Our FAQs

How Quickly can I Set up OnePal?

Once you haved completed the commercial stage and have obtained your activation code, your team will be able to set up your configuration within as little as a couple of days. Based on experience with previous implementations, it will make sense for your team to implement your solution according to the phases below:

Setting up your cloud team hub:

Stage 1- Contract & SLA: At this stage, we will complete the signed contract, confirm receipt of the first instalment as part of your payment plan, and establish a support call schedule based on your SLA.

Stage 2- Providing your Activation Code: Once we provide your activation code, you can set up your business account and activate your account within a couple of clicks.

Stage 3- Preparing Business Files: At this stage, you may choose to prepare the Folders module, the Processes module and create some Group Tasks that are ready for your team to engage with once you add them to the platform.

Stage 4- Onboarding your Team: You will then invite your team members to create a OnePal account so you can then add them as a staff member within your organisation. This stage will include assigning the appropriate modules to each team member depending on what they will need to access and the licences available in your contract.

Continual Support: This stage will involve discussing your progress and feedback during our scheduled support calls, suggesting new recommendations based on customer feedback to your offers, and collaborating with hardware suppliers to install new access gates and turnstiles that can integrate with the functionality of your passes.

Setting up your digital membership passes (if applicable):

Stage 5- Creating your Passes: Once you have activated your account, you can then create your virtual passes within the Spaces module, where you will need to set your branding and custom text fields. You will then need to set up your offer tiers and offer items, which can be done quickly provided you have the images, text name and links ready. At this stage, you may wish to create an online questionnaire that will be shared to your member base (see Stage 9).

Stage 6- Setting Gates & Assets: Once your draft membership passes are saved, you will then need to add your zones, gates and spaces. This will also involve generating the day codes for each gate, or uploading the multi-use QR code or barcode images for each gate using the IDs obtained from the CPMS or gate security system already in place. In addition, this phase may also involve informing your operations team on the schedule they will need to follow for manually updating these codes for each gate and any other test.

Stage 7- Gate Testing: At this stage, you may publish your virtual membership passes before informing your membership base for testing. This could involve asking your colleagues to request a virtual membership pass and test whether the pass method opens the turnstile, door or barrier as expected.

Stage 8- Preparing Promotional Material: Once you have completed your tests, you may choose to dedicate a stage for preparing commercial material for informing your member base that a new digital version of their membership pass is available, along with its benefits. You may choose to develop these campaign images with your own design team, or we can support you with several templates depending on the SLA.

Stage 9- The Pilot with Modifications: This final stage will be focused on promoting your virtual membership pass and gauging feedback from any responses provided by the questionnaire. In tandem with this collected feedback, you may choose to make modifications to your offers displayed for different tiers and the access method for certain gates. This stage may last up-to 3 months, as you begin to see the differences in spending patterns and group sizes when reviewing transaction data with your Revenue Manager.

Can you support our team for free?

Provided we are already working under contract, we do offer a mix of paid and complimentary services as part of setting up your account.

For example, if you are planning to use our team collaboration features, we can offer a free HR A/B test as part of setting up your account, in addition to the paid setup service if you need support beyond our free video training.

In addition, if you are planning to use our commercial features, we can offer a free Offer A/B test as part of setting up your digital member passes, in addition to the paid setup service if you need further support for the commercial tools.

Where did the idea for OnePal come from?

The platform was inspired from research Peter conducted at the University of Salford in 2022 in repsonse to pressures faced by University campuses during the pandemic.

As University campuses needed a simple platform for connecting on-site staff, automatic training on mobile, and commercial tools for visitors, it made sense to develop a simple cloud-based hub that could be adopted easily across departments with no disruption to their existing technology investments.

The platform has since gained interest from a range of industries, from hospitality to construction. In addition, our early small client base is supporting the project with feature requests for future versions of the platform. This is a win-win for our small company in improving the platform, and for clients who would like to influence future functionality.

Will the team need to download multiple apps and be limited to desktop for some tasks?

No. They only need to download one app (OnePal!). Once you have added them as an employee of your organisation, all they need to do is pass your two-factor authentication and log into their business apps.

They will also be able to log in via their browser on desktop or mobile, with all desktop functionality across devices. In addition, the interface is designed to be mobile-first for workers to navigate quickly when working outdoors or on the go.

I am so familiar with using only spreadsheets and simple messaging apps with my team. Why change?

Organising your team operations, compliance and customer records in spreadsheets is better than pen and paper, but still a very risky approach.

Using only spreadsheets almost guarantees duplicate and lost data, as well as missing records for future compliance audits.

