If you’re still relying on that old-fashioned cash registers and hand-written notes of yours, well now would be the best time to let go of them! Today is a different world, new technologies have been developed to help boost restaurant Point of Sale system. So say goodbye to your tiring, time-consuming manual business system and say hello to the new POS systems that will surely boost your profit and make your customers happier than before.

As any retail business owner would do, ensuring the safety of your profit is a tough task. You can easily loose money from simple customer’s change mistakes and from an abusive staff of yours that keeps helping themselves to a few extra bucks or by giving away free meals!

If you’ve already experienced these, then don’t let it happen again! Now would be the best time to consider having a point of sale (POS) system. With the features a POS can offer your business, you can prevent these issues from happening and may even be able to completely eliminate them:

• Long lines which prevent you from working with as many customers as possible
• Frequent customer complaints
• Limited sales staff resources
• Overstocking of poor performing items
• Shrinkage (lost or stolen inventory that eats into your profit margins)
• Spending too much time going over the books
• Financial inaccuracies (overbilling, underbilling, thin profit margins)
• Poor data organization

For as long as money is involved, a quality POS system can improve your business’ efficiencies as well as take good care of your customers. So buying cheap, poor quality POS systems can lead to the downfall of your business. You’ll risk loosing more money because of its poor features.

A good and reliable POS vendor can tailor the appropriate POS solution for your needs, which can improve your business’ performance and serve your customers even better. So requesting for a free POS system quote would be a great idea, because expert POS vendors can provide the exact needs of your business, complete with the features that will make your business boost its sales, without having to spend an extra thousand bucks.

Questions to consider

When you request for a free POS system quote, below are some of the pointers you might want to consider asking to a POS vendor. The main key to this service is that when you submit your details, it will be matched to the most qualified POS vendors that serves your area. And only they will be able to acquire your details which in return prepare the proper POS solution that fits your business needs and give you their offers. Here are some of the questions you might consider asking:

• Is the software user-friendly? Will I be able to make changes on my own?
• Is POS software compatible with my current business management applications?
• Can I have a try out of the POS system before purchasing it?
• Do I need extra POS terminals? About POS cash registers?
• Can I use my POS system for different marketing methods like a gift card system?
• How reliable are the reporting features?
• Will I be able to point out where my profit losses are coming from?
• Can I get set up quick?
• How much training will I need for my staff?
• What level of customer support should I look forward to?
• Is lender available if equipment repairs can’t be made on-site?
• Are there all-in-one solutions available or do I have to buy everything ala carte?

More information and an online resource

Go to POS-For-Restaurants.com

The author of this article is the Customer Relations Vice-President for POS-For-estaurants.com with its 20 years and more of restaurant POS experience serving all types of restaurants in the U.S. with their automation needs

Can Credit Cards Go Obsolete With This New Payment Method?

At Contactless, a leading provider of advanced, open-standard contactless chip technologies, and First Data, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing services, announced that they have signed a three-year agreement in developing contactless payment stickers, which First Data will market as GO-Tag products. On their agreement, INSIDE is to supply the MicroPass payment sticker prelams entirely to First Data-qualified card manufacturers for production.

The agreement helps leverage the core technology from INSIDE Contactless and the issuing and transaction processing power of First Data. First Data will be marketing and distributing GO-Tag products to financial institutions, major U.S. merchants, and other distribution channels in a variety of form factors.

General manager of Mobile Commerce and Point of Sale Solutions for First Data, Barry McCarthy, said that “First Data’s GO-Tag Solution represents an important step in the evolution from today’s plastic cards and fobs, offering a bridge to the future of mobile payments”. And that their partnership with INSIDE Contactless gives them the ability to offer consumers the opportunity to turn just about any personal item, from a mobile phone to an employee ID badge, into a useful payment device.

According to Charles Walton, executive vice president of payments for INSIDE Contactless, the agreement highlights the versatility of the MicroPass platform to support a variety of contactless payment applications and form factors, also stickers.

You might also want to consider updating your restaurant POS system to Contactless credit card acceptance in the near future, because their technology is becoming more and more common in the marketplace. Customer service is all about speed and the faster we can process transactions at the restaurant point of sale terminal the better our customer experience will reflect on the value of our services.

