Proposal for Swheat Market

Statement of Need

The Swheat market needs improved speed that will allow them to share information far much faster, efficiently and provide better services. Currently, it is not possible to realize the importance of technology in the growth and development of every business. Therefore the utilization of technology is indispensable in every business. Technology is present in every aspect of the business world. It will allow decisions to be made faster, services to be complete, and it will save time (Getty, Tas, & Getty, 2000). The business requires technology that will ease the storing and sharing of information. It will reduce large amounts of paperwork and improve the accessibility of information. Information will be quite easily shared with fewer resources being used. As the business expands, there will be a need for outsourcing or even offshoring that will require efficient technology that will facilitate the activities.

Swheat requires software that will minimize or even eliminate human error. The core functions of the business need to be automated so that the business can provide better services. The business requires technology that will offer a competitive edge. Most hospitality businesses depend on technology to improve their service delivery. The business requires the implementation of a software system that develops better standards, reduce costs and enhance labor productivity. In most situations, the costs of operations have been increasing, but the returns have been diminishing. The business may even be struggling to meet its financial targets. These are the reasons why BPA Restaurant Professional was set up to address some of the needs of the business. The software system offers the best solutions to the accounting issues in the business. The software has been specifically designed to work closely with operators and owners of a restaurant to offer the best equipment to have a successful business.

Background

BPA Restaurant Professional is one of the most affordable and complete software in the restaurant industry. Different restaurants have different requirements and the search, and actual purchase of the appropriate software may be quite challenging. However, there are five aspects that need be analyzed before the actual purchase is made. The first aspect is the ease and speed of use. The restaurant industry requires speed in decision making and fire times. If the system is slow, it may be frustrating to cooks, waiters, and managers. The aspects of speed in the appropriate restaurant speed extend to fast hardware and an intuitive layout. A few seconds that are saved in a certain area in the business can determine the profitability in the enterprise.

A majority of restaurant owners or managers dread inventory management. However, the managers who have efficiently utilize inventory reporting and control, the returns are often more favorable. Inventory is not one of the most interesting sectors in business, but it is critical when different restaurants are competing. Inventory software that is simple to control and input are essential in keeping an eye on slight variances on the records. All restaurants require inventory management features that will allow them to keep track of any item or ingredient that is purchased or sold. Proper inventory is crucial to the long-term success and profitability in the restaurant industry. All restaurants should receive regular intelligence through reports. Restaurants require a system where the management have the accurate insight into the business. Some of the key performance indicators include sales by department, the number of customers, food costs, and labor costs. An efficient restaurant POS should consider web-based systems that report the key performance indicators from any region in the world that has internet access.

Currently, most people look for restaurants online especially social media. Most restaurants often begin with an attractive website that provides crucial information to its visitors such as contacts info, hours and menu. Social sites act as the core factors in an efficient marketing campaign. An attractive Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram page allows the management to be in constant engagement with the new and frequent customers at any time. Some of the customers may even share the restaurant’ stories with other people, and the impact may be quite fruitful. Another efficient technique of gathering information regarding customers such as phone numbers are through various POS systems that provide features such as the regular customers and their preferences.

The significance of a quality POS software cannot be underestimated. Every employee who has experience in the restaurant environment understands the panic that occurs when the systems go slow or go down. Therefore, there is a need for technical support 24 hours a day to ensure that the problem is avoided or solved so that the panic can be avoided. Technical support should also be there when there is no panic. Some of the issues that are provided by BPA Restaurant Professional include the initial setup, training, and credit card assistance. It is usually overlooked, but quick, responsive and reliable assistance from POS provider is essential for the success of the restaurant. Furthermore, it will allow for a more efficient utilization of human resources. The software ensures that the workers are freed from time-consuming activities such as double checking the sales variances and manual cash register reconciliation. The times that would have been spent on the named activities is diverted to improve customer service. It also ensures that is better security at the Point of Sale where the software discourages employee thefts and favorable treatment to friends and family in the form of discounts.

Methodology

The proposal will get most of its information from scholarly articles and online sources. Both secondary and primary sources of education are critical in learning about the past experiences with BPA Restaurant Professional. Some of the primary sources will include materials that give a firsthand account of their experience with the software such as customer reviews. The most useful primary resource will be customer reviews about the software. Online reviews have become quite critical because about 88 percent of online consumers have trust the online reviews similar to various personal recommendations (Englund and Carson, 2010). The trend has been quite interesting because most of the reviews are often written by strangers. Also, only about 12 percent of consumers do not read online reviews before they purchased a particular product. If online reviews are not offered by the customers, it is equal to ignoring 88 percent of the potential customers.