By contrast, using OnePal ensures that your team is always connected and compliant, making collaboration, training and IT access simple during the busiest of periods.

In addition, being organised with a digital hub enables you to build membership passes that are digital and connected to these business apps in the background, capturing leads and engaging visitors for repeat service.

Do I have to integrate an API from my website to enable digital member passes?

No. Our system is plug-in-and-play. All of our business apps are connected in their own ecosystem, including the digital membership passes, which are opened by your customers in the OnePal app. This app provides a wallet experience for customers, storing your branded digital passes for instant access.

Our digital passes capture leads, support tickets, messages and all the inputs that would normally need a separate website. This provides a unified experience for your visitors, requiring no code or integrations.

Will OnePal still be able to connnect our on-site workers and customers before we configure our QR codes?

Yes. You can configure your digital passes to display a day code that is updated manually by the operator, where visitors can show their pass to the security guard to verify this code manually.

Digital employee passes and customer passes will still connect to all the same business apps.

This means that your on-site workers will be able to begin accessing all of their business apps before you choose to add automatic accessd codes to your digital passes.

Can OnePal act as a CMS for our static QR codes or barcodes generated by our backend API?

Yes. Our Spaces module acts as the 'CMS' (content management system) for static QR codes and/or barcodes generated by your separate backend such as ControlFreq or SKIDATA.

This ensures that the IT department has the security of two separate systems running in parallel: your existing access control system that uses the user identifier opening specific doors and gates; and the OnePal cloud system, acting as a CMS for uploaded static QR codes based on the gate identifier.

This removes the risk of providing dynamic QR codes to members based on the user identifier, where an error in the API from other systems could accidentally block or enable access incorrectly. This also gives the operator the flexibility of setting static QR codes manually for each gate throughout the site, removing the need for complex training and ensuring that OnePal passes can only open the gate if the latest static code has been uploaded.

Will we have to disrupt our existing software and spend time setting this up?

No. OnePal is designed to work alongside your existing software, acting more as a 'connector hub' for your team in the facility and members visiting the venue. You can continue to use your existing scheduling, HR, cloud storage CRM and project management software, and even integrate links to these resources in your OnePal team hub. This hybrid implementation is preferred by IT departments in larger venues, enabling managers to gain approval from IT and operations quickly.

Because of this approach, you can start using OnePal with a small team and customer pilot, and grow your adoption of the platform at a pace suitable for your venue. Moreover, you will not need to provide manual training of your team members for basic understanding of the apps as we provide free video training to save time.

Is the idea of running a department or business from one app too unrealistic?

Any time spent on repetitive tasks such training, entering repeat data and unnecessary paperwork is wasted time that could be spent on improving your products or customer experience.

OnePal fixes this problem by making these tools digital, but also by working with the setup that a business already has, making a digital business hub accessible to teams that may be hesitant with other software on the market.

Digitally-connected venues and businesses are the future, and OnePal makes this transition seamless.

Can we start with a fixed pilot to help over peak season?

Yes. For example, this could mean starting with a 3-month pilot at a fixed fee of £6,000 + VAT oustide of the larger RFP*, covering an operations hub for your team and digital parking member passes for visitors to a chosen part of the site.

You can then continue into a new contract to cover the next 12-24 months after this peak period. This all depends on factors such as team size and membership revenue. Consider £12.54 + VAT/team member/month as your pricing estimate.

As we are a startup business, we also have flexibility in using your feedback to improve the software with new features, providing benefits to our clients in new regions or industries.

* Assuming an example budget of £24,000 + VAT per year required for the software component of the full RFP or ongoing Dynamic Purchasing System tender framework.

Does my team need an operations hub?

An operations hub enables your team to work on the same projects and other basic work tools from their phone. This team app makes most everyday work tasks a breeze, whether managing member parking, sharing timesheets, accessing training or reporting progress on a project while working out in the field.

Every business has to connect team members with standard paperwork, training and project management. We just make this all digital and in one easy app for every team member to access. Whether you use OnePal or a competitor, it is always a good idea to use a chosen cloud office provider (i.e. Microsoft and sharepoint) and a mobile business hub side by side.

This makes more and more sense when the team size is larger, and when you are already looking to replace existing spreadsheets and paper-based processes. However, even a small team of 5 people can use a business hub to stay organised and use the risk tracking features to act as an audit log for future ISO and COSHH/OSHA inspections. For example, several Chinese-themed restaurant chains and construction businesses have avoided fines up-to £10,000 by simply logging hazards and training using a digital login that team members could access across devices.

Where are you based? Is this a small business?

We are (proudly) a tiny software company that was started in Exeter in 2024. Peter and several collaborators in the UK and the USA work across multiple timezones, discussing with potential clients and University partners.

