6 Ways to Speed Up Your Checkout Speed

It’s simple math: A faster line means more sales in a shorter period of time. No one likes waiting — so checking people out quickly and efficiently helps to keep your customer service at the highest standard possible. Here are some ways you can make sure you’re ringing people up as fast as possible, keeping that line moving, your customers smiling, and those sales flowing.

customers waiting in line

Get an intuitive point-of-sale system.

The first step is the most obvious: Get set up with a POS system. When choosing point-of-sale software, look for something that’s as fast and easy to use as possible. You and your staff should be able to quickly enter and ring up even the most complicated orders (we’re looking at you, half-caf, no-foam latte with skim milk) using the system. With the Square Point of Sale app, you can quickly set up items on your smartphone or tablet, along with pictures so you can find them at a glance. And it’s easy to add on modifiers (like low-fat milk or no foam, for example).

Accept credit cards and new forms of payment.

Paying by cash is slow. There’s the potential for a lot of wallet fumbling on the customer’s end, and all that on-the-fly math to figure out the exact change on yours. Accepting debit and credit cards moves your line a whole lot faster. Square’s card readers let you ring up card sales in seconds. And they make tipping extra easy. Just swivel your Square Stand or hand your mobile device over to customers, where they can select a prepopulated tip amount and then sign for the transaction.

Want to move your line as quickly as possible? Set yourself up to accept new payment technologies like contactless INTERAC payments. The new Square Reader for contactless and chip enables sellers to accept chip cards and receive contactless payments through Apple Pay, Android Pay, and INTERAC Flash® debit tap.

Send digital receipts.

When you have a line out the door, every second counts. And not only are paper receipts an unnecessary use of natural resources, printing them can eat up time. Consider adopting a POS that gives you the ability to email customers receipts.

Train your staff.

After you hire your employees, you need to adequately train them to use a POS system. Before you put them behind the counter, make sure they know exactly how to find and add items, take all forms of payment, send receipts and issue refunds. You might even give them a friendly pop quiz by throwing a complicated order at them and seeing how fast they can ring it up.

Limit your assortment.

When it comes to the number of items you sell, less can be more. This is especially true if you’re a quick-service restaurant, as people often haven’t made a decision before they get up to the counter. Make the checkout experience as simple as possible for your customers by not overwhelming them with options. Experiment with what works for your business, but a general rule of thumb is that it’s always better to have fewer quality items than a bunch of mediocre ones.

Related articles:
How Square Can Help Small Businesses
Benefits of an iPad POS System
Comprehensive guide to INTERAC Debit