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Restaurant Point of Sale Systems: Innovation That Can Enhance Profit – Start it NOW!

Restaurant and hospitality operators these days have become much more more tech savvy compared to the recent years, no wonder they’re really good in sourcing out POS software. They’re not only proficient in using new POS systems, but they also demand for more advance POS software to increase their profit. Thinking of upgrading your POS system? Here’s what you should be looking for in 2009.

It’s only been a while when hospitality operators used to be so excited to use their first ever restaurant POS system. Do you still remember what your first restaurant POS system was? You had a shiny and smooth looking keypad, a little black plastic “key” and a manual of PLU codes to memorize. You punched in your food and beverage orders, and just like miracles, your beverage orders are printed out out at the bar while your food orders are printed simultaneously in the kitchen. It was sleek and revolutionary, everything was so exciting to do with a POS system

Since then, the world of restaurant POS systems have evolved to meet the needs of people. Today’s hospitality operators are much more tech savvy than used to be, and the POS industry is slowly responding. The big players in Point of Sale software systems are still in action, but there are smaller companies rapidly emerging in the past years, and the big guys could see their portion of the POS pie gulped up quickly if they don’t furnish the current demands of today’s hospitality operators. Below are the top features in 2009 you should be looking for in a new POS system.

Data Reports -

The top two issues every hospitality-based business wants to get a handle on are food cost, and labor costs. Keep those things in check, and your chances of succeeding in such a competitive market are eminently increased. A modern POS will help you handle these profit killers properly by allowing your managers to access important data with ease and in real time. A POS system with excellent data reporting capabilities will allow you to forecast business volumes, which gives managers the data they need to fine tune scheduling and avoid unneeded expenses on labor. Time and attendance can be precisely monitored. Real time and instant access to data also allows managers to and make snap decisions to address discrepancies in cash flow and adjust inventory levels. You will be able to run your business to success once your POS system can handle these issues.

Back Office Management & Integration -

By linking all your POS terminals together, combined with the ability to run reports, make menu and pricing changes on the fly, check inventory levels and consolidate payroll at one central location is crucial to running any retail business efficiently and profitably. A modern POS system will allow you to do these tasks fast and effortless, all from the back office. Integration and back office management capability should be the first thing on your list.

Customer Relationship Management -

A successful promotion can can go from a simple sales ad (can be a promotion on your poor performing meals or items) into a huge profit booster. Determining if your coupon or gift card program is working as it should, however, can be difficult. If your POS system can quickly help you evaluate which promotions are effective and which are not, so you no longer need to waste money and time. Having a POS system that can keep track of customer histories, their likes and dislikes, comments, suggestions, etc. can give you valuable insight into what future promotions to put in effect, and which ones are most likely to work. Effective customer loyalty and points programs make your customers happy and keep them coming back. When it comes to CRM, you can entrust most of the thinking to your point of sale system.

Wireless Technology: Mobile Computing & Hand Held Devices -

Wireless POS systems are imperative for businesses that operate outside of traditional, brick and mortar locations. Venues such as ski resorts, fairs or even stadiums can greatly benefit from a wireless POS system (a portable concession stand or use in a private suite). In traditional environments, like restaurants, the benefits of having wireless, at the table ordering capabilities through hand held units are many.

With wireless hand held units, your serving staff save time by not having to line up to get access to the POS terminal, and therefore are much more productive. And Because each order is sent instantly, at the table, the servers are able to easily go from table to table taking orders. Managers can lower staffing levels by simply scheduling a few of his skilled employees, assign them at larger sections, and make their primary focus at greeting customers, take orders and up-selling. Non-serving staff can then be hired (at significant payroll savings) to send off food and clean sections. When servers are able to remain on the floor, the result is a superb customer service experience for your patrons and increased sales for you through up-selling and faster table turns. Also, waste is cut down considerably, since placing orders at the table greatly reduces errors.

Another great feature of wireless hand held devices is that it can send evenly spaced orders to the kitchen, so you avoid overwhelming the kitchen with too many orders at once. By this, you can greatly decrease waste and increase efficiency of your kitchen. Wireless hand held technology has been greatly enhanced in the recent years, with its increased battery life and ease of usage it can improve staff performance. The time indeed has come for retail businesses to embrace wireless POS technology.

Securing Payment -

Having payment security is very important for every retail businesses today. With the incidence of fraud and identity theft that have been widespread, safeguarding the safety of your client’s credit card data is vital. The PCI Security Standards Council is an open global forum for the ongoing development, enhancement, storage, dissemination and implementation of security standards for account data protection, you can visit here anytime. Are you sure your POS system is secured and can comply with PCI standards? If it isn’t, it needs to be.

The Technology of Self Service -

Self-service technology has created quite a buzz in recent years. Having moved beyond kiosks, the self-service option give restaurant owners the ability to delegate the food ordering process to customers themselves. Touch screen terminals are now intuitive and easy to use, and offer add on/up sell items instantaneously, which boosts average check totals. The traditional “Server” can be replaced by food runners, or counter staff, who can also do quality checks. Even the payment process can be taken care of by the customer, allowing for quicker table turns and increased cover counts.

Self-service POS terminals may not be appealing for patrons who wants to experience fine dining, but it certainly is attractive for fast food chains or quick service restaurants. Remanco certainly didn’t offer all these features!

For Enterprise & Multi Unit -

If you run large and multi-venue operations, you may still be able to choose for the right POS systems easily. Because to logistics and a host of other obstructions, businesses with multiple locations were forced to be imaginative in how they organize the collection of cash and data. With this kind of business, you may need enterprise wide systems that has features such as client recognition capabilities, hospitality and retail sales, as well as quick and easy debit and credit options and many more. It may also require a system that can get around cabling and network issues, and preserve precious data in case of a system failure. And if your company falls into this category, a reliable and flexible enterprise POS solution is a must.

With all these tips and advices, you might think that it would be hard to find a POS system that offers all of the above and more. One POS system, on the other hand, consistently stands out even if it’s not peered with the POS industry. Toronto based Volante POS Systems, is a superb, modern and flexible POS system. Volante has seamlessly embraced all the above features and much more. It’s also fully PCI compliant. It first appeared in 1993, and is cross platform compatible, so no need to worry if you’re using Windows, Linux or Unix. But Linux POS solutions are quite attractive these days, since they are easy to use and helps retail business owners cut costs by saving on Windows licensing fees.

With the above guide as your shopping list, as a retail business owner you should feel prepared when looking for a new POS system to replace your old one. If the POS software you’re looking at doesn’t have the features your business really needs, move on. In today’s economic times, you really can’t afford not to.

Seeking more information or an online resource?

Go to POS-For-Restaurants.com

The of this article author is the Vice-President of Customer Relations at POS-For-Restaurants with over 20 years of experience helping restaurants of all types become more efficient and profitable throughout the U.S.

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