

Dan Croke, account director and solutions principle at Welltel, added: "We were thrilled to be chosen to work with Insomnia on this exciting project.

"Things are becoming increasingly connected and reliable networks have never been more important, especially for a customer-facing business such as Insomnia. This project was undertaken and carried out with the needs of customers and employees at the core.

“The scalable solution will grow in line with the company’s requirements, and with the very latest connectivity technology, Welltel has futureproofed Insomnia’s systems and is enabling success in a cloud-based world.

“We’re looking forward to working with Insomnia on the next phase of the project and continuing to build on our valuable relationship.”

Insomnia has grown to 175 stores since launching in Galway in 1997, and it also operates concessions with the likes of Spar, Londis, Mace, Primark, Co-op, Eason, Meadows & Byrne and Maxol as well as over 500 self-service machines in Ireland and the UK.

Photo: Conor Ward (left), Head of IT, Insomnia, and Dan Croke, Account Director and Solutions Principle, Welltel.