Why your restaurant needs a handheld POS system
Handheld POS software can help keep your restaurant moving. From optimising your outdoor dining to improving your customer experience, there are many benefits to a handheld restaurant POS system. Here we look at the main reasons behind the popularity of handheld POS systems in Perth.
Handheld POS can help increase efficiency
Do you currently have a fixed restaurant POS system? If so, chances are your wait staff spend a lot of their time walking between tables and the POS terminal.
In fact, they probably make this return trip 4 to 5 times per table, per sitting. First, they seat your customers and take their drinks order, then they take their meal order, then they may need to add additional drinks, before finalising the bill and processing payment. That’s a lot of time spent walking back and forth across your restaurant.
However, with a handheld POS system, your restaurant can run a lot more efficiently. Your wait staff can carry your POS software with them, wherever they go. And, if one of your customers’ needs something (like more drinks or the bill), they can process that on the spot.
What’s more, being able to place orders at the table can help reduce the risk of mistakes. Your wait staff can directly input what your customers want and repeat it back to them for confirmation. No more forgotten items or incorrectly entered orders.
Handheld POS can help improve the customer experience
In addition to taking and delivering orders, your wait staff play a key role in creating your restaurant’s atmosphere. They are the main face your customers see and how they interact ultimately shapes your customer experience.
However, this important role can often be overlooked for the more functional elements of their job. If they need to remember what each customer wants, they are less able to focus on creating a great dining experience. The personality and fun can be lost, as your staff simply try to make sure each person gets the right meal.
However, when you have handheld POS software, your staff are free to focus on delivering high quality service. Knowing that ordering is taken care of, they can readily engage with customers, building rapport and tailoring the dining experience. They can also make sure that the service is as smooth – and consistent – as possible.
Handheld POS can speed up turnovers
In addition to improving your customer experience, the best POS system should help you maximise covers. Handheld POS does this by minimising down time during the ordering, preparation, and settlement process. In fact, in our experience, handheld restaurant POS systems can speed up table turnarounds by 15% – 20%.
This means that, in your busiest periods, you can get more people through the doors. It also means that you can provide a prompt service, and maximise your profits, at peak times. This all adds up to more happy diners fed and more cash in your till.
One of the main reasons for this is that handheld POS software allows all your staff to efficiently work together. For example, when your wait staff take orders via handheld POS software, they are immediately put through to the kitchen. This would usually take several minutes, as orders are placed via a fixed restaurant POS system or dockets are brought to the kitchen.
Similarly, once the meal is complete, a bill can be produced, and payment can be processed at the table. This would usually require your wait staff to go over to your fixed restaurant POS to print out the bill. Then, once the customer has provided cash or a card, they must make another trip to process payment, then return with the receipt.
Handheld POS systems give the best return on investment
While it may not always be your primary focus, a healthy return on investment (ROI) is important to keeping your restaurant running. And, by supporting efficiency and high-quality service, a handheld POS system can help you maximise your ROI.
There are also a range of extra integrations you can add to your restaurant POS to further maximise your ROI. From bar tab apps to online booking and pre-ordering systems, these are great ways to provide extra value to your customers. They can also help with your reporting and planning, further increasing the efficiency of your operations.
Need help choosing the best POS system for your restaurant?
If you are thinking about implementing a new restaurant POS system, give 21st Century a call. As one of the biggest providers of restaurant POS systems in Perth, we’ve helped a wide variety of businesses choose the perfect software.
Contact our friendly team today to discuss our range and how to pick the best POS system for your business. For more information on our services and how they could help your business, give us a call.