Point of Sale – Taking cash and so much more – Part II

For such a long time, most restaurant owners thought of their point of sale system as a fancy cash register. With technology becoming more advanced, several innovations have become a standard feature within the Point of Sale industry. Below are more tips that can help you out:

1. Staff Scheduling. Some restaurant POS packages includes a “staff scheduling” feature. You can expect to increase efficiency and dramatically reduce overall labor costs by controlling clock-ins and clock-outs, utilizing forecasting tools and control staffing levels. Integrated features allow for accessing staff schedule with ease, as well as shifts and multiple job positions. You are also able to tie in any number of security functions to all job position. Some of the packages even allows you to post schedule on a website and sends an email of the schedule to your staff automatically. Focus more on lowering labor cost and increasing employee performance by simply managing efficiently and effectively your time & attendance information.

2. Software Upgrade Assurance (SUA). A software maintenance program that can give a bit different kind of advantage when purchasing a POS system. You are able to help stretch your investment and extend the usable life of your Restaurant POS system. Customers who are on an SUA plan will always have the most current software version. This basically keeps their POS system new. Every time you receive a software upgrade it’s just like buying the latest and most current POS system in the market with the newest and most up-to-date features your restaurant can greatly benefit from. The most current feature set ensures that you have the best possible ROI by allowing you to take full advantage of the power its features can offer.

Another very important feature of SUA programs is that no software purchase is required if you upgrade or replace a hardware. If you need to replace hardware there’s a drastically lesser cost for upgrading it.

Typically, these programs work on a yearly fee for you to acquire their benefits. Many customers agree that they receive huge benefits that helps your business reap the full return on your POS investment.

3. Restaurant Tip Handling. Some POS software products have tip tracking built into their time in attendance module. Once you set one of your staff as a tipped employee, the POS system will require a tip declaration before clocking out. Any server who ring sales will get their total sales tracked. Tips collected through credit card sales are tracked and shown on the server closeout report. Prior to clock out, server/waiter will be shown their total sales for the day, collected charge tips and then will be asked to declare their cash tips. This functionality will help you enforce tip regulations and manage the tracking declared tips, charge tips and hours worked for every tipped employee.

4. Customer Loyalty Programs! As the restaurant owner you would like your point of sale system to provide accurate information on your customer’s number and frequency of visits, buying habits, entice repeat visits and purchases through reward programs like a loyalty card, reward card or points card. You are able to do all this while managing the programs and preventing “sweet hearting” by employees.

Some of the restaurant POS packages come standard with a frequent diner or customer loyalty package that eases things within your business. By accurately tracking down your guests and their buying habits, you can prevent retail loss. You establish a database of account numbers using your guests information.. This number can be their phone number or any number system you want. In what ever strategy you use, the most popular and most secure method is through magnetic cards with your logo on them. These cards may act as a constant reminder of your restaurant by having your logo in their wallet or purse. The software will secure the reward programs you put in place to prevent your staff from giving away food. Rewards are given only when earned through purchases, frequent visits or for items on your menu that you wish to highlight. By establishing reward programs takes your staff out of the game and place you in charge.

As you can see, your business can be run more efficiently by using proper restaurant technology. There are many ways, methods you can use, to help you in better management of your business so you will never have to waste more of your valuable time and money.

The author is the VP of Customer Relations at POS-for-Restaurants.com — helping businesses use technology to be more efficient and more profitable with its 20 years of restaurant experience.

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