POS software for restaurants, discover all its advantages

Digitise your restaurant with a customised POS software and discover all the advantages that having one in your business can offer

In the hotel and catering sector, the restaurant business, known as catering, is one in which its success depends largely on the efficiency of the service. It is important that customers are served smoothly and with as few setbacks as possible so that there is a higher turnover of diners and the number of sales is high on average per day.

To achieve this objective, a few basic and indispensable resources must be available. Among them are the workers; workers with good skills and knowledge in the area are a great contribution to the efficiency of the service. But, on the other hand, in today's technological world, it is crucial to take advantage of the benefits offered by digitalisation and process automation. That is what I will talk about next, listing the advantages of having a POS software for restaurants.

What is a POS software for restaurants?

A POS software for restaurants is in itself a computer system that works as a point of sale terminal with which everything related to the customer order process is managed.

But, in addition, the POS software for restaurants allows centralizing a great amount of factors related to the complex operation of an establishment like this. In these systems, it is possible to generate and mobilise waiters and kitchen commands, monitor inventory, analyse sales performance by product, manage workers' schedules, shifts and days of the week, etc.

In short, from this software it is possible to analyse from a single place, the performance of the restaurant while it works as a fundamental tool for the work of each employee, from the waiter to the manager.

Why use a POS software for restaurants?

The level of importance of these systems within the restaurant business is extremely high. This is a working tool that is increasingly evolving towards the automation of processes related to the performance of the restaurant in general with its customers.

A POS software for restaurants is not only useful for waiters and cooks, it is also useful for the manager and supervisors. From the results observed in these restaurant management programmes, it is possible to design strategies that improve the performance of the business finances, thanks to the fact that it is possible to monitor absolutely everything that has to do with the products and services offered by the restaurant, being possible to determine the origin of problems and successes detected in the company's finances.

A personalised environment for customers

For diners, it is much more convenient to place their order through a restaurant POS software, because they can see from their phone or some device provided by the establishment the menu, the characteristics of the dishes and even the opinions of previous customers, and then process their order and only wait for the system to do its job of alerting the staff to process the order and deliver it.

It has been demonstrated that this type of order, by itself and in a "private" way, is usually positively correlated with the increase in consumption, tending to consume more than was stipulated thanks to the freedom they feel when using a sophisticated POS programme.

POS software for restaurants in the cloud or local

There are basically two modalities with which you can work with a POS software for restaurants, in the cloud and local. Next, I will tell you a little about the characteristics of each modality and the advantages that each one offers.

Cloud POS

This type of software works completely in the cloud, allowing access to those who have the necessary information from any device, so it offers the possibility of monitoring the restaurant's sales operations from any location.

It does not need to be installed in any equipment, so there is no need to be concerned about data storage issues. Furthermore, this feature makes this type of POS program compatible with almost any device or hardware.

This type of system, when paid for, is paid for on a monthly basis depending on the number of users. Some companies, such as Bliscop, offer packages with which you can order from 3 to 12 months in a single payment with considerable savings and in this case, without any limit on the number of users.

Local POS

A local software is such because it requires the installation in some computer equipment in the establishment and it is only possible to access it from that equipment.

The main advantage that many observe with local software, is that they are more secure with respect to who can see the information regarding sales activities, since the possibilities of access are much more limited.

The payment system for acquiring these local POS systems is as follows

1. You pay for the licence to be able to install and use the programme with all its available functions.

2. Then you must make annual payments for maintenance, updates and technical support service by the company.

Advantages of a POS software for restaurants

Now that you know a little about what POS software for restaurants is, its importance and some features, I will point out more specifically some of the most important advantages of this type of programme.

It is specific

This type of programme is specifically designed for different areas of the business; in this case it is one developed with functions aimed at catering, which makes learning to use it somewhat intuitive, which is beneficial for the profitability of the business, since the investment of time in training new personnel will not mean an excessively large expense.

