Bump Screens & Order Visibility

This post provides ideas on how to improve the speed of processing orders.

Single item "Touch to Serve" buttons for ready items on all overview screens.

Servers simply touch these buttons to change the state of an order item from "Ready" to "Served". So for single items it's one less touch to declutter screens.

Category and bulk state change buttons work as before i.e. Are accessed by selecting (click or touch) any order item.

Real-time Kitchen Display Systems (Smart KDS) offer advantages not seen before in the hospitality industry.

https://www.splitability.com/kitchen-display-system/

Reduction in service times is the big one but add in improved accuracy and more productive and the advantages stack up.

You can only get so far shuffling printed dockets around. Smart KDS screens display orders the instant each order is selected rather than waiting for the entire order, thus giving bock of house staff a heads up on what is coming through, check boxes appear only after the entire order is sent.

Reasons to go paperless are mounting. e.g. All cleared tickets are instantly accessible on the "Virtual Ticket Spike" from any screen, tablet or device.

Still think you should stick with printed dockets?

Learn more about SplitAbility POS:

https://www.splitability.com/

Casting KDS / Bump Screen Orders to a TV

 

Casting KDS / Bump Screen Orders to a Smart TV

I get a lots of questions about showing orders on a larger displays, as this allows staff to view orders and their status from a distance, therefore adding efficiency to any kitchen operation or café, barista etc.

As long as you're on the same wi-fi network you can cast from any device that supports Chromecast, typically Chrome or Edge browsers. It's one of the advantages of using SplitAbility POS (a true cloud system).

Setting up the Chromecast device is fairly simple, just plug it into the TV's HDMI port, power it up, install the Google Home app on your phone or tablet then follow the instructions to enable the Chromecast device. Presto! You can "Cast" from any device on the same wi-fi network.

From Chrome just hit the three vertical dots and there's the "Cast..." menu. If your using Edge, we hit the three dots (…) - "More Tools" - "Cast Media to Device" - Select the device. The TV itself here is not a touch screen but any other POS touch devices replicate on the large screen.

Watch in a new Window

The demonstration video show how to set up and view KDS (Kitchen Display System) / Bump Screen Orders on a Smart TV using Google Chromecast. Ordering from an iPad, even though it's a entirely separate device the operation is synced as you can see orders are are displayed.

It demonstrates:

• Setting up Google Chromecast
• Casting from a laptop
• Viewing orders and status on a Smart TV
• Clearing orders
• Placing orders from an iPad

For more information visit:

 https://www.splitability.com

CloudPRNT

 

Cloud Enabled Printers - CloudPRNT

Located at Unit 13 14-18 Discovery Drive North Lakes.

Peemai Thai is expanding into their second site.

They have decided to use the latest tablets along with cloud native printers.

12.4" Android tablets for in venue tableside ordering.

Cloud enabled printers.

The advantages of using cloud native printers:

1. Work with all operating systems and hardware.

2. Recover from connection outages (no lost prints).

3. Poll continuously via the Internet.

4. Can connect to on-line ordering apps.

5. Have built-in security.

Legacy printers are tethered to hardware or operating systems through device drivers whereas cloud enabled printers are not.

Cloud enabled printers are able to accept messages from devices on a separate network. This is a difficult proposition for older printers. So sending a print from a device connected on the phone network can print on a LAN.

SplitAbility POS is adopting CloudPRNT technology that will eventually replace older protocols like WebPRNT or Epson intelligent printers.

This video looks at the lighter side.

The Starlight zone:

• "No logic, no reason.."
• "No explanation as to why restaurants do not implement the easy process of on-line ordering."
• "We've collected the clue and found that ordering over the phone is simply a thing of the past ."

For more information visit:

 https://www.splitability.com

Restaurant POS Set Up

 

POS Set Up

Notch Seafood Restaurant

Located 1a/14 Sunshine Beach Road, Noosa Heads QLD.

View from the register.

Installing a modern Point of Sale system.

Including a Kitchen Display System.

This video takes a quick walk through of where the Kitchen Display System (KDS) shall be mounted.

It demonstrates:

• Restaurant & bar ordering
• Table management
• Integrated Payments

For more information visit:

 https://www.splitability.com

The Prawnster - Seafood Ordering System

 

The Prawnster

Located at Dockside Marina, 44 Ferry Street, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane.

The Prawnster serves locally sourced seafood with a trawler experience.

Staff using smart phones to take order.

