Purr of approval as Axis helps safeguard future of small business

24 Jul 2018

“ Being able to view the footage on our phones in real time and flick between the different cameras in the café is great. We can zoom in on different areas and slow down or speed up the playback.” Jaya Da Costa, Owner of the Pause Cat Café.

Mission

Pause Cat Café, a small independent not-for-profit enterprise employing fifteen people and over thirty volunteers located in Bournemouth, England, recently opened its doors to customers with a single unique aim: increasing happiness by providing a haven for humans and cats to enjoy each other’s company. Customers can enjoy a coffee or meal time among the relaxed company of twelve rescue cats while also learning more about animal welfare, ethical eating and community involvement.

With such a unique business model, the café owner needed to not only closely monitor the cats 24/7 to ensure their welfare, particularly when the café was closed, but also to satisfy stringent compliance regulations set by the local council. Being able to demonstrate cleanliness and ensure the health and safety of patrons at all times was paramount. Pause Cat Café required a high quality, easy to use and, of course, affordable solution to meet their security and compliance needs and deliver peace of mind.

Solution

AXIS Companion Line was the natural choice. A network of five AXIS Companion IP cameras covering the inside of the café environment as well as external front and back doors was installed allowing live footage to be viewed through mobile devices. At any time, the owner and nominated staff can check on the wellbeing and whereabouts of the cats through high-definition technology. They are also able to monitor the traditional aspects of a retail café establishment such as health and safety compliance in food preparation and takeaway areas, cash transactions and property security. The technology ensures compliance with animal welfare regulations, assists with public liability adherence, and helps ensure secure business operations.

Result

TThe selection of Axis Companion small business surveillance technology installed by The IT Department, a local IT company, has helped provide complete peace of mind to the Pause Cat Café owner. The unique concept of the cat café means that animal welfare needs to be followed closely, with the health and safety of all being paramount to the continued success of the business.

Being able to view the cats at any time helps to keep them safe around the clock. In addition, high definition monitoring during business hours can assist with public liability; playback of imagery can determine the exact circumstances surrounding any incident. Surveillance of key entry points to deter or provide evidence of breakins is also provided in addition to health and safety compliance, showing that cats are separated from food preparation areas.

24/7 monitoring; ensuring business security and cat welfare

Cat cafés started in Taiwan in the late 1990s and have become popular around the world. There are currently a handful in the UK, promoting health benefits to their visitors such as reducing blood pressure, anxiety and stress while improving mood and in some cases helping people with autism.

The Bournemouth-based Pause Cat Café faces similar issues to other small businesses in the retail and food sectors. The cameras have been installed for traditional business reasons such as financial and personal security that other small business owners can empathise with. Security of premises; crime prevention; monitoring health and safety; staff education and training; and management of public liability compliance are some of the key issues to be addressed. The protection of customer-facing staff serving food or handling money is essential.

Jaya Da Costa, Owner of the Pause Cat Café states, “We have full CCTV on all of the property to make sure the cats are OK and that they don’t come to any harm. We can watch them 24/7 on our mobile phones. It also helps support the necessary regulations that form part of our trading license from the local council – a café with cats isn’t your usual high street establishment.

“AXIS Companion Line has already saved the cafe around £1,000 when a member of the public caused criminal damage to the property by cracking the front window. Upon hearing the noise, I was able to quickly check the camera footage, identify the person responsible and inform the police, who caught the suspect further up the road.”

The IT Department, a local IT installer and Axis partner, was involved very early in the café’s inception. Its team assessed the technology and video surveillance needs of the café and suggested the IP surveillance solution, AXIS Companion Line, to meet business and budget objectives.

Matthew Newnham, Key Account Manager at The IT Department, states, “The café owner liked what we had to say about AXIS Companion Line. It is well priced and advanced equipment ideally suited to the small business. It is also very simple to install.”

A high-definition tool for protecting small business assets, customers and staff

The quirky aspect of the cat café meant that the business owner also needed to safeguard its feline ‘staff’. Monitoring the site at all times is important for animal welfare purposes and is a regulatory requirement. Playback and zoom functionality helps enhance the effective monitoring of the animals.

In the future, the café is looking into livestreaming footage of cats interacting with customers for promotional purposes to help boost its visitor numbers and highlight the positive health benefits that come from interacting with the cats.

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