Guide to getting the most out of your POS System
One of the important systems on which your restaurant business can rely and grow efficiently is the restaurant POS system. In case, you are not familiar with this technology, let us tell you that it is one of the crucial systems that restaurants implement at the counter or restaurant premise to ease the order placing and billing functions.
Here, the customers can place orders without having to interact with the staff and pay smoothly online. POS, that is Point of Sale can be used in any business like retail, hotels, restaurant, and different departments like inventory department, reception, etc.
Getting the most out of your POS
There is no doubt that POS brings ease and comfort to the business by speeding up the operations and making payments quickly. Accuracy is also a benefit. However, no matter how feature-loaded your POS system is, you need to know how to use it to the fullest in order to get the maximum outcomes.
Here are a few things that you can do to get the best out of POS for your business, irrespective of size, sector, and the present business management systems implemented in your business.
1. It starts with choosing the best tool
There are many vendors selling POS with different features at different charges. You might get tempted to buy the POS which is cheaper. However, if you wish to use the solution to its maximum capacity and you believe in sustainable growth and performance, the first step is to buy the best equipment. In order to keep your RPI on a higher side, make sure you invest in a POS that is cost-effective.
2.Make use of the EMV feature
Credit cards and debit cards are used by most of the people in the country as the rates of credit cards and fees are affordable for many. Hence, a clever POS system will add EMV to the system. This is a time-saving technology that will help you conduct smooth payment procedures where neither you nor your customers will have to waste time counting notes, getting or receiving the change, etc. Plus, you save your business from probable loss of money or theft, etc.
Read : 7 Restaurant Technologies you can’t ignore in 2020
3. Analytical features
Many POS systems in the market offer analytical features that allow restaurants to offer insight into every concerned area such as inventory. Many POS systems also help understand customer buying behavior by tracking every customer’s buying habits and traffic.
Utilizing this data, you can understand the customer’s buying habits and treat every customer in a tailored approach. You can offer them special discounts on their birthday, or on the products, the menu they order the most, etc. Using analytical data, businesses can interact more positively with customers.
4. Identify popular items
POS systems collect multiple types of data from inventory, sales, purchase, and other departments. Businesses can use this data to guide business decisions, menu items, customer service methods, and more. You can know which item is doing better, which inventory is high in use, which type of orders (online or offline) are popular, what people prefer to buy online, what they prefer to buy offline, etc.
You can manage your inventory and purchase orders accordingly. Businesses should use POS to maintain a perfect stock level of the right product/menu, at the right time.
5. Loyalty program
A POS system is not just about collecting data, taking orders, and accepting payment. You should use the POS data to help in building efficient loyalty programs for the fan-customers. You can create and manage loyalty programs that can keep your customers coming to your business. Using all the customer based information gathered by a POS system, you can offer tailor-made services and discounts to the customers.
This not only helps in increasing the footfall in your restaurant/shop but also makes your customers feel special. Happy customers never fail to share their experiences with others.
Apart from the above-mentioned ways, you can make the best out of your POS system by letting customers save themselves. Save them some time by reducing human involvement. Let them place orders or shop with their convenience and speed. Your POS system to build an efficient and hassle-free self-service area in your setup.
Another way of extracting the most out of POS is by integrating both online and offline modes of sales. Many businesses across the sectors operate in both these ways. They have online apps or websites and a brick and mortar set up to engage all types of customers. Using POS, you can manage both the fronts from one dashboard or a single screen. This saves you from the double hustle.