Mobile POS Information
A Guide to Best Practices and Procedures
David Smelson
dsmelson@gmail.com
The following information is intended to inform restaurateurs of some of
the choices and responsibilities to consider before choosing a wireless
solution for their point of sale system.Wireless technology is a great way to increase your servers’ time spent satisfying your guest. It’s been shown to provide a great return on investment and is very functional.
That being said, there are considerations that must be taken into account before you decide that wireless is a good choice for you and your operations.
This document is by no means fully inclusive of all possibilities as technology changes rapidly. Please discuss opportunities with your point of sale representative in conjunction with a trusted IT provider.
Careful planning will help ensure the success of your project.
Things to consider when planning your wireless POS tablets/hand-helds:
·
It will be more expensive to implement a wireless infrastructure than a comparable
wired infrastructure
o
The cost to implement a secure wireless
infrastructure in a restaurant is greater than the cost to run CAT-
5e
cable.
o
It is highly recommended that you have a
complete wireless site survey by a qualified professional.
o
You will still need wired infrastructure for
terminals, printers, kitchen display systems (if purchased) and back-office
equipment.
o
The industrial wireless infrastructure required
is not consumer-grade equipment and is much more expensive than the equipment
you may see on the shelves at consumer electronics stores. These consumer
products may lack security features required for PCI compliance and may have
less than consistent wireless coverage power.
o
Consume-grade devices may not provide
“smart-switching” capabilities that actively hand-off ownership of a signal
from one access point to another, which can result in lost orders and credit
card authorizations.
o
The maintenance and upkeep on the wireless
infrastructure will be more complex and will likely require the services of an
IT company/consultant specializing in wireless infrastructure whereas a wired
network is generally a one-time expense.
o
There are special CISP/PA-DSS consideration for
wireless networks. (Please ensure that you or your designated wireless
contractor are familiar with these requirements prior to making any purchase.
It’s also a good idea to check the requirements on a regular basis as they do
change.)
·
Consider your hardware devices carefully
o
There are many hardware platforms available
today.
o
iPads have sizzle and everyone likes them, but
there are drawbacks:
o
They break frequently if dropped
o
The credit card swipe is generally a plug-in and
can break easily
o
Look for hardware that has a break-fix warranty
for at least three years
o
Look for hardware that is designed to be in a
restaurant or is designed for military use
·
Software platforms that run point of sale on
wireless devices
o
Be sure that any platform you choose processes
credit cards with a processor of your choosing.
Some point of sales companies will lock you in at exorbitant processing
rates with huge fees to switch
o
Be sure that your software and processing are
PA-DSS compliant and are certified as such on one of the following sites:
·
The wireless hardware portion of your point of
sale system will be more expensive than a comparable wired solution.
o
One wired terminal can be shared between 3-5
servers in a typical restaurant.
o
When using hand-held terminals (HHT’s) or
wireless tablets each server needs one.
o
Batteries are not covered by warranty and
generally need to be replaced on an annual basis.
o
You will still need terminals for
bars/retail/carryout and it is highly suggested that you place some terminals
where servers can get to them in the event that the wireless network goes down
or becomes inoperable for any reason.
·
The wireless network will not be as resilient as
a wired network.
o
This is a function of environment, not the point
of sale system or the hht/tablets.
o
People physically create interference just by
being in the restaurant. Wireless coverage testing should be done when your
restaurant is full.
o
Support beams, decorative fixtures, lights, music
amplification equipment and other devices can create interference which
may affect the reliability of the network between the transmitting and
receiving points. These conditions can change over time, or depending on what
is being used at different times of the day or night. It is normal to have to
make adjustments to wireless networks to maximize coverage and as conditions
change.
o
Home wireless networks don’t cause errors or any
noticeable trouble when they disconnect momentarily. A POS system running a database needs to be
in constant contact with the terminals and errors may result from a less than
100% connectivity rate.
o
Servers may need to reboot hht’s/tablets if they
carry them out of range before they will connect to the network.
·
Adopting hht’s and/or tablets will require
fundamental changes in the way your restaurant operates
o
Your servers will be able to handle more tables,
so you will need fewer of them.
o
Servers’ sales may increase drastically as there
are fewer of them.
o
You will need to employ drink and food runners
o
You may need to adjust your tip pool/sharing
practices to accommodate the changes in what other employees are doing for your
servers.
o
Your table turn times may decrease putting more
strain on the kitchen and bar to keep up.
o
Servers will need to have a wired, or
wireless-ly bridged thermal printers nearby to print credit card auth’s,
checks, and other items.
o
You will need to have a plan to manage the
physical assets to avoid losing equipment. Checking the devices in/out to
servers is recommended. Additionally, you need to consider the space, and
electrical outlets to be able to charge the devices, and spare batteries. In
most operations you will not be able to get through the whole day or shift on a
single battery charge. Most wireless devices have swap-able batteries so that
you can have fewer devices, with spare batteries to swap.
·
Who is responsible for the implementation and
configuration of the wireless infrastructure?
o
Your point of sale sales representative may
provide proposals for the wireless access points/ports if they carry/support
them.
o
You may require more points/ports than are
originally proposed based on variables that cannot be foreseen at the time of
the initial configuration/proposal.
o
Any mounting of access points/ports that require
equipment to install, i.e. cherry-pickers/cranes may be the responsibility of
the restaurant. Look at your
contract. If it’s not clearly stated, it
will be your responsibility.
o
You may hire your own IT company to perform the
survey and implementation of the wireless infrastructure.
·
If you have any questions or I can be of further
assistance, please contact feel free to contact me @ dsmelson@gmail.com
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