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Dynamics GP to Business Central Upgrade

Upgrade From GP to Business Central to Get Faster and Streamlined Business Operations!

Your company is determined for Dynamics GP to Business Central Upgrade, correct? GP’s end of support is ending in January 2023 anyway. If you are bothered about the inconveniences that this migration will bring you, don’t worry. Every Migration is not complicated. Moreover, most companies must progress toward digital transformation since it will enable you to boost your company efficiency.  Microsoft puts a lot of effort into enhancing the functionality and features of its products. Most of the time, you’re on-premises GP to Dynamics 365 Business Central Upgrade may increase productivity throughout your whole company. You will also be able to improve the efficiency of your business operations, services, and procedures.  Why Would You Upgrade from D365 GP to Business Central?  Dynamics Business Central is a cloud-based solution that offers more flexible features and agile tools. You can get more speedy operations while streamlining every process. It is suitable for businesses of all sizes. It provides other benefits such as:   Business Intelligence Fosters More Logical Decisions  After Dynamics GP to Business Central Upgrade, it supports business intelligence tools. You can use them to get insights into your business. You can also understand customers better as it stores, scans, filters, and presents customer data into dashboards allowing you to see how each customer spends in your business. You can then provide customized offers and services, deals, offers, and discounts. It becomes easier to segregate them into groups and individually. Moreover, Business Intelligence helps you spot your business’s KPIs, potential threats, gaps, and hidden earning opportunities.   Helps You Save Costs   After Dynamics GP to Business Central Upgrade, you will shift to cloud-based software which helps you save costs on maintenance and upgrading. You do not have to engage your entire IT team in maintaining and upgrading your software. You can instead use them to develop more useful tools to streamline your operations. D365 is an Saas as a Service Platform that helps you develop new software as per your need easily.   You Are Always on the Latest Version   Once you decide on the Dynamics GP to Business Central Upgrade, you will be hosted by and on Azure, you can always be on the latest version. Microsoft provides minor updates now and then without disturbing your business ecosystem. And twice a year, Microsoft provides major updates about which you are notified in advance. You can even reschedule these updates if you feel like it. D365 provides sandboxing allowing you to test changes and patch upgrades, even for those that Microsoft itself upgrades.   Get a suite of Cloud-based Software   With Business Central, you can access the complete set of applications provided by Microsoft such as SharePoint, Outlook, Teams, Power BI (Business Intelligence), and a lot more. These tools help you collaborate freely with one another and streamline operations more easily within the business.   Remote Access   One of the best qualities of Microsoft Dynamics Business Central is its remote access facility. You can access it from any device. In this period where everyone demands remote work, you need technology to support the same. Due to COVID-19, businesses were forced to shut down and demanded remote work. Businesses that couldn’t comply with the same either shut down or implemented technology to support remote work. This technology ensures work is done even if you are not available at the office.  High-end Security   With Dynamics GP to Business Central Upgrade, businesses especially SMEs don’t have to worry about their security as Microsoft Dynamics 365 ensures bank-level security. Microsoft has assigned more than 3000 experts to detect and defeat threats. There are thousands of other experts working day and night on the well-being of your software and data safety. Teams are assigned to create possible threats and other teams find ways to defeat them. Microsoft can be the most secure data you can have. Your data is stored and backed up on a single server. Therefore, you will get everything on a single server.   If you are looking forward to Dynamics GP to Business Central Upgrade, you can contact Trident Information Systems. We are a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Gold Implementation Partner and LS Central Diamond Implementation Partner. Our team of 200+ experts’ workday and night to ensure seamless and consistent operations in the organization. Contact us for further details.  

Upgrade From GP to Business Central to Get Faster and Streamlined Business Operations! Read More »

Supply Chain Management Software

Shed Unpredictability, Labour Shortages, and Equipment Unpredictability with SCM software! 

