There are so many POS systems out there for you to choose from, depending on the nature of your business and the features you require. In the past, POS systems were used to accept payments and process sales. Now, their uses have grown and features like inventory management, staff management, marketing tools, customer data gathering, task automation and more are available in the market. Besides meeting the criteria of finding a good and affordable POS system, you will also need to look into the after-sales services that your vendor provides. The more commonly sought after after-sales services are 24/7 phone and email support, live chat, one-on-one training at no extra costs, social media support and community forums.

This versatile device will definitely help you revolutionise the way you work and manage your restaurant. It will change the entire dynamic of the system. Everything will be much more organised. In Singapore, we love when everything is automated and convenient. So why not give your customers what they want and change things up a bit?

Essentially, the more after-sales services your vendors provide, the better because it just shows that they are dedicated in giving their customers quality customer service. This will also be advantageous to you as a buyer as you’ll not have to panic in the event that something goes wrong with your POS system. Should you be unsure as to which vendors provides quality after-sales services, you can make use of third party platforms like ThunderQuote to help you find the right professionals for you.

iPad POS
iPad POS systems are gaining popularity in this tech-savvy world. Restaurants and retail businesses are changing their old and inefficient cash registers for the slim and cost effective iPad. How can I prove that it is a worthy investment and a bang for your buck? Well, let us take compare the repair costs for a cash register and that for an iPad. If your cash register for some unfortunate reason breaks down, you’ll have to call up a technician for repair services and incur this huge repair costs. On the other hand, if your iPad starts to have technical glitches, you can make use of the 24/7 phone support services and community forums to fix the problem at no extra costs! In addition to that, you are able to upgrade the system and do system checks whenever you need to. This ensures the longevity of your hardware.

E-menu

iPad can also be used as an e-menu which also has a built-in ordering system that allows customers to place their orders without the need of a staff to take the orders. This will reduce labour costs and saves time, hence improving efficiency. Examples of restaurants which uses such a system are Old Street Bak Kut Teh and Sakae Sushi.

Self-ordering Kiosks
Similar to the e-menu concept except that it uses a standalone machine instead of an iPad, self-ordering kiosks are also gaining prominence in the f&b industry. Fast food chains like Burger Up and certain MacDonald’s outlets uses this kiosk. Since it works like the iPad self-ordering component, the advantages are similar too. One of the advantages is the fact that there won’t be a long queue at your establishment and it’ll increase the effectiveness of your entire system. Customers will be happier to not have to line up and this way they can choose exactly what they want to eat. Being able to review their entire order themselves is a good addition to have since people love to be in charge of their decisions. It is also a novelty service to have because it adds more fun to the entire experience!

Automated Queue Management System
Do you want your staff to focus on serving customers instead of having to call up customers whenever there are seats available it’s a full house? Why not consider investing in the automated queue management kiosk to free up manpower, increase efficiency and have happier customers? This works by allowing customers to join your restaurant’s queue by registering through the machine to get a queue number. When there are seats available, an automated message will be sent via their mobile to notify them. This way your customers can walk away from the restaurant and do something else while waiting for their table. In addition to that, everything will just become much simpler and therefore, you can focus more energy on more important things at hand.

POS grant
Under the Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) Scheme which is funded by the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) which offers cash payouts, tax deductions and
allowances provided you have met the criteria which can be found on the IRAS website, you can apply for the scheme which will help to subsidise your POS systems.

All in all, the world of POS systems is too broad to be covered in just one article. Having said that, the basics have already been laid out here, so that you now have a basic understanding of the latest types of POS systems out there in the market and you can now make a more informed decision as to which suits your business best!

For a one-size fits all software, ThunderQuote has the perfect solution for you, join our enterprise system that will allow you to easily get vendors from right within your system!

ThunderQuote is the most comprehensive business services portal in Singapore, Australia and ASEAN , where hundreds of thousands of dollars of procurement contracts are sourced every month by major companies like Singapore Press Holdings, National Trade Union Congress and more.