This video demonstrates our Kitchen Display System (KDS), Table Management and how staff use their smartphones to manage order flow and payments.

The video captures the usage of our POS system during a busy Sunday.

It demonstrates:

• Restaurant & bar ordering
• Table management
• Kitchen ticket printing

For more information visit:

 https://www.splitability.com

 

App Integrations

Our Doshii certification is now complete.

Doshii POS certification involves over 50 test cases

Certification gives a business confidence that our POS has ticked all the necessary boxes required to work with all apps available on the Doshii platform.

Venues have the ability to "Plug & Play" when selecting the right solutions for their business.

With lots of Apps available, including a wide range of capabilities and features. Selecting apps that offers the right features is easy with centralized menu management. 

The pilot phase is now open. Businesses wishing to take part are encouraged to jump onboard, as being an early adopter comes with some advantages. e.g. customization if required.

To find out more about the pilot: Contact us

For more information visit:

 https://www.splitability.com

Restaurant POS System

 

Maximilian's Restaurant

The iconic Maximilian's Restaurant in the Adelaide Hills - South Australia.

Maximilian's has been using SplitAbility POS since 2014.

On a recent trip to South Australia, I managed to catch up with proprietor Andrew Friebe and his staff to put together this short clip on how they use our Point of Sale system.

The video captures the usage of our POS system during a busy Saturday.

It demonstrates:

• Restaurant & bar ordering
• Table management
• Kitchen ticket printing

For more information visit:

 https://www.splitability.com

Ticket Sequencing

Ticket Sequencing

SpitAbility POS now supports "Time Sequencing" of tickets and orders held in the system.

Time Sequencing automatically arranges and displays tickets in correct chronological line-up on the Kitchen Display System (KDS).

Tickets shuffle to their correct position as times are adjusted.

Time sequencing:

• Plays the role of a "virtual expeditor" to manage the flow of orders in real-time
• Enables staff to focus on preparation rather than when to prepare
• Shows future dated orders with a negative count-down timer and reverse time fuse in bright yellow

Updated Tickets:

• Synchronize instantly on all screens
• Shuffle into their correct sequence

Ticket Sequencing is typically used to manage on-line order ahead or delivery times into the future. Also in table service situation where courses are separated by a know duration.

Tickets may be time sequenced:

• At any time before during or after orders are added to a ticket
• By touching the time on the KDS ticket
• Via the sell screen "Check.." button

Take control of your order management:

https://www.splitability.com/ticket-sequencing/

For more information visit:

 https://www.splitability.com

Pop-Up Drive-Through & Take-away

The Coronavirus pandemic has forced restrictions on dine-in cafe/restaurants, meaning no more table service during the social distancing lock-downs.

Looking to pivot, St Coco Cafe Daisy Hill has come up with an innovative idea.

Cafe owners Amber and Cynamon have undertaken an ambitious new strategy to continue operating their business.

They are staying open with a new pop-up drive through take-away.

Read more about it here: St Coco Cafe

#PoweredBySplitAbility

For more information visit:

 https://www.splitability.com

Ways to speed up service times

Shows some ideas on how a modern Point of Sale system can improve service times.

1. Kitchen Display Systems (KDS)
2. Tablet based ordering.
3. Use of smart phones.
4. Integrated payments.
5. Unlimited Registers / Screens / Devices.

This video shows the action behind these ideas:

For more information:

SplitAbility Point of Sale

Dashboard Charts

SplitAbility pushes all user data back to the user's private and secure account in the form of a "transaction journal".

In our latest release we have added a built-in dashboard. The dashboard calculates total sales for various time intervals:

• Hourly
• Daily
• Weekly
• Monthly
• Yearly

Examples of the the dashboard formats are shown here and can be adjusted for any date / time period using the toolbar and calendar:

Use the toolbar to select the format:

These charts are a handy way to set or check other business activity e.g. staff level scheduling or takings from previous time periods.


Other built-in reports include inventory and best sellers.




As always you can generate many custom reports from the transaction journal.

e.g.

For more information visit:

 https://www.splitability.com/pos/reports/

Splitting the Bill

Speeding up split checks at the register is not as hard as you think.

You'll need two things.

• A POS system that can perform Quick Split.

• An integrated Payment Service.

So, here's how it works:

• Waitress at the POS splits the check using "Quick Split" to divide the bill.

• The POS hands each total over to an integrated payments terminal.

• Each customers taps to pay their share.

