POS Touch Screen Technology: Small Screen, Big Benefits
The intuitive nature of the POS touch screen taps into much of what makes learning fun and easy. Interactive graphics with visual and auditory feedback all come together to engage users in a way that keystroke entry and text prompts cannot. Ease of use and the resulting economic benefits mean that touch screens are here to stay.
Easy to Use
Businesses hiring for seasonal or high turnover positions know that short training times are critical. POS touch screens can significantly reduce training time because they are so easy to use. Businesses employing a staff which speaks varying languages, which have learning difficulties, or which have a simple lack of computer experience, find that the graphic interface reduces the obstacles these circumstances present. Easier use translates into fewer errors at point-of-sale and shorter transaction times, resulting in happier customers, staff, and business owners.
Customers also find touch screens easy to navigate. Self-service can mean big savings for a business, but only when customers have a positive experience. Intuitive menus and graphics, enhanced by on-screen instructions ensure even first-time user success. Through the use of touch screens, many businesses are able to keep customer service levels high while reducing staffing levels. In a restaurant setting, a small touch screen given to each group allows guests to place drink and appetizer orders directly from their table, allowing for fewer wait staff. In an outdoor gear store, gift ideas can be found, tried, and ordered from a touch screen kiosk for direct shipping to the recipient, all without the need for additional staff assistance.
Software that is Easy to Customize
Touch screen software allows each business to optimize visual appearance based on their individual situation. Water park or theater ticket booths which have no need for barcodes, can incorporate buttons as simple as a picture of a child or adult to indicate admission price. Restaurants offering meat choices in their menu items can color code for simplicity, for example, using red for beef, blue for fish, or white for chicken. Buttons can also be arranged visually by category. An oil change service shop could use one column for services performed, another for parts replaced, and still another for other items purchased in the waiting room.
Screen appearance for an individual checkout station within a business can also be optimized for a particular department. For example, customers may be able to pay for their purchases in any department, but the POS touch screen located near the shoes will have its screen visually arranged with shoe-related options as primary. Software allows for language optimization as well, eliminating any language “barrier”. Wait staff speaking one language can enter an order by touch screen and transmit to kitchen staff that see the order on their screen in their preferred language.
Hardware that offers Multiple Benefits
Touch screen monitors themselves hold a number of advantages in the workplace. With no moving parts and sealed to outside contaminants, they hold up well in harsh environments of heat, grease or dust. By replacing printers in a restaurant kitchen, paper use is also eliminated, saving money in replacement parts and print ribbons. In hospital settings, glass screens and sealed design streamlines the cleaning process, saving time and money.
Touch screen popularity is on the rise and for good reason. They interface easily with existing peripherals, incorporating cash drawers, pole displays, and barcode scanners into the touch screen-based station. They are easy to learn, flexible to use, and require little effort to maintain. The benefits are plentiful and only limited by the user’s creativity.