There are a lot of point-of-sale options out there for your coffee shop. Searching for the best one for your business can be frustrating and overwhelming. The good news is that you can narrow the field by making one consideration: you need a partner that understands your business, not just a generic software solution.
Many coffee point-of-sale systems currently on the market are simply generic solutions with a few coffee related “add ons”. While a sleek, cheap tablet POS may seem like a good idea, it can be frustrating when the functions that are available fall short of your expectations. You specialize in coffee, so it’s reasonable to expect your POS to do the same. Your solution does not have to be limited to an “add on”!
Here are the top 5 reasons why a coffee point-of-sale system should be designed specifically for coffee, and not a generic point-of-sale option with a few added coffee features:
1. Customizability
Your shop offers a unique menu and serves a unique community of customers. Your coffee POS should have the ability to be completely customized to your shop’s offerings. Maybe you sell sandwiches and salads alongside your baked goods, and maybe you have a different way of crafting beverages that a generic menu just doesn’t fully capture. Consider that your customers won’t order drinks in the same way. Does your prospective POS let you take an order the way “they say it” or does it limit you to selecting size and number of shots first? Having a customized interface allows you to do what you do best – serve customers – while making your baristas’ lives easier and helping you seamlessly manage your business.
2. The Coffee Community
Coffee drinkers and coffee shop owners alike are passionate about their beverages, so you should partner with a company that’s committed to giving back to the industry. Generic point-of-sale software solutions don’t have their thumb on the coffee community buzz, so don’t expect them to adapt with your needs as easily. Being engaged with the coffee community means you’ll always get the latest and greatest for your coffee shop so you don’t lose your competitive edge when the “big guys” down the street launch new and innovative tools.
3. Features that Make Every Bean Count
A generic POS means generic features. Your business deserves more than a glorified cash register! If you choose wisely, your technology can function like an entire time – helping you juggle employee scheduling, inventory management, marketing and even mobile ordering! Not only should you look for comprehensive features tailored to your day-to-day operations, but you should also require that they are integrated into one powerful system.
4. Competitive Advantage
Earlier this year, Starbucks launched mobile ordering technology to supplement their existing mobile payment and app solutions. The good news is that the right POS can help you take advantage of the same technology solutions with out the hefty price tag. A specialized coffee point-of-sale not only helps you run your business, but also compete with the big guys. Mobile Ordering? It’s not just for Starbucks as long as you have the right POS.
5. You’re Not Just an “Add On”
While the sexy, free point-of-sale system with the coffee “add on” features may seem like a good idea, in the long run you will run into challenges. You’re in the coffee business, not a generic sales business that happens to sell coffee. A specialized POS designed for coffee people, by coffee people ensures that you have all the tools you need to manage and grow your business for the long term.
Ready to get going with a coffee point-of-sale option that knows your business? Click the button to get started!
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