The author of this article writes for POS-For-Restaurants.com, a VP of Customer Relations with over 20 years experience in restaurant point of sale system, helping restaurant owners nationwide increase their efficiency and bottom-line profits.

You may visit POS-For-Restaurants.com for more information on how our national network of restaurant point of sale experts can help your business achieve greater success in these difficult economic times.

Credit card industry focuses on restaurant security measures

The credit card industry has been coming down hard on thousands of restaurants that have not fully protected their customers’ credit card information from potential theft, with Visa, MasterCard and financial institutions that process electronic payment over recent months sending warnings letters and holding seminars. Moves like this aims at forcing restaurants to take additional steps to protect credit card information.

According to companies that process card transactions, tens of thousands of eateries are not complying with credit card industry security rules.  So all companies that takes plastic are required to follow a set of security regulations instituted by Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.

In the data recorded by Visa indicates that since January of 2005, around 40% of the incident wherein criminals gain unauthorized access to credit card info is made up of restaurants — accounting for the largest percentage of incidents for a merchant category.

Separately, there are reports from a Chicago-based data security auditor, AmbironTrustWave, for merchants that with the 62% security violations it witnessed during the prior 18 months are with the restaurant industry.

The violations involved various security lapses such as poor guarding of wireless networks — which enable thieves to access information from the parking lot using a laptop — and lax systems that make it possible for unethical employees to grab credit card information.

Mostly, consumers are unaware when their credit card data is in danger. Not all security breaches produced successful fraud, and most merchants do not recognize these these incidents unless there’s a significant probability that a major fraud has already been identified or about to take place. Furthermore, companies that issues credit cards usually don’t close a customer’s account unless fraud has taken place.

Restaurateurs may have a hard time with credit card security rules, since its regulations can be very hard for small merchants. The National Restaurant Association trade group says that it hears from restaurant owners who thought they complied with rules, but found out their systems were not functioning properly and were penalized.

A fine amounting to more than 0,000 in some cases were given to restaurants that were caught violating credit card industry rules by storing credit card data. Merchants across all categories .6 million for security violations were fined by Visa in 2006, an increase from the .4 million in fines the previous year.

Visa, believes a merchant group needs additional attention, held special security briefings with several hundred restaurants.

At the same time, the companies that process credit cards have also turned the heat on restaurants. These companies have threatened to end services to those that do not follow security regulations.

Most restaurants uses special software with features such as as tabulating bills, delivering orders to the kitchen and tracking reservations, credit card companies are worried because they cannot require software developers to abide by their security rules, so they put on the pressure to restaurants. Visa maintains a list on its Web site of software programs that meet its requirements.

But software developers that even with the best software, restaurants could be in heaps of trouble if they disregard password protection or firewalls. For software companies, they say that it’s not their part to let restaurateurs know what they must do to be in compliance with the security rules of the credit card industry.

The author of this article is the VP of Customer Relations at POS-For-Restaurants.com with over 20 years experience helping restaurants nationwide increase their efficiency and bottom-line profits using restaurant POS systems.

To learn on how our national POS network of restaurant point of sale experts can help your business achieve greater success in these difficult economic times, visit POS-For-Restaurants.com.

Taking Charge Of Everything

Today’s economy, every cent counts and adding them to your bottom line is possible despite the economic crisis. The following steps will increase your profits, by boosting your sales, reducing debit card fees and expenses, and most of all block theft.

For businesses in the food service industry, running a restaurant point of sale system, this can greatly help you!

Checks

Checks may not may not seem appealing to younger customers, but their still widely used by older customers. So if you’re still not accepting checks, starting soon would be a good idea. There’s equipment that will scan the check as quickly as a credit card, measure them against a nationwide database of bad check writers, electronically deposit the money, and can guarantee that you’ll receive the funds within a couple of days. In addition, it costs lower than for credit cards and can add 10% to 15% to your sales—possibly more if seniors make up the majority of your customers.

Credit Cards

If you do accept credit cards, you’re probably accepting Visa and MasterCard already. How about cards like Discover and American Express? Particularly, the latter accompanies larger transactions in general. You might have hesitated because of the high fees, but do reconsider—the difference might be a paltry one percent or so, and since American Express transactions are often larger than those of other cards, you’ll make it up in gross profit. Furthermore, it helps keep your customers coming back because they know that your business is accepting all forms of credit cards.

