Everything You Need To Know About Third Party Integration
As the world continues to shift to a mobile society where anything and everything can be ordered online and ahead of time, the restaurant industry has been forced to adapt. More restaurants are integrating third party apps and services to offer the convenience and flexibility customers crave. When used correctly, this integration can expand your customer base and reach, ultimately increasing your revenue. With a little bit of research, knowing what to avoid, and committing to evolving your business, you can ensure your restaurant’s place in the industry’s future. Here is everything you need to know about third party integration.
What is a third party integration?
At its core, third party integration is an outside piece of software that connects with your POS or restaurant order printer to expand your business’ services or functions. For restaurants, a prime example of this is restaurant tablets connected to a third party delivery service, although there is a wide variety of platforms and services available.
Common Mistakes Restaurants Make
While third party integration is the future of restaurant management, it isn’t as simple as installing tools and walking away. Too many businesses in the industry fall victim to the same mistakes, sinking their restaurant’s evolution before it can ever really get off the ground. Knowing and avoiding these mistakes will make your transition to third party integration that much more straightforward:
Mistake 1 - Keeping your restaurant tablet turned off
Simply put, if your restaurant tablet used to manage third party ordering apps isn’t turned on or isn’t charged consistently, customers can’t order, and you’re missing out on revenue.
Mistake 2 - Too many tablets
Speaking of restaurant tablets, having too many (what I like to call “tablet chaos”) increases the chance for user error from your staff. Too many tablets can allow orders to slip through the cracks, never making it to your restaurant order printer.
Mistake 3 - A failure to advertise
If you decide to expand your business and take on a third party partner, make sure you get the word out so your customers know there’s a new way they can enjoy their favorite meals.
Mistake 4 - Not understanding your POS system
Third party apps integrate differently depending on which POS software you use. As a restaurant manager, you need to do your research and make sure you find the right partner for your business, or even better, find a one solution POS.
Mistake 5 - Blaming third party apps for errors
A Technomic study confirmed that over 75% of consumers blame the restaurant - not the third parties like Uber Eats, Doordash, GrubHub, Favor, Etc... - for any delivery errors. This means it’s up to you to fix issues, regardless of who was at fault, in order to keep customers coming back.
Why are third party integrations important for a restaurant?
Third party integrations allow you to operate your business from a single place, seamlessly controlling your business’ different aspects and branches. That means no more added stress from managing multiple tablets or being charged expensive commission fees. Integrating your POS with third parties cuts down on user errors, which can include entering incorrect orders or overlooking an order entirely, and decreases the labor costs associated with managing inefficient systems. More efficient systems also allow you to save on equipment costs and consolidate everything you need to know and manage into a one solution POS.
How does integration work with a POS system?
Your POS system is the brain of your business, handling inventory, cash flows, orders, payments and more. Third party applications offer additional services that allow you to keep your restaurant running more efficiently than before. When properly integrated, your POS and third party application work as one, sharing and pulling information to and from each other. For example, a third party delivery service integrates with your POS so that when a delivery order is made, it goes directly to the restaurant order printer, without requiring manual input. It then alerts your staff that an order has been made, processes the customer’s payment and runs the entire transaction through your POS, all without lifting a finger.
What are the most important restaurant integrations?
Restaurant integrations are a necessity for any business hoping to secure a spot in the industry’s future. But just as important as knowing to integrate is knowing what to integrate. Third party integration does you no good if the service is poor or the app unreliable. Here are 11 essential restaurant integrations:
Maitre’d: A POS software solution designed for the restaurant service vertical, helping manage every aspect of a restaurant from managing employees to managing case and deposits
Dinerware: A management hub for your business, integrating everything from payroll, lending solutions and customer engagement to handling menu changes and payments, all within a one solution POS
NCR: A robust POS system offering flexible solutions, contactless dine-in, secure payments and advanced reporting with more than 200 third party integrations available
Xpient: A leading quick-service and fast-casual POS system that integrates payroll, secure payments, capital and customer engagement in a single hardware and software-agnostic system
Squirrel-systems: A hospitality and guest management system that offers POS solutions across front of house, back of house and back office, pre-integrated with “hospitality’s best” services to make sure your guests enjoy every part of their visit
Oracle MICROS: An all-in-one restaurant management system that helps run front of house, back of house and back office all from a single, cloud-based platform, integrating kitchen displays, employee scheduling, customer loyalty, POS, third party food and beverage integration and more
Azbar: An integrated bar management and control system offering a variety of products that help bars and small restaurants manage everything from pour efficiency to inventory management and everything in between
POSitouch: A premium software suite that offers integrated payment processing, advanced reporting, cloud connectivity, mobile technology and enterprise solutions so you can keep your restaurant running smoothly and efficiently
InTouch-POS: A customizable restaurant POS software suite, InTouch offers a variety of software solutions that can stand alone or integrate with each other, allowing you to pick and choose which services best support your business
FoodTec: A solutions company for the restaurant industry, FoodTec offers feature-rich software solutions that work in tandem with each other to streamline efficiency and drive revenue to your business, covering everything from POS systems to performance reporting or delivery monitoring
NorthStar: The “next generation” in restaurant POS, NorthStar offers five integrated ordering modes that are controlled from a single online database with a powerful reporting framework
How Your Fare Inc. Can Help Your Restaurant
Your Fare takes away the worry of managing multiple third party delivery services at once, consolidating them into a single, user-friendly platform. This allows you to keep stress levels low and revenue running high. Your Fare’s solutions streamline efficiency, eliminating user-induced errors and raising satisfaction for both customers and employees. With two different software solutions, Your Fare allows you to pick the integration that works best for your restaurant. Whether it be from a singular tablet or from revamping an entire POS system, Your Fare has a solution for everyone.
Reduce Order Error - Your Fare solutions automatically input orders into the POS or automatically print orders straight from the tablet to a Bluetooth kitchen printer, meaning your staff no longer needs to manually input orders, increasing accuracy and reducing user error.
Increase Customer Satisfaction - Your Fare times orders according to what needs to be made in the kitchen - meaning no more orders getting cold in to-go boxes while they sit waiting to be picked up.
Tablet Consolidation - Your Fare allows you to manage all third party delivery systems from just a single tablet, eliminating tablet chaos and allowing you to put your focus on your guests, not on your technology.
To learn more about Your Fare and third party integrations and how they can optimize your restaurant, visit www.yourfareinc.com.
