3 Must-Have Tech Tools for Today’s Modern Coffee Shop

Cafes are profitable businesses. However, to make money, your whole operation needs to be streamlined. You need to pick the perfect location, know the right brands, blends and follow the latest trends in coffee or confectionery.

So, if you are considering opening a coffee shop or have been running one for some time, you may need to upgrade your setup (including the technology you use) to ensure your cafe runs more efficiently.

Yes, you may have been doing fine, and changing your entire setup may appear unnecessary, but haven’t you ever been so swamped that you wished it could be easier? 

Maybe you just want a little more counter space for other products, or you’d like to ring up an order and the kitchen knows exactly what to rustle up without you having to shout it back to them. Whatever your goal, the following technological tools could prove useful.

1. Point-of-Sale (POS) System

For centuries, the cash register has been the mainstay of retail transactions, but its days are numbered. The humble cash register can no longer handle the current multiple ways people pay for services.

The modern coffee shop is a tech haven these days, and your business must keep up. People want payments to be made in any way that they are comfortable with. Cash, cash apps, cards, and other forms of payment are proliferating in the service industry, and the traditional cash register cannot keep up with this demand.

Cue in POS solutions. A POS system is the most efficient way to ring up payments today, but it is capable of much more. An iPad point-of-sale system is a step up from the traditional POS system. 

With an iPad POS system, you can accept payments, schedule appointments, track employees, track inventory, schedule services, and print any receipts or reports, all from an iPhone or iPad sitting on the counter.

2. Wireless Printer

If your coffee shop doesn’t already have one, a wireless printer will make your sales operations run like clockwork.  The new wireless printers, when paired with an iPhone or iPad running the iPad POS software, can print receipts, reports, and orders without the bulky setup of a regular printer and without you having to be physically close to the printer.

In other words, this incredible combination of your POS system and a wireless printer can save your coffee shop a significant amount of money in terms of time and resources. 

Moreover, reports, receipts, and orders can also be generated digitally and distributed to those who require them. This saves money on paper and other paper-based consumables while also resulting in more efficient operations when you remove the wireless printer from the equation.

3. Dedicated App

We now live in the fast lane, and every customer wants what they want right away. A seamless service experience from the first contact to when they exit your coffee shop with their purchase should be the goal if you want to keep customers coming back. 

When is the first point of contact?

Customers make their first contact with your coffee shop before they walk through your doors. Word of mouth and a social media presence are important ways to gain new customers, and your online presence can serve as a stepping stone.

Having a dedicated app for your coffee shop that is integrated with a solid cloud-based POS system simplifies your business while providing your customers with the best possible experience. 

Customers can use your app to place orders before they arrive at the coffee shop. This way, they will spend less time waiting around and feel that their time is valued. This makes for happy customers. 

Never Lose a Sale and Keep Track of Coffee Shop Data

Upgrading the technology in your coffee shop not only streamlines the front end but can also assist you with analytics, which you will discover is the backbone of modern businesses like your coffee shop.

These systems help you plan and run your coffee shop effectively, allowing you to stay ahead of the competition. So take things a step further by implementing cloud-based technology. 

For example, with a cloud-based POS system, you will always have access to all of your paperwork, regardless of where you are or what happens to your physical system. You can also monitor employee logins, cash flow, or even combine two or more coffee shops and analyse the data to make informed business decisions.

Keep track of which days, times, and seasons are the busiest for your coffee shop. Know when you need to order more blends, and make sure you have enough staff on call for busy days to help with the workload. The application possibilities are virtually limitless. 

Do your coffee shop a favour and prioritise this upgrade; your bottom line will thank you, as will your customers.