1. Data gathering
As long as you comply with the strict GDPR rules, you can use electronic point of sale systems (EPoS) to gather vast amounts of sales data about your customers. From emails and phone numbers to food and drink preferences, and addresses, you can use the information to target the right marketing material towards those who will appreciate it. However, to avoid fines and other legal issues, you must gain consent and the right permissions from those to whom you send communications.
2. Time saving
To ensure your pub has a competitive edge in the busy, fast-paced, casual-dining sector, anything that can save you time and help you deliver a meal or drink quicker is a winner. Some EPoS can optimise all parts of a business from the front of house to the back, allowing easier communication between kitchen staff and the shop floor.
3. Getting the bill
As well as providing a better line of time-saving communication between functions within a business, a good EPoS can also make a customer’s life easier when it comes to paying the bill. Having a joined-up payment system from till to card reader can make things easier for everyone, especially if you have software to split bills in various ways.
4. Allergen controls
As more consumers become aware of intolerances and allergies, as well as those who have adopted vegan and vegetarian lifestyles, intelligent EPoS can help front-of-house staff deliver reliable information about a dish’s ingredients with confidence. If a customer asks whether a dish has, say, nuts in it, and the till system confirms their presence, then it means staff can deliver the best customer service and also be confident all needs are being catered for.
5. Staffing
Although it won’t be right 100% of the time – because working out when it is going to be busy in the pub is not an exact science – EPoS can help operators prepare. Accurate and in-depth data has replaced gut instinct for most operators, it’s a positive shift that means hospitality venues can effectively track when they are at their busiest. With the use of EPoS, managers can rota their workforce to meet demand, saving time and reducing stress.
6. Stocking
Technology can also be used to hone the best stocking strategy for a pub or bar. The data captured in every EPoS system is key in purchasing, inventory and menu management, and real efficiency can be achieved through detailed menu analysis and re-engineering items based on known facts. Integration with other technology can provide further insight, revealing where extra efficiencies and thus cost savings can be made.
7. Outdo TripAdvisor
Yumpingo chief executive and founder Gary Goodman says his platform captures between 4,000 and 6,000 guest reviews per month using EPoS – dwarfing the output of TripAdvisor trolls and keyboard warriors. The Yumpingo system conducts one-minute surveys of roughly half of customers in partner sites, including those operated by Wahaca, Wagamama and Mitchells & Butlers – at the end of their meal, gathering fresh, detailed sentiment.
Servers use an iPad with EPoS integration, which they over to the customer to review their meal when they present the bill. “Effectively, we’re able to capture a lot of granular information in just one minute because of our scale and volume across many customers. It really gives eyes and ears to every site and every service,” he says.
8. Remote control
Don’t forget that all of this technology can also help you to monitor and run your pub from anywhere in the world. If everything from security, to stock management and sales data is linked up, operators – especially those with multiple sites – can keep tabs on the running of the business when they’re not there.
