Why?  For one thing–and it’s no secret–time-crunched consumers are, increasingly, seeking ways to speed up the purchase of food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the same time, restaurateurs need to scale the financial challenges posed by competition and the after-effects of the recession, as well as to work harder to distinguish themselves from the pack. Online meal ordering solutions can help you address these and other critical issues.

In fact, online meal ordering solutions yield numerous benefits to restaurants of all kinds. For one thing, online ordering capability saves time, improves order accuracy, makes it easier for customers to find out about specials and promotions and, truth be told, gives patrons enhanced control over the entire ordering process. The end-result is increased customer satisfaction and increased sales, coupled with a reduction in “comp’d meals” due to errors or mistakes in orders. Other advantages include the ability to boost sales by leveraging the system to intelligently “up-sell” high-margin impulse menu items or other fare based items on individual customers’ previous orders, as well as cultivate diners’ loyalty by collecting their email addresses and subsequently sending them promotional information in line with specific criteria, like ordering frequency and location.

But that’s not all. Having an online ordering system also enhances security by processing debit and credit card transactions without human intervention, streamline orders by having them sent straight to the kitchen, reduce labor by processing more orders with less wait staff, and minimize or eliminate printing expenditures by showcasing your menu online instead of on paper. What’s more, it increases your potential to attract new customers who might not otherwise patronize your establishment.

Choosing pcAmerica’s Restaurant Pro Express restaurant point of sale solution, which now offers an online ordering component, is a clear path to capitalizing on the popularity of online commerce. For more information regarding online ordering, visit www.pcamerica.com.

That’s where training comes in. Reputable software vendors, such as pcAmerica, offer some form of training to their retailer and restaurateur customers, be it on-site, in a classroom, via the telephone or computer, or a combination thereof. Take advantage of this training, but go beyond it. Reassure staff members that you don’t expect them to master the new point of sale system in five minutes flat, even after they’ve undergone one or more modes of training. Offer them opportunities to practice after hours. Provide them with collateral material they can review in their spare time. You may even want to help them over the hump with incentives and little rewards—gift cards in small denominations, for example—for persevering and learning everything they need to know about your new IT setup.

Additionally, emphasize to the more reluctant converts that the features of a computerized point of sale system—for example, touchscreen commands or the bar code scanning function—actually eliminate guesswork and errors at the checkout counter. Moreover, point out that the faster staff members can move customers through the point of sale, the happier those customers will be—and the fewer complaints they themselves will have to field.

In the end, it’s a “win-win” situation for everyone. Don’t let them forget it.

To find out more about how a computerized point of sale system can help your business, contact pcAmerica.

In order for a customer loyalty program to be truly effective, it must be targeted to your best customers. Contrary to what you may assume, these shoppers aren’t necessarily the ones who frequent your store or restaurant most often.  For example, in many instances the most regular visitors to retail stores come primarily or almost entirely in search of “bargains”, seldom pay full price and often return their purchases.  These aren’t the “preferred” customers around whom loyalty programs should be geared. That honor goes to shoppers or diners who may come in less frequently, but spend more.  Rewards, too, must be geared toward these best customers. After identifying them by reviewing reports from your point of sale system, examine their buying habits and structure rewards accordingly. For added appeal, you may even want to customize rewards to jive with patrons’ preferences. For example, you might offer a customer who regularly purchases perfume from your store a “bounce-back” coupon redeemable for a discount on bath powder in the same fragrance. You’ll get better results by doing this than, say, making the coupon good for a discount on aftershave.

Just as importantly, ensure that your best customers—those to whom the loyalty program is targeted—can easily take advantage of it. Allow them the convenience of giving their telephone or cell phone number, rather than presenting a membership card, to avail themselves of such rewards as immediate discounts on selected items and “bounce-back” coupons, as well as to accrue points for their purchases on the spot. Remind customers of the “perks” that come with their rewards cards. Presenting them with a discount? Ask store associates or servers to describe the savings, even if that discount amount is indicated on a receipt. Notifying program members of points accrued as they pay for their purchases or settle the check? Instruct staff to mention how many additional points are needed to collect a reward. Quite possibly, a customer who’s close to the mark may decide to make another purchase or order extra food to collect that prize a bit earlier.

But that’s not all. Don’t just engage in a blitz to sign up loyalty program members, then sit back after the initial enrollment frenzy dies down. Continue to reward staff for attracting new participants. Hold occasional special events for members. Send mailings (email or traditional paper ones) to let members know when new merchandise has arrived or when you’re running special “members-only” sales and dining promotions.

