Restaurant owners of every size find themselves grappling with limitations. Limited seating or ingredients, staff levels, and of course budget, all must be juggled to maintain a high degree of quality and service. The last thing on your mind is spending money on upgrading or replacing one of the many older POS systems for restaurants that are still in use. The mere thought of it makes your calendar and budget cringe.
But what if you could keep some of your existing hardware while still accessing the full power of modern POS features? There are a few easy ways to add the proverbial fresh coat of paint and have it run some of the same processes used by dynamic POS solutions. Taking a page from what these systems offer and strategically implementing them can help keep costs low while adding months, if not years, to the lifespan of your current POS system.
Can Old and New Really Meet in the Middle?
One of the most impactful development in the POS technology space is arguably the dynamic ways that the modern features of new software can continue to be integrated with existing hardware. For example, an iPad with POS software like talech’s can pair older hardware like printers. This presents small business owners with a variety of options not previously available before—options that allow them to add powerful POS technology into their business without having to undergo a full POS system replacement.
How does this work? The first step in this process is to examine your POS system and your restaurant processes to find places of inefficiencies. Are orders missed or often inaccurate? Are there payment types that you cannot accept, or are payment processing fees taking a bigger chunk out of your bottom line than before? It will be pointed questions like this that will give you the wishlist required to select the technology that is most needed in your restaurant.
With this information in hand, your attention can turn towards the POS technologies on the market and how they could solve your biggest challenges. This shortlist can even be presented to an experienced POS technology consultant, who can review your needs and ensure that your business and technology assessments are complete. That said, there are two key aspects of POS technology that are universal fits for any restaurant and that can serve as a starting point for upgrades to come: incorporating mobile technology and crafting an online presence.
Mobile Apps Can Quickly Add Powerful Tools to Your Restaurant
Taking advantage of mobile technology, mobile apps in particular, is an easy and unobtrusive way to step up your POS technology game. But not any mobile POS app will make the cut. In fact, any mobile POS app that you are considering should be provided by a valued POS partner that has built a reputation as a provider of top-notch POS platforms. Not only does this high level of reputation assure you of the app’s quality, but can act as a stepping stone towards other future upgrades.
When looking at a mobile app, here are some options that can yield an immediate ROI and be put into place almost overnight:
- The app provides menu management capabilities, so staff can easily select items in your app catalog for improved ordering and payment accuracy.
- Acceptance of multiple payment types, from cash to credit cards to digital wallets.
- The ability to easily apply discounts, promo codes, and multiple layers of taxes.
- Tracking tips become more accurate and highly transparent.
- On-the-go sales summaries with additional supported online reporting options.
As you can imagine, this list of mobile app features has the potential to instantly up your game. Your servers will have powerful tools that increase the level of service they provide. Kitchen staff will be less distracted by having fewer mistakes to fix so they can stay focused on incoming orders. And you will be able to watch it all happen from any device in any location.
Develop an Online Presence to Streamline Your Current Processes
Having an online presence has gone from a nice-to-have to a requirement over the past five years. For restaurants, having an online presence used to be strictly used for providing a menu, reservation information, and operating hours. This has been revolutionized, thanks to forward-thinking POS providers that provide a customizable, restaurant-branded web template that restaurants can use to now accept orders in addition to the other points of information discussed above.
Branching out into online ordering can give your restaurant instant expansion of your brand, reaching out to customers far outside of your typical marketing efforts. This is a low-cost way to add more pop to your restaurant’s technology platform, and one that has been proven to boost takeout sales as well. These tools have been proven to be key contributors to the expansion of a restaurant’s ability to provide fast, quality service to any customer.
Older POS Systems for Restaurants Can Still Get It Done…with Help
Jump-starting your restaurant with fresh technology does not have to come at a daunting cost. or time-consuming. POS providers have heard your requests for low-cost, easy-to-implement POS tools that allow you to modernize your technology one piece at a time. Mobile apps and building a customized ordering website are two quick and easy ways to attract more customers into your restaurant and to improve your reputation as a top-notch dining establishment. Furthermore, existing hardware can still be integrated with newer POS systems that offer you the kinds of powerful features that can help your business thrive. Reaching out to talech’s restaurant technology consultants will not involve a sales pitch modernizing everything at once. We take into consideration your time and budget and will recommend only the technology upgrades needed to address your immediate concerns.
