The Importance of POS Systems for the Hospitality Industry While Implementing?

Posted by Epos Direct UK on April 27th, 2023

The importance of POS systems has increased significantly in recent times, especially with the emergence of cloud-based POS systems. Therefore, it is no longer enough to think of a point-of-sale system comparable to the retail till system. These systems are now smart service solutions that have the potential to fundamentally change hospitality businesses.  

Effective use of point-of-sale systems allows businesses to quickly and conveniently provide services to customers, allowing them to efficiently pay for goods and services, using multiple methods – often without must go to a dedicated payment area. However, the benefits of a point-of-sale system go beyond the customer experience. 

The use of point-of-sale systems allows for instant and continuous communication between different departments and even different branches of the same company. Systems can help eliminate miscalculations and can also ensure that all parts of the business have access to the most important information regarding inventory and availability. 

When used to their full potential, point-of-sale systems can help with reporting, data analysis, and many other internal processes critical to business success. Best of all, the best epos system for a restaurant can improve employee productivity, eliminate unnecessary friction, automatically apply special offers on purchases, and help with business administration.  

3 Pain points you may encounter when implementing a POS system in your business

When implementing an epos system in a business in the hospitality industry, you may encounter three main problems. In the sections below, you can learn more about these and how to fix them.  

1) Define your business scope and the purpose of the epos system therein

First of all, it is important to clarify that the goals of the point of sale system and the selection criteria can vary depending on the size of the company. A small local business operating out of a building may only need a simple system, but if you are a hotel or restaurant chain, you may need a system that is accessible from anywhere and managed from the outside. With that in mind, you need to define your business, your goals, and why you need a point-of-sale system. 

2) Define the functions you need from the point of sale, including analytics

Next, it's important to use the scope you defined in the previous step to determine the features you need from your epos system for a cafe. Do you need retail functionality? Takeaway feature? What about a webshop? Do you need analytical tools? How much customization do you need? In this context, you must also take into account your plans and the evolution of your needs over the coming months and years. 

3) Train employees to use the point-of-sale system

While epos systems are a powerful tool in the hotel industry, they are not only useful for hospitality management. Your regular employees will have to use the till systems for hospitality daily, which requires training. However, you need to think about this holistically rather than just teaching employees how to use the offered features. How can an employee determine the payment period for an additional sale? Where can employees find product or service information? Try to train your employees to practically use the full range of tools they have.