Our rock-solid software platform is maintained on AWS (Amazon web services) and is constantly maintained with backups, ensuring client data is secure and meets requirements such as GDPR. But as the business itself is a startup, we have a lot of flexibility in developing new features for our early client base. Unlike working with a large corporate giant, this is a major benefit to a client looking for a plug-in-and-play business hub, but also priority in influencing how future features are developed.

We are in the process of moving to a more established location in Plymouth UK, with the same ties to our collaborators across the pond in the United States.

Will this replace or disrupt the existing messaging apps and cloud files they already use?

No. The business hub is designed to work right alongside what you already have.

For example, you can integrate links all your existing cloud files in Google drive and Microsoft Sharepoint to your projects. This means you can use a shared business 'hub' for all your projects and training without having to move your files onto one platform.

Also, we expect that your team will continue to use their favourite messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Signal while also being able to collaborate live inisde of projects within the business hub. And finally, your commercial team will likely continue to use their favourite CRM such as Hubspot and email campaign manager such as Mailchimp, but use the OnePal CRM features to manage leads for VIP members or customers who have a digital membership pass.

This means no disruption while having a central business hub that connects your team and the apps you already use.

My team does not like software. Will this be easy for them to use?

We actually agree with you. Most business software with as many features as OnePal is not easy to use, has little or no support on mobile, and is too buggy to rely on for everyday use.

OnePal is plug-in-and-play and meets the quality standards of the Apple iOS store. The interface is designed to be so intuitive that you will be able to start using each module quickly.

Can a OnePal business hub increase sales as well as save money and avoid fines?

Yes. You can build digital membership passes, publish them and then share them to your customers. This uses the same technology as the digital employee passes your team will use to access their basic work tools.

Your customers download the OnePal app, browse the pass store and then request a digital pass that you have published. This is a fantastic method of collecting highly qualified leads, and connects all this data to your CRM module.

But this is also a brilliant method of managing VIP memberships digitally, from managing VIP parking spaces, gate access and how loyalty tiers appear on your customers' digital pass. All this data connects with your ticket desk in the CRM module, the occupancy data in the Spaces module.

For example, international airports such as LAX Airport and Hermes Airport increased revenue by over £10m in 2024 by implementing a new digital loyalty interface. Even if you are a smaller business, you can still re-create the same effects and increase your customer base as part of a marketing strategy.

This makes your VIP membership strategy digital, enabling you increase revenue from customer loyalty while providing futuristic experiences such as an interactive virtual queue and automatic gate opening with a QR code.

All of this is no-code and plug-in-and-play, making this accessible for businesses of all sizes.

Is offering my customers a digital member pass relevant to my industry?

If you run a hospitality business with VIP parking spaces and an existing membership loyalty strategy, a OnePal digital VIP pass makes the most sense for improving upon what you already have.

However, even if you are in say the construction or engineering business, offering a digitial customer pass can be just as valuable in providing a VIP customer support experience. All of the same tools such as virtual queue, the ticket desk and dynamic loyalty offers can be customised creatively to match your industry.

What is the time and effort required to set this up?

This can take as little as 30 minutes. And If you have premium support, we can help set everything up for you during an onboarding call. You can also access free training to set everything up yourself.

If you are a small team, this will likely mean just creating a couple of group tasks in the Tasks module, adding some training content in the Processes module, and then onboarding your team members in one click through the HR module. However, if you are a larger team, you may plan a migration process of replacing your member ticket desk, projects and training content.

If you are also working with a marketing agency to produce promotional material for your pass, they may also attend onboarding calls. Also, if you are working with a barrier equipment supplier, they may also attend the call to confirm that their QR codes are uploaded to the correct gates, or to discuss introducing this later.

If this is how you choose to organise your setup, you will likely provide team members the access they need to their HR pass and mobile apps once the onboarding calls are complete. If part of your agreement, your digital membership pass(es) for customers will also be published. This means that your customers will be able to start claiming a digital version of their membership.

Can this be an 'everything app' for my small business?

Yes. Each of the business modules will be useful for increasing compliance with your team, and creating a new digital membership for your customers to create more revenue.

Think of this as the 'hub' for organizing your business, increasing compliance, increasing revenue and keeping your team engaged.

What is an 'Interactive Employee Pass'?

Employees can open their virtual work pass within the OnePal iOS and Android app, or as a web app downloaded onto their phone.

Depending on how you have configured employee passes, they will be able to scan smart security systems with a QR code or barcode to enter different parts on the workplace. They will also be able to digitally sign in and out of the workfplace, replacing paper sign-in forms used for fire safety.

