In today’s digitally-forward business world, point of sale tech is everywhere. It could be in a server’s pocket with the right accessory for a mobile phone. It could be indoors or outdoors, free to walk around with or in a fixed position. For restaurants, it could be anywhere the owner wants it to be.
A POS system is any bit of tech that serves as a central point for taking and managing sales. It can process and record all of the data pertaining to all the payments that pass through its digital interface. With all this information stored, it can be used to produce reports on earnings, develop data on customers and employees, and deliver overall metrics for the products and services you provide.
Restaurant POS systems are made of two basic components, the hardware and the software that exist within the device used as a POS terminal. It could be a mobile phone with a card reader and the POS app installed on it. It could be a tablet computer or a more traditional-like register-like computerized system. It could even be an analog cash drawer.
Common Point of Sale Forms
- Monitor or Tablet: Often located at counters or server stations, these can be used for multiple functions beyond sales, like employee clocking in and out.
- Card Reader: A highly mobile form of POS, a card reader makes it possible to complete sales at the booth, on the sidewalk for curbside pickup, and more.
- Scanner: For retail establishments where bar codes are prevalent, a simple scanner is often enough to take and record all of the data associated with a sale.
- Receipt Printer: With printer technology now small enough to fit on a lunch box, receipt printers can now be considered POS tech.
- Cash Drawer: As long as physical currency is with us, cash drawers will never be obsolete.
Common POS System Features
- Labor Management
- Customer Management
- Inventory Management
- Reporting
- Payment Processing
Anyone with even a little experience running a business can easily imagine how useful automating any of these processes can be. POS systems make it easier to track payroll expenses, manage the customer experience, and complete reporting tasks quickly and accurately. It makes payment processing a breeze, and it can be a huge boon to your inventory management needs. In the final analysis, POS means saving time, money, and most importantly, making more time to complete sales.
How a Point of Sale System Can Benefit Your Establishment
- Organize Orders: Schedule, complete, and track orders from placement to fulfillment and beyond.
- Consolidate Payment Info: Recording customer information is key to loyalty retention strategies, but it’s also key for developing performance metrics.
- Track Inventory: Inventory tracking is essential to the restaurant industry. The best POS systems take at least half the work out of the process.
- Staff Management: A POS gives you a bird’s eye view of your workforce, from scheduling to spotting peak sales times when you need the most help.
Today, POS systems are easy to set up and use. With a little experience, you’ll find a simple POS system can easily put your business on overdrive.