Online reviews can have different impacts on the business. However, BPA Restaurant Professional has an outstanding customer review because most of the customers have been satisfied by the software. The online reviews may also affect whether clients will consider purchasing the brand. There have been some negative reviews, but the software developers have analyzed the issues that have been raised by customers to come up with a robust software that can satisfy the needs of most restaurants (Englund and Carson, 2010). An increased number of reviews with varying reviews ensures the honesty of the process. Online reviews about the software are increasingly necessary. The process is not only crucial to the vast majority of online shoppers but also it improves the online visibility of BPA Restaurant Professional. It is quite difficult to accept mistakes publicly. Nevertheless, the openness of the software for criticism and positive comments shows the dedication to ensure that restaurants are getting the value for their money.

Scope of the Proposal

The proposal will assess and analyze why it is necessary for the Swheat Market to purchase the BPA Restaurant Professional for its daily activities.

Limitations

The proposal relied heavily on customer reviews despite the fact that they are strangers and the reliability of the reviews is questionable. Some of the negative comments may give the customer a poor perception of the product especially if there was only one review and it was negative. Online reviews may give disgruntled customers a chance to publish damaging or vindictive information (Englund and Carson, 2010). The online review may increase the wariness of clients when there is a quote “be the first customer to review the product” because it may delay or stall the sale of the product. Also, customer reviews are crucial if they were given recently and not years ago.

The bottom line is that businesses can improve feedback by encouraging their customers to give online reviews. The approach may result to a more favorable portrayal of the software, its usefulness, and quality. However, some customer reviews are unreliable especially when they have only positive reviews. In some situations, the site administrator may delete all the negative reviews to ensure that only positive reviews are available (Englund and Carson, 2010). Clients require complex systems that can mitigate most of the risks and cons related to the different product reviews. Since most of the review are anonymous, a single customer may post several posts and make it appear that the product has made several sales. Also, a customer may hesitate to buy a quality product because it has not generated positive reviews. There is a need to enhance the credibility of online reviews to ensure the authenticity of the information that is provided.

Discussions

As the owner of the restaurant, the restaurant can only be more successful if it provides better customer experience and if there is an efficient control of all the profits and costs. BPA Restaurant Professional is an efficient software that can address all the business concerns (BSS, 2016). It will allow the business to avoid theft, increase the efficiency of customer service, improve the food’s quality and the accuracy of orders. There are various features of the software that are crucial to the business such as:

Complete accounting reports and systems

Credit card processing

Payroll software

Gift card software

Time clock software

Server card software

Complete cycle counting and inventory software

Manager card software

Cooking instructions, side lists, and sub lists

Customer loyalty software

Item recipe software

Table management

Customer on account software

Special pricing software

The orders that are input on the server station by the server are instantly printed at the cook’s station, therefore, increasing the speed and saving time that would have been spent walking to and from the kitchen. Furthermore, the orders that are input using the available computer are more visible and legible than handwritten receipts (BSS, 2016). Also, the item is more adequately prepared, and they will be charged the correct amount. Inventory control should be accurate to ensure that only the freshest ingredients are purchased. It allows the owner to track the shelf life of their products to ensure that old food is disposed of before it is unintentionally served to the customers. The proper preparations allow the chefs to appropriately plan the food preparation so that fresh products are delivered to the customers.

The software offers better tracking of products that may lead to higher profits. It will allow the owner to know the cost of every meal that is sold, avoid theft, reduce waste and make accurate orders of the required products. BPA Restaurant Professional provides an inventory module that allows the owner to see the profit and true costs of every product that is ordered at their restaurant. When the owner is aware of the accurate ingredient requirements and can track the volumes that are being sold, only the required goods will be ordered by the business (BSS, 2016). Furthermore, the integrated waste tracking ensures that the restaurant can manage and track their waste for all the shifts. Printed customer receipts, password controls, and printed cook receipts ensure that employees do not sell food and keep the money. A certain owner fired all his staff after utilizing the BPA Restaurant Professional to find out the previous money losses.

A majority of POS software are expensive, but the BPA Restaurant Professional only requires equipment worth $ 70 only. A support fee of about $ 40 monthly is required for unlimited phone coverage during BPA cloud backup and regular business hours (BSS, 2016). Furthermore, they offer free software upgrades. The BPA software is not only affordable but is also a complete product than the offers made by other competitors as shown in figure 1. The product is easily integrated into the business accounting software. Moreover, the customer receives a complete system with a business report that covers most aspects of the business, a time clock, and payroll. Also, the software is easy to use because the software developers had the needs of the customer at heart (Getty, Tas, & Getty, 2000). It does not require computer experts to utilize the software. It is user-friendly and straightforward. The system is accompanied by a CD training meant for managers and servers. The servers will only watch some short video series that will give them the simple skills to use the software. The software is quite easy to install.