Employees will also be able to do other smart things within their pass directly, such as sending anonymous notes to HR, messaging their line manager, and seeing their available employee perks following recent appraisals.

What is Digital Sign-in?

As employees sign in and out digitally via their Interactive Employee Pass, you will be able to see these as recent updates in via the HR module. This will enable you to replace paper fire safety forms, providing you visibility on when your team members have left the building, even from the mobile version of your OnePal app.

Can I set PTO and Employee Rewards?

Yes, you can update the latest number of PTO days available to your team members. They will be able to see this from within their profile section within the mobile app, giving you an opportunity to add additional PTO days as rewards following a recent appraisal.

Even for employees who only have access for a virtual work pass, they will be able to see their latest employee perks available to them based on their tier you have placed them in, and the offers you have configured.

What are Anonymous Notes?

Employees are able to send an anonymous note to HR directly from within their virtual work pass. This provides employees a hassle-free method of raising a concern or reporting a breach in compliace, enabling HR to address the issue discretely before it escalates to outside of the organisation.

For team members who are assigned access to the HR module, they will be able to see these anonymous notes appear in a dedicated page, enabling them to address these concerns.

Anonymous notes can also be sent as an idea related to a specific project or topic. These notes are then displayed directly from within projects related to this topic, supporting project managers with access to the Tasks module. Moroever, employee rewards can also be offered to incentivise workers outside of the office to share ideas and observations as they work in the field.

Can I Assign Tasks and Projects to my Team Members?

Yes. If you provide your team member access to the Tasks module, you can assign them simple Todos, and collaborate with them on multi-step projects from within a simple mobile interface.

Unlike traditional project management tools, this module is mobile-first and is designed for you and your team to collaborate over projects while on the go without compromising functionality.

Can I Create SOPs and Processes for Team Members to Access?

Yes. You can create multi-step SOPs, attach media and even voice recordings. This enables all team members with access to the Processes module to view the latest processes and policies in your organisation.

In addition, you can configure each step within a process to link to secure external cloud files and folders that you configure separately via the Files module. In practical terms, this enables you to:

Create all the SOPs and training content you need, each with links to the different cloud files and folders requiring their own level of permission.
Prepare the cloud office account for your new hire (i.e. Office 365 or Google Workspace), complete with their unique access of folders and files in your company SharePoint.
Onboard a new employee and assign them to a pre-created onboarding and training plan in just a couple of clicks, knowing that they will only be able to open resources that they have permission to access based on the separate settings of your cloud office provider.

What is Cloud Folder Control?

Employees who have access to the Files module will be able to create links to important cloud folders from across a range of cloud office and ERP platforms (i.e. having links to Microsoft SharePoint and Google Workspace). This keeps your IT setup for remote file management flexible and platform agnostic as your requirements evolve.

This then enables employees with access to the Processes module to link these files into steps within a Process or Policy, ensuring that Team Members always have access to resources that are up-to-date and secure.

Can I use the HR Module for Recruitment?

Yes. You can ask your candidates to create a quick account in the OnePal app and update the links within their Portfolio module. This will enable you to search for candidates, add them as prospects, organise them according to progress stage; but then also view their latest portfolio links as you make a deicison.

You can also set candidates at the interview stage to receive a virtual visitor pass to support them with opening the barrier to the parking lot and providing resources relevant to their visit.

What is a Team Plan?

A Team Plan is a contract that enables you to offer your employees a virtual pass and business modules depending on the needs of your organisation. The effective annual or monthly fee is set based on the number of your employees, and the different features that your employees need.

For example, 80 of your team members may only need the basic employee pass functionality, with 20 of your remaning employees requring more business modules.

Once you activate your account using your licence key, you will able to add your team members and assign them the modules best suited to their role, provided you stay within the agreed number of licences within your Team Plan Contract.

What is a Visitor Plan?

A Visitor Plan enables you to offer your membership customers a virtual pass. This provides an experience that is familiar to those having used virtual wallet passes before, but with additional features.

Members will be able to show their virtual pass to gain entry, or even open turnstiles to the venue depending on which access methods you have configured. They will also be able to see offers appear dynamically within their pass, encouraging them to re-visit and consider additional products during their stay. Like employee passes, you create visitor passes from within the Spaces module, and then set them to public so that your members can begin applying for a digital version of their existing membership.

To enable this functionality, you can request a Visitor Plan. The effective annual or monthly fee will be based on a percentage of your average annual membership revenue.

Can I Customise the Branding of my Visitor Passes?

Yes. As you create a visitor pass within the Spaces module, you can customise the colour of your buttons used for information links, as well as the cover image.

