6 Must-Have POS Integration Types to Streamline Restaurant Operations

If you live and breathe technology — for work or recreation — you’re probably familiar with the term integration. But for hard-working business owners keeping their noses to the grindstone, tech terms probably aren’t top of mind. That’s okay because we’re here to help.

What is a POS Integration?

An integration is the act of combining separate elements into an integral whole to work in unison. Point of sale (POS) integrations are tools or business management applications that work with your POS software to simplify operations. These technologies securely share relevant information that helps streamline and automate the operational workflow of your business.

Now that you understand this tech term, let's explore a few important types of POS integrations and how your restaurant can make the most of them..

1. Online Ordering And Delivery Integrations

Offering online ordering and delivery can be a great way to establish an additional revenue stream and sales channel for your restaurant. To run things efficiently, you’ll want your restaurant POS system to integrate easily with any solution that you use.

According to CB Reports, Research & Markets, the food delivery industry saw its largest growth in the last five years and is expected to grow to $320 billion by 2029. This means takeout and delivery are now must-have options for any restaurant looking to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.

So, whether you want to leverage a third-party service for online ordering and delivery or manage everything in-house, there are a few options that could work for your restaurant:

• DoorDash: DoorDash has the largest share of users at 58% and allows you to reach new customers, market your restaurant, and grow your business by offering on-demand delivery and pickup.

• Uber Eats: Uber’s global platform gives you the flexibility, visibility, and customer insights you need to connect with more customers.

• Menufy: Menufy is a full-service solution that enables delivery service and full-data ownership, loyalty program capability, complimentary analytics, and a suite of digital and print marketing services.

• TakeOut7: TakeOut7 is a fast and easy ordering experience for your online customers with an affordable on-demand delivery program.

• Grubhub: Grubhub is a seamless online ordering and delivery platform built to expand your restaurant’s reach and simplify order management. Plus, Amazon Prime members can enjoy the benefits of Grubhub+ without any additional membership fees.

• Waitbusters: Waitbusters makes the entire customer experience seamless with a comprehensive approach to online ordering, marketing services, and much more.

• FOLOS: FOLOS provides a seamless online ordering experience for your brand across all locations with one low, fixed-cost, custom solution.

• Inhousedelivery.com: Inhousedelivery.com integrates with your online ordering system and automatically routes deliveries to the best available driver.

• SkyTab Online: Built into SkyTab, this online ordering solution keeps orders in-house, eliminating third-party fees and syncing directly with your POS, kitchen, and menu.

2. Labor Management Integrations

Now that you'll be bringing in more sales from online and delivery orders, you'll need to make sure you have enough staff on hand to manage them. As a restaurant manager or owner, you already know that creating a weekly employee schedule and administering payroll eats up a bunch of your time. So why not take back some of those hours and streamline these processes?

The following are integration partners that can help:

• 7Shifts: 7shifts provides an all-in-one platform that helps restaurants simplify employee scheduling and labor management.

• KickFin: KickFin is an automated tip pooling solution that allows you to send instant, cashless payouts directly to your employees’ bank of choice. Funds are immediately available to use, 24/7, 365.

• SocialCrowd: SocialCrowd is an employee incentive platform that can boost performance and sales with clear goals and instant rewards. The solution tracks progress, sends reminders, and automates reward achievements.

• TimeForge: TimeForge is an HR and operations solution that syncs up your labor management software, simplifies time tracking, and provides real-time sales and employee performance data.

• FlexSpring: FlexSpring is a data integration solution that streamlines HR processes by conveniently connecting all of your business’s HR apps.

• Workforce: Built into SkyTab, Workforce can help you save time by building your work schedule in minutes, simplifying payroll, staying compliant with labor laws, and much more.

3. Inventory Management Integrations

Another time-consuming task most restaurateurs face is inventory management. From managing vendors and food storage to following FIFO and keeping up with your daily PAR sheet, making sure you have enough inventory on hand to feed guests can be a tedious task. Tedious or not, it's got to get done. After all, overstocking and food waste drag down your bottom line.

Most POS solutions come with built-in inventory management tools. However, third-party integrations typically offer more robust capabilities. Here are a few integrations to consider:

• BarVision: BarVision is a liquor monitoring solution that helps bars and restaurants add more revenue, deliver a consistent customer experience, and sell more profitable drinks.

• Craftable: Craftable is an inventory management platform that connects purchasing, recipes, inventory, and sales using POS data to help restaurant operators drive profit.

• Orca Inventory: Orca offers fully integrated management software for restaurants that automates the inventory and ordering processes.

• Yellow Dog Software: Yellow Dog Software is a full-featured back-office inventory system that can relieve inventory burdens with faster item creation, streamline orders and receiving, calculate replenishment needs, and more.

