Sizing up point-of-sale software

Carol Prince

RWN Trading’s marketing director, Carol Prince, advises hoteliers to consider extending their POS systems across less traditional departments to get the most out of their investment, and reveals that while a good POS system can work wonders, an ill-suited version may harm business

What factors should be taken into account when choosing a Point of Sale (POS) system?

Carol Prince: Deciding on which is the best-suited POS system for your business can have a huge impact on how your company continues to function. Purchase the correct one and the system will be enhanced, choose badly and the opposite may occur.

A POS software solution is not a simple add-on to your existing accountancy or employment management systems — a good POS package will allow your business to run more efficiently and will be streamlined effectively in all aspects of company management including: employment management, record keeping, F&B management, ordering and receiving, accountancy, man-management, entertainment , leisure facilities and traffic flow management.

For example, NFS Hospitality POS solutions offer in effect a turnkey POS solution from consultancy, wireless networks, hardware, cabling, a hosted ASP central data management and a 24/7 Help Desk offering support and extensive systems and integration expertise.

What are the newest technological trends in POS systems?

CP: As with all technology, across the board changes happen almost weekly — systems are being enhanced, they run faster or more efficiently, and offer upgrades bells, whistles and exciting new interfaces. It is of course important to keep up with the newest trends but equally it is important to decide to work with POS software or Property Management Systems (PMS) that have the ability to grow with your company needs and also one that offers customer support services.

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What trends should hoteliers in the process of upgrading their POS software consider?

CP: Hotels which are considering upgrading their systems should not only look at the obvious areas for using POS but consider using it across all departments. Maybe the NFS scheduling software, which is based on browser technology, would be of benefit. It provides a complete toolkit of room booking software and is a powerful scheduling tool for audio/visual, catering and visitor management. Other packages to be considered are spa software, loyalty card facilities, RM 2000 central reservation system (CRS) web bookings and internet reservation systems (IRS), plus our new Workspace solution which offers Outlook scheduling and advanced hotel functionality.

Hotels should be always thinking ‘how can I get the best out of my POS system’ and ‘how is it going to help make us more proficient’.

There may be some business owners or managers who will baulk at the costs of installing a POS solution but there is no getting away from the fact that by being able to run a more accurate outlet will mean less mistakes, less shrinkage and reducing these mistakes which are in reality losses.

Why is it important for your POS system to integrate with other software systems in the hotel?

CP: If you are running a hospitality operation then there are obviously multiple technology components to deal with, from an F&B operation serving the customer at the point of sale, to managing your cash in the back office, to taking inventory of stock, to organising large parties, and reviewing sales figures in detailed reports at head office. The whole purpose of PMS and POS is to provide better management capabilities and facilities — to have better control of how departments are performing, where the up-sales are and of course where the pitfalls are.

If you have a number of standalone solutions which do not have the ability to integrate with other operating systems then the concept of good time management and reporting skills will be lost.

It is important to look also at what a POS solution can offer in the longer term; for example with RoomMaster, the guest data is ideal for understanding your guests and establishing a positive relationship so that in the future they return to your hotel. It does not matter if your guest checked out last week or last year, all the information is readily available.

With the RoomMaster guest history, you can securely modify past charges and reprint any folio with ease. As a marketing tool, the reports which we can reproduce from the right POS system are invaluable.

No matter what hospitality department you are in, we are all having to work harder and smarter during these challenging times and if by integrating our lines or reporting communication and business flow, we must surely be in a stronger position than those that don’t.