Until recently, restaurant and hospitality owners were wary
of adopting wireless POS systems for their establishments.
Issues such a cost, ease of use and a general uncertainty
about new technology caused them to take pause. Nowadays,
however, with the popularity of PDA’s, Blackberries, cell
phones and the like, mobile technology and wireless mobile
computing has become main stream, and hospitality providers
are taking a second look.
In a high cost and competitive market, it’s no wonder that
those in the hospitality industry want technology to help
them increase revenues. But how can a wireless POS device
help them achieve this?
Wireless mobile computing can help in many ways. One such
instance is by eliminating the need for staff to line up at
a specific POS terminal to place orders. By utilizing mobile
technology, serving staff are more productive since time
spent during the order taking process is decreased. Wireless
mobile computing also allows serving staff to place orders
instantly, and then go directly to the next table, thereby
increasing table turns. And because serving staff are more
productive, significant savings can be seen through decreased
labor costs.
Another drawback to stationary POS terminals is that serving
staff usually place a number of orders at once to the
kitchen,overwhelming kitchen staff. Placing orders tableside
eliminates this problem, as orders are more evenly spaced.
One important benefit with a wireless POS solution is that
by placing orders directly at the table, order taking is
more accurate and less food is wasted. This directly
translates into decreased food costs. Also, serving staff
can spend more time with customers, which significantly
increases up-sell opportunities.
Utilizing wireless mobile computing in a hospitality
environment also allows restaurateurs to approach staffing
in a more cost effective and efficient way. Instead of
scheduling a large number of serving staff who are responsible
for all the order taking and food delivery, a wireless POS
solution allows restaurant owners the opportunity to hire
just a few skilled staff, give them larger sections, and
make their primary focus greeting customers, taking orders
and up selling. Non-serving staff can then be hired
(at significant payroll savings) to dispatch food and clean
sections. When serving staff are able to remain on
the floor, the result is superior customer service and again
increased sales through up selling and faster table turns.
Now, Volanté™ POS Systems of Toronto, Canada
(http://www.volantesystems.com) has come along and
revolutionized the wireless POS industry in a creative and
innovative way. By using PC notebooks (not much bigger then a
handheld) the entire POS software is loaded on the unit and
it runs as a terminal with peer to peer, data synching etc. PDA’s don’t work in this manner- they require writing to the unit (in other words, new code, separate product) plus they’re not robust enough for Food and beverage. Volanté™ has evolved its software into the peer to peer architecture, and now POS software can be loaded onto a small wireless notebook with amazing results. The
technology is revolutionary - nobody else can do what Volanté™
is doing.
This approach can work exceptionally well in venues that
aren’t traditional table side establishments, such as
stadiums, trade shows, casinos, arenas, race tracks and outdoor
sales areas (such as rooftop patios for instance) where
conventional POS terminals aren’t practical nor feasible.
Wireless mobile computing from Volanté™ offers even more
important and innovative features. For instance, the menus
on the notebook or handhelds are the exact same menus as on
the traditional register. The databases are in sync with one
another. You don’t have to program them separately; they’re
an extension of the host computer. This approach is less
expensive because it doesn’t require separate servers for
handhelds and traditional registers. And because Volanté™ POS
software is written in pure Java, its real time as well.
For more information on how wireless POS technology and
wireless mobile computing from Volanté™ can
help your business increase profits and productivity, email
them at sales@volantesystems.com or visit their website at
http://www.volantesystems.com.
Wireless POS solutions truly allow Hospitality leaders to
enter the 21st century, while also giving them an extra edge
in a fiercely competitive industry.
Derek Meade is a writer, webmaster, and owner of Meade Internet
Services (http://www.meadeinternet.com) in Ottawa Canada, an internet marketing, website promotion and website design company.