1.
Please tell us about your business.
We mainly provide gateway systems for cashless payments.
QR-code payments are our core; we have actively brought so-called "China-tech" such as WeChat Pay and Alipay into the Japanese market.
Our handling of cleaning robots is related to the fact that we started as a payment company.
Right now the keyword "labor-saving" is driving strong demand for robots.
Many of our merchant clients are in retail, and to meet their labor-saving needs we began selling commercial cleaning robots.
2.
When you started selling cleaning robots—something outside your industry—what difficulties or concerns did you initially have?
At the outset we had no expertise in robots or cleaning, so we were often bewildered.
However, after studying on our own and researching domestic competitors, we found that i-Wiz’s robots were clearly superior.
When we proposed them to customers they were very well received, and the sales discussions themselves went smoothly.
3.
What finally convinced you to adopt i-Wiz Robotics’ commercial cleaning robots?
Currently we carry only i-Wiz Robotics products. There were two main deciding factors.
First, the product quality itself was excellent.
i-Wiz had thoroughly researched the Japanese market and developed a product that matched on-site needs, meeting our and our customers’ quality requirements at a very high level.
Second was the company’s attitude as a partner.
Their response to our questions and consultations was extremely fast, and the fact that they were a manufacturer we could trust greatly influenced our decision.
4.
Among the many models, which are especially popular and what functions do customers value most?
We keep every model available, but because of our customer profile the J30S is especially popular.
What earns high marks is flexibility—being able to handle tasks other than cleaning.
We call this "multi-tasking"; some customers even use the robot as a promotional tool. Ease of maintenance is also appreciated.
It is designed so that maintenance can be done without lifting the main unit, making it easy even for female staff to handle.
5.
What synergies has the robot business created for your company?
We now receive inquiries from customers in fields different from our original business.
In short, our doorway to business has widened.
Thanks to the robot, we have gained access to customers with whom we previously had no opportunity to speak because they already had payment systems in place, and this has led to more chances to propose our main payment services.
We see this as a major benefit for the company.
6.
How is the after-sales support after installation?
They use communication tools effectively, and the whole team—not just a specific engineer—follows up, so the response is very fast.
As machines, the robots sometimes malfunction, but whenever that happens they respond immediately, which we think is excellent.
7.
Please give a message about your future robot plans and to companies or facilities considering introduction.
"Labor-saving" is an issue demanded in every industry.
i-Wiz Robotics offers a wide lineup, so we can propose solutions for various facilities and situations, not limited to the J30S.
We ourselves intend to expand introductions further.
Because i-Wiz actively adopts China’s most advanced technologies, we want to bring that new technology to Japan through these robots.