Machinery and equipment rental, leasing, and service-focused businesses look for every challenging opportunity in their way. Everyone applies different strategies to stay ahead in the competition. Successful businesses emphasize majorly Supply Chain Management Software which provides all the necessities to run a business on a single platform.   Due to the global changes in the past few years, the supply chain has been disrupted for various businesses. Mckinsey’s Tom Barton recently moderated a discussion panel on how to overcome supply chain disruptions at the 84th Inland Transport Committee roundtable. There it was discussed that despite consistent recovery efforts, we have still not managed to achieve pre-pandemic growth and sustainable development.   There are three major challenges that the global supply chain is currently facing: Equipment unavailability, labor shortages, and global bottlenecks. Furthermore, persistent unpredictability is another reason why supply chains are failing.   It is important to choose the right Supply Chain Management Software for:   Providing the planning departments with a complete vision of trucks throughout the depots.   Enabling planners to schedule transport and transfer work orders using the same window.   Robust third-party shippers and carriers’ collaboration.   Route optimization by connecting planners with drivers.   Real-time coordination and optimization with logistics.   Updating customers about delivery issues or delays.   Agility for complicated routing, partial shipments, and multi-channel orders.   Manage complex freight and transport costs in a single process.  In this erratic environment, the technology you use plays a major role in the flow of your supply chain. Supply Chain Management Software like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations has helped streamline the supply chains of businesses in different verticals throughout this rough period and continues to do the same.  How does D365 Supply Chain Management Software Help in Maintaining a Healthy Supply Chain Flow?  Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain is an all-in-one Supply Chain ERP System evolved to manage trade, manufacturing, and complete supply chain processes. It competently collects and uses the data available to provide significant insights on upcoming opportunities and threats. What else does it provide?  Everything in One Space  Microsoft ERP for Supply Chain Management provides every functionality a retailer, manufacturer, or distributor needs on a single platform. This may include a complete range of tasks such as data management, inventory, planning, warehousing and transportation, procurement and sales, and integrated product management on the same platform. This Supply Chain Management Software allows detailed management and complete control based on reliable and complete operational information.   Input Chain Control   Many products may come from distant locations while engaging in long traveling hours. They may reach you via trucks, ships, planes, etc. and each of them may potentially delay the process. Earlier it was impossible to control every stage. However, today you can access data on your cargo processed by delivery, insurance, and services in electronic forms.   Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain allows you to register agreed routes and gain information about the product’s location at each stage. This way, you can correctly calculate the accurate date of its arrival at your warehouse, thus ensuring timely shipment to the customer.   Control Additional Costs    After adding delivery, processing at intermediate points, and insurance, imported goods cost 40% or even higher than the selling price of the supplier. D365 Supply Chain Management Software allows control of additional costs at every step of the complete supply chain to your warehouse with accurate costing of goods.   Every line in each order, regardless of complete or individual delivery, disparities in routes, or calculation methods will be calculated according to rules of cost allocations. Even if there is an unexpected occurring cost in between the process, it will reflect in your current route ensuring accurate calculations.  Reduce Costs with Power Platforms   Another development in current digital technology is the ability to develop small solutions or chatbots, combine software products, and produce interactive reports at a far lower cost of development and maintenance. And corporate customers have access to all of this with little to no participation from professional developers.  There are also specialized, pre-packaged boxed solutions for particular processes that link to Dynamics family products. Is there an added task in your industry that needs to be automated? You can find solutions in the AppSource Affiliate Store. You will probably be able to identify several proposals that have already been created and are suitable for usage with your system.  If you are looking for D365 Supply Chain ERP Implementation, you can contact Trident Information Systems, a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Gold Implementation Partner, and LS Central Diamond Partner.  

Shed Unpredictability, Labour Shortages, and Equipment Unpredictability with SCM software!  Read More »

ERP Software for eCommerce

How can Charity Retailers Select the Right POS and Unified Software Solution? 