Video of the above steps in operation:

Splitting & Payments

The checkout process takes under 20 seconds.

For more information visit: splitability.com

Balancing Groups & Time Zones

Some of our latest development improvements and features include:

Time Zones

We now support over 600 different time zones. Admin users can set the transaction journal timestamps to their local time (Default is UTC). Staff login logout times also reflect this setting.

Here's How:

1.Settings - Admin - Time Zone.
2.Search & set your time zone.

Time Zones - Learn more..

Custom Balancing Totals

Per device custom balancing totals are now supported.

Set any device/register to monitor items or categories.

Groups and aggregated totals are visible to remote Admins in real time.

Balancing - Learn more..

Profitability - Learn more..

SplitAbility Point of Sale

1300 ANY POS

SplitAbility Home

How tablet-based POS systems integrate with Kitchen Display Systems

This month we published an article in Restaurant & Catering Magazine and have added the article to this blog with some more pictures.

How tablet-based POS Systems integrate with Kitchen Display Systems

Tablet-based hospitality POS coupled with Kitchen Display Systems (KDS) are becoming the preferred ordering model for modern venues.

Unique features

KDS is built-in to the software. Any tablet, computer screen or smart TV can be used to display order status. Check-boxes synchronise across all stations to inform staff. Category selection is done on a per device basis allowing staff to view what they require. The ‘virtual ticket spike’ allows staff to scroll through the entire order history and replicates the paper spike. Ross Orr, developer/director of SplitAbility, has noticed a marked increase in the switch to bump screens as businesses move to the modern approach.

Fixed cost: multiple devices/all platforms

Add as many devices as you need; the $60-month plan covers the entire site for registers, tablets, KDS, smartphones and smart TVs. The product has a suite of built-in functions, such as online order-ahead ‘fast.cafe’, takeaway maps, table management and more.

Bill splitting

By allowing multiple totals on a single order, splitting bills is as easy as touching the item and assigning to a name. Both upfront and retrospective splitting is supported. Direct payment integration means the app can run natively on payment platforms such as ANZ’s BladePay or CBA’s Albert that use Android OS.

Menu changes

Agile venues change their offerings daily. This is achieved by simply editing an online spreadsheet. SplitAbility is authorised by Google to access ‘Drive’ and ‘Sheets’. Categories, button graphics, prices or colours can by changed and propagate to all devices.

Using data network

This cloud-based system seamlessly switches to the mobile data network if required, allowing recovery from wi-fi black spots.

Uptime and support

With a 100% uptime record over six years, SplitAbility is unmatched for service availability with 24/7 phone access to a system expert.

This video show how easy it is to use the KDS with an iPad or any tablet

For more information visit: splitability.com

CBA Albert - Integrated EFTPOS

We now have "Paired" operation available for the Comm-bank's Albert EFTPOS terminal.

See here Albert EFTPOS for our previous post on the Albert.

After installing the app from CBA's App-Bank, SplitAbility POS can run either as a standalone POS or as a slave driven from another screen.

This video shows how it works:

Master/Slave operation offers two key benifits:

1. Improved efficiency.
2. The elimination of keying errors.

A quick demonstration on how to set up "Paired" operation:

See also www.splitability.com/payment-services/

For more information visit: splitability.com

Are Docket Rails Done?

Most certainly, docket rails are soon to become an artifact of the hospitality industry.

Just as cash registers have made way for touch screens and tablet based point of sale systems, paper tickets are being replaced with the KDS (Kitchen Display System) or bump screen.

Key benefits:

• Improved speed and efficiency
• Order tracking - who’s ordering, who’s waiting
• How long they’ve been waiting
• Distribute orders to particular stations
• Lower cost - no printers, no paper, no ribbons
• Easy order history retrieval

Although having been around for a while, up until recently kitchen display systems were beyond the reach of most smaller cafes and restaurants, due to the required on site hardware and expensive licensed software. Learn more system differences explained.

The delivery model is changing, meaning KDS can now be supplied at a fraction of the cost to the older installed systems.

Screens and tablets can now simply synchronize via the Internet.

So along with kitchen printers and paper tickets, order docket holders have had their time in the sun.

The shift is underway, early adopters are well into the take up phase of this technology. So if you're interested in avoiding the paper shuffle, to improve your order docket management, it's time to make the move to the virtual spike.

This video is getting a lot of interest, it shows how easy it is to make the transition away from paper based ordering processes.

