By Tim Reed, Partnerships Manager – Newbridge
Before long the clocks will be turning back and, if not underway already, the festive season will begin in earnest. Often a time that can instil feelings of excitement and stress in equal measure into the hearts and minds of hospitality operators.
Christmas is often the busiest and most profitable time of year for hospitality. Being busy however can also bring with it a host of challenges including planning and pricing of menus, stock control, negotiating with suppliers and managing your most valuable asset – your staff. With that in mind, then, how can operators utilise the technology solutions at their fingertips to support, train up and skill up team members to ensure they are in pole position to deliver excellent service and revenue once the Christmas lights are switched on?
EPoS data is the key to effective rota management
Much of the success of a team’s performance in the busy weeks of November and December lie in having the right rota and staff in place at any given time. Whilst regularly monitoring the bookings coming in can go some of the way to delivering the right rota necessary for the number of guests expected, also keep in mind that it takes time to interview and recruit staff. To do that, therefore, it is prudent to plan further ahead than your current booking list allows. EPoS sales data from previous years can be incredibly valuable in identifying when busier periods are and enable you to plan rotas accordingly and effectively ahead of time.
Manage and incentivise staff performance
With many spinning plates, pardon the pun, tracking how and where individual staff members perform can also seem a daunting task. Particularly during busy periods. Many EPoS systems now feature a unique sign-on process for each member of staff so owners and managers can easily monitor and track transactions on an individual basis. A simple way to measure performance which can be incentivised with a prize for the top biller to be awarded in January. More importantly, individual team member data can also be used to identify if there are any shortfalls in performance and either where existing team members need to be trained or if more team members need to be hired, albeit on a temporary basis.
Promote promotions to staff
At a time of high-volume bookings, promotions can be a simple, yet effective way to add enhance the guest experience and also empower staff to upsell. Promotions or designated time-based, festive menu items and price lists can easily be set up as discounts if required across your EPoS system. All the necessary detail will be contained there and can easily be communicated to staff so they understand what current promotions are running. Ensure staff are aware so they are equipped with the knowledge and detail they need to then advise guests and crucially fulfil any promotions-based orders. Even during particularly busy periods, for new recruits who might not have had the opportunity for a face-to-face briefing will still have all the necessary detail available to them via the EPoS system to ensure they too can fulfil orders without mistakes and unhappy guests.
Equip your EPoS for the festive season
Planning and developing party menus for group bookings and festive cocktail menus that showcase the creativity and flair of your F&B team is of course important. Hand in hand with this is ensuring your EPoS system is up to date in terms of availability, pricing, allergens and any other detail required to successfully deliver orders and revenue. Having a fully equipped EPoS system in place means staff then have more time to focus on other aspects of service and ensuring your venue is festive-fit. Whether that be discussing specific requirements within a larger group booking or selecting the best tunes for your Christmas playlist.
Manage mobile orders and payments more efficiently
Mobile and QR code ordering and the option to pay directly at the table also means staff have more time to focus on delivering a great guest experience beyond the administrative needs for taking and delivering orders and payments. Guests now can view menus, order and pay all from their own device. Orders can appear in the EPoS and are delivered directly to the kitchen or bar printer, once again minimising the risk of error and enabling staff to spend more time getting to know guests, understand their preferences and make the right recommendations to support upselling and future booking opportunities. A win win all round.
To find out more about how Newbridge EPOS can support your staff and operations throughout the festive season please visit our website here.
