Three of the biggest POS/OpTech makers reveal how to maximise revenues.
“We are finding more and more venues today are managing multiple styles of operations within one venue,” says James Verlaque, National Sales Director with Bepoz.
These large-format, multi-offering venues range from huge suburban venues such as Laundy Hotels’ The Marsden and Parras Hospitality’s The Ambarvale Hotel to Sand Hill Road’s Hotel Esplanade. The different operational demands these place on venues are complex and in many cases rely on different technology solutions to ease operations and maximise revenues.
“[Take] the Espy in Melbourne or Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane,” says Verlaque, where “we have multiple bars, functions spaces, band rooms, kitchens, restaurants and wine bars. With Bepoz these are all managed under one centralised head office solution giving greater control for stock management, reporting and staffing.”
It’s not just the scale and complexity of operations that are evolving, but the more central positioning of OpTech within a venue’s planning and execution.
“The Point of Sale is now treated like the nervous system of your business,” believes Cashpoint’s Sima Hanimyan. “It allows business owners to manage their business and improve their bottom line because all the information they need is in the one spot – whether you are after stock management, staff management, marketing, accounting or reporting. And if it’s not – it will integrate into an application that you need.”
Prominent OpTech suppliers LRS also point to recent technology advances, which are making table locations systems even more accurate. Quickly delivering food to patrons is a key element to roviding great service, they say.
Loyalty opportunities
Bepoz’s Verlaque highlights customer engagement and loyalty as being key trends within the OpTech scene.
“Most venues using Bepoz take advantage of our advanced voucher and promotional capabilities,” says Verlaque, “but many are now looking to take their loyalty program to the next phase with app-based programs.”
Suppliers such as Verlaque highlight the opportunity to integrate loyalty apps into POS solutions, citing their proprietary MyPlace loyalty app as one solution. Such apps remove the need to employ a third party solution, ideally minimising integration issues and reducing logistical efforts.
“We are working with venues in Melbourne such as Transport Bar in Federation Square to speed up onboarding,” says Verlaque. “New members can sign up in the app and join programs pretty much straight away, avoiding paperwork for management teams.”
The ability to manage multi-tiered membership directly with Bepoz is a key advantage, says Verlaque, while the ability to integrate customer retention programs directly with core POS software such as Bepoz “has been a big incentive for business[es] wanting to streamline their solutions and time,” Verlaque argues.
Real-time solutions
“myPOS is a solution rather than a system,” says Hanimyan, “a solution incorporating highly advancedPOS software and industry leading support.”
Cashpoint is looking to address a venue’s need to source a “robust and comprehensive solution that is easy-to-use, reliable and flexible” says Hanimyan.
LRS also flag that they have recently released a number of applications for tablets, PCs and smartphones, all with the express aim of giving the customer more control in real time. Many OpTech suppliers are also looking to give venues greater knowledge and control over items such as stock control, staff performance levels and targeted promotions along with online food and beverage
ordering.
Hanimyan says customer feedback highlights the need to appreciate that a POS system is not simply a cash register, it goes beyond being a mere till. Hanimyan also emphasises the importance for venue owners and operators – as well as those at the coalface operating these systems – to understand the systems that you have installed and to make the most of the modules that are available.
POS and CCTV combine
“One of the biggest shakes ups we’ve seen is the uptake of our Point of Sale interface with CCTV Surveillance,” says Bepoz’s Verlaque.
“Venues such as Hampton Park Tavern, Clifton Springs Golf Club [and] Richmond Social, all located in metro Melbourne, and Courthouse Hotel in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, have fully interfaced POS/CCTV management.”
The benefits, says Verlaque, include the ability to overlay POS information onto CCTV footage, which allows for every transaction to be tracked and reviewed.
“The ability to generate reports or receive notification on credit or discount card fraud, cash theft, failure to ring up sales, unauthorised discounting, customer and staff collisions, or price and barcode switching,” says Verlaque.
OpTech and training
When it comes to maximising the relationship between POS/OpTech and staff, training is key.
“It’s all good and well having the best tools but you need to learn how to use them properly to get the best out of them,” says Hanimyan. “So for those who are starting or starting again – invest the time to understand the power of your point of sale. You get out what you put in to it.”
“Good venues invest in training their staff on an ongoing basis,” says Verlaque. “Bepoz has also recently launched myBepoz, which is our online learning university… Users can do tutorials, watch videos or read detailed step-by-step guides on Bepoz functionalities.”
“I believe in training staff with the correct access,” says Simi Hanimyan. “From a user perspective bar staff POS need a robust touch screen that is intuitive and easy to use and see in all conditions.
“Management need to use it differently again and require an understanding of what information they want to get out of their system. Maximising the relationship is all about understanding needs first. Once you have that the rest is easy,” says Hanimyan.
A number of solutions providers point to their credentials as Australian owned-and-operated, and a number have POS offerings that are tailor made for the Australian market. Look for those with local customer service representatives and training solutions most relevant to your situation.