• MarketMan: MarketMan is a cloud-based inventory management and purchasing app that can streamline procurement, delivery, and restaurant accounting.

• Nory: Nory’s AI platform gives restaurant operators real-time insights into sales, labor, and inventory, streamlining operations and driving smarter, faster decision-making.

• BackBar: BackBar is an easy-to-use inventory control platform that simplifies beverage management with automated fulfillment and real-time reports.

• BeerSAVER: BeerSaver’s automated beer flow meter system eliminates waste and theft by seamlessly tracking every ounce poured in real time.

4. Marketing & Customer Experience Integrations

By now, you should be staffed, stocked, and ready to rock! So, another integration you'll need for your point-of-sale system is marketing and customer service tools. Your customers are your bread and butter, so you'll want to make sure they can find your business online and that you're always top of mind when it comes time to dine.

Here are a few tools you’ll want to have in your arsenal:

• Fisherman: Fisherman takes a unique approach to building a custom website for your restaurant that minimizes the amount of work involved.

• Mailchimp: Mailchimp is an easy drag-and-drop designer to create email campaigns that match your style, complete with social media integration.

• The Call Concierge: The Call Concierge is an answering service that intelligently sends automated text messages right from your live call flow, freeing up your employees from answering every call.

• OpenTable: OpenTable is a table and reservation management solution that easily connects to your POS system for a smoother-running, faster-turning, front-of-house.

• Customer Loyalty Program: A customer loyalty program will help you engage current customers and bring in new ones with point-based rewards and custom campaigns.

• SkyTab Website Builder: Establish your online presence and create a website for your restaurant with an AI-powered website builder, automatically integrated with SkyTab.

5. Back-Office & Accounting Integrations

It’s time to get into the nitty-gritty and not-so-pretty — crunching the numbers and making sure every operational aspect of your restaurant runs smoothly. From reports to accounting, manual errors can mean the difference between profit and loss. But, if you have the right software on your side, processes can be automated, and nothing will slip through the cracks.

Here are some back-office integrations that you may want to add to your restaurant’s tech stack:

• Cactus.AI: Cactus.AI is an AI-powered solution that provides real-time insights into restaurant profitability, automates invoice payments, forecasts revenue, and more.

• Shogo: Shogo is a business automation service that automatically posts your POS system sales data directly to your accounting software every day.

• DAVO Sales Tax: DAVO Sales Tax automates every step of the sales tax process — from collecting to filing to paying — ensuring taxes are always paid on time.

• TipHaus: TipHaus automates tip calculations and payment distribution for employees in real time based on your chosen tip structure.

• Restaurant365: Restaurant365’s back-office software eliminates disparate systems and brings accounting, operations, and workforce together with seamless integration into your POS system.

• Buyers Edge Platform: Buyers Edge Platform powers foodservice procurement with data, tech, and buying power — helping operators cut costs and boost margins.

6. Security Management Integrations

Now that you’ve fully kitted out your restaurant with the best of the best, it’s time to protect it all with the right security measures. Whether that’s verifying every ounce poured or monitoring operations on live video, reliable security solutions are vital for protecting both your business and your customers.

Here are a few security platforms that you can integrate into your POS system:

• Solink: Solink is a cloud video security and operations platform that works with all your cameras, helping to protect your business and boost profits.

• Glimpse: Glimpse’s performance insights allow you to seamlessly manage inventory, verify drink sales through video, and get detailed sales reports.

• SAVI: SAVI is a cloud-first video platform that saves time and reduces loss by streamlining operations and providing AI-powered insights.

Start Upgrading with POS Integrations

If you want to streamline operations by increasing automation, POS integrations are the only way to go. Your time is valuable, and you shouldn't spend it on tasks that you can easily automate. So which of these POS integrations are you going to implement?

FAQs About POS Integrations

What types of POS integrations are there?

There are many different POS integrations available, but some of the most common include:

• Inventory management systems
• Accounting software
• Online ordering platforms
• Customer relationship management (CRM) systems
• Payroll software
• Security platforms

What are some benefits of using POS integrations?

Integrating tools and applications into your point-of-sale system can garner several benefits, including:

• Increased Efficiency: Integrations can automate manual tasks, such as staff schedules or marketing. -** Improved Accuracy**: Sharing data between platforms, systems, and software reduces the risk of errors caused by manual data entry.
• Better Inventory Management: Integrations can track inventory levels and reorder supplies automatically.
• Enhanced Customer Service: Integrations can provide staff with better customer information and improve the dining experience.

How do I choose the right POS integrations for my restaurant?

The best POS integrations for your restaurant will depend on your specific needs, budget, industry, business size, and existing processes. You should also consider the features that are already built into your POS system. For example, SkyTab offers built-in online ordering, which you may want to use instead of a third-party solution.