4 Features to Look For in a Restaurant POS System

Modern point of sale or POS systems are popular because of their advanced features and capabilities. Can you imagine running a fast-food pizza chain without a modern pizza POS system? Shudder. For one, you’re unlikely to be very fast.
Here’s a ready list of four nice-to-have features of a restaurant POS system. These features, and more, are available in the Revel restaurant POS system. 

1. Mobile Order-Taking

The ability to input orders directly to your point of sale system from tableside or anywhere else in your restaurant should be a priority POS feature.

Without a tablet-based POS, servers with pen and paper must take customers’ orders tableside then proceed to the cashier or a POS terminal to input the same order they’ve written down. In this system, servers have to wait for the cashier or the POS terminal to be available, especially during peak hours. That means slow service in general.

The extra step also means increased chances for errors. The server could write down the wrong order and thus send the wrong order to the kitchen. That means one or more dissatisfied customers down the line. And since you probably made them wait quite a while for their orders, too, they’d be even more disgruntled and leave you negative reviews.

With a tableside or mobile ordering ability, your servers – iPad point of sale device in hand – could input orders directly from tableside to your POS system. No need to write down anything because they can select the items directly from the digital menu.

The digital menu is updated in real time, too, so there’s no chance your servers will let customers order out-of-stock items.

Servers will not need to wait for a POS terminal to be free because every server has an iPad POS with a cash register software for tablets installed. Each server can take orders and ring up customers, so there’ll be no queuing to order or check out. And modern POS systems are robust so that they can handle multiple, simultaneous orders effortlessly.

What’s more, you minimise errors because your servers can show the customers what they’ve ordered on the tablet point of sale screen. Your servers can also ask for confirmation before finalising orders and sending them along to the kitchen.

The result is faster ordering, reduced ordering mistakes, and an overall excellent tableside service. 

2. Self-Service Kiosk

When customers wait for a server to take their order, they could start perceiving your service as slow. Even if you serve them their food quickly, the initial wait time for a server could permanently colour their experience.

Eliminate this potential problem by creating accessible self-service kiosks throughout your restaurant. A self-service kiosk integrated with a robust restaurant POS software will let your customers place their orders without needing the assistance of a server.

This has many benefits, the most important of which is it will improve customer satisfaction.

• First, customers won’t have to wait before they can place their order.

That in itself will help them perceive service to be faster.

• Second, customers’ orders will be sent directly to the kitchen.

Thus, the kitchen will be able to handle their orders much sooner.

• Third, customers can order exactly what they want using your self-service kiosk POS.

Suppose you have a pizza restaurant, and your menu allows for a vast array of customisation options. With a self-service kiosk, your customers can see all their options and order the toppings they want.

• Fourth, the number of customer complaints is likely to go down.

Customers are unlikely to complain about orders they themselves placed, made, and confirmed.

On your part, a self-service kiosk means you don’t have to hire extra hands just to help you take orders. You can employ additional kitchen staff instead. This will increase your customer and order handling capacity, even during peak times. 

3. Drive-Thru Integration

With the Revel POS app, you can quickly implement a streamlined drive-thru system and benefit from increased sales.

Your POS system should readily integrate with digital outdoor menu boards, which you can update easily to reflect real-time menu changes. Moreover, you can automate your digital menu board with pre-scheduled content to handle time-based product and promotion roll-outs flawlessly.

To speed up ordering through your drive-thru, you can set up a drive-thru accessible self-service kiosk or even send out mobile order takers equipped with an Apple iPad POS system.

Your POS’s drive-thru ordering facility should also have order confirmation and timing systems. This will ensure that drive-thru orders will be sent directly to the kitchen for seamless order handling and appropriate prioritisation. 

4. Loyalty Program

Customer retention trumps customer acquisition. Acquiring customers is not simply five times more expensive than retaining existing ones. You are 60-70% more likely to successfully sell to an existing customer than to a new customer, and increasing your customer retention stats by a mere 5% can lead to a 25% increase in profits.

Thus, it makes sense to implement a loyalty program. Loyalty programs will help you retain customers.

One of the most significant Revel POS features is its ability to let you create a custom loyalty program. With the Revel POS, you can let customers earn points with every transaction or earn points for every set amount spent. To encourage specific product movement, your loyalty program can reward customers for purchasing particular products.

The Revel iPad point of sale software will also give you real-time data on customer loyalty points, which customers are taking advantage of your loyalty program, and which rewards are being redeemed, among other information. This will let you fine-tune your loyalty program to find a rewards program that works and will truly delight your customers.

Ready to Revel?

A modern POS system like Revel has so much to offer the modern restaurateur. The advanced features of modern POS systems will help you improve tableside service, increase customer retention, drive more sales with a drive-thru system, and improve customer experience.

 

Contact us for a Revel POS software demo for restaurants today.