Researching

Most merchants think their fees are 1.69 percent plus an additional $.19 because that’s their qualified rate on a pricing program tier. Though fewer than 20 of 100 transactions receives low qualified rate and all the rest downgrade and cost one, two, or even three percent. By researching for alternate programs that offer different interchange rates that may end up saving more than what you’ve expected.

Understanding Statements

Neither you nor your bookkeeper would have to scratch the back of your heads over a complex credit card statement that just doesn’t add up. A few companies have made extraordinary efforts to simplify these reports. You should be able to come into terms with your statement and rates without exceeding 15 minutes.

Online Reports

You’ll never have to wait for the post office to deliver a letter disputing a charge. Using the help of internet reporting, you’ll exactly know what’s up within 24 hours, which gives you the ability to aggressively defend against chargebacks. With a quick response, it can increase your success rates and reduce your losses.

So there will be no more scratching of the head for you and your bookkeeper over complex credit card statements.

Use the Card Validation Value and Address Verification System. They are highly effective fraud screens proven to reduce losses, and by using them the right way, you can obtain the lowest possible discount rate.

One more thing, avoid by being PCI compliant. Hackers can cause merchants mammoth of fines, and they can drive you out of business. It’s always a good time, you need to be alert in order to protect your business.

How To Lessen Chargebacks

For Internet and phone orders, implementing the “Verified by Visa” or “MasterCard Secure Code” plug-in on your web site eliminates all cardholder nonauthorization chargebacks. The state of being legally obliged and responsible for these chargebacks is shifted away from you to the issuing card bank, and you qualify for the lowest discount rate available. Just by following this simple step, you could possibly eliminate up to 80% of all chargebacks and increase your profits.

The author of this article is the VP of Customer Relations at POS-For-Restaurants.com with over 20 years experience helping restaurants nationwide increase their efficiency and bottom-line profits with restaurant point of sale systems.

You may visit POS-For-Restaurants.com for further understanding of how our national network of restaurant point of sale professionals can help your business achieve greater success in these difficult economic times.

What Are The Advantages I Can Get From My POS System?

Some of you might think “Do I really need to buy a POS system?”. You may not mind relying on your cash register and sales ledger for your transactions because it’s affordable and reliable. But is it really the most efficient way to run your business?

While it is true that POS system requires expenses, it is very important to take into consideration the vast benefits it can offer to your business. Regardless of what industry you are in, your main target is to gain more sales and generate more revenue. POS can be your first step when achieving your goals – and a whole lot more. Below are some of what POS systems can do for your particular business:

Allows you to concentrate more on your business - POS systems allow companies to concentrate on growing the business. When you’re not worrying about how your transactions are processed, you can spend your time working on new techniques, promotions, and other initiatives to take your company to the next level.

Functionality - POS systems are more than just sophisticated cash registers. They can also hold reservations, order special items in advance, get in touch with other locations, and provide guest beeper systems to maintain the flow of your business.

Work Efficiently With Your Operations - With a POS system, there’s little room for error. Every information is entered and recorded accurately so the lines of communication are always clearly outlined. It can speed up the ordering process with improved accuracy which in return improves your productivity and customer service level.

Inventory Management - This is particularly important in food service industries where you need enough supplies to serve all of your customers but don’t want them to go to waste if they’re not sold. With a POS, you can always know when certain stocks are running low and which are your best sellers so you can plan ahead.

Lessen Shrinkage – With a POS system, you can keep your staffers honest all the time. With paper receipts and an old-fashioned cash register, it’ll be hard to handle temptations like pocketing a few bucks or giving out free meals and special discounts to friends. POS curbs these activities tremendously, providing an accurate account of where your merchandise (and money) are going.

Decreases The Chance For Errors – If you’re in the food service industry, you no longer need to decipher chicken scratch from busy wait staff! POS allows you to key in orders, including specifics, to decrease the chances that it will come out wrong. You keep customers happy and save money by not having to re-cook orders and waste food.

Track Costs - If you don’t have prices clearly entered in a database, you might as well let customers shop with their own pricing gun. You can use price stickers and label each item, but this doesn’t prevent witty thieves from swapping their price stickers. Using a POS, each item is bar coded and tracker so you can always know and input an item’s right price. And if there are changes needed, you can do all the changes at once using your POS termial!

