Ways an iPad POS Can Increase Your Restaurant’s Productivity
If you are reading this, you are probably wondering whether it is worthy to invest in an iPad POS system for your restaurant.
A point-of-sale system is not just another safe place to store your money. There are many features, functions and attributes that can benefit and add value to your business which can potentially increase your profit by a whopping 30%!
Do we have your attention now? We have listed down below 13 ways to increase your restaurant’s productivity with an iPad POS system.
1. Simplify Everything
Often find yourself struggling with keeping track of every aspect of your business?
A great iPad POS system is your best assistant then. Built to tailor to the needs of your business to save money and time, it simplifies your day to day business operations and maximise efficiency.
The idea of accessing to any data on one single platform makes it effortless for you to keep track of your business activities. From profit to bookkeeping, employee management and more, you can be sure to increase your restaurant’s productivity.
Want to find out the slowest day of the week? Let the system does the work for you!
2. Invest Without Breaking Your Bank
On a tight budget for a proper cash management system?
Here’s how iPad POS can ease your concern in the finance department.
The low startup cost that comes fully equipped with an iPad, cash register, receipt printer and a router, makes it affordable for restaurateurs, especially SME businesses who are on a shoestring budget.
The best part is, most of the POS system companies are always on a standby mode – customer support is usually a call away.
As for a traditional cash register, restaurateurs often have to fork out a big chunk of money, as much as shocking RM10,000. In short term, this would appeal the most as it is an one-time fixed cost.
Though, in the long run, they are throwing in more money due to its 10 to 15 years lifespan. On top of that, the repair cost is gradually increasing since the number of companies that repair cash registers is decreasing.
3. It Is So User Friendly, Anyone Can Do It
Have you ever waited in a queue to only find out that the cash register is acting up?
This could do serious damage to your restaurant’s reputation. Checkout time is no joke. It is one of the most influential elements that shapes your customers’ opinions on overall service, eventually impacting on sales.
Fortunately, today’s POS systems are built to be easy, efficient and convenient. Set up time could be done in less than 30 minutes.
You can also accept mobile payments as modern iPad POS can be integrated with the cashless feature.
This time-saving feature also eases on employee training. As the turnover in the F&B industry is relatively high, many supervisors find staff training a waste of time.
Thanks to its user friendly system, straightforward and touch user interface, this makes it trouble-free to learn for both new and old employees. This directly increase your restaurant’s productivity as you can now focus your time and energy on growing your business.
4. Cloud Technology Is The New Black
What’s worst than having all your data lost in a computer crash?
Once a cash register is broken, it is perplexing to trace all the lost data and the possibility of having to start all over again is high.
Cloud technology is no stranger to the world of iPad POS system. It works perfectly fine online and offline, and syncs perfectly, keeping all the data safe.
It also allows you to manage your business whenever, wherever you are with easy access to all reports, even when you have multiple business partners.
Most restaurateurs run their own loyalty platforms and offer promotions from to time to time to sustain regular customers and also to acquire new ones.
This technology comes in handy as it is user-friendly and can be easily integrated with gift cards, cash vouchers, promo codes and more.
5. The Power of Analytics
Who is your best customer? What time is the busiest period? How much revenue do you bring in weekly?
Having this significant data at the tip of your finger is the fundamental to restaurant success. The marriage of data and analytics are a powerful selling tool. iPad POS systems generate updated and accurate data that help you in making crucial decisions that would grow your business.
That’s not all. By analysing the sales patterns, knowing who your customers are and studying their spending behaviours would help you to understand what works and what doesn’t.
You can then improve your next marketing campaign. Even add new menu items that would increase your profit and take your business to another level.
Gone are the days of downloading a spreadsheet and analysing your data manually. Increase your restaurant’s productivity with a modern iPad POS powerful analytics tool.
6. The Importance of Inventory Management
How often do you throw spoilt food into the rubbish bin weekly?
A carton of eggs or even a packet of instant noodles might not seem like a fortune, but they do add up to a large sum of money at the end of the month.
“Sedikit-sedikit, lama-lama jadi bukit?”
We are afraid so.
According to SWCorp Malaysia, Malaysians waste 15,000,000 kilograms of food daily.
Having an inventory management, one of the POS system’s key features, would not only help to reduce food wastage, but also save you money in the process and most importantly, maximize what you spend on food items to avoid loss.
This must-have feature allows you to track your food inventory in real-time, providing you an in-depth stock audit.
