When it comes to choosing the right software for your business, you often see SaaS, Cloud-based, or a POS system. what’s the difference between each of these? How are they connected? Well, you’re about to find out.

Are you interested to learn cloud computing from experts? Intellipaat provides the best AWS training, DevOps and Azure training taught by industry experts.

SaaS and POS systems are Used together

SaaS stands for Software as a Service, which is essentially software that’s licensed based on a subscription basis, and it’s all delivered through the cloud. So, they actually all work together, and it opposes the traditional type of on-premise physical software that’s installed and maintained on a computer.  SaaS in a restaurant POS system software allows for customers to lease the software in a downloaded application through the internet.

This was introduced a long time ago, all the way back in the 1960s, and it was estimated that a sixth of the money that’s spent on software is used in this day and age.  SaaS I still a new concept in the foodservice industry.

How this works is simple.  When you decide to get a POS system, there are many to choose from, such as Vend.  Traditional ones are on a physical back office one, but Saas is actually used on a cloud, and that means that you can access this remotely.  Cloud systems allow you to view all of the information, and from there, you’ll be able t provide solutions in an immediate sense for any issues that are there.

Allows for Better Management

Gone are the days where you need to physically be in a store, for SaaS and cloud-based systems allow you to add locations and registers anywhere within the world in order to increase the efficiency, and also manage those peak sale periods.  you’ll be able to access this at a much better price.

It also allows you to maintain all stock levels at once.  With a POS system, it will immediately track the inventory, but with a SaaS, you can get a feel for what is happening remotely, which in turn will allow you to make the purchases for new stock, or manage stock in an effective manner.

Allows for a Lower Cost

The traditional POS systems typically are super expensive. In fact, it can be tens of thousands of dollars for a singular system or computer with the hardware.  Once they’re purchased, you then need the IT professional to come in, implement the back office service, and put the software there.  You also will need to maintain and also do the fitting upgrades for these whenever needed.

But, with a SaaS POS system, you literally pay a subscription monthly or yearly for the software. While you will need the hardware still to run the cloud system, which is usually just an iPad or a tablet, these cloud SaaS POS systems are made with really good hardware.  The iPad is a bit more expensive than the android version, but both of them actually dwarf the amount of money that you’d spend on a traditional POS system.  It allows for customers to purchase or lease these out, so you really don’t need to spend as much.

To put it into perspective, the typical SaaS POS system that runs on a cloud is about the cost of the tablet hardware, which if you want to get them refurbished can save you a lot of money, and then the subscription service, which is usually less than 200 dollars for the basic system. And that includes all of the benefits of a POS system that you can get for your business.

No Need for Contracts

They also don’t have contracts, like how many of the other traditional POS providers make people get.  They tend to make a lot of money in the upgrades and other charges, and it also makes you have to stay in the system since they make you have a contract.  Many people don’t like the contractual system, but a SaaS POS system essentially is a monthly subscription that doesn’t need a long-term commitment, and they can cancel at any time if they don’t’ like it.  Because the vendor is working to keep the business, the SaaS model tends to be more attentive to customer service too, since you’ll be working with them every single month.  Traditional POS systems tend to disappear once they get customers, but, these subscription ones tend to care about the people that work for them, so they give you a better experience as a result.

Finally, you get remote access and support. That means you don’t need to physically be there, but you can log into this from anywhere, with a real-time view of the system, allowing for more flexibility.

It also allows for support. Traditional systems require the business to pay some IT professional, but with a SaaS remote support team, it allows for it to be accessed at any time.  it’s really important to have this so that if there are issues, you can get the support line to help fix this whenever you need it. They also get regular updates and troubleshooting, so you’re getting high-quality service, and help that will make it better for you.

Having all of this together allow s for better synergy of the business, and allows for you to keep everything maintained over time. If you’re a restaurant that is thinking about moving to a SaaS model, and also using a cloud-based system, then this is the way to do it, and you’ll be able to keep the business going strong, and also have the support that you need right at your fingertips, so that you’re not missing out on valuable customer service that will change the game forever and make your life easier.