Set aside anything you might have ever heard about the English weather, and take the next few minutes to realise that summer’s here and sooner or later you will be leaving the office to go on holiday – even if it’s just for a few days! Sometimes, though, it’s not finding an exotic paradise or going away for long that turns our vacations into the holiday of our dreams; if the hotel accommodation doesn’t rise up to our expectations, then our dreamy holidays… Well, they don’t turn out to be so dreamy after all. Hotel owners know that competition has risen dramatically over the last few decades, that’s why the majority among them have decided to upgrade their offered services; nowadays an EPoS system really is vital for a hotel business and even the smallest Bed & Breakfast establishment can benefit from having such a system installed.
RCS have been designing and developing bespoke, state of the art EPoS software and hardware solutions for the retail and hospitality sectors since 1989; here at RCS we know that in the hospitality arena a business’s success depends on effective management and impeccable organising, and our systems can help you with both! By integrating an EPoS system with your hotel you will be able to keep track of every different aspect of your operations and it will also make you look professional in the eyes of your customers. Read below what an EPoS system can do for your business.
1. EPoS and Reservations’ Management
Starting with the bookings, the system can help you make the most of your facilities and available rooms; in just a matter of seconds the system can run a check on room availability for the specific period of time that your client is interested in. Since everything is recorded electronically with an EPoS system, you can input your client’s preferences as well; for example, if he desires a room with a garden view and A/C you can specify your search to the rooms that have these features available. Using an EPoS system to run your hotel helps you ensure that double-bookings never occur again! The system will also take care of anything else that you might need in that early stage on, as you can program it to perform customised functions; you can even set it up to send a “thank you” email to your client for booking his holidays with you or a “welcome” note on the morning of his arrival.
2. Guests’ Check-in
From the first moment your guests step into your hotel, your EPoS system will make their stay more pleasant; it will make checking-in a no-sweat, helping you to make sure that all the necessary client details are saved in the database, and it will allocate them the right room. This and much more can all be taken control of by the system. If you want to impress your guests you can even hook up your EPoS system to your internal phone system and schedule wake up calls for your guests; little extra features like this really show your guests that your hotel goes the extra mile.
3. Optimising your Services
You’ll also be able to use your EPoS system to take bookings for meals, spa treatments, excursions or any other services you may offer. Using your system to do it, instead of manually adding guests to lists, is the best way to ensure that there’s always available room for those attending and you will never have to face a last-minute overbooking crisis again. In addition to that, the system will help you make the best of the available space and facilities, since it can suggest multiple or alternative table arrangements for your restaurant, which can prove to be really useful if your hotel is famous for hosting wedding parties, for example! In your hotel restaurant(s) and bar(s) your system can be used to take customer orders, billing items directly to the guest’s room.
4. Staff Management
If staff management has always been a headache, the RCS EPoS will become your right hand! I can help you adjust your staff’s schedule according to your seasonal needs and make sure that all your clients get the best service possible. Monitoring your staff’s performance regularly and efficiently is key to your business’s success, that’s why our systems are programmed to monitor your employees’ productivity and daily habits (e.g. what time they usually arrive in the morning or how many breaks they take during the day) and produce detailed reports that provide you with all the information you need in order to make the right decisions for your business.
5. Billing
Charging your clients for purchased services or items has never been easier before, since simply by mentioning their room number or by using their room key they can enjoy their drinks at your bar, find their newspapers outside their room door in the morning or have a suit dry-cleaned, without ever having to carry cash or credit cards on them. Everything is recorded electronically and so any guest bill queries can easily be sorted out; the system makes charging separate items and services to any room a breeze and will format an invoice for you to present to your guests when they check out, making the check-out process simple and fast. By adding one or more printers in to your EPoS system you can immediately print out receipts, or any other details your customers may ask of you – and in just a few seconds as well! Perfect for the busy business person or someone running late for their flight!
6. Stock Management
When you run a hotel, keeping stock of supplies can be a huge feat. From cleaning products, to tea and coffee for the rooms, to drinks in the bar and restaurant meal ingredients, there’s a lot to keep on top of to make sure you don’t run out of anything. With an RCS EPoS system, all this can be done for you. Stock levels will be accessible from your EPoS terminal and you will be notified when stock levels run low and products need to be ordered -if you prefer to, you can even schedule for the system to reorder the necessary items automatically!
7. Customer Relationship Management
In the hospitality arena, building good, long-lasting relationships with customers is the alpha and omega of success; if you offer nice, clean accommodation and friendly services to your guests, then they are more likely to come back for more! Nowadays though, it’s not only clean sheets and warm receptionists that will gain your clients’ trust and support; it’s also doing everything in your powers to make them feel special… after they’ve left their room! The system’s database gives you the opportunity to stay in touch with your clients during the year and target your marketing campaigns more efficiently! You can ask them for feedback, email them with newsletters or promote any special offers and reward your loyal customers with vouchers and discounts! Using our Customer Loyalty and CRM System you can always rest assured that your guests will truly feel that they’ve found a place they can call (summer)home, rather than just another place to spend their holidays.
If you run a hotel or a hospitality business, don’t hesitate to turn to RCS for a bespoke, Total EPoS software and hardware solution. For more information please don’t hesitate to contact us or visit our website – https://rcs-uk.com/.