At the point of sale, there are simple navigations that are available on the main POS screen. It has about 14 menus that are accessed without scrolling and over 14000 products that can be stored in the menu. Also, every menu has a distinct color to allow the server to know where they are on the various categories of food products (BSS, 2016). Moreover, it is easy and quick. It has a one button quick cash and quick sale functions that can instantly duplicate the items with a single click. The POS is also flexible because every item can have modifier lists or multiple sides. The modifiers may include pricing, custom notes, and cooking instructions. The item that has been entered can be modified according to the requirements. Various customer pictures can be utilized for special pricing.

The software offers accountability and security. The staff can log in and out of the software through their employee cards. Furthermore, the management can implement authorized functions using their passwords. It can prevent stealing from the business because the receipts are printed and cannot be changed. Also, the transactions can be reconciled to ensure that there is a balance between the sales and the money that has been received daily (Getty, Tas, & Getty, 2000). The management can specify the modules that each employee can access. The password system creates a log entry so that every time a certain password is entered, the employee can be tracked. Reports can be printed from the software to ensure there is proper accountability for all the business activities. Also, the software can be interfaced with security cameras. In the case of a security situation, the events can be viewed. The security reports will act as proof.

The software is based on the BPA Software Package that is made up of a complete series of accounting and business tools that are completely integrated with the POS. It has all the appropriate function such as vendor ordering, accounts payable, the point of sale, accounts receivable, and the traditional customer ordering among other features. It contains a payroll module that is fully integrated with an employee time clock (BSS, 2016). The overhead costs can be combined with product costs and sales so that the profitability can be calculated. The software contains a tracking module to keep track of all the restaurant's equipment. The tracking module can also assist during equipment maintenance. All the transactions that take place on the POS are recorded in the ledger so that the owner can receive accurate financial data.

Conclusion

Technology is present in every aspect of the business world. It will allow decisions to be made faster, services to be complete, and it will save time. The business requires technology that will ease the storing and sharing of information. It will reduce large amounts of paperwork and improve the accessibility of information. Swheat requires software that will reduce human error. The core functions of the business need to be automated so that the business can provide better services. The business requires technology that will offer a competitive edge. BPA Restaurant Professional is one of the most affordable and complete software in the restaurant industry. Restaurants require a system where the management have the valid insight into the business. Some of the key performance indicators include sales by department, the number of customers, food costs, and labor costs. An efficient restaurant POS should consider web-based systems that report the key performance indicators from any region in the world that has internet access.

BPA Restaurant Professional is an efficient software that can address all the business concerns. It will allow the business to avoid theft, increase the efficiency of customer service, improve the food’s quality and the accuracy of orders. It will allow the owner to know the cost of every meal that is sold, avoid theft, reduce waste and make accurate orders of the required products. BPA Restaurant Professional provides an inventory module that allows the owner to see the profit and true costs of every product that is ordered at their restaurant. The BPA software is not only affordable but is also a complete product than the offers made by other competitors. It does not require computer experts to utilize the software. It is user-friendly and straightforward. The system is accompanied by a CD training meant for managers and servers. The software offers accountability and security and has a complete series of all the necessary accounting tools.

Recommendations

The BPA Restaurant Professional should be purchased. BPA Restaurant Professional is an efficient software that can address all the business concerns. Most hospitality businesses depend on technology to improve their service delivery. The business requires the implementation of a software system that develops better standards, reduce costs and enhance labor productivity (Ninemeier, & Hayes, 2006). The software ensures that the workers are freed from time-consuming activities such as double checking the sales variances and manual cash register reconciliation. It allows the owner to track the shelf life of their products to ensure that old food is disposed of before it is unintentionally served to the customers. The management can specify the modules that each employee can access. The password system creates a log entry so that every time a certain password is entered, the employee can be tracked. Therefore, it will be a good investment that will minimize the unnecessary costs and increase profitability.

References

Business Software Solutions (BSS). (2016). Business Restaurant Professional. Accessed on November 12th, 2016. http://www.businessoftware.com/restaurantsoftware?utm_campaign=restaurant-pos-software&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=restaurant-pos-software&utm_term=restaurant%20pos%20system%20softwareg

Englund, Karl, and Dennis Carson. (2010). "Retail mobile point-of-sale (POS) software application and retail middleware software application." U.S. Patent Application No. 12/928,651.

Getty, J. M., Tas, R. F., & Getty, R. L. (2000). Quality assessment of hotel & restaurant management graduates: Are we meeting our mission?. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research , 14 (2), 393-404.

Getty, J. M., Tas, R. F., & Getty, R. L. (2010). Quality assessment of hotel & restaurant management graduates: Are we meeting our mission?. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research , 19 (2), 390-410.

Ninemeier, J. D., & Hayes, D. K. (2006). Restaurant operations management . Pearson Prentice Hall.