The layout of the pass is designed to work with a range of applications, while appearing familiar to the customer based on their experience with past digital wallets.

How do my Members Apply for a Digtial Version of their Membership Pass?

If not lost or stolen, your members will likely already have a paper membership card with their long-digit Member ID. Once they have quickly created a OnePal account, they can search for your available pass and apply by entering their claimed ID number.

Your admin team will then see this application from within the Spaces module, where they will be able to confirm the identify of the membership holder via their email, and then approve the application. Alternatively, your admin team may choose to approve the application, but then verify ID when they next visit the venue, and then deactivate their pass if required.

Once approved, the membership holder will see their virtual pass appear on the homescreen of their OnePal app, enabling them to use their virtual membership pass right away.

What are Dynamic Offers?

You can create tiers and offers within those tiers from within the Spaces module. This will enable you to assign individual passholders to different tiers depending on factors such as past commitment.

For example, you could greet a family visiting your venue following their first visit and inform them that they are being upgraded to the next tier for when they visit next time. This means that their pass with update with the new offers (i.e. 'free coffee on each visit') to encourage them to return.

Dynamic offers can be set to link to separate information pages, payment links and whichever resources are required for your venue. In addition, you can set different offers to appear depending on the gate or area of the venue your customers are visiting.

Can Visitors Select a Space as they Arrive using Real-time Availability?

Yes. Visitors can be on their way to the venue, and select from the spaces available depending on the area of the venue they will be entering. This availability data is synced in real-time based on interactions with passholders, and you as the operator within the Spaces module.

Do I need to Configure any Hardware or APIs?

No. Our integrated app approach means that you do not need to sync customer details with the hardware such as the CPMS or security control system provider. This means that even venues with no installed gate control systems can still provide real-time occupancy and security verification upon entry for employees.

What if my parking lots or seating areas are already reserved by another system?

We recommend keeping designated seating or parking areas for your membership customers separate from one-time ticket buyers, which likely fits within your approach of offering exclusive areas for VIP customers or employees.

This could mean that you make certain spaces (i.e. front-row seats in a cinema) unavailable for prebook within your existing online booking system, but available to reserve for members with a virtual membership pass.

This also provides you the flexibility of continuing to use your existing online booking system for taking payments for one-time tickets and managing occupancy for those purchases, but then also taking payments for your memberships where the occoupancy for those memberships is managed by OnePal virtual pass holders.

Do you recommend systems to support one-time tickets and payments?

Yes. We do recommend partners who provide a complete online payment and reservation system that is perfectly suited to one-time ticket sales. This can then work in conjunction with the OnePal system that provides a digital version of their membership pass for customers who have already paid for their membership.

Can Visitors join a Virtual Waiting List?

Yes. If visitors do not see any preferred spaces available, they can join your virtual waiting list from within their virtual pass. The customer will then be able to see their progress through the waiting list, which will indicate when it is their turn to arrive at the gate and ask to be let in and directed to a space that is available.

This removes the need for standing in line, frustrated customers and lost sales opportunities. Instead, customers can now join the line for a busy gate, and spend their time waiting in other nearby parts of the venue.

Do you support all Industries?

OnePal can support most applications, from the small venue with no access control hardware through to larger venues that operate multiple systems for different designated areas.

However, there are venue types that were are unable to support due to partnerships with other software providers and our participation with research departments. If we are unable to support your venue, we may recommend an alternative provider instead.

Do you take Commissions on Membership Sales or Up-sells?

No. We take no commissions. All payment are handled by your separate online payment system of choice.

Will Implementing this System Increase Sales from Membership Holders by 25%

Yes. Let us take a look at a couple of factors:

Your membership customers will expect membership price to be corrected for inflation over time, and this is often part of their membership agreement. This means you could already increase the price of your memberships by the same percentage charged to you as part of your Visitor Plan, effectively paying for the cost of running digital membership passes. The additonal futuristic features offered through your virtual membership pass could justify a further increase in your existing membership prices.

A significant portion of your membership base is lost each year through a lack of differentiation from competitors, or a lack of understanding of the unique benefits and experiences that make your venue unique. This is corrected by making a virtual version of their membership pass available, recovering this lost revenue.

The dynamic offers within your virtual membership pass can be used to upsell additional experiences within your venue. For example, including a 'free desert' as an offer is likely to encourage your visitor and their family to consider dining at your on-site restaurant for an entire meal; or including an offer for '10% off premium rides' could encourage visitors to pay for an additional experience that requires an additional payment. Visitors enjoy these custom recommendations, and this can result in a significant increase in spend per visit.