Reliable EPoS systems play an important part in maintaining customer satisfaction.
Businesses need to make the most of their assets, and IT and EPoS are no exception. Companies within the retail and hospitality sectors need to ensure that they are getting maximum value for money from their investments and they also need to show that the customer experience doesn’t become affected by technology failure.
The customer service experience is key to getting customers to return time and time again. However to build this type of rapport, the experience stretches beyond how staff serve their customers.
Consumers expect a seamless customer experience and any delays at the time of purchase can spoil the event. Maintaining your EPoS technology can be problematic at the best of times.
However, in a food or drinks based environment there is an even greater opportunity for problems to occur with damage resulting in unwanted downtime.
This is where the role of the EPoS support provider comes into its own. Historically, these organisations have been seen as a “necessary evil” to players. However, as the need to prolong the life of the existing EPoS investment and the tightening of corporate purse strings bites, the need to have a dedicated partner who understands the importance is becoming essential.
Organisations are often wary of signing for long term EPoS maintenance agreements as they feel it will limit the opportunities for change. However, businesses should look to work with a support partner who can look after the existing EPoS infrastructure, but also, when the time is right, advise on new technology, plan and implement future roll outs and is able to maintain mixed product estates.
The cost to a business of having an EPoS position down varies dramatically depending on the circumstances of each organisation. For example, if a large corporation has one lane down it may be an irritant, the business can still trade and the customer experience isn’t greatly affected. However for a company with limited EPoS, the cost of not having a functioning EPoS position can be catastrophic. Not only do customers not make purchases on the day but often they will never return.
By working with an expert, retail and hospitality businesses can ensure that EPoS downtime is kept to a minimum by regularly having their EPoS serviced ergo reducing the risk of system failure.
A reliable EPoS system will leave staff free to concentrate on customer focused activities. It will also enable businesses to reduce waiting times and make sure customers are served quicker and more efficiently. This ability to offer customers a better service experience could be a differentiator in this increasingly competitive environment.