Increasing Customers That Patronize Your Restaurant - Get more customers coming in by quickly and accurately serving customers waiting in line. When customers don’t have to wait for wait staff to calculate checks, collect payment, and clear tables, you can serve more customers and generate more money.

Getting Accurate Reports - With POS, you can do more than what you could with multiple ledgers and spreadsheets. You can record, track, sort, and organize data in any format and make revisions whenever necessary. The value of reporting is such a key component to a POS system. With it, you can track what is sold, see what needs to be restocked and reordered, and help you plan for the next few months of business and beyond. You can use it as a reminder tool when you’re running low on supplies.

Track Customer Data - You can also build customer loyalty with the help of POS. Consider this, every customer that enters through your door will be entered into your POS system when they order something. Make tabs on what they order and how often they visit your store. Then using this information, you can target for sales and advertising campaigns. This inforamtion is also helpful to limit the poor selling merchandise you keep in stock and earmark funds for more popular items.

There are critical things to consider for your POS system purchase in any industry. Just be sure to meet with at least 3-4 qualified vendors before making a decision. In any case, request for a free POS system quote, where vendors will be able to provide your needs once you supply them information of your POS needs. Provide them with the details of the information you wish to track and the features that are vital to you. Always be aware when the software appears to MAKE you do things differently. This is often the recommended set of procedures that allow the software to improve your business efficiency. With the proper POS solution at hand, makes your business more efficient, more profitable, more enjoyable, and keep your customers coming back!

For more information or an online resource:

Check out POS-For-Restaurants.com

The author of this article is the Vice-President of Customer Relations at POS-For-Restaurants with over 20 years of experience serving restaurants of all types throughout the U.S.

How Many Restaurant POS Stations Should I Buy?

• Considering peak customer volume
  If you want to sufficiently handle large quantity of customers, you must plan the number of POS stations based on peak business.
• The number of staff taking orders
  In a table service environment we suggest 1 station per 3-5 servers. You may want to have additional stations for handling high volume areas such as the bar and cashie stations. Switching from a cash register to a POS system, many people unintentionally forget that their POS system is not only used to conduct sale transactions but can be used for order entry as well.
• Managing restaurant layout wisely
  If you have a bar you can bet the bartender will need his or her own station. Other stations should be located where servers can easily get at them.
• Having proper location where your customers pay for their meals
  If you plan to have customers pay at the front you should have one or two dedicated cashier stations to fast track transactions. If the servers are going to carry their own banks, we suggest fewer servers per station.

What type of POS computer would be best for my restaurant?

• Desktop PC: standard desktop computers.
  • Least expensive computer option
  • 3 Year Onsite Warranty Standard for this component
  • Takes more space but can be hidden away underneath a counter
  • Flexible for addition of extra ports
  • Latest CPU speeds and memory
  • Screen and computer are separate; if ever technical difficulties accur, it’ll be isolated.
• Small form factor: smaller than desktops.
  • More stylish than the desktop
  • 3 Year Onsite Warranty Standard for this component
  • Saves more space
  • Fewer options for expandability
  • Latest CPU speeds and memory
  • Screen and computer are separate; so you can easily isolate which ones has technical problems.
• All-in-ones: combining touchscreen and computer.
  • Stylish, space-saving terminal with fewer wires required
  • Manufacturers warranty: 1-2 years (Not onsite)
  • Comes standard with sufficient ports for almost any operation
  • CPU speed is generally slower than the other two options but sufficient for the Point of Sale needs.
  • Screen and Computer are one unit

How many cash drawers?

• You can easily notice how many cash drawers your restaurant will need, unless your servers carry their own cash banks you should have a cash drawer at every station for ending transactions.

Integrated debit cards?

• You can easily process and track record of every credit card transactions using your POS system in one location..
• With the advance of high speed internet transactions processing time can reduced to 3-4 seconds per transaction.
• A standalone terminal can be used in place if you do not have high speed internet connection.

How many printers must I have?

• Having one kitchen printer will probably be sufficient for most restaurants; however, if you have different sections in your kitchen handling different dishes you may want a printer for each section.
• Think about this, appetizers can be printed on one printer and have all your main dish printed on another.
• When choosing for printers to use for your kitchen and bar, use impact (dot-matrix) printers instead of thermal printers. Why? Because tickets that are printed on thermal printers becomes unreadable when exposed to heat, and the loud printing of impact printers can alert your cooks and bartenders that an order is coming through.

