Your restaurant point of sale (POS) system is your partner in growing your business. That’s why it’s necessary to ensure your POS system is working efficiently at every stage of your business. It should aid you in providing efficient customer service, make your staff’s job easier, and enable a smooth inventory process.
An outdated or broken system will hold your restaurant business back from productivity and growth. When was the last time you inspected your POS to see if it has issues? Have you revamped your hardware or software over the last 10 years? If you are still operating on old machines and programs, you may need to consider upgrading your system.
It may not be showing obvious signs of damage, but an old and slow-performing POS can cost your business more than you realize. To avoid that, here are 9 signs that tell you it’s time your trusty POS retires and that you need a new one that can grow with your business.
1. Your POS Doesn’t Smoothen Inventory Management
A great POS system is equipped with features that optimize your inventory management. It should keep track of your ingredient stocks and costs as well as give you real time data.
If your POS system doesn’t give you this convenience, upgrading your POS system isn’t a bad idea. Get POS solutions that:
Provides an inventory countdown that tells you it’s time to reorder stocks
Gives updated prices of raw ingredients
Has a digital feature that enables your staff to count and organize items
2. Your Restaurant POS Doesn’t Offer Flexible Payment Options
Sure, your POS system lets you tap, swipe, and dip payment transactions in mere seconds. But can it accommodate digital payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay? People are increasingly going digital nowadays. You could be turning away these customers with your old technology. If the bulk of your market consists of millennials it may be best to start providing digital payment options.
Outdated technology doesn’t only alienate customers, it may also bog down your counter staff or servers. A POS that lags or doesn’t provide features like bill splitting and other forms of tender may be prone to error.
3. Your Restaurant POS Isn’t Mobile
A myriad of restaurant POS systems has payment terminals where customers can pay for their orders via credit cards. However, more modern systems have tableside ordering features, which allows restaurants to provide more personalized service to dining customers.
Tableside ordering solutions make it easier for customers to order. They also make it easier for servers to suggest more options to customers and even upsell higher margin items. Plus, the tableside ordering system also has features that allow servers to directly communicate with the kitchen and confirm orders right after getting them from the customers.
You need a POS system that lets you do these if your restaurant is bustling with throngs of customers daily.
4. It Doesn’t Provide Digital Scheduling and Managing Solutions
Do you still plot your staff’s schedules and work hours on paper? You’d be relieved to know that there’s a POS system that allows you to do all that digitally while monitoring your team’s individual performance. It’s a huge timesaver and allows for convenient recordkeeping.
Get a POS system that also gives you flexibility in terms of tracking your staff’s work hours, maintaining payroll details, and calculating wages.
5. Your POS Isn’t Equipped With Data Reporting and Analysis Features
Modern POS solutions can think for you and aid you in making business decisions. If your current POS technology can’t pull up reports on profit margins of every item on your menu, end-of-day summaries, and your team’s performance, you need to upgrade to a newer one. Put those spreadsheets to rest and get POS solutions that help you make wiser decisions.
6. Your Restaurant POS Doesn’t Have a CRM Feature
Perhaps you wanted to reward your loyal customers with exciting offers on their next visits. To pull that off, you must have an updated repository of your customers’ information including their names, addresses, contact numbers, and emails. You don’t have to keep all that information on paper if your POS system can store and manage them for you.
A restaurant POS that has a customer relationship management (CRM) feature lets you do all these tasks with ease. In essence, CRM helps you manage your business’ relationships and interactions with your existing and prospective customers.
If you wish to upgrade to a POS that has this function, make sure it can:
Offer a loyalty program
Has complete CRM functions
Lets you send notifications to your customers
7. Your POS System Isn’t Cloud-Based
Is your POS system that’s linked to your back office? Does it use software loaded to one computer and has to be regularly updated for an additional cost? You might want to switch to a cloud-enabled POS solution.
Unlike computer- or server-enabled POS, cloud-based POS systems store and process data online. The frontend interface of the POS can be operated on smartphones and tablets. The backend can be accessed via a web browser. This means you can access your data wherever, whenever (even if you’re offline).
When shopping for cloud-based POS solutions, make sure it can allow you to access your data even if you have internet issues and that it has airtight security features.
8. Your Restaurant POS Isn’t Helping With Your Menu Organizing
Restaurants that keep offering something new to the public need a POS system that can grow with them. Your restaurant POS should make it easy for you to keep an eye on your inventory, plan and price your offerings, tweak items based on your customers’ preferences, and process orders with your kitchen staff.
We can’t emphasize it enough: a fully-equipped POS system can help you achieve your restaurant’s potential. A great menu management function is vital in this endeavour. Your POS solution should make the process of menu planning, taking orders, and serving the plate to your diners as seamless as possible.
Make sure your POS can:
Aid you in planning and managing your menu items
Pull up reports on your in-demand dishes
Instantly schedule menus and promotions
9. Your POS Simply Isn’t Fit for Restaurant Use
The evolving needs of businesses made the POS market to diversify the functionalities of the average POS system. Today, there are a number of solutions to suit the demands of specific industries.
As a restaurateur, you need to know exactly what your restaurant needs, then find a restaurant POS software solution that can meet them. Choose a POS provider that thoroughly understands your business.
Basic POS features that restaurants need are menu planning, inventory tracking, floor planning, and restaurant analytics. Now several providers can give you all these solutions. The key is to look for the one that knows the demands of your business and has a track record of serving a number of restaurant owners.
If you’re ready for that much needed restaurant POS upgrade, contact POSRG Canada. We offer a range of new and refurbished POS systems. We can also install, maintain, and repair your system for you without interrupting your business operations. Call us today at +1905 332 8809.
