Why POS Sale Systems Must Have Offline Mode
No internet? No problem! Offline mode saves you money and allows for a seamless service experience when the internet is down.
What categorizes a “must-have” as far as the features offered by POS sale systems is often determined by a company’s unique business needs. Food trucks likely wouldn’t need a venue management tool, and a full-service fine dining restaurant is an unlikely candidate for a QR code ordering tool.
But here’s a feature that all POS sale systems absolutely must provide: offline mode.
What’s Offline Mode, Exactly?
Stationary POS sale systems are a thing of the past, and mobile, cloud-based devices are that of the future. With increased staff mobility thanks to portable POS devices, service can happen anywhere in or outside of an establishment. Cloud-based technology ensures that all of the data collected from all POS devices is synced to one database. But this data sync requires an internet connection! With no internet, some businesses and their guests are left helpless with their POS sale systems, because they can’t facilitate transactions.
Offline mode to the rescue!
With offline mode, servers can run credit cards and open and close tabs, all without an internet connection. Once internet connection is restored, all of the data collected offline syncs once again into the cloud! In short, offline mode satisfies guests by continuing to serve them, eliminates the possibility of an operational headache for staff, and keeps money rolling in for businesses.
Keep reading if you’re not quite convinced POS sale systems must offer offline mode. There are many use case scenarios and benefits for food and beverage businesses!
When Offline Mode Comes In Handy
These are all instances that offline mode saves businesses from having to halt transactions due to internet connectivity, and helps them make money instead.
Beware, though, that just because you’re running cards offline doesn’t always mean people have the appropriate amount of money in their bank accounts. While it’s a major benefit to continue swiping and serving in instances where you otherwise would have to close your business for the day, there’s still some potential for failed transactions when businesses sync back up after using offline mode.
Here are 4 instances where offline mode comes in handy:
Storm-Induced Internet Outage
You can’t predict the weather, and you surely can’t control when a storm knocks out your internet connectivity entirely. When POS sale systems don’t support offline mode, a thunderstorm can rain on the parade of your happy patrons.
But, with offline mode, transactions can continue rolling in and the party doesn’t stop for your hungry and thirsty guests. Once the storm passes and your internet is restored, you can sync all data with your backend system once again!
Here in this part of the country, we have sporadic network coverage. Being able to operate in offline mode has made those outages a complete non-event.
Michael Calhoun, Owner of Red River Brewing Company & Distillery
Unreliable Internet Connection In General
Sure, you have a stable internet connection, but it crawwwls when you have a large crowd that’s using your WiFi as well. So as not to compromise speedy service for your guests, you can intermittently use offline mode to collect orders. Once the crowd dwindles, hop back online to sync the POS sale system data you collected while offline.
WiFi-Less Off-Site Events
Makers of delicious food and drink are often invited to hold tents at events such as farmers markets and outdoor concerts. While there may be a hot spot available from the event’s organizer, it’s likely that every other business attending is using the same one, plus even some attendees! Again, offline mode saves you from having to resort to slow service because of the internet connection options available to you.
With a mobile POS device in your pocket, complete with offline mode capabilities, the options for where you can take business are limitless!
Food Truck-Esque Business Models
If you own a food truck or run a business in a similar style, you’re constantly on the move and unsure of what kind of internet connection is available at your next stop. Offline mode from POS sale systems allows you to shed that worry and rest assured that you will indeed be able to service guests appropriately and run business as usual.
Other Benefits Of Offline Mode
Besides being able to transact just about anywhere, POS sale systems that provide offline mode help growing businesses diversify both their revenue streams and their consumer base, ultimately boosting their bottom lines.
Diversifying Revenue Streams
By abling your business to travel outside of your primary establishment’s walls, you increase revenue potential. After all, the guests at the farmers market weren’t able to visit you themselves for breakfast, but they’ll gladly order from you now that you’re holding a tent right in front of them!
Plus, the seamless use of offline mode itself mimics the ease of a light switch, making it painless for your other staff to use. Instead of adding work to their plates or inducing frustration, offline mode gives them space to continue doing their job exceptionally.
Now all you need to sell your amazing products is a dazzling smile, a mobile POS device equipped with offline mode, and product. Sky’s the limit for your revenue streams!
We can run credit cards! Before we had to write the [credit card] information out and we’d always lose money that way. The whole process of using it has just made my life a whole lot better.
James, Taproom Manager at Red River Brewing Company & Distillery
Diversifying Your Consumer Base
Besides diversifying the actual way in which you bring in money, offline mode also helps businesses diversify their consumer base, too. With the ability to travel and continue to transact easily, you cast a wider net of potential customers.
Perhaps you park your food truck on the other side of town near a crowded beach. The WiFi connection stinks, but it’s not an issue for your trusty POS system. A line forms quickly around lunchtime, and suddenly these beachgoers are trying their first bite of your Rainbow Grilled Cheese. They can’t get enough, and suddenly they’re Googling your business name and planning to visit you next weekend to get another taste of that delicious dish!
Mobilizing business in such a way helps you capture new audiences, and therefore sets you up even better for long term success.
Make More Money, Honey!
Diverse revenue streams in addition to a diverse customer base means your business is making more money! Offline mode from POS sale systems also breeds more satisfied guests and less stressed employees—both parties you need to make happy in order to run a successful business!
With a new, hip spot popping up on every corner and customers having a newfound expectation for Amazon-level convenience, competition is stiff out there. Offline mode ensures that your 1st or 100th impression with a guest is a good one by allowing for service speed and accuracy, regardless of the internet connection available where the sale is taking place!
Likewise, we’re no strangers to the labor shortage, and we know that finding new staff is increasingly difficult in the current climate. Offline mode is a tool that can actually help retain staff members, because it makes their jobs easy, when otherwise, a power outage could leave them in a frenzy.
POS sale systems that offer offline mode have a lot more than just internet connectivity in mind. That savvy tech is considering your staff, guests, and bottom line, making it an absolute necessity for every growing business out there.
Arryved POS serves food and beverage businesses better than the rest by offering features like offline mode, among dozens of others, all for free with our all-in-one system. The first step to growing your budding business is requesting a free, custom demo of the most trusted POS system in hospitality!