How many receipt printers?

• It’s a good idea for every station to have a receipt printer.

Does having a back office computer helps in restaurant management?

• A back office computer helps managers to run reports and access POS systems to change, remove or add important data without disturbing servers.
• It is not necessary to have a back office computer unless you have 4 or more stations. It is however a good idea that you host your database on a back office computer when you have 4 or more stations so none of them has extra load of running the database.

More information is available at POS-For-Restaurants.com

The author of this article is the Vice-President of Customer Relations at POS-For-Restaurants with over 20 years of experience serving restaurants of all types and sizes throughout the U.S.

Start out the year right for your restaurant POS system. Let’s discuss some of the most common and critical mistakes that restaurant owners make in regard to some very basic configuration aspects of the computer system. Mistakes can badly damage a restaurant or any other retail business, not to mention the huge amount of time and money. Even worse than that… it can frustrate your customers and staff.

Whether you’re the one who’s going to do the configuration or hiring somebody else to do it for you] — it’s important for you to make sure everything is done accordingly.

Please don’t let me be guilty of giving you the wrong message. I do not always recommend configuring your own computer system! I recommend letting a professional do it for you. But I know some of you will do it yourself no matter what I say. So this is for those of you that insist on doing your own computer installations and for everyone else to double check and make sure everything was done properly. This can help avoid major problems, be aware on the proper installations and save hours of precious time.

So here are some simple retail POS system configuration checklist for a Windows network you could use as a guide:

1) Using a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
One of the main causes of your electronic component failure is due to fluctuations in electricity (up and down). Having a proper UPS can solve this problem by providing clean power. I would recommedn getting a good UPS for your server. And it’s a good idea to use them on each of your worstations too.

2) Making Sure To Plug All Cables Into the UPS
Make sure all cables that power your computer and network are plugged into your UPS. It’s also important to make sure cables that can carry electrical charges are plugged into a surge protector or UPS. For example, the phone line for your modem can heat up and fry your computer if you do not plug it into a surge protector. So make sure your modem line, network cables, and power cords are all plugged in properly.

3) Passwords and Security
At the very least, I suggest locking down your server with a strong password on all Windows accounts so your employees and hackers have more difficulty messing with your server.

4) Intalling and Configuring Security Tools Like An Antivirus Software and AntiSpyware Software
It’s also very important to configure that software to update automatically every day, so you don’t forget.

5) Limit Your Employees’ Internet Access
Employees will surft on anything they can on the internet. Anti-virus and anti-spyware software does help but if an employee inadvertently downloads the wrong program or accepts the wrong message, it can cause some serious problems to your system. You can avoid this by disabling internet browsing on your computers. Or another option is to protect internet access with a password.

For restaurant owners, this is very important! In order to protect secured files from the hands of the dirty minds, limiting employee internet access is a must. A retail business owner has to enforce rules to protect his business as well as his profit. Otherwise, what good will a restaurant POS system do if it’s run by a misbahaved or ignorant personnel.

6) Configuring Your Back Up To Run Regularly
In many situations, it’s still best to configure your back up to run automatically after work hours. Don’t forget you still need to remember to change your back up device (like tapes) every day.

7) The Importance of Testing Your Back Up Regularly
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve chatted with people that have hard drive failure and think they have a good back up plan to restore. But when they try to restore they find it hasn’t been working. That’s why you need to do a “real” test restore once a month to make sure it’s working. By the way, you should restore to an alternate file location so your existing software won’t get messed up.

So please, start checking your computer systems now and do the neccessary updates, configurations and back ups.

With over 20 years of restaruant experience, the author and Vice President of Customer Relations at POS-for-Restaurants.com, helps you use your technology to be more efficient and more profitable.

Restaurant POS Software and Hardware

To be able to run your business to success you have to learn the basics: right location, good food and good service. But today, there’s another consideration to add: the restaurant software you use to run your POS system.

Even though physical components like the monitors and computers are the most visible, the software is the core of your POS system. Doing a careful evaluation of restaurant POS software is key to getting a system that will greatly satisfy both your staff and customers.

