How to chose the right POS-terminal

A good POS-terminal – also called a POS-system – is the key yo running a well working restaurant, bar og cafe. The system you choose isn’t without significance. We bring you good advice for, what you need to pay attention to, when you have to choose your system. POS-terminals comes with different functions, user interfaces, options for integrations and price levels. It is therefore important to clarify what needs you have for your POS-terminal in order to be able to choose the right one for you and your restaurant.

We have collected 5 questions for you to consider when you need to assess which checkout system suits your needs:

• Which functions do I need?
• Which payment and handheld terminals do I need?
• Which integrations do I need?
• How much am I willing to pay?
• How much support do I need?

Functions

POS-terminals comes with a lot of different and useful functions, but not all of them have a big relevance for all restaurants. To begin with it’s important for you to figure out exactly which functions you need, for your restaurant to function the way you want it to. We know it can be a challenge, so we have collected some of the most basic functions that we now are fundamental for an optimal operation of your restaurant, no matter the size and type.

Offline function

The most basci and fundamental function that you need for your POS-terminal, is an offline function, så the POS-terminal works even when the Internet doesn’t.
We all know that the Internet connection can be unstable and if the Internet suddenly fails, and your POS-terminal doesn’t have an offline function, then the customers doesn’t have a way to pay, and you will lose income. Of course this isn’t optimal, and that’s why it’s important to have a system which works without a stable Internet connection.

Automatic inventory management

Another very valuable function is inventory management. With this it’s possible to integrate your inventory with your POS-terminal, so it’s always possible to keep an overview of the inventory. Your inventory status is always up to date concurrently with your articles being sold. This provides valuable data, where you can adjust your purchases with your sales. You have en opportunity to set up a minimum inventory on every single product, so you’ll get a message when it’s time to order the product in question again. In this way you minimize the risk of running out and the customer asking for something on the menu that’s out of stock.

Other functions

There are a lot of different functions for your POS-terminal, and they are all there to help you to optimize your operation and make your customers happy. So far we’ve talkes about the two most essential functions, yet other functions could also be useful for you.

Self-order solution

We have experinced that among the most requested functions is self-service solutions, where especially ordering via a QR-code and a digital menu have really been storming forward lately. With this the customer has the opportunity to order food and drinks from their own phone.

Gift, staff and loyalty cards

The function to be able to issue gift cards is also very popular. It can also be used to issue other types of cards, such as loyalty cards and staff cards.

Choose of POS-terminal

When you have to choose a POS-terminal it’s important to have en the option to connect several different types of payment terminals and handheld terminals. First of all you need to be aware that there, typically, are two types of terminals – payment terminals and handheld terminals. You can combine different types of terminals to cover different needs.

Payment terminal

When you have to find out which type of payment terminal you need, you have to evaluate if you want your payment terminal integrated with your POS-terminal or if it should be handheld. There is a big difference to what purpose the different terminals are best suited for. Here we will talk about the two types of terminals of which you have the opportunity to connect with your POS-terminal.

Types of payment terminals

With this terminal the amount is directly transferred to the POS-terminal. That’s smart, because you eliminate the human errors in the payment process, because the waiter doesn’t have to type the amount on the payment terminal and type errors are no longer a risk. The payment terminal is automatically reconciling when the POS-terminal is reset. The terminal however, isn’t portable.

Handheld payment terminal

With a handheld payment terminal you get a portable alternative. This type however, isn’t integrated with the POS-terminal and the waiter has to manually type in the amount on the terminal. On the other hand you can accept payment at the customers table and the terminal is very suited for handling outdoor serving and the customer doesn’t have to stand in line to pay.

Handheld terminal

As a supplement to the payment terminal comes in more different types of handheld terminals. There are suitable for optimizing the work flow of the staff. This gives the opportunity to take orders directly at the table, and right away the drink order is send to the bar and the food order is send to the kitchen. At the same time the handheld terminal gives the staff an easy opportunity to handle table reservations and the option to split the bill down to every single person at the table.

