An average millennial spends anywhere between $5,000 to $8,000 per year ordering food online. More Americans are now embracing the convenience of ordering food. As a result, restaurants, food trucks, fast food chains, and Quick Service Restaurants have started delivering to customers’ doorsteps. They are introducing and advancing their websites and using POS applications with integrated online ordering like TrufflePOS to keep up with the growing demand and competition.
Introducing sophisticated POS systems has become necessary in this environment. Not only do they allow you to enhance workplace efficiency and overall productivity, but they can set you on the path to the expansion of your business.
Restaurant POS systems have an integrated range of industry-specific features that will allow you to improve your restaurant’s operations and employee management aspects. Here is a detailed list of five ways a restaurant POS with loyverse integration online ordering features can enhance your business:
1. Faster Menu Upgrades
As a restaurant owner, you constantly have to upgrade your products and services to keep up with emerging businesses. If you choose to incorporate seasonal specials and custom-made meals in your menu or even introduce promotional deals, having a POS system in place will allow you to quickly update your menu and align it with your latest offerings. You can even use off-site computers and remotely access your restaurant’s online system to synchronize your new menu across various locations and terminals with just one click. In addition, this feature allows you to introduce prompt discount offers timely to increase your sales, which is beneficial for your business’s survival when running low on money.
2. Inventory Management
Effective inventory management is your first step to ensure the availability of your entire menu and prevent customer dissatisfaction. Advanced features in a restaurant POS system like TrufflePOS will enable you to have complete access to information about the availability of your ingredients, stock levels, and kitchen equipment. This data availability on a centralized platform and automated inventory tracking. The system also alerts you each time you are running low on a particular item so that you can restock it before it runs out, preventing last-minute catastrophes. Your business can save time spent on order cancellations due to insufficient resources, which will prevent customer dissatisfaction.
3. Staff Management
A digital POS system is an excellent way to bring all your staff management under a single roof. Your restaurant employees will benefit as a POS system will enable them to manage all their business tasks through a central platform. The administrative staff will have remote access to the business activity as most POS systems are cloud-based and therefore can be easily accessed through mobile apps. This will also create a secure and encrypted cloud-based backup of data so that you may assess it anytime to gain valuable insights.
Restaurant POS systems also allow digital management of staff timesheets, letting you set up clock in and clock out functions to track staff hours for payment. You can use the staff scheduling to manage staff effectively through POS as well. The data entry work can also be automated, allowing administrative staff to focus more on decision-making rather than manual data maintenance. A POS system will track the performance of your employees and monitor their progress frequently on your behalf. This feature can help you identify the most hard-working workers, incentivize them to increase their motivation, and set examples for the rest of the team. You will have specific data like employee attendance and in and out the timing of employees through the POS system, which will further allow you to give out bonuses fairly.
4. Better Customer Experience
A POS with integrated features for online ordering can significantly improve the customer experience your restaurant offers. With this system, your existing customers will not have to wait in long queues at your restaurant. They will even have an option to order ahead of time if they want to order through a pick-up option from their mobile phone. Customers will not need to go through lengthy phone calls, and so customer frustration will be reduced. This will preserve the reputation of your restaurant.
POS software also allows restaurants to store customer profiles, so you will be able to set up reward programs for your recurring customers. You will also have the option to store past customer information in an encrypted database, enabling you to make personalized recommendations when taking orders from them.
5. Increased Revenue
Restaurants that have a POS system integrated with an online ordering website reported that they experienced a 20% to 25% increase in their overall profit. This is because online ordering provides food on the go and captures impulsive purchases as well. The value of an online order is around 10% greater compared to orders placed on the phone.
Your online presence will automatically enable you to reach a wider audience without additional marketing costs. Your engagement and brand visibility will automatically increase as well. If you spend some time on digital marketing and promote your brand online, you will be able to expand your reach and improve your overall sales. An integrated system on the operational front will automate your ordering process and reduce the need for additional staff to handle delivery orders manually, letting you cut down on expenses. The system will also automatically update your restaurant kitchen staff about new orders coming in, and your kitchen staff will only need minimal training to adapt to new effective methods.
Endnote
The world is moving towards AI and digitalization at a rapid pace, and companies that refuse to accept technological change may become obsolete as the high competition drives them out. It is time for your restaurant to adapt to new technologies to reduce your expenses and gain that competitive advantage.
To select an effective and relevant POS system for your restaurant, it is imperative to compare different software with in-depth reviews and invest in POS that allows you to integrate online ordering as well. This will enable you to reap maximum benefits from your investment. With many leading POS available in the market at affordable prices like TrufflePOS, there is no reason not to upgrade your system and increase your profits.