If all of this seems like a lot of work, remember that it is far more costly to cultivate new customers than to retain old ones. To find out how best to structure a loyalty program for your store or restaurant—including ways to bring social networking into the mix—contact pcAmerica.

1. Your point of sale system comprises unsupportable software and hardware that costs more to maintain than to replace. Some retailers and restaurateurs make the mistake of assuming that it is in their best interest to keep a legacy system simply because that system is still running, fully depreciated, therefore, “free”. This isn’t really the case. Maintaining legacy hardware has its costs—real and hidden alike.
2. If your point of sale system “broke “tomorrow, you would be unable to replace it without major disruption.
3. Only one person within your operation understands the true workings of the system—and is the sole “go-to” staffer when problems arise.
4. The vendor is either out of business or has merged with another company. Even if this hasn’t happened, the vendor may not support your version of the software.
5. The original manufacturer no longer has components for your system, so you are forced to rely on hard-to-find third-party resources when parts are needed.

For more information on upgrading your point of sale system with Cash Register Express or Restaurant Pro Express and a range of hardware options, contact pcAmerica.

1.    Do we already have new computers and peripherals in place, or do we need those, too? If the former, ensure that the software you ultimately pick satisfies hardware and operating system requirements before committing to purchasing it. Most software requires a certain version of Windows, Unix or Linux, and not every program works with every type of printer, bar code scanner, cash drawer or credit/debit card reader.

2.    Does the software provider also carry hardware? Buying hardware and software from multiple vendors often leads to big headaches. For one thing, the more companies that are involved in the purchase of a point of sale system, the longer it will take to program it and to eliminate any glitches. For another, figuring out which vendor should handle a given problem isn’t always easy. That’s why pcAmerica offers, in addition to its Cash Register Express and Restaurant Pro Express software, a full array of hardware to complement operators’ retail or restaurant point of sale systems.

3.    Is the software feature-rich? For example, does it offer a touchscreen command for ringing up items that do not have bar codes? Does it automatically calculate sale and specialty pricing? Does it integrate easily with other programs, such as a loyalty or gift card component or accounting software, and can gift/loyalty card holders check their balances online? How’s the setup interface—i.e., how easy is it to change prices, items, employees, etc? Can changes be made in advance; for example, can you create a Thanksgiving menu in September and set it to automatically take effect in the system on Thanksgiving Day?

4.    Is the software customizable? Is it scaleable to suit multiple retail sectors? Retailers’ needs vary by vertical. An apparel store and an auto parts retailer, for instance, require very different inventory-tracking features, and many merchants now operate e-commerce sites with an entirely new set of “must-haves”.

5.    What about the “extras”? Some companies include training, support, updates/maintenance and the like in their fees. Others do not. It’s best to be prepared ahead of the game.

pcAmerica stands ready to help you investigate these and other important issues, and to make the point of sale software choice that’s right for you.

Information amassed by a highly functional point of sale solution, such as pcAmerica’s Cash Register Express or Restaurant Pro Express, is truly some of the most potent marketing data you can possess, and it’s literally at your fingertips. For example, this data can be used to put together a list of every customer who has ever purchased something from your store or dined at your operation, along with what they purchased or ordered and how much they paid for it. Based on such information you can, when you add new inventory or introduce a new menu item, create targeted mailing lists (email or “snail mail”) of customers who almost certainly would want to hear the news. This is much better—and far less costly from a marketing standpoint—than generating a mass mailing to every shopper or diner that has patronized your establishment.

Point of sale information gathered by a good point of sale solution can also be used to identify and send custom-tailored messages to specific patrons when you are running a sale or promotion on items they have previously bought or consumed under your roof, based on the premise that they’ll likely be interested in similar or identical products or dishes. You can share such information as customers’ brand, color, size and style preferences with their spouses and friends to make the gift-buying process easier and increase the likelihood not only of making a sale, but of cultivating repeat business. You can send personalized greetings on birthdays and anniversaries. Should a customer want to return a gift or has lost a receipt, you can quickly verify the date and price of the purchase. All of these factors greatly increase customer satisfaction and promote customer loyalty.

