A new POS system? Important considerations

Determine what kind of business you are and want to be

Your POS system is a piece of technology that you and your employees work with every day and an important success factor for your business. If you are looking for a new POS system, make sure to carefully assess who you are as a business—and who you want to become.

There are POS systems that are developed for a specific industry and come with certain features built in. You may currently have a single location but plan to grow and operate on a multi-location level. Or perhaps you currently only allow guests to order and pay on-site, but want to move toward a multi-channel approach in the future through an integrated webshop. Map out your plans and also inventory which peripherals you want to connect: card terminals, receipt printers, scanners, cash drawers… And think about further integrating business processes as well: perhaps you want to integrate your accounting software, payroll administration, or PMS software.
 

Connectivity

Flexibility and connectivity are two key factors when it comes to satisfied guests. With a fixed POS at the bar, you can process orders quickly along busy routes, while a mobile handheld allows you to serve guests faster at their table. And what if the battery of a handheld runs out? Then you want to have a replacement device available and be able to take over the session seamlessly. These are all elements you need to consider when it comes to connectivity.

Tapping, swiping, pressing, shortcut keys… Don’t rush your decision and try out different systems. Also ask for your employees’ opinions, because if they can work with the system quickly and easily, they’ll have more time for guests. And that benefits you!
 

Think carefully about your investment

If you’re a starting entrepreneur, you’ll be dealing with large investments and still uncertain income. You might therefore want to save money on your POS system. There are solutions in different price ranges, but be sure to pay attention to the level of service and support. When orders and data are not processed correctly and your accounting is at risk, you want to be able to turn to your supplier at any time and not be faced with unpleasant surprises.
 

Features

It won’t surprise you that managing items, processing orders, and settling payments are basic functionalities that every POS system offers nowadays. However, the way changes are processed, promotions are set up and scheduled in advance, and revenue figures are displayed differs per system. So carefully determine which functionalities are important to you and where your focus lies:

• Is there a possibility to pay on account and link to debtor accounts?
• Do you want to work with images or symbols on function keys?
• Do you prefer a column view or a table layout?
• Do you need to quickly mix items with split VAT, such as a Bacardi Cola?
• Are stock notifications important?
• Do you want to stimulate upselling by showing complementary items?

Look further with the help of data

Even when you, as an owner or manager, are not present in the venue, you still want access to important figures. An online POS system that displays real-time data in a dashboard is a real solution. This type of POS system is often cloud-based, the back office works on multiple devices, and automatic backups and software updates are provided.

See your POS system as a management tool. By identifying trends in sales history, you can steer your business more effectively. You can regulate staffing levels based on personnel data, or repeat successful bulk discount promotions.