Automates sales management

Without a doubt, one of the most important advantages of using a POS software for your restaurant, is to achieve automation of the sales process. For a restaurant, a sale that consists of a particularly complex process because it is made up of several parts, is not something as easy as delivering a mass-produced product and receiving the corresponding money. For a restaurant, on the other hand, the sale starts from the moment the customer takes a seat or simply prepares to order based on the menu; then the information is transmitted to the kitchen to prepare the order and be dispatched by a waiter or not, to the customer. The next thing would be to receive payment.

It is a great contribution to the improvement of customer service and flow, that the restaurant manages to automate at least one of these stages of the sale.

Stock management

A very important function of these POS programs is to manage the inventory or stock. It is crucial for a restaurant to maintain strict control of the amount of raw materials it has available for preparing its dishes and beverages. The POS software is capable of updating the stock status with every order placed in real time, as well as issuing warnings when the quantity of any product is reduced to a certain specific level. In addition, it is possible to register the contact information of suppliers to contact them more efficiently when we need to replenish the inventory.

Statistics

The function of a POS program to generate statistics concerning everything to do with sales processes is, without doubt, one of the greatest advantages offered by these computer systems.

Not only do they generate data, but they offer a report highlighting the most important things so that a manager can support himself in the decision making process and the creation of plans to improve the profitability of the business with much more precision and probability of being effective.

Customer Loyalty

This has to do with the statistics and data provided by the POS programmes. As well as providing information on sales and order fulfilment, it also allows you to store customer profile information and consumption patterns, so that you can develop strategies that exploit these patterns and improve the management of promotions and offers that seek to attract new customers and keep existing ones loyal.

Settling the accounts

The comprehensive management process of the POS programmes significantly reduces the possibility of errors and mishaps at the cash register, which may also be related to theft.

From an application you can access, as a manager, information regarding the liquidity of the business and how exactly the income obtained is, in as much detail as possible.

Command taking

The taking of commands by these systems is several times more efficient than what an employee can do as a waiter. The digitised and automated process for taking orders is also much more convenient for the customer, who tends to consume more when ordering by means of a digital menu and selecting everything he wants with a touch screen.

Manages the work of the employees

As the business grows, it is to be expected that the number of employees will grow as well, this only makes the ability to monitor and supervise the work of all of them diminish more and more. This is why POS programmes allow the work of each employee to be managed and recorded from the moment they arrive and start their working day, until they leave.

This is not only useful to identify errors at work, it also allows to know who stands out in their work and establishes a standard to which they must adjust in order to increase the restaurant's activity.

It keeps you up to date

It is important that you can change prices at any time without having to invest a lot of time and money to change letters, invoices, tickets, etc.

Having your business digitalised, all related changes can be made easily and quickly through the POS programme you use without any major inconvenience.

Facilitates the work of tax returns

Having to deal with the headaches of calculating your income tax is really unnecessary when you have a POS software for restaurants. In it there is all the information you need and you can print it out as many times as you want, but without having the mountain of paper that only increases the possibility of making mistakes that can be really expensive and inconvenient. You will know at all times, the income generated daily, among many other data.

It's environmentally friendly

Using a POS software means leaving behind the enormous expense of paper that a restaurant can have in notebooks for commands, sales and inventory reports, and the printing of tickets or invoices; although they are still printed, thanks to the POS this is optional and it is only if the customer wants it.

Attracts new generations

Thanks to the fact that these systems are constantly advancing in technology, staying at the forefront, it is a great attraction for the generations that year after year are taking their place as the main consumers, mostly because they are entering working age and are free to decide what to eat and where.

Keeping up with the world's progress in some key factors is very important for the success of your restaurant.

These are some of the advantages that you can obtain by acquiring a POS software for restaurants, but there are many more that will depend on the context in which your business is located.

In conclusion, the recommendation to have a POS software is totally a fact, an integral system that centralises and organises a whole complex sales process such as that of restaurants, it is a wonder for the management, the workers and even for the customers. Growth and success go hand in hand with the correct use of these computer systems created specifically to make sales grow in businesses and at the same time control and monitor this growth process.