As if that weren’t enough, you can utilize historical point of sale information to set minimum and maximum “stock-on-hand” levels. This will prevent overstocks and, in turn, minimize the need to ever tell a customer that you are “out” of a product or menu item.  As sales trends and/or vendor/supplier lead times change, the data can be employed as a logical basis for adjusting these minimum and maximum levels. You can then keep just enough inventory or ingredients on hand to meet your requirements, reducing your own costs.

For more information on leveraging point of sale data, contact pcAmerica.

To learn more about this award winning installation visit: www.pcamerica.com/tasti-d.html

4.    Perform due diligence. Find out what your local Better Business Bureau has to say about the VAR. Tapping local trade and business groups for information is also a good idea; serious problems with a local VARs’ business practices, if any, frequently come to light in this manner.

5.    Consider partners’ recommendations. Hardware and software vendors, as well as ISVs, work closely with VARs and can provide the names of companies they have “vetted.”

6.    Remember, haste makes waste. Don’t be so eager to find a VAR partner that you overlook or discount negative information rather than thinking twice about whether the company is the right fit for your retail store or restaurant. It’s better to be without technology for a short time, than to be stuck in a relationship with the wrong VAR.

To learn more about how pcAmerica can help your business, please visit pcAmerica.

That’s why we at pcAmerica urge you to carefully evaluate any VAR before formally engaging that firm. Consider these tips:

1.    Establish and list your objectives, as well as your “vision” for how your point of sale or other store/restaurant system will work once it has been installed. Without a set list of goals, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether a VAR’s background, capabilities and/or menu of technology suits your needs. For example, say one of your objectives entails integrating your point of sale software with a loyalty application, as is possible with pcAmerica’s Cash Register Express and Restaurant Pro Express. You require a VAR with that integration skillset.

2.    Be a ruthless reference checker. It goes without saying that VARs without a proven track record of customer satisfaction should be avoided at all costs. However, “investigations” must go beyond this point. When checking references, don’t just ask contacts whether they liked the VAR in question and if it provided “good” customer service. Instead, delve deeply into issues that are indicative of a company’s “true colors” and whether it really offers value or just wants to sell you something. For example, how quickly does the VAR respond to telephone calls from the reference about problems with its point of sale system? How does it handle downtime issues? What type of training did it provide? Did its sales representatives try to “push” technology on the reference regardless of its needs, emphasizing bells and whistles? Or, did it take individual customer requirements into consideration and demonstrate how different solutions solve specific business problems? How skilled are the company’s technical personnel? You get the idea.

3.    Assess scope and longevity of business. The longer a VAR has been in business, the better. As for staff size and coverage region, these are good indicators of whether (and how well) a VAR can service your location. For example, a VAR with an office of five people in a suburb of Chicago will probably not be able to service a store in downtown Los Angeles as well as a VAR with 50 people across multiple offices in California. The smaller suburban Chicago VAR might execute a given project just as adeptly as a branch of the California firm, but local availability is generally the better option.

Contact pcAmerica to find out how they can help your retail store or restaurant.

1.    Online data backup solution. Most people who back up their data do so to a location near their computer. If something happens to that computer—for example, it’s destroyed in a fire—chances are that the device that’s holding the backup data will be destroyed, too.  Even if you do transport a USB drive containing your data to another location, something may happen to it. This is why adding another layer of precaution with an online data backup solution that augments traditional backup methods is a good idea.

2.    Computer “doctor” program. Such a program lets you diagnose your computer for hardware problems—for example, bad memory or RAM, bad system board, USB ports not working, hard drive going bad, and the like. This way, minor problems can be addressed easily.

3.    RAM assessment program. This program, which comes free with all versions of Microsoft Windows, tells you if you have enough RAM or memory in your computer to run it properly.

4.    Remote log-in program. Once this type of program is installed, you can access your store, restaurant, or home computer from the software provider’s Web site by entering your user name and password. This type of software can be provided by pcAmerica. After taking this step, you can operate your computer from a remote site as if you were actually pushing the keys on it. For example, suppose your computer is in the back office of your store and you want to access a spreadsheet while at a trade show in another city. To view the spreadsheet, you would go to the vendor’s Web site, enter your user ID and password, and use your computer as if you were sitting in front of it at the store.

5.    Task management software that lets you see which programs are running on your computer and may be slowing it down. Many programs are unnecessary and can be deleted. Programs like What’s Running 3.0, the advanced version of the Task Manager program that comes with Microsoft Windows, allows you to identify which programs are running and disable or delete those you do not need.

To find out more about software offerings that can improve your point-of-sale system, contact pcAmerica.