A line around the block is a nice problem to have, but only if it’s moving quickly. In fact, a long, slow-moving line at your restaurant or bar might deter customers — especially if they’re hungry (or thirsty). So to keep the line flowing (as well as your sales), it’s crucial that all your employees know how to ring people up as quickly as possible on your POS.
Here are some tips.
Enable fast checkout.
This one’s a no-brainer: businesses that enable the Skip Receipt feature in Square Point of Sale significantly increase their checkout speeds by over 40 percent. The feature allows you to skip the receipt selection and All Done screens for transactions. Bypassing these steps can help you get to the next customer in line faster — which is immensely helpful during rush times. (You can always still choose to send or print a receipt if a customer would like one).
Get an NFC reader.
By now, you’ve probably noticed that chip cards are pretty sluggish. While it’s all in the name of security (all the fraud detection technology is at work while the card is in the reader), those extra few seconds can be a drag when you have a long line. Getting an NFC reader (like the Square contactless and chip reader) in the rotation helps a ton. NFC mobile payments (like Apple Pay, Android Pay, and Samsung Pay) are processed near-instantaneously and are just as secure as EMV chip cards. They’re also a lot more convenient for customers (no more fishing around for their wallets). To encourage customers to pay via their mobile device, place your reader in plain view on the countertop between you and the customer. It’s also helpful to order decals that signal to customers that you accept NFC payments like Apple Pay and Android Pay. Read more tips about how to accept NFC payments.
Keep things organized.
You and your staff should be able to quickly enter and ring up even the most complicated orders from the system. Toward that end, keep your item library organized, with clear pictures and descriptions that allow employees to find and enter items fast. It’s easy to do this with the Square Point of Sale app. You can quickly set up items on your smartphone or tablet (along with pictures), and also add modifiers (like almond milk, low-fat, or decaf, for example).
Take orders from the line.
When things get particularly crazy, consider getting a few extra readers and dispatching your staff out to take orders and ring people up in line. That way, you can get the barista, bartender, or kitchen started on things ahead of time to keep orders moving quickly.
A fast-moving line is not only good for sales but also a better customer experience. Square’s POS system gives you everything you need to ring people up as quickly as possible.
Related articles:
Training Employees to Use Square
Meet the Square Point of Sale API for Android
All You Need to Know About Near Field Communication