Looking for the right restaurant software
Before anything else, it’s important to know what exactly you need the software to do. Your restaurant POS software can handle checks by diner or table, track orders per server, able to move diners at the bar to a table, manage waiting lists and reservations, and many more.

After you’ve found that restaurant software that can meet your needs, test it and see for your self how to use it. While there will always be a learning curve for your staff when you purchase a new POS system, choosing restaurant software that’s easy to use can reduce the learning curve to manageable levels.

You may learn more about ease of use by having one or two of your servers involved in the evaluation. They’ll be able to try out the kinds of inputs and changes to the system that can cause problems with some software.

• Security – create login accounts for each employee. You should be able to limit access to some reports as well as the functions (such as comping meals) to managers, as long as you desire.
• Flexibility – waiters should be able to control checks to match your patrons’ whims: easily splitting checks and tracking special orders, for example.
• Reporting – this is one of the best features of POS software it can create detailed report which is a great advantage for business owners. So you better make sure to choose the right software that gets the neccessary detailed information on your business transactions either by per server or over all sales from day-to-day or annually.
• Multiple location support – if applicable, make sure that your POS system is able to track and record on multiple locations, including local differences in staffing and pricing.

Don’t neglect hardware
Of course you’ll need to invest in restaurant POS hardware as well: computers to run the restaurant software on, touch-screen displays for servers to enter order, and printers to produce order slips for the kitchen. Along with POS software is hardware – The only big deicision with it comes to using hardware is the number of hardware you will need.

Think you need more learning when it comes to searching for the right POS dealer? Find more information at POS-For-Restaurants.com and receive free unbiased quotes from the experts in point of sale systems serving your area.

The author of this article is the Customer Relations Vice-President at POS-For-Restaurants with over 20 years of POS experience meeting the automation needs of many restaurant owners all over U.S.

They’re irritating and time consuming! And they are also becoming more dangerous to everybody’s privacy.Think twice when you’re about to open e-mails from unknown senders, especially if you’re using a computer from the office where all your important files are instored. Millions of computer users and restaurant owners are getting tricked by spam e-mails each month, forcing them to pay hefty fees for cleaning and restoring their computer POS systems back to normal.

These are the 3 dangers that any PC user should keep away from:

1. An increase in hijacked and spoofed e-mail addresses. Spammers are now using a new tool used to make make it appear appear as though their spam e-mail is coming from YOUR computer. This can cause your connection to the internet be terminated or put on hold by your service provider – without you even knowing it. A good spam blocking software blocks inbound spam as well as unauthorized outbound spam from your serves. That’s why it would be a better idea to install one for your own protection.

2. Spam e-mails with viruses attached to them. Accidentally opening a spam e-mail with nasty viruses attached to it can cause your computer a lot of problems. You can end up with a crashed system, identity theft problem, lost data and much more. You think that your computer has just slow down, but it could also mean that your personal data is being collected without your consent and sent to a third party, either to sell, trade or use it to comit crime.

3. Phishing spam. A phishing e-mail may appear to be a legitimate e-mail from websites you know, trust and use their service – commonly from banks. The purpose of this is to trick you into giving personal information such as bank accounts, social security numbers, passwords, and credit card information. You’ve probably already received you’ve verified your information|e-mails from banks you don’t use, or even from Paypal, that notifies you to verify your account in order to continue using their service|e-mails from banks you don’t use, or even from Paypal, that notifies you to verify your account or else they will close it]. It will then direct you to a very convincing web site where you input certain information the spammer is trying to acquire illegally. In reality, this is a malicious third party that is going to use your information to open credit card accounts, access your account, steal money, and cause you other major identity and financial problems.

Here are some few simple tips you can do to prevent this:

Above all, you must have a reliable spam blocking software installed.

Many retail business owner over look into this, so their restaruant POS system is the one who suffers the most.

Next, you want to make sure you don’t get included on a spammers list in the first place. Once you’re on a spammer’s list, it will remain there forever and possibly get sent to more spammers; and changing your e-mail address is a major inconvenience especially if you’re using it to stay in touch with your business contacts.

The following are some of the tips that can help you protect your e-mail from ending up on a spammer’s list:

1. Using a disposable e-mail account.

Using a free e-mail address like with Gmail or Yahoo to reduce the chance of ending up on a spammer’s list. You can always use free e-mail addresses when you’re shopping online or even when subscribing to avoid getting your e-mail on their broadcast list.

