Luxe NYC Establishment Rescues Dispute Payouts with Shoeboxed

Harlem Hookah is an independently owned, woman-owned, and black-owned restaurant, bar, and hookah lounge located in Harlem, NYC, employing 18 diverse members of their community. With over 3000 visitors per month, this luxe establishment in Manhattan prides itself on exceptional service and one-of-a-kind shisha and spirits.

The challenge: Guests’ receipts crucial for dispute resolutions

In the hospitality industry, where guest bills are considerable, receipts must be rigorously preserved and easily accessible. “It is imperative that we save each guest’s signed receipt in case of any disputes,” says Tiffany Bowen, Harlem Hookah’s proprietor.

For popular establishments that deal with a high number of visitors, receipt storage is a problem. In Harlem Hookah’s case, Tiffany reports, “We get receipts from over 3000 guests per month.” And before switching to Shoeboxed, Harlem Hookah stored all their receipts on site.

With the growing popularity of this restaurant bar-lounge, Tiffany began her search for a suitable receipt management and scanning software .

The solution: Digital storage and organization with Shoeboxed

“We considered using other scan companies, and we tried to scan ourselves,” recalls Tiffany. In the end, they found Shoeboxed’s Magic Envelope^TM method the most compatible with how they wanted to categorize the hookah lounge’s daily receipt volume.

Shoeboxed's Magic Envelope

This service is an envelope (with pre-paid postage within the US) that users fill with physical receipts and mail to Shoeboxed's office. The receipts are then scanned, human-verified, logged into users' accounts, and safely stored.

“We like the envelope process. It allows us to give our managers the envelopes and have them drop it in the mail with all the receipts from that day.”

When asked how quickly they transitioned receipt management to Shoeboxed, Tiffany replied, “It has been pretty good. Anytime we reach out to Shoeboxed, they help.”

“Anytime I show anyone our receipt filing system that we have they are impressed. I’ve pulled specific customer receipts up quickly and they are always shocked.”

—Tiffany Bowen, Proprietor

The results: $400~$800 per month savings from successfully resolved disputes

A notable benefit from switching to Shoeboxed that Tiffany highlighted is the reduced risk of dispute payouts because receipts can be quickly shown as proof.

Disputes occur 4 to 8 times a month on average—and when they come up, Tiffany follows a process.

“Once a dispute is received, we go to our digital storage [on Shoeboxed] where we have every single customer receipt filed. We have a file for each shift. We find the file for that day and scroll through the receipts until we find the one in question.”

Tiffany then goes on the credit card processors’ website and uploads a copy of the signed receipt. She explains that the customer consumed the items in question, presented their credit card, and signed the receipt that she has uploaded.

“We usually hear back within 5-10 days explaining that the dispute has been resolved.”

We asked Tiffany how much money Shoeboxed has saved Harlem Hookah by helping to resolve disputes, and she calculated the value of dispute payments averted to be between $400-$800 per month.

“I save myself and my business a great deal of money from being able to prove that charges are not fraudulent because I can easily access each signed customer receipt.”

—Tiffany Bowen, Proprietor

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