Thinking of going mobile (tablet, smartphone, or other device)?

It's on everybody's mind these days (as we learned from our recent survey of 300 restaurants). We have the conversation with new and existing customers all the time. We talk about our own great Mobile POS Solutions, sure. But we also talk a lot about whether the customer is ready to make the move.

One of the things we talk about is: "is mobile the least-force solution to the problem?" If you have an issue getting to tables quickly enough, it might be that reassigning server stations is all you need to do—no new technology required. If food is slow getting to the table, maybe a CVM kitchen display system will get the job done.

In other words, you want to make sure that mobile order taking isn't too much solution: that it isn't an "Atomic Flyswatter."

Now, to the D words. Device Damage. Where food is concerned, the closer it gets, the greater the risk. Seven hundred dollar machines are no match for 35 cents of spilled water. (There's a little irony here. This makes tablets a slam dunk for restaurants at opposite ends of the spectrum. In both the finest dining houses and fast food restaurants, order takers stay farthest from the food.) Integrating mobile payment processing, where the customer holds the device, doubles the risk of damage. Know how you'll protect your mobile devices. And figure in replacement costs when you calculate the investment. While you're at it, add in the cost of spares, since there will always be devices that need to be recharged—sometimes many of them. You can't be left short on the floor. (Talk with us, we'll be glad to share guidelines).

Think about your staff too. Carrying the extra weight around, especially when the device is in a protective case, can become a problem after a few hours. IPads have the largest (and heaviest) footprint and Smartphones have the smallest. Select the device—or mix of devices—that best protects your team.

And of course there's the technology. You're going to be sending wireless signals to and from every corner of your restaurant—sometimes a whole lot of them at once. You've got to have enough bandwidth from your Internet provider to make sure that everyone can connect all the time. It's more than you need for just the back office. There are easy ways to project bandwidth demand, and we'll be happy to share those with you. And there's security—especially if you're taking payments from your device. These are pretty technical issues that include firewalls, file integrity, encryption strength, and others. The consequences to you if a data beach occurs are severe, including fines or expulsion for non PCI DSS compliance.

This is hardly a complete overview of assessing readiness. Please, get in touch with us if you want to learn more about determining whether mobile is the right move for you.