Do you want it all in one terminal?

If your wish to have it all in one terminal, then there is the possibily to get a mobile POS-terminal. It’s a pricier solution, but you will get the best of both worlds and at the same time you don’t need a regular stationary POS-terminal. The mobile POS-terminal can handle anything.

• Receipt printer, POS-terminal and payment terminal all in one compact solution.
• Improves your staffs workflow and gives your customers a better experience.

Integrations

In the restaurant business it’s especially integrations for accounting, roster planning, wage and table booking systems that are in demand, but also integrations for bar management control systems and service call systems. Get a quick overview here.

Accounting system

The integrations makes it possible to transfer your sales from your POS-terminal directly to your accounting system.

Find examples on accounting systems here.

Table booking system

Gives the opportunity to open and close tables across the systems and get a full overview of the tables.

Find examples of table booking systems here.

Roster planning system

Transfer the income directly to the roster planning system and calculate the salary percentage for the entire business.

Find examples of roster planning systems here.

Wage system

Check in and out on the POS-terminal and transfer the employees registered hours in the wage system.

Find examples of wage systems here.

Other integrations

Beside the most used integrations, as we talked about earlier, there are a lot of other integratiosn which can create great value for your restauration. We experience an increased demand for integrations for waiter calling systems and bar management control systems and we’re going to give an insight.

Waiter calling system

A waiter calling system immediately alerts the waiter when an order is ready. This entails an optimisation of the food quality, guest service and the staffs efficiency. An integration to the POS-terminal makes sure, that the kitchen easily can come in contact with the waiters.

Bar Management

A bar management control system is a control and report system for all types of drinks: beer, wine, soda, liquor etc. An integrations with the POS-terminal will, among other things, ensure an extra cost reduction on there products, but also increase the liquor sale and saving inventory hours.

With an eye for the budget

Of course it’s smart to choose a POS-terminal which complies with your needs, but everything has a price. That’s why you have to think about how much you want to pay for your POS-terminal.
Our recommendation is to pay a bit more for a good system, which fits you and your needs, because it will earn itself again. E.g. by optimizing and automating processes and work flows and minimize human errors. In this way the necessary expense, which the POS-terminal is, might be considered as an investment.

Price structure

All expenses for your POS-terminal is most often a one-time payment for the hardware and then a monthly payment for using the system. In that price service and software updates are most often included. Here you need to be aware, that some POS-providers take a transaction fee pr. transaction at, typically, 1-2 percent of the sale, including a redemption agreement, but on the other hand has a low price on the hardware and price on the subscription for the system.

What is a redemption agreement?

The redemption agreement is an agreement between your business and a merchant such as Nets, Bambora or Swedbank. The merchants job is to acquire the transactions that your business acquieres with different credit cards.
The preices at the merchants are very different. You pay a fee so the merchant handles the transactions, and the fee varies depending on what type of credit card is used on the payment terminal.

If you want to dive deeper into what redemption agreement is and what meaning it has for your restaurant, we’ve made a more specific article about it here .

Support

The support is often an overlooked parameter when restaurateurs have to choose a POS-terminal. Because does the supplier include support in the price, or is it an additional purchase? And within what time frame can support be called?
If you run a restaurant, bar or café, large parts of your turnover will be in the evening – or even at night. If the system breaks down, where the turnover is highest, it doesn’t work that the support only lasts until 4:30 p.m. In addition, it can be advantageous to choose a provider that offers support outside normal opening hours. It offers several POS providers, but some have free and unlimited support 24/7, while others offer paid extended support.

Dp the preparatory work

If you have thought carefully about what your POS-terminal should be able to do, how it should work and what it should cost, then you are well into the process. We hope that you have learned how to choose the right POS-terminal and that we have inspired you to think about it – and maybe even given you the courage to go on further exploration. For a thorough preparatory work, it is half the work and can be decisive for you to make the right choice the first time!