Point of Sales Systems – You might assume that the guest experience at your restaurant can be improved with a point-of-sale system. Maybe you haven’t thought about it. However, the fact is that a good point-of-sale system can benefit your guest experience.
Often salespeople try to focus your attention on the advantages of their product compared to your interests. But what about your customers’ interests? Shouldn’t you also be worried about how installing a point-of-sale system will affect them?
Point of Sales Systems Really Enhance Customer’s Visit
Depending on the type of restaurant or bar you own, certain benefits will be more visible than others. Additionally, methods for enhancing the guest experience may also change.
Remote Printing or Viewing Or Orders
There are different levels of this benefit depending on your application. In Table Service you have the ability to enter orders by the server and immediately print them on various printers in the kitchen. On some systems, you can have up to 6 remote printers. This reduces steps to the kitchen and eliminates the need for servers to go to the kitchen to deliver tickets.
In a Quick Service environment you can also use a printer to send orders to the kitchen but an even better solution is a kitchen video system. Orders reach the kitchen more quickly because an item is sent to the monitor as soon as the next item is entered.
With a printer, the order will not start printing until the order is complete. With a kitchen video system, items can be arranged to come in when the next item is entered, thereby speeding up the order delivery process.
Bars can enjoy increased speed of service through the use of remote printers. On some systems we can even use the printer next to the terminal to save on additional printer costs. Drink orders can be printed on this printer and drinks can be prepared and waiting on the server when they arrive.
Reducing Mistakes In The Kitchen
Printing or displaying kitchen orders is also more accurate than handwritten tickets. You no longer rush to write notes to the kitchen that are difficult to read, time-consuming and are the birthplace of guesswork and ultimately mistakes.
In a multilingual situation you will be surprised how quickly your kitchen staff learns to read the tickets coming out of the printer.
You’ll also notice how organized the tickets are and how special orders and modified items stand out with 2-color printing on tickets or multiple colored items on displays.
Service Quality
In a Table Service setting, because servers don’t have to walk to the kitchen to deliver tickets in person, they can use this time to prepare soft drinks and deliver them to the table more quickly.
For Quick Service operations once the cashier is finished with one order they can start another order. Orders are separated and a specific number is assigned to each order. This number helps track all orders and store goods for presentation to customers.
In a bar that has a kitchen, it would be ridiculous for a bartender to leave the bar to take an order to the kitchen. This will reduce customer service. So, it’s not about serving food to your bar patrons. By printing orders on a remote printer, you can better serve your bar customers.
On-Line Credit Authorization
Some point-of-sale systems are capable of processing credit card transactions over a high-speed Internet connection. This reduces authorization to just 1 – 2 seconds from up to 30 seconds for dial-up connections.
On standard credit card machines provided by most credit card processors, each approval can take up to 30 seconds. Each swipe takes time. Each server in line adds to the total time required to process credit cards for customers.
If you have 3 servers waiting at the same credit card terminal, the first server waits 30 seconds, the second server waits 60 seconds, and the poor third server waits 90 seconds to get its approval. Add in the time it takes the server to walk back to the table and the poor customer almost has another birthday!
Process Credit Cards In Multiple Terminals
Take the previous scenario and add some terminals. In our industry, we recommend 3 servers per point of sale terminal. Therefore, if you have 3 terminal servers, you can have as many as 9 servers at one time. If they are all trying to access the same credit card terminal from the processor, then the wait may be intolerable for your guests.
Nearly every restaurant point-of-sale system allows credit card transactions to be swiped at any terminal. With the most processing software, you can swipe each terminal simultaneously and no additional waiting is required. If you process over a high-speed connection, every terminal on the network can expect approval in less than 2 seconds.
Professional Appearance
DirecTouch Restaurant Point of Sale will generate professional and neat guest checks, tickets or receipts for customers. Items will be detailed with prices. Modifiers can also be printed to show preparation instructions. Taxes will be displayed and grouped by type. The amounts will be displayed in bold so that there is no confusion.
You can also include the date of visit, the server, cashier or bartender who served them, as well as any marketing information you want in the header and footer of the receipt.
This would definitely be better than the receipt we got at our local Mexican restaurant which was just a calculator tape with no description of the items served to us.
Customer Rewards or Customer Loyalty Programs
With the frequently used Diner Module, you can reward repeat customers with food discounts, free food, or discounts on certain items.
This reward is obtained using a system of points or money spent. This is a great gift for their next visit.
Use this program to market directly to your customers about special offers, new items, or even invitations to come in for free/discounted food on their anniversary or birthday.
Separate Inspection
There are times when customers don’t tell the server they want to split the check until a ticket is presented. Having an easy method for splitting these checks is important for customer satisfaction. If the task is difficult then the server’s attitude will be visible to customers. So the task itself will take a long time, thus greatly impacting the customer experience.
Some, not all point of sale systems have a very quick and easy method of handing out checks every time a ticket is opened. In a few simple touches, additional tickets can be added to the table and items moved to the appropriate seats. Once completed, the system will immediately print new tickets for each guest.
If the server calls the initial order at a separate seat then it will be quicker and easier to split the orders.
Separate Items
Sharing appetizers should be encouraged by your server even if guests wish to split the cost among themselves. This will create additional sales for the restaurant in enhancing the guest experience.
Some, not all point of sale systems can easily divide the cost of an item and divide that cost among the guests sharing the item. If not all guests share their items, then only guests who want to share costs will share.
Price Accuracy
Handwritten tickets give rise to errors. Using a calculator to calculate tickets introduces errors. For years, cash register salespeople have been taught that conducting guest check audits is one of the best ways to sell point of sale system cash registers. Humans make mistakes.
Point of sale systems do not
What about multiple prices for the same item? Do you host happy hours at your bar? What about early bird prices at restaurants? How do you know that servers and bartenders are charging the correct prices? Your point-of-sale system will set time-based prices for you. Your early booking will get a discounted price.
The National Restaurant Association backs this up with surveys and documented evidence saying that the average loss due to human error on handwritten tickets and calculator tapes is 2% of sales. Make your business count with our Return on Investment spreadsheet. I believe the loss is huge if you use handwritten checks or a calculator to calculate guest checks.
86 Featured Items
Almost all restaurants host daily specials or have foods with a limited shelf life. Table Service apps sometimes provide lunch or dinner specials added just for that day. Deli operations sometimes have a limited number of breads based on type. The 86 Items feature will count down the type of item until it is sold out.
Before running out of an item, the terminal will display a numeric display on the dial that lets the server, cashier, or bartender know how much of the item is left. When an item has been sold, a symbol will appear on the item button and prevent the item from being rung.
Customers who want an outgoing daily special item will be given the opportunity to immediately order another item rather than ordering that item and then being disappointed when it is not available.
Faster service, better service, customer appreciation, accurate orders, fewer errors, and satisfied customers are all benefits your customers enjoy simply by investing in a point of sale system.
The fact remains that the investment is yours. You can enjoy financial benefits from the return on your investment. But you will share the satisfaction with your customers and guests.
