Traditional cash registers have been a staple in restaurants and cafés for as long as many business owners can remember. Although they may not be as technologically advanced as some other payment systems, cash registers are often effective enough to keep track of the money that comes into and out of a business.
In small cafés where sheer manpower is the only way of keeping up with the constant flow of customers, cash registers certainly do their job and provide a quick and easy way for waiters to process payments.
Most cafés and restaurants, however, require an advanced system that can track inventory while at the same time providing managers with detailed reports on daily sales. Modern Point-of-Sale (POS) systems accomplish these goals and more, giving café owners a full picture of not only their sales but also what menu items are most popular with customers.
Below are 10 things you didn’t know a POS system could do for your café:
The System’s Software Is Customizable And Expandable
POS systems today come with an abundance of features that can easily be expanded upon. Many cafe POS systems are cloud-based, meaning that café owners have access to their files from any computer or mobile device connected to the Internet.
When it comes time for upgrades or software changes, all an owner has to do is enter a password and the system updates itself, saving money in labor costs by streamlining the process of updating software.
Pay Stubs Can Be Generated Automatically And E-mailed To Employees
A cafe POS system can be programmed to print pay stubs for employees whenever they are paid. This feature is especially useful for cafés with numerous employees.
Rather than having to manually calculate each employee’s paycheck, the system does it for you and generates an email, which can then be printed out and given to the employee.
The System’s Check Verification Helps Manage Cash Flow
Many POS systems today contain a check verification feature that has the ability to print customer checks as well as collect payments. This feature can ensure that nobody is paid for a meal that they did not order and that a customer’s check actually matches the items on their bill.
The System’s CRM Feature Keeps An Eye On Customer Feedback
In many businesses, customer feedback is essential for improving service and eventually increasing sales. In order to capture this information, it must be logged in some way.
POS systems can be programmed to automatically collect feedback from customers by sending out surveys or other forms of communication. This enables business owners to learn more about what their customers are thinking and can also help with customer retention.
The System Can Integrate With Loyalty Programs
Many POS systems have the ability to integrate with popular customer loyalty programs, such as Starbucks’ Rewards program.
When customers sign up for the loyalty card, their information is stored within the POS system’s software. This means that when they order a drink or meal, they don’t have to give their name – all they have to do is give the cashier their loyalty card and the system will know who it is.
The System’s Marketing Tools Enables Businesses To Promote Their Products
POS systems are not just for keeping track of sales – they can also be used as powerful marketing tools. This is because the software that comes with POS systems these days is far more advanced than what was available in the past, allowing café owners to run targeted email marketing campaigns.
According to Techvibes, “POS software can track customer’s buying habits and supply this insight to the café owner who can feed it back into their marketing strategy.” This means that business owners can adjust their strategies based on what customers are purchasing or not purchasing.
The System Can Be Used To Customize Promotions And Offers
POS systems are primarily used to keep track of sales, but they can also be used to create promotional offers to encourage customers to purchase more. Basically, the system will know how much a customer has spent over their time with the business and will be able to send an offer out when they are reaching a point where they are about to leave.
The POS system can also track a customer’s spending habits and send out an offer for other products or services that will be of interest to the customer based on what they have purchased in past transactions.
The System Can Be Used To Track Inventory
Most POS systems come with the ability to keep track of inventory so business owners can see when they are running low on supplies. This enables café owners to order more stock before they run out completely, which in turn reduces the amount of money lost due to mismanagement or expired food or product.
The System Can Enhance Employee Satisfaction
The best cafés know how vital it is to keep their employees happy, because happy employees usually provide better service, which in turn results in more positive customer feedback.
POS systems can help to increase employee satisfaction by supplying them with on-the-spot performance reviews. This means that the managers don’t have to wait until the end of shift to find out how their employees did – they get constant feedback throughout the day.
The System Can Handle Cash As Well As Credit And Debit Transactions
The best POS systems can handle both cash and card transactions, which means that there is no need to purchase two different types of software.
Often, cafés will operate with one system for credit and debit cards and another for cash. Having a POS system that can do both cash and card transactions is much more efficient and helps to reduce costs.