Cloud-based POS systems for restaurants are cutting edge, innovative, and slowly taking over the market share from traditional POS players. Let us take a look at what Cloud-Based POS systems are and how they differ from a conventional standpoint.
With the rise of Internet connectivity in India and the cheap prices offered by broadband services coupled with the need for better data analytics Cloud POS is gaining traction very quickly.
Cloud-Based Point of Sale Systems for Restaurants offers the user the ability to scale at the pace at which their business grows. Another advantage of this system is that it can be flexible about pricing and charge a monthly recurring cost.
Typically for a Cloud POS system to work you primarily need to have an internet connection. Through the Internet, you can access the POS app or website based on the service provider. Generally, POS systems were traditionally called software that needs to be installed and set up with a proprietary set of hardware. This setup is usually done by a trained Engineer and it takes time for the setup to complete. With the current system, it's as simple as logging into a website or an app. The customizations are easy to do and changes can be made according to the nature of the business.
The entire POS system is portable and according to the needs and requirements of the restaurant business, we can configure it in a way such that the system is entirely mobile and no dedicated space be taken up to set up a fixed location for billing.
Since the data is not stored locally on any device you can access your account from multiple devices remotely for ease of use. In conventional setups, your data is stored locally in the POS terminal which has to be accessed on-site and the risk of the device getting corrupted and the data being lost is very high.
Let us take a look at some of the other advantages that Cloud-Based Systems for Restaurants have over traditional POS.
In traditional point-of-sale systems, you have to pay a one-time fee to purchase the software and buy special hardware compatible with it. This adds up to a lot and when you're starting with your business the goal is to keep costs as low as possible. You also don't get the ability to customize the software to your liking and if you want to it's again going to cost you a lot. With current-generation Restaurant Point of Sale systems, you don't have to worry about all that. The business model they follow is called Saas which standards for Software as a Service where you get charged a monthly fee for as long as you use. You also can tailor services as per your requirements and you end up paying a little more for the addons. This business model works because the customers are getting a good deal and it is also easy on their wallets. They also can use the software on a trial basis and if they don't like it then they can choose to look for another POS for their business.
In Traditional Till-based Systems, the software rarely gets new updates, and even if you wanted to get it updated you would have to ask a Service Engineer from the service provider to visit your location and do the installation themself. It can be time-consuming and often Updates don't happen once the software and license key have been purchased even though they promise the same. On the other hand, Cloud-Based Restaurant Point of Sale systems are very different and they push updates over the air to the customers. You don't have to sit and install anything, all the changes take place automatically in the backend once you click refresh on the device that you're using. Updates are much more frequent in Cloud-Based POS and they more functionality in the long run when new features are released periodically. This makes the user experience of Cloud-Based Point of Sale Systems only better and better in the long run.
One of the key issues for any business owner is how secure their software is. Having a POS system that is built on traditional software might be prone to attacks and threats that current systems are prepared for. The security of the data is of utmost importance to the business owner and having a point of sale system that is regularly updated to the latest security standards is always brings a sense of security to the end-user that their data is in safe hands.
One of the other ways Cloud-Based POS systems provide security is by keeping the data stored across multiple servers to provide redundancy and faster access to the data. In the case of Traditional systems, there are no servers and the data is stored locally on the POS terminal which can either get corrupted or damaged due to some external forces. If it occurs it might be very hard for you to recover your data.
Often while using the Restaurant Point of Sale system you might run into a couple of snags that might negatively affect your business operations. This can be detrimental to your business if it keeps repeating itself and it calls for support from the service provider. If you are using a traditional point of sale system that is generally offline you would have to spend hours on the phone trying to diagnose and solve the problem. Occasionally it might be hard for you to reach customer support as these software providers don't provide constant support. But in the case of Cloud-Based POS support is round the clock and the issues that are faced by the customer can be rectified easily by remotely checking the application for errors and solving them.
In short, having a Cloud-Based Point of Sale System is the way to go in changing times. Do check out our Cloud POS that we've taken the time to build and perfect. It has all the features you would expect and more in a Cloud-Based Point of Sale System for Restaurants.
, DiNAMIC
12th March 2021