Handheld POS Terminal, make your restaurant more efficient

For a number of years now, technology has made its way into everything that involves the provision of services in hospitality businesses. Whether it is restaurants, bars, cafés or even hotels, they have all assimilated the way in which digital technology has become an extremely important tool in all operations, both administrative and customer service.

One of the most relevant aspects of digitalisation's contribution to the hospitality world is the increase in efficiency when it comes to providing a service. Digital tools not only represent an advantage for the customer and the way they experience a hospitality establishment, but also prove to be an important improvement for employees and the way they do their job.

With elements such as POS software and handheld POS terminal, the work is significantly more optimal, both in terms of efficiency and in the proper management of resources and raw materials.

In this opportunity, I will delve into everything you need to know about handheld POS terminal, what they are, their use, advantages and much more.

What is a digital commander?

In short, handheld POS terminal are devices designed to optimise the flow of information corresponding to orders, also known as commands, in hospitality establishments, such as bars, restaurants and cafés. This information can flow to the point of sale for the customer to pay for the total amount consumed, or to the kitchen for the dishes and drinks to be prepared.

With a digital order taker, orders travel from the waiter to where they are needed immediately and without risk of delay or omission of details.

Advantages of having a commander in your business

Having seen the definition of a digital commander, it will probably be easy for you to find some advantages for yourself, advantages that are obvious from a consumer's point of view. But, as the manager or owner of a hospitality business, it is important that you also keep in mind what benefits you could bring to your business by acquiring a digital commander to be part of the working tools of your team of employees. I will talk about these benefits in a clear and specific way below.

Streamline order taking

The sale of a product in a hospitality business starts from the moment a customer arrives and is served by a waiter; this is the one in charge of taking his order and then processing it under the corresponding protocol to ensure that the customer gets what he wants.

A commander, in addition to improving the way in which order information flows, provides an interface through which it is possible to optimise the process of registering orders. By means of these devices, the relevant staff can record the food, beverages and services requested by the consumer in detail and with less risk of error.

Increases order efficiency

When orders are taken in the traditional way, with pen and paper, the way they arrive in the kitchen leaves a lot of room for error and delay. What happens is that once the waiter takes the order, he has to get the sheet of paper with the information himself to the kitchen, which is an opportunity for him to get distracted by taking other orders or any other situation and delay the arrival of the order in the kitchen.

With the use of a digital commander, this possibility of distraction delay is completely eliminated. Now the waiter not only does not have to go to the kitchen or bar to deliver each order, but also can take many more orders in a row without having to worry about the time in which the order will start to be processed; this will all depend on the organisation of the kitchen and bar team.

Increases productivity

Thanks to the reduction of time needed to serve each customer on average that a digital commander offers, it will be possible to enable more new customers per working day, which translates directly into a significant increase in productivity and therefore revenue for the company.

Voice commands

In case having a convenient, digital interface for taking customer orders doesn't reduce the time it takes to record orders enough, the voice command option probably will.

With this feature, your waiters will be able to record and transmit orders by simply saying the exact name of, for example, a dish as it appears on the menu, plus any specifications, such as extra ingredients or the omission of any.

This not only speeds up service in general, but also decreases the possibility of mistakes that create other problems for the business, such as worsening the customer experience, loss of materials and increased service time per customer.

No specialised training required

One of the fundamental elements in the provision of service within the hospitality business is the staff properly trained to provide the best possible experience for the customer, but always taking care of the interests of the company.

This training usually requires a significant investment of valuable resources, such as time and money. This is why handheld POS terminal are so beneficial to any hospitality business.

Handheld POS terminal have an interface that is extremely easy to use. The learning curve for using this fabulous tool can really be obtained through intuition. If the staff has worked with handheld POS terminal before, it should not be too difficult for them to adapt to this system that only seeks to imitate the classic style, but with some significant improvements, of course.

How does a digital commander work?

Handheld POS terminal give you the possibility to use them through common devices, such as smartphones and tablets; you just have to buy a commander app compatible with the Android or iOS operating system. This is just a great example of how versatile and practical a digitised command carrier can be, or you can also take a look at our website, as Bliscop is fully compatible with handheld POS terminal.

Thanks to the above, you can connect the commander via bluetooth or wifi to a network within the establishment so that you can maintain constant communication with the point of sale, the kitchen and the bar.

Digital commander devices

However, if you prefer, you can also purchase a digital commander that includes its own devices specially designed for use in hospitality businesses; so they are prepared for durability, resisting knocks, contact with water, and the demands of constant and high intensity use due to almost daily use and full working days.

The way in which a digital commander works for a waiter is as simple and straightforward as the explanation I will give you below.

Handheld POS terminal and waiters

Generally speaking, what the employee in charge of taking customers' orders has to do is to navigate through the user-friendly interface of the app or the digital commander software to check the menu options the customer is ordering, along with the details and special specifications. Afterwards, simply press the option to send the information to the kitchen or bar via the network connection with the business' POS system, so that the order is processed in these areas.

It should be noted that this same information can be sent directly to the point of sale so that it automatically generates the ticket or invoice that will be given to the customer at the time of payment. This is a possibility that is very beneficial for saving time in customer service.

How do handheld POS terminal influence kitchens?

While it is true that a digital commander is a tool created specifically to be used most of the time by waiters, while making much of their work much more efficient, this fabulous system or device proves to be a great addition to other areas that make up the service delivery of a hospitality business, such as: the kitchen.

Kitchen employees also benefit from the existence of handheld POS terminal, this is because thanks to them they do not have to wait for the waiters to arrive with a batch of orders to suddenly get organised and fulfil all of them; instead, they have the possibility of receiving orders in real time, which allows them to better manage the work dynamics in the kitchen, as well as the use of materials, to increase their efficiency and reduce both mishaps and waste of resources.

Another very useful aspect of handheld POS terminal, which relates to the interaction between the bar and the kitchen and the wait staff, concerns the notification that orders are ready. In many cases, the waiters have the option, via the POS connection, to inform the waiter directly that an order is ready and can go and pick it up and take it to the customer. This is clearly a great advantage that optimises communication between work teams, which in the end translates into a much more efficient and smooth overall operation.

The updated menu and handheld POS terminal

It often happens that waiters take orders without really knowing what the status of the products in stock is; this brings with it the possibility of accepting an order that later cannot be dispatched because it is no longer available at the moment, causing inconveniences that delay service time and negatively affect the customer's experience.

It is important that a customer, especially a new customer, has the best possible impression of the business's service and customer care, so that they have the desire to return to the establishment again and again.

What a digital commander does in this respect is that it keeps the waiter constantly informed about the availability of what is on the menu options in real time. This allows the waiter to know when a menu item is sold out, to avoid unnecessary mishaps by waiting for the kitchen or bar to inform him of availability after taking the order, and to offer alternate recommendations at the time he is serving the customer, which increases the likelihood of taking orders only once.

How does the use of a digital commander affect the image of your business?

In the eyes of consumers, a hospitality business that is able to invest in digital technology to replace traditional methods such as pen and paper tends to represent a thriving and therefore good quality business.

The image that a customer perceives of, for example, a restaurant that uses a digital commander, is one that is concerned with streamlining processes in the delivery of its services and is willing to invest in the technology to achieve this.

In addition, with the use of a digital commander, it completely avoids waiters forgetting orders, which would generate a very bad image in front of customers who have to be reminded of what they requested.

In conclusion, it can be said that acquiring a digital order taker for your hospitality business is the ideal option to improve the efficiency of the sales and service processes, which in turn brings as a consequence many advantages that are related to the customer's experience and their intentions to return on another occasion.