Small business owners often have to do more with less. Getting creative with limited resources should not be seen as a handicap, but as a challenge to rise up to meet. You may have already thought about this and think that no opportunity for cost-effective, time-saving improvements has escaped your eye. But have you thought about a POS handheld terminal?
Getting Started With a POS Handheld Terminal
The utilization of handheld terminals has proven to be quite successful in many restaurants already. Handheld devices are actually versatile enough to use in almost any small business imaginable, from boutiques and salons to food trucks and spas. Implementing a POS handheld terminal to your process flow can provide many important benefits and efficiencies.
Before you make your handheld POS device purchase, you must first consider if your current POS solution is up to the task of successfully integrating with these devices. Handheld POS devices should be considered mobile devices, and mobile devices have a non-negotiable requirement of using cloud-based POS software. Fortunately, even if the POS system that you currently have in place does not include cloud support, there are several options for you to select that will provide a seamless integration of POS software and devices.
POS handheld terminals can improve many aspects of your business, but two key benefits include mobility and the ability to build better customer experiences.
Handheld Terminals Give You Freedom of Movement
How do you think your business would operate if you and your staff were not chained to a static POS terminal? How would the quality of service you provide evolve if you made the switch to handheld, mobile devices? Changing to handheld terminals does more than just reduce your reliance on immobile hardware; they can positively impact how you engage with your customers.
The freedom and productivity-related benefits of POS handheld devices can serve almost any business type. Here are just a few examples of how handhelds serve different industries:
- Sales staff in a retail setting can use handhelds to scan items into inventory or conduct in-aisle checkouts for added convenience.
- Stylists in salons can easily tally a client’s bill (inclusive of product purchases) and accept payment without the need for the client to leave the chair.
- Spa staff can easily add upgrades during an in-process spa treatment, and clients can pay without sacrificing the relaxing ambiance of their experience.
- Cafes and coffee shops can dramatically decrease long lines and waits by having staff equipped with mobile POS terminals take orders and payment.
- Restaurants are probably the most saturated with handheld POS terminals of all businesses at the moment. Orders taken on these devices are sent directly to the kitchen display system (KDS), creating efficiencies in table turnover times and order accuracy.
Adding freedom of movement to your toolbox will give you an instant edge over much of your competition. Aside from the obvious convenience and speed it provides customers, employees will also appreciate the efficiencies and conveniences the devices can provide them. These will work together to improve both your customer and staff retention rates.
Building a Better Customer Experience One Tap at a Time
The flexibility and accuracy gains your business will absorb with handheld POS devices will not escape the notice of your customers. Handheld POS terminals give you multiple opportunities to enhance the level of customer service you provide. Building customer happiness is fundamental to obtaining long-lasting success, and these features will provide you with the means to do just that:
- Handheld terminals allow your staff to review an individual customer’s purchasing history. Using this data, your staff can craft a personalized experience for the customer.
- Restaurant servers will spend less time running to the bar and kitchen areas and more time servicing tables. This allows them to build deeper relationships with their customers and provide exceptional tableside service.
- Salons and spas can use handhelds for fast check-ins and check-outs, and can quickly access customers’ styling or experience preferences so they can better cater their services to the clients’ needs.
Leveraging handheld POS devices to build superior customer experiences creates long-term customer loyalty and value. The added layers of efficiencies and convenience help you build a winning formula that drives your company’s value through the roof while also keeping you versatile enough to remain successful regardless of changes in the business climate or your customers’ preferences.
How Can a POS Handheld Terminal Add New Dimensions to Your Business?
Discovering just how great of an impact handheld POS terminals can have on your business requires the guidance of an experienced expert. Leaning on the advice and support of a POS consultant will not only help you in choosing the best technology for your business, but can also introduce new ways of working that take full advantage of the new POS technology tools that are on the market. This winning combination helps you build your business with fewer needed resources.
Obtaining the expert guidance of a valued POS consultant is a critical element in building an effective handheld POS strategy. Our talech consultants are skilled in all facets concerning available POS handheld terminal options and will guide you towards the perfect fit for your business.
