Mobile Point of Sale (MPOS)

MPOS in a Hospitality Setting

Mobile Point of Sale (MPOS) is becoming more and more commonplace in the Hospitality industry today. The hardware and software involved have developed rapidly together to feed a market that is more than ready to take the leap towards a quicker and more convenient way of bringing effective service to customers.

Tablets and smart-phones sit very comfortably within the Hospitality environment, they slip easily into a pocket or apron, are intuitive to use and easy to clean, making the order process more streamlined and the often misplaced raggedy order pad redundant.

Tablets readily offer the opportunity to up-sell, offer meal deals, specials or suggest complimentary side dishes by way of automatic in built prompts. Opportunities for tablet connectivity within the restaurant are many − connect to the bar to make drinks orders, transfer orders directly to the kitchen before the waiter has even left the table, connect to the in-café deli to make purchases during lunch ready for pick up on departure or even book a table for another visit.

However, a complete MPOS based payment system can offer so much more than this. MPOS can offer the convenience of taking payments quickly and easily at the table without the waiter running off to find the card machine, members of staff can have their own basic card reader and mobile printer attached to their belt, allowing bills to be prepared, payments to be made and loyalty points added, all whilst chatting with customers about how they enjoyed their meal.

Bills can be printed on a mobile printer at the click of a button, receipts can be printed or better yet, emailed to mobile phones. There are a variety of MPOS printers which can be connected or paired to tablets and phones via LAN or Bluetooth connection, such as the Star Micronics SM-S220i which sits neatly on a belt or apron string and can be used to issue a receipt no matter where the waiter or the customer are in the restaurant.

 If each member of staff were to be issued with a tablet, mobile printer and card reader, traceability becomes easier as each person is responsible for their own orders and payments. Several options are available for taking mobile card payments within the hospitality environment. Companies such as iZettle, PayPal and Payleven have invested millions of pounds in ensuring completely secure transactions and are all working constantly to make the world of mobile payments safe and secure.

 Many mobile payment solutions also offer back office software to support the payment process and enable stock management and invoicing etc. where appropriate. This software, when teamed with a tablet and mobile printer makes it possible for anyone to effectively run a business and take card payments any time, anywhere, not only in restaurants but market stalls, craft fairs, taxi drivers, pop up shops, street vendors − the list is endless.

The world of MPOS is a new and exciting one that is expanding at a fast pace. Contact DED now to see how your customers and business could benefit by offering a mobile payment solution.