It crashed again last night, didn’t it?

You were halfway through recalling a large table account that was ready to be settled when… whoops; blank screen, familiar Windows 95 logo and a boot up process that seems to take an ice age.

Thank goodness you had an understanding diner this time.

Old POS systems lie at the heart of many restaurant businesses, but the effect they’re likely to have on service, staff morale and – most importantly – customer satisfaction, is incredibly damaging.

In this blog, we’ve put together the five most common excuses for not investing in a new POS system. How many can you honestly lay claim to?

1. We love our old till system!

That may well be the case. Inanimate objects have the canny ability to get under our skin – particularly when they’re devices on which we’ve relied to build a new business.

But that was then, and this is now. Your till system may occupy a fond place in your heart, but it’s old, cranky, and the staff hate it.

It’s time to move on.

2. I’m frightened of cloud computing

That’s entirely understandable, given the increasing threat of cybercrime and the regularity with which it appears in the headlines.

However, when it comes to POS, there are two things to bear in mind. Firstly, if you pick a reputable POS supplier that has an established cloud-based POS product that benefits from regular updates, you’re in safe hands.

Secondly, you don’t have to invest in cloud POS at all if you don’t want to. There’s a common misconception that all software is cloud-based in the digital age, but that simply isn’t the case. Do your homework and shop around – there are plenty of POS systems out there that don’t require an internet connection.

3. The hardware cost will bankrupt us

No, it won’t. Not anymore.

The cost of POS hardware has reduced dramatically in recent years and if you don’t fancy a traditional touchscreen till system behind your bar, there’s a wealth of tablet-based options to choose from which will enable you to simply use the iPad you already own!

4. We haven’t got time to retrain staff

Good news! Modern POS systems rely on user interfaces that feature input methods and controls with which most people are familiar.

Put it this way: if you’ve used a smartphone in the last week or so, you’ll be able to use a modern POS system.

Sure, a bit of training will still be required, but the return you’ll get in raised staff satisfaction and productivity will be more than worth it.

5. There’s too much choice

Good point.

Admittedly, the market is flooded with options when it comes to restaurant POS, but there’s a few handy tricks you can use to narrow the search.

Firstly, speak to the supplier of your old system – they may have a new one. Secondly, if your restaurant sits within a hotel, speak to the supplier of the hotel booking system – they will either have their own POS system or should be able to recommend one from their partners.

Lastly, take a look at online review sites such as Capterra to get a feel for public and user opinion of any POS systems that catch your eye. You’ll soon narrow down those that deserve the lion’s share of your attention.

Final thought

A bad POS system is usually the quiet enemy within a restaurant operation. It’s failings nor their effect on the business will be immediately apparent, but it’ll keep chipping away until the operation reaches breaking point. And that might be too late.

Use our tips above to get over your fear of new POS systems and invest in something that will help your business reach far greater heights.

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