Why A POS System?

Having been in the industry for a long time, we have encountered many small business that have been reluctant to invest in a POS system.

This include a lot of family run businesses which still rely on manual methods and hand-me-down techniques.  

Understandably there are many reasons that you wouldn't want to upgrade however a lot of companies underestimate the large impact that a powerful point of sales system can have on the efficiency and quality of their business.

Some prefer to rely on traditional methods that they have been using for a long time. They do not want to learn a new system and it's understandable. 'Why should I change, if I have something that works?', is a common answer. While they may have a system that works, it may not work at the efficiency it could potentially be at.

A point of sales system is more than just an interface. It is communication within your company. It allows each employee to do their job while being provided with access to information from other sections. Business owners are able to easily discern how sales are going by the week, month, year and can see what products are selling the best. Managers can organize the roster, manage employees and find out which employees have the highest sales totals. It equips employees to perform professionally and efficiently.

In a restaurant situation it is even more important to have a powerful point of sales system. Point of sales is the real-time communication of the restaurant. It holds together all the different parts of the restaurant, from the kitchen to the front of house. These systems have evolved to become extremely sophisticated often being extremely flexible to cater to almost any restaurant situation.

A sophisticated hospitality POS system allows better organization and communication than traditional methods. It allows for greater accountability and control over your business through a digital record of everything that happens in POS, from every order put through to every transaction made, the software will record and store information of everything going on.

Another reason that we commonly get is that budget won't allow for it. This again is a completely understandable reason. However many companies treat point of sales as an accessory and do not dedicate enough resources to take advantage of the resourcefulness of a strong system. Point of sales is more than just a cash register or a touch screen, POS is the internal communication of your company, it is a vital and important step in giving your company a strong platform on which it can expand and grow, while also fostering good records which will be an asset later on to your company.

One of the reasons that price can be an issue is that many companies budget the amount that they purchased their older systems at expecting to simply replace or slightly upgrade what they already have/had. A POS system is a long term asset. You can expect to be using it for a long time, so making a solid investment early on to have the best rewards is the best way to approach point of sales.

While the initial expense may be hefty depending on your financial position if you take into account the longevity of the system and the advantages that having a point of sales system, it is difficult not to receive the returns of a POS.

Though a POS system is not for every business (for some a cash register may suffice), it is definitely powerful enough for every business to at least examine. If you aren't ready for a POS system, I would still urge you to enquire, as knowledge of POS systems will be beneficial for you should you expand and eventually decide to invest in a POS system.

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