As a restaurant manager or owner, you face a lot of challenges during the course of a day, so it’s essential that you have the technology tools in place to ensure processes run smoothly. One of the most important investments you can make is a modern restaurant POS system. Making the move from the old-school cash register to a POS system can increase efficiency both on the front and back ends of your business, decreasing problems you’ll need to deal with later.
Here are eight ways a POS system saves time and money, allowing you to spend more time serving customers rather than sifting through piles of cash register receipts and putting out fires.
1. Track every dollar
The most basic point is to simply know where your money is going. With a POS system, you can create detailed cash management reports, including overages/shortages, register reports and more. Having this data available is vital in keeping employees accountable for every penny that they handle during their shifts.
2. Ease inventory management
Perhaps the trickiest part of restaurant operations is tracking inventory and food costs. It’s essential to know how much product is needed daily or even during a particular season – so you don’t over or under stock your pantry. A flexible and accurate inventory tracking module from your restaurant POS provider enables you to track the things you buy and sell, simplify inventory and ease purchase management.
3. Improve satisfaction
Customer Perspective: The right restaurant POS system will make order taking simpler and quicker. In turn, customer satisfaction will improve when orders are completed quickly and correctly every time.
Employee Perspective: In most restaurants, space is a precious commodity, so POS hardware like an all-in-one PC is a must-have. This hardware is compact so it won’t get in the way of doing business, especially during peak times. Yet it is powerful enough to take on the most sophisticated POS software, empowering your employees to give the best service possible.
4. Go mobile
Once you have a POS in place, going mobile is a natural next step to enhance service. Tablet devices are intuitive and the touchscreen interface can decrease order errors and cut wait times, improving process efficiency.
5. Reduce errors
Fewer mistakes on the floor mean fewer headaches for management. A POS system solidifies the order-taking process, eliminating order errors and making sure the kitchen has the correct information to deliver the order correctly.
POS peripherals can also improve overall order accuracy through the use of touchscreen monitors and receipt printers. Not to mention, with an organized, intuitive screen, even the most unique orders can be entered quickly and correctly.
6. Simplify Training
The restaurant business is infamous for high turnover. Frequently training new employees can be frustrating. But if your restaurant POS has an easy-to-use interface, trainees will catch on quickly, no matter how tech savvy – or not.
7. Use Remote Access
The ultimate way to decrease your stress level is to take a vacation. Remote access can help you manage the business even when you are not physically present. A web-based architecture allows you to access reports, send e-mails, change menu items, even void an order from home or anywhere with internet access.
8. Bring customers back
Restaurant managers obviously want staff to provide excellent service to create return customers. One way to do this is to deploy target marketing strategies. Most POS systems will provide a customer database that features purchase history, as well as certain personal information that can be used in marketing efforts. Having that data on hand helps you get to know your customer base and offer special promotions that will delight them. Please note: be sure the marketing feature is easy to use. This will ensure that you use it more often!
