A point of sale (POS) system is more than a tool for collecting and tracking data. It\u2019s a two-way street, gathering information that can improve business while also providing an avenue to customer satisfaction. It\u2019s for both of these reasons that the tablets and stations common in restaurant dining also have a place in healthcare and senior-living communities.<\/p>\n
The POS is a portal to time- and money-saving knowledge. The core data POS systems provide proves helpful in tracking purchases, managing inventory and planning menus. Beyond those business efficiencies, there\u2019s the customer connection. Just ask Justin Ely, the Chef and Dietary Manager at Waterford Place in Jenison, Michigan, who uses his system to monitor real-time transactions and give customers a direct link to the kitchen.<\/p>\n
One of the big ways this happens is by making sure food comes to the table as ordered, Ely explains. He offers this example: \u201cIf a resident asks for a salad, the order cannot be completed until the person taking the order tableside checks off a box for the dressing\u2014that way a salad won\u2019t come to the table without being prepared just as it was requested.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ely oversees foodservice for residents living in Waterford\u2019s 84 independent living homes, 30 assisted-living and 39 rehabilitation units. He also provides food for special events and life-enrichment programs, as well as catering for guest-planned gatherings.<\/p>\n
For now, the POS system is used only at the community\u2019s dining room open to independent-living residents at lunch. \u201cWe track the items that sell the most, what they cost and how much profit we make,\u201d Ely says. This helps him craft a cycle menu and daily specials using foods he knows are popular.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s important because the 120-plus residents have other nearby dining options or are able to make meals in their own kitchens. Ely strives to make lunch service as much like a restaurant experience as possible. After the meal is complete, payment is processed using the POS system, which can take credit cards, gift cards or apply the tab to a \u201cCaf\u00e9 Room Charge\u201d billing system.
\u201cResidents can scan their ID badges right into the POS and the billing information is sent to an outside company that handles the paperwork, saving us the time of managing room accounts,\u201d Ely notes.<\/p>\n
Creating efficiencies is what good data tracking is all about, according to Nick Saccaro, President of Quest Food Management Services in Lombard, Illinois. Not only can a POS system monitor what\u2019s selling and what\u2019s not, it can also tell what\u2019s popular at specific times. Maybe the soups are more popular at lunch than dinner, or sandwiches are more popular during warm months than cold months. Perhaps it\u2019s as simple as selling a few more slices of cake when a certain topping is added.<\/p>\n
Using such information, he says, makes it easier to get a handle on inventory, storage, food waste and ordering.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany kitchens are pressed for space, and the POS system can help users forecast how much they need and when it\u2019s needed,\u201d Saccaro says. \u201cThat helps reduce excess product and make the most of storage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Any kitchen supervisor knows that food costs are only part of the picture. Managing the labor force is a big challenge. The numbers that guide food usage also are building blocks to managing labor.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you know that Thursdays you\u2019ll be serving a popular dish, you can put together a more precise staffing plan for preparing and serving it,\u201d Saccaro points out. \u201cMaybe you\u2019ll find that the labor it takes to create a meal can be cut by using prepared ingredients instead of scratch cooking.\u201d<\/p>\n
A POS system also can help manage staff training and prevent serving errors he says. \u201cThe customer data that\u2019s captured, such as info about allergens and dietary or nutritional needs, can simplify the ordering and the serving process.\u201d<\/p>\n
A dietary alert, for example, can tell servers about a doctor\u2019s orders at the time a food request is placed, preventing mistakes that cost time, waste food and jeopardize the well-being of the diner.<\/p>\n
When it comes to saving time, Ely says he especially benefits from the countdown feature the POS system provides. \u201cIf we run out of blueberry pie, the server will know that right at the table,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing more frustrating than having your appetite set on a slice of pie only to have the server return to the table and give you the bad news that you have to reconsider your order.\u201d<\/p>\n
Boosting satisfaction in the dining room has a big payoff, Ely says. It enhances the atmosphere for everyone, from those sitting at the tables who sense higher-quality service to the workers who perform their jobs with more confidence.<\/p>\n
No matter how helpful any data-gathering tools are, there\u2019s no substitute for talking to residents or in the dining room, Ely reminds. \u201cWe use the POS information we gather to shape our menu, but I still like to go from table to table and greet guests, asking them what they enjoy or what they want to see more of on the menu.\u201d<\/p>\n
Where the POS system helps in that regard, he says, is by allowing servers to spend less time taking orders and more time talking with residents and guests. \u201cNo matter how good the POS system is, you can\u2019t overlook that personal connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
POS systems can help improve food and labor costs and increase customer satisfaction, but how do you know if a POS is something you should look into? Here are a few questions to ask yourself:<\/p>\n
Features, reporting and integration\u2014a versatile POS system can:<\/p>\n
Here are all the places a POS system be used:<\/p>\n
Use your point-of-sale system to keep in touch with your business data and stay in touch with what\u2019s important to your diners.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4723,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n