2. Never forget to double-check those tick boxes that are automatically filled in.

Make sure you don’t check on the box that says “Yes! I would like to receive third party offers.” when shopping online. There’s a big chance your e-mail address will not only be sent to other online advertisers but to spammers as well.

3. Refrain from posting your primary e-mail address on your web site, web forums, or newsgroups.

Spammers have special programs that can automatically collect e-mail addresses from web sites without your knowledge. If you really want to post an e-mail address on your home page, I suggest you use “info@” and have all replies will be forwarder to a folder in your in-box that won’t interfere with your main address.

4. Don’t open, reply to or try to opt-out of obvious spam e-mails.

Opening, replying to, or even clicking a bogus opt-out link in an obvious spam e-mail signals that your e-mail address is active, and more spam will follow.

The only time it is safe to click on the opt-out link or reply to the e-mail is when it is sent by a company you know or do business with (for example, a company that you purchase from or a newsletter you subscribed to).

For more information or to have a local POS professional serving the restaurant industry and your location see more information at POS-For-Restaurants.com.

Tips for selecting the right Restaurant POS Software

There’s an increasing number of restaurant and hospitality sector that are opting to use business management software in order to run their businesses more efficiently.

It is very important for restaurants to select the the restaurant POS software suite that is flexible and can grow with their business.

While not all business owners are comfortable with restaurant pos technology it can be a huge value and vital to any hotel or restaurant wanting to trade immediately after installation, thus bringing in customers immediately. Always remember that a good POS software can and will save you money, time for training your staff, complete control on stocks, payroll and even on wages.

As for the hospitality market sector, it is very competative and streamlining your business operations can mean the difference between failure or success. So, in this world, if you don’t keep pace with your competitors you’ll loose your customers through smoothly run establishments that manages its operationg very well with the help of POS software.

Even restaurants aren’t exempted from this, that’s why having a good hospitality software suite is very important for any restaurant’s success.

While there may be times when external factors can make a difference to your success, using the right hospitality software can significantly increase your chances of success and give you the edge over your competitors.

If you are still searching for a software suite which is right for your business, you have to find a restaurant POS software that is robust, upgradble, easy to use and worth the money you pay for.

You also have to make sure that the hospitality software you purchase is adaptable to your needs. If the software is is rigid and allows for no flexibility you will be unable to adapt it to your needs as your business grows causing problems in the long run.

Any retail POS business software, restaurant POS software included, should be quick to install, easy to use, intuitive and not require days of training; it should be fully modular, flexible and upgradeable to grow with your business. Additionally, you need to look for restaurant software that will run on your computer systems.

If you’re planning to operate with multiple tills you need a good backup system for safety, a system that will replicate your master data file to another machine making sure you don’t loose data should a system crash happens. It is also important to make sure that the restaurant POS you’re going to use allows multiple hardware configuration, payroll integration and data export to sage or quick-books. Most users will have at one time or another used a computer running on a windows operating system, many of the professional scalable point of sales and hospitality software solutions are written specifically with windows in mind.

A final consideration is the requirement that the software will fast and user-friendly.

Mostly, restaurants are extremely busy especially during peak hours, so a POS system that workd quickly and doesn’t crashes easily would be the best choice!Since most good restaurants are always busy, especially during peak times, a POS system that will work quickly and not freeze or crash during constant use should be the one you purchase. A good stable piece of software can be expensive, but it can certainly help you to ensure that your business runs smoothly allowing you to concentrate on other areas of your business.

One of the main priorities of any business establishment is support, make sure you have the option of phone or online support like yahoo and msn messenger this will be an optional extra with any good POS software provider and worth its weight in gold if your systems go down and you are unable to trade.

Keep in mind that software programmers knows far more than anyone does. This one of the biggest mistakes that many restaurant owners neglect to check, you need to make sure that to whom ever you purchase your POS has after-hours support and purchasing from a company in the same time zone is a very useful commodity.

With over 20 years experience in the industry of Point of Sale Systems, the author of this article is the Customer Relations Vice President at POS-For-Restaurants.com, an online information service that helps restaurants through out US by giving competitive bids for hardware, software or a complete restaurant point of sale system.

Check them out at POS-For-Restaurants.com