From identifying the top and least selling item to monitoring on food costs by tracking every single ingredient in a dish, keeping up to date with stock levels and more.
This would increase your restaurant’s productivity and remove any “hidden” costs like wastage, overstocking and even theft that could disrupt your cash flow.
7. Table Management Keeps Your Customers Happy
Do you know what is your restaurant’s average waiting time?
Time is precious, and it is also one of the factors that drive customers away. While restaurateurs strive to reduce waiting time, they often lose track of exactly how long their customers have been waiting.
In result, this could leave a negative impact on customer experience, pushing away not only your regular patrons, but also the potential ones.
iPad POS systems come with a dashboard that displays all the tables’ statuses and the actual waiting time. This would speed up the process from mobile ordering to kitchen and checkouts, running your restaurant more efficiently.
In addition to that, mobile ordering is one of the main functions that aims to increase your restaurant’s productivity and reduce errors as wrong orders are a norm.
8. Employee Management Keeps Your Employees Motivated
“If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients,” – Richard Branson.
Famously quoted by the successful businessman Richard Branson and has inspired many entrepreneurs.
Surprise, surprise. Employee management is actually one of the most underrated business components, especially in the F&B industry.
With the help of an iPad POS system, it allows you to track your employees’ attendance and performance. Track who is always punctual to work, who brings in the most sales, who is always late and who performs any unusual activities.
Knowing who to reward and who to let go would not only motivate employees to grow your business with you, but also increases employee productivity, which will in turn increase your restaurant’s productivity.
We all know how tedious scheduling can be, especially when an employee needs to take emergency leave for the day and all hell breaks loose. By utilising this feature, you can easily schedule another replacement.
Take it up a notch by scheduling your employees weeks in advance and avoid the ugly situation of being understaffed.
9. Customer Relationship Management Strategies to Success
Do you keep track of your customer database?
Data is the new oil, and it is time for you to leverage on this.
With a strong understanding of your customers’ needs, behaviours and preferences, it helps to increase sales, improve customer experience and enhance your marketing campaigns.
With this feature, you have a complete detailed profile of every customer. From their age to their likings, feedbacks and more.
It also identifies your most loyal and highest spending customers. By using this data, you can create personalised discounts or reward your customers to encourage them to revisit your restaurant.
10. Secure Your Business and Customers
Credit card frauds are spreading rapidly and as a matter of fact, Malaysia is listed in the top 10 countries with the highest rates of online fraud. Ironically, 74% of Malaysians prefer to use electronic payment methods over cash. So, how do we tackle this issue?
Easy – iPad POS systems got your back in this protection department. With iPad POS security, it forbids any unauthorised access to electronic payment systems with an intention to steal customers’ personal details and credit card information.
So, you can reassure your customers not to worry at all as credit card data is encrypted and isn’t stored on the iPad.
It doesn’t stop there. This feature also allows restaurateurs to customize permission sets and define levels of access based on employee roles.
This way, only managers and supervisors have the access to the cash register and full control to apply discounts, price overrides and more. Thus, this would diminish any internal threats and theft.
11. GST Compliant
When GST was implemented on the 1st of April in 2015, it took every business owner by surprise, urging them to be GST compliant as any offenses can lead you to troubles and worst, imprisonment.
Fortunately, most of the iPad POS systems are fully integrated with GST support. From printing receipts to invoice, quotation and more that are GST compliant with just a single click.
12. Customisation
If you are always experimenting with food, point of sale systems are your holy grail. Menu creation is one thing, but keying in new items or removing old ones on a cash register can be a hassle.
Having to resort to the cash register companies every single time you want to introduce a new dish might take some time.
With the iPad POS system, you can easily make changes. From name, price, quantity and more. This feature would be a bonus point for multi-chain restaurants as the menus would sync perfectly. Besides that, you can also customise your receipts – from the header to footer and any other details.
13. Environmentally Friendly
Want to contribute to the environment while growing your business?
The notion of zero waste is growing and so does the number of customers opting for electronic receipts.
Not only does this reduce paper usage, but emails containing receipts have a high email open rate, allowing you to reach out to your customers more effectively, especially when you have any on-going deals.
Also, let’s not forget the fact that this would save you expenses on paper rolls that cost around RM1 a pop.
Opening up a restaurant or thinking of changing your software? Stop missing out on these benefits to maximize your restaurant’s productivity today by signing up for a FREE demo with Slurp! iPad POS system today!
