As a business owner, you want to have an effective checkout process for your customers. To improve efficiency at your brick and mortar business, consider incorporating a customer facing display.
A customer facing display allows businesses to streamline purchases and collect payments. It’s a modern and accessible way to keep your business up-to-date with new technology.
But how exactly does a customer facing POS create a smooth checkout process? Keep reading to learn about the customer facing display and how it benefits the restaurant industry.
Customer Facing Display: What Is It?
A customer facing display is a checkout monitor or tablet that shows customers information regarding their current transaction.
The information that is commonly displayed on such a screen includes:
- Pricing
- Purchases
- Sales tax
- Payment prompts
- Final payment confirmation
It’s important to understand that a customer facing display is not something that customers interact with, as they would with a self-ordering kiosk. These display monitors or tablets provide visual confirmations of the purchasing actions customers take with your business.
Most customer facing display screens are customizable based on the store, restaurant, or business’s branding. Restaurants take advantage of these screens to provide customers with information regarding promotions, loyalty program perks, and new menu items.
The customer facing display is a component of your POS system. In fact, it uses the same POS software as your point-of-sale system. This means that the information your restaurant employees enter into the POS is automatically presented on the customer facing display.
Key Takeaway: A customer facing display is an ideal way to streamline purchases and collect payments while keeping customers up-to-date with all transaction information.
5 Benefits of a Customer Display for Restaurants
In the restaurant industry, there is always a need to improve the customer experience. With customer facing POS systems, you add a level of trust through the transparency of each transaction.
Five benefits of customer facing display systems for restaurants include:
1. Fast Ordering Process
Quick service restaurants understand that speed is a huge part of the customer experience. Customer facing POS systems allow for a fast ordering process, similar to a mobile point of sale system.
This is because guests can quickly and easily confirm their orders on the screen. As a result, this reduces the risk of errors and results in fewer orders. Fewer orders mean that wait staff will spend less time making last-minute corrections that slow down service.
The accuracy of the order information isn’t the only thing that helps keep things moving in a restaurant. The transaction information also plays a huge role.
A customer facing display shows guests a breakdown of their transactions. This eliminates the need for conversations regarding the price or if discounts were applied. Less time spent at checkout means that lines can move faster.
Reducing wait times is a huge part of restaurant success, especially for a limited-service restaurant. The slightest decrease can make a big impact on your restaurant profit margin or bottom line.
2. Digital Receipts
These days, many things are electronic. This includes grocery shopping, banking, and even online menu ordering. However, all kinds of establishments are still printing out paper receipts.
A crucial benefit of incorporating a customer facing display in your restaurant is the option to receive digital receipts. With customer facing restaurant point of sale systems and displays, the checkout process allows customers to enter their contact and payment information. Then, they get to choose how to get their receipt such as having it printed, sent to their phone, or emailed.
Digital receipts are easier to keep track of compared to printed receipts. Many paper receipts are crumpled up and thrown away or not even collected at check out by the customer.
However, they’re more than just proof of purchase. In fact, digital receipts are used to increase gratuities and tips. With customer facing displays, restaurants can set up options for customers to add gratuities to the final purchase amount.
3. Increased Loyalty Program Sign-Ups
It’s common for restaurants to highlight menu offerings and promotions on their customer facing displays. However, they also use them to showcase their restaurant loyalty program.
The display allows customers to enter their loyalty information to accumulate points or provide them with the option to sign up. This encourages customers to spend more to reach higher levels of the program.
Loyalty programs are a great way to attract repeat customers. It’s one of the effective restaurant marketing strategies that establishments use.
4. Opportunity for Server Tip Increases
Gratuity plays a big role in the food and restaurant industry. It’s common for servers, wait staff, and bar staff to expect tips or gratuities from customers, especially for providing good customer service.
Even employees working in quick-service restaurants earn tips. With customer facing display systems, customers can easily leave as much or as little of a tip as they feel is necessary.
The best part of a customer facing POS system is that most systems calculate the tip percentage and total payment amount automatically. This eliminates the awkward tipping process and guesswork that goes along with it.
Tipping isn’t required, but customer facing display systems remind customers about the option to leave a tip. This suggestion gives customers the power, and it’s possible that those who didn’t even think about tipping will leave a little something just because.
5. Check Size Increases
Are you familiar with the upselling definition? It refers to upgrading or adding to an order to increase the total value. Customer facing display systems are ideal tools to use for upselling strategies.
With a customer facing POS tablet, modifiers and combo options are visually displayed to the customer at the point of sale. It provides a way for restaurants to tempt their hungry customers to try something else or extra.
Suggestive selling also plays a role here by encouraging customers to purchase items that are different from what they would normally order. This is done by highlighting special offers, providing extra menu information, or promoting new items.
Visual reminders influence customer behavior during the point of sale, and it drives upsells. With larger check sizes, there is a greater chance for your business to have a boost in revenue.
6. Improved Customer Engagement
Have you noticed that wait times tend to feel shorter when you’re occupied with something? Customer facing display systems do just that. They occupy customers while they wait, keeping them engaged at the point of sale.
This is done by highlighting new menu items on the display screen, promoting current events or promotions, and similar information. Some restaurants take advantage of the display screen and showcase their social media profiles and encourage customers to engage with their content.
Customer Facing POS Display Options
When it comes to customer facing display systems, there are a couple of options. One of which is having a dedicated device and the other is a swivel stand. Take a closer look here:
- Dedicated device. The cash register that employees use is separate from the customer facing display. However, the information portrayed on the customer facing display reflects everything on the employee’s screen.
- Swivel stand. A POS can be installed on a swivel stand so that it can be turned to face the cashier or the customers. This allows both parties to view the order information on the same device. It’s an ideal option for a food truck POS system because it involves less hardware.
Frequently Asked Questions About Customer Facing Displays
In order for restaurants to stay competitive within the industry, it’s crucial to keep up with innovations. This includes your restaurant POS system and its many eCommerce accounting features.
A customer facing display provides customers with different ways to process transactions. Keep reading for some commonly asked questions and answers regarding customer facing POS displays:
Do You Need a Customer Facing Display at Your Restaurant?
Having a customer facing display at your restaurant is beneficial in the long run. This is because they’re easy for customers and cashiers to interact with, and they’re easy to install.
Customer facing display systems work in practically any industry that uses a checkout process. It optimizes the shopping experience for customers and provides opportunities for upselling, customer engagement, and revenue increases.
What Does a Customer Facing Display Show During the Checkout Process?
During the checkout process, a customer facing display shows the following information:
- Total purchases
- Pricing
- Sales tax
- Payment prompts
- Payment confirmation
Customer facing display systems are screens that show customers information regarding their transactions. They integrate with the business’ POS system to generate each POS report at the back of house.
How Does a Customer-Facing POS Display Create Repeat Customers?
Customer facing POS displays create repeat customers by speeding up the checkout process and increasing customer engagement through loyalty programs and upselling. These display systems provide an opportunity for employees to connect with customers over the menu and their overall casual or fine dining experience.