A good point of sale (POS) system is imperative to your nightclub’s operational success. Chances are, you spent a significant amount of time and energy picking out the right system and training your employees on how to use it. But what you probably didn’t consider – and what many owners often overlook – is the benefit of coupling a traditional POS system with a mobile POS system. I’ve seen first-hand how mobile POS could have improved a situation or saved the day. Here are 5 scenarios where you might find yourself at ease because you have a mobile POS system.
1. When there’s a large, inefficient line outside your door
The keyword here is inefficient. It’s great to have lines and give the impression you’re the hottest club around. Plus, you do need to filter who does and doesn’t come inside your door. But it’s not so great to be so inefficient that you slow down the speed of the night and make guests no longer excited about being at your venue. Having a traditional non-portable POS system at the host station can be a bottleneck that slows the whole process down. But a mobile POS system optimizes and monetizes your line by allowing you to collect money even before your guests walk through your doors.
2. When VIP servers are scrambling over each other to make a transaction at your POS station
It’s inefficient to have your servers waiting around the POS system so they can have access to add an item to a tab or run a transaction. With a mobile POS, all of your servers have access to the billing system at the same time on their own devices. They can add an item with a click of a button as they’re interacting with your guests and complete the transaction right at the table. And with mobile commerce growing 30 percent year-over year, your guests are accustomed to paying through this medium and enjoy the convenience of it. It’s a win-win for all involved.
3. When your traditional POS system crashes
Your system going down in the middle of a busy night is awful on a myriad of levels. While this is rare, I’ve seen it happen first-hand. Luckily, the venue had mobile POS to save the day. They were able to collect cover through the mobile system right at the door, and even charge drinks and bottle service through the system. The mobile POS system recognizes payments through cash, manual entry credit card, and by swiping credit cards, very much like traditional POS systems.
4. When you need to interact with clients on a personal level
Traditional POS systems don’t keep track of data on a personal level. Mobile POS does with an integrated customer relationship management (CRM) system. What’s more is it does so in real-time. This enables your servers to better interact with your clients and treat them with a customized experience.
5. When you want to see detailed analytics of your club’s performance
Most club owners look to their traditional POS system to provide critical data. While it’s true that most systems collect data, it’s oftentimes presented in convoluted ways. And few owners have the necessary time and resources to comb through the data points and make sense of it all. A mobile POS is more flexible when it comes to collecting data, especially when it’s integrated with a CRM system. You can better measure results and have access to tangible information about specific guests. You can also have a full view of how your servers, promoters, and club as a whole are performing. Here’s more information about what this type analysis can offer.
Whitney Johnson is the global director of marketing for BookBottles. Contact her at whitney.johnson@bookbottles.com.