For more information visit: splitability.com

Speed - A Key Metric

There's lots to consider when choosing an on-line point of sale system for your business, but there is one factor that stands out.

Speed of Operation!

It's a benchmark that ranks above all others. Button images help make for a fast system, as they allow for quick recognition of menu items.

Consistent design improves navigation speed.

But whether you use a single register or multiple tablets, an important detail that also feeds into the speed equation is:

The time it takes for the POS to do a full reload 🔄

That is, the time taken to do a complete reload of the app from scratch to taking and sending orders.

The above video shows a POS system that has both lightning fast operational speed as well as fast refresh and load times. Starting the app from scratch to printing orders is done in around 2 to 3 seconds!

Whether cold booting a computer or powering up a device after it has run low on battery level, app refresh & reload is an unavoidable process you'll need to do from time to time. So be sure to do some tests when doing your system trials, otherwise you may be setting yourself up for some frustration down the track.

Want more speed? Ensure you have fast printers: Lean more.

Turbo-charge your operational processes with a fast point of sale system.

For more information visit: splitability.com

POS & Kitchen Display Systems

Predominantly used in quick service restaurants, Kitchen Display Systems aka KDS are increasingly being used more widely in hospitality as the barriers to using them such as cost are falling dramatically.

The benefits are clear:

• No lost tickets - the virtual spike holds all orders
• No unreadable tickets - all orders in double size text
• Retrieve any ticket that is accidentally cleared
• Improved service times
• Category selection on a per screen or per station basis
• Faster operation - instant updates
• Save on back of house operational costs

Paperless equals environmentally friendly.

Form more information: https://www.splitability.com/kitchen-display-system/

www.splitability.com

Restaurant & Catering Magazine - Tablet Tips

The March edition of Restaurant & Catering magazine asks five key questions to those considering tablet POS systems:

Restaurant POS Systems Tablet Tips

Five questions to ask when considering tablet POS systems:

Can you add more devices?

As your business grows or to cope with rush hour, being able to add tablets or pop out your smart phone and start ordering is a real advantage. But should you need to pay to add more devices? SplitAbility’s subscription model is simple. For $60/month, you can use as many devices as you like, download the app and you’re good to go!

Which platform?

Platform agnostic equals future proof. For example, payment terminals like CBA’s Albert require a native Android app. SplitAbility is certified to run on the Albert as well as iPad integrated payment terminals.

How easy are menu changes?

Agile venues change their offerings daily, so you’ll need to propagate entire menu changes to all devices effortlessly. SplitAbility allows you to edit your online menu/s (Google Drive Spreadsheet/s), then push it live to all tablets with a single click.

Can you use the data network?

Wi-fi signal levels vary as your venue fills. True cloud-based tablet systems seamlessly switch to the mobile data network if required, allowing recovery from wi-fi black spots.

What’s the track record?

Talk to businesses that use the system you’re considering, check review sites as past performance is a good indication of how well a tablet system works. With a 100 per cent uptime record over five years and now processing thousands of transactions per hour, SplitAbility POS is unmatched when it comes to reliability. SplitAbility uses Google Cloud Infrastructure with App Engine and Firebase providing its lightning fast operation and stability.

Call 1300 ANY POS (1300 269 767) or visit www.splitability.com

Albert EFTPOS terminal

Merchants who use Comm-bank's new Albert terminal can now install and run SplitAbility POS as a fully integrated native payments App.

The new mobile POS solution can benefit hospitality businesses who seek to streamline their processes and improve efficiency.

CBA signed off on the App last week after a certification process including:

• Technical requirements.
• Security compliance.
• Business reviews & in house testing.

What exactly does this mean for merchants who take card payments?
A one minute video is worth 1.8 million words :-)

A users guide to the Albert can be found here: Albert merchant user guide.

Businesses looking for terminal devices that offer more than just card payment processing may be surprised to find what can be done on the Albert.

Payment services Comm-Bank.

Key benefits:

• One subscription - unlimited devices.
• Take orders and payments from the same device.
• Sync with Apple iPads/phones, Android tablets/phones or Windows devices.

• Print using Albert's printer or send tickets to an external printer.
• Per customer bill splitting.

• Manage tabs with menu items.
• Order ahead with fast.cafe.

Technical:

Albert runs version 4.0.x of the Android operating system also known as "Ice Cream Sandwich". It has various security enhancements applied and requires Apps to comply with SEAndroid restrictions before being allowed on the App bank.

For more information visit: splitability.com