I believe the answer is yes for every one of our customers. When you have an issue with your POS on a busy night you need help right now and don't want a manger waisting time to ask for approval to call for help.  However, there are situations where a restaurant owner feels comfortable operating their POS system without a help desk agreement in place (good software and equipment helps too). Our support staff is here for you even if you don’t have an agreement, but here are some additional reasons why you may want to have a support agreement:

First, what is a PCI SAQ? The acronym stands for Payment Card Industry Self-Assessment Questionnaire. It is a method in which the PCI DSS (pcisecuritystandards.org) determines if a business is upholding the security standards agreed to when applying to accept credit card transactions as a form of payment. Large merchants with over 1 million card transactions per year are required to complete a Report on Compliance but smaller merchants can perform a self-assessment to attest to their compliance. 

Do you even have an effective rate? If you accept credit cards you do and you should know what it is. The effective rate is the total overall cost to your business to accept credit card payments. A lot of credit card companies try to hide this number so you won’t actually know what you are paying and they can tell you that you are getting a good deal. But you should know what it is and it's really easy to calculate. 

If you are someone who looks at POS stations you will have noticed a lot of Toast terminals at your local restaurants. Not any of the chain restaurants, but a lot of the independents. If you are a restaurant owner, that might make you ask yourself, “is Toast right for me”? 

In my day-to-day life I talk a lot about how the hospitality technology industry has changed and how our company can still effectively compete. If you own and/or operate a restaurant, I don’t need to tell you about the changes that have occurred. So how do we compete and why do restaurant owners want to work with Spark Solutions Group when they have so many other options. 

The 5 most common tactics scammers use, plus tips to spot them and ideas to help protect your business provided by Wells Fargo Bank. 

Surcharge programs labeled as cash discount programs have begun popping up. Misleading and non-compliant with card brand guidelines create confusion about the difference between surcharges and cash discounts. Unfortunately, that's also putting businesses at risk.

While COVID-19 forced many restaurant owners into quickly changing previous “standard” practices and procedures, contactless alternatives that were readily available before now see ownership pivoting due to necessity and customer demand.

The industry has been turned on its head. Restaurant owners have been dealt a heavy, unanticipated blow and are scrambling to keep up. Though some restrictions are being lifted in certain areas, many are still not yet able to open their dining rooms. Those that have are doing so with limited capacity.

As you probably know, food delivery apps are in high demand  in the market today. Consumers like the convenience and restaurants appreciate the exposure and additional business these companies can bring.  However, implementing a 3rd party delivery company into existing workflow can be a hassle. You might have multiple companies, multiple tablets on the counter which create an interruption to your business flow and accounting reconciliation headaches. 

If you are receiving 8-10 orders per day or do not want your staff interrupted from serving the customers who are in your restaurant, it is time to integrate. Spark can assist you with the details and is painless to you the merchant. 

The benefits are:

No order confirmation or re-entry: When you integrate 3rd party delivery, the order automatically posts to your POS system, opens a check and sends the order to the kitchen. No need for your staff to confirm the order or re-enter it into your POS. In addition your counter will be clear of all those tablets!

Sales are properly tracked: Now that all the orders are directly sent to your POS your kitchen production is timely and the reports correctly reflect all sales. 

Payment reconciliation: Easily reconcile the payments made to 3rd parties so you can ensure you are paid what is due. 

Let Spark help you simplify your operations with this 3rd Party Delivery app POS integration.