On average, people across America go out to eat four or five times a week. However, with over one million restaurants operating across America, the competition is fierce.
As a restaurant, one of the ways to keep people coming is by ensuring your POS system is working regularly. This system helps you to process payments quickly, manage your employees, and keep track of your inventory.
Unfortunately, common IT mistakes can render your POS system ineffective. This could cost you dearly, so knowing how to protect your POS system is vital.
Want to know more about maintaining your POS system? Then you're in the right place! Read on to find out seven common IT mistakes that can damage your POS system.
1. Not Updating Your POS Systems
Like any other piece of technology, keeping your POS system updated is key to it working effectively. Outdated software will become slow and can become an easy target for common cyber threats.
An outdated system also won't let you use some of the latest POS features. For example, you may not be able to provide digital receipts or real-time reporting.
With POS systems, you should only have to replace your entire system and hardware every four to seven years. However, you should check regularly for any software updates that are available on your existing system.
2. Poor WiFi
The day-to-day use of your POS system relies on good connectivity in your restaurant. This lets your system process payments and record real-time data.
Having poor WiFi signal in your restaurant will limit how much your POS system can do and slow it down significantly. This can have a negative impact on your customer's experience.
On top of this, poorly protected WiFi networks are also a lot easier for hackers to access. So if you want to keep your customers' data safe, you should invest in a decent connection and security.
3. Not Backing Up Your System
All of the software you use in business will contain data and your POS system is no exception. In fact, it stores a lot of data. This means if anything happens to it, you will also lose all of that data.
Fortunately, you can protect this by backing up your system in multiple places. Ideally, you should have a physical back-up on a remote hard drive and a cloud-based back-up. This means you'll have multiple places to restore your system from if you need to.
You should also schedule regular back-up dates. This will mean you keep the newest data on your system backed up easily.
4. Ignoring Internal Security Threats
75 percent of cybersecurity incidents are inside jobs. Even if you have complete faith in your staff, it is important to have the correct security because inside jobs may be accidental.
If your POS system is saving customer data, you have a duty to your customers to keep this private. This is also important if you want to maintain a trustworthy reputation. Internal hacking and malware can put this data at risk but proper security can protect you again such threats.
It's also important that everyone that uses the POS system gets proper training on how to do this without causing serious issues. This helps you to eliminate potential mistakes. And if something does go wrong on purpose then you can find out who is responsible for this.
5. Poor Use of Outsourcing IT Services
Most restaurants, especially smaller businesses, don't have the capacity for an onboard IT team. This is why outsourcing is a common strategy.
This allows restaurants to free up their time safe in the knowledge that their IT systems are being managed by experts. This will also protect you from IT downtime if you experience a blackout. However, you should always plan your IT outsourcing strategy carefully.
IT outsourcing is a great way of getting help in managing your IT systems, but this doesn't mean you should ignore them completely.
Having a basic understanding of your system's features will help you to resolve issues quickly yourself. This will save you both time and money.
Speaking of which, understanding your system will also help you to decide which parts of your IT system to outsource for efficiency.
Features that need constant monitoring and regular updates are the best to outsource. This will save you time so you can focus on running the restaurant itself.
6. Not Investing in Hardware
Your POS system's hardware needs to stand the test of time if it's going to serve you properly. This is why it's important to invest in the best IT products for restaurants.
Having a working system is all well and good but if your hardware fails you, you won't be able to take customer's payments properly!
You should also ensure that you have the proper charging equipment and back-ups for your hardware.
For example, keeping multiple card readers charged throughout the day will mean you're always able to take payments.
It's also a good idea to have spare chargers and fuses to hand in case anything goes wrong.
7. Not Familiarizing Yourself With Software Features
Using IT is great but it can make us get lazy with how we use it.
POS systems are designed to help you run your restaurant as efficiently as possible. Because of this, they often have lots of features to help you out.
Taking the time to familiarize yourself with these before you start using a system will mean you make the most of its potential.
A lot of POS systems, for example, will also help you take care of:
- Promotional programing
- Data logins
- Application processing
- Stock inventory
- Employee management
- Rewards systems
Making the most of everything your system has to offer will ensure you get your money's worth.
Protect Your Restaurant By Avoiding These Common IT Mistakes!
Keep your customers happy and wanting to come back by avoiding these seven common IT mistakes. Don't let your POS system frustrate you anymore.
Keep up with it every day to ensure no mistakes are occurring.
For more information on IT problems within the restaurant industry, contact us today!