Making the move or upgrading to a new version of Retail POS System or ERP Software for eCommerce affects every area of a retailer’s company. It can be much worse for charity merchants, who must account to their patrons for their running expenses. They must be able to justify any additional investments made to meet the increasing administrative load they currently confront, even if it is one of their largest expense centers.  But there is no longer a choice to do nothing. Charity merchants cannot afford to cling to antiquated procedures and outdated technology as they struggle to stay viable and deal with issues like multi-channel stock management, retaining supporters, and obtaining the largest gifts from frugal customers. The most discerning understand that the proper Retail POS Systems and Retail ERP software may relieve their pain. Several well-known charities, like Sue Ryder, Ten Thousand Villages, and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), have made the switch.  Ralph Larcombe, the manager of Sue Ryder’s EPOS systems in the United Kingdom, stated that the organization’s sole purpose in being there was to make money to fund its healthcare department and do good deeds. Therefore, getting value for their money was crucial to them when choosing a new IT system.  Sue Ryder chose to upgrade to the most recent version of LS Retail Software Solution. Their trustees reviewed the business case to ensure that the initiative would produce the anticipated return on investment (ROI). The organization is now benefiting from automated replenishment, improved data administration, intelligent reporting, and a simplified till that requires less training for new volunteers in terms of saving money and time.  How can ERP Software for eCommerce Manage Every Aspect of Your Charity Retail Store?  You will eventually lose sight of which parts of your business are doing well and which aren’t if your data is stored in silos across many databases and your channels don’t connect. Because of this, charity retailers want ERP Software for eCommerce that gives them a clear picture of their data, complete control over their business, and real-time data on goods, sales, and customers for all of their physical and online stores.  LS Retail Management Software is now used by the UK charity RHS to power several retail sites. The software is used by the corporation to handle its supply chain, sales orders, order fulfillment, and finance for its retail and sales operations. RHS is equipped with all the tools necessary to manage:  Retail Activities throughout the garden centers.   Finances, except charitable finances.   Inventory, e-commerce sales, gifts, and books.   Events.   Data on products, customers, and sales.  How Does it Help You Manage Volunteers and Employees?  Charity shops by definition have a high worker turnover rate. The majority of retailers often use volunteers of various ages, who must be recruited, employed, instructed, and managed. Therefore, having cutting-edge Retail Point of Sale Systems that is simple to use, need little training, and can simply organize employee schedules is a priceless tool for your nonprofit organization.  A straightforward and easy-to-use Point of Sale System was important to Sue Ryder when choosing a new retail system.  EPOS Systems Manager Larcombe remarked, “Having a till that is straightforward, transparent, clean, and easy to use, is of enormous importance to us. After a brief 45-minute training session, the volunteers at the Sue Ryder stores—some of whom are seniors without any prior retail experience—can use the till with ease. Our volunteers may practice without actually doing transactions in the training mode on the LS Retail till, and they often pick it up pretty fast.”  How Strong Business Analytics and Embedded Power BI can Provide Better Visibility?  Do you fully comprehend what is occurring throughout your network of charity shops? Data analytics may be useful, especially for the price and assortment optimization, if you want to quickly identify the goods and places that are generating the most money and where you should take action. Although you may add these sophisticated features to your Retail Management System, it is more cost-effective to have them integrated into the ERP Software for eCommerce as opposed to using a separate software solution that you’ll need to operate, pay for, and keep up to date.  Managers at Ten Thousand Villages now have far better visibility into what is happening thanks to clever ERP Software for eCommerce and a centralized source of data. They can act on opportunities and fix problems in real-time, even on the busiest retail days, thanks to a Power BI dashboard that pulls data straight from the Retail ERP. Hence improving sales performance.  Today, a lot of charity retailers work with ERP Software for eCommerce such as LS Retail Software Solution. If you want to implement this solution, you can Contact Trident Information Systems. We are Microsoft Dynamics 365 Gold Partner and LS Central Diamond Partner. With a strong track of accomplishments of 22+ years, we have partnered with various renowned businesses across the world.  

How can Charity Retailers Select the Right POS and Unified Software Solution?  Read More »

AX to D365 Upgrade

Why Should You Upgrade from Dynamics AX to Cloud? 

Relying on outdated technology pushes you back in the race. You become incompetent and your rivals make money out of it. Many businesses postpone upgrades as they feel uncomfortable shifting to modern technology. However, little do they realize that they are pushing themselves back. Businesses working with AX fear the same discomfort and tend to postpone the AX to D365 Upgrade.  One of the major reasons why it is recommended to Upgrade AX to D365 Finance and Operation is the end of its lift support. Many of the AX versions are already out of support and a few have extended support till January 2023. Hence, it is best to hurry up and Upgrade AX to D365.  Other Reasons for AX to D365 Upgrade   Lack of suitability for large-size businesses. It may not even be a good match for small-sized businesses either.   Despite being comprehensive, its dependency on partner channels and ISV may add time to the deployment, hence increasing the total cost of ownership.  Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud ERP options have a limited reach which can increase costs if partners are hosting the software.  Hence, it is clear that AX is not suitable for every business size, unlike Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations. It is not as scalable as a growing business may need and may even become expensive at times.   Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations is both cloud-based and on-premises. Hence, you can choose the solution you prefer. However, cloud-based solutions are more convenient, flexible, and agile. For instance, in an on-premises solution, your data is backed up in a local server, when you feel like increasing your storage, you will have to install a new server from scratch. But in the cloud, all you have to do is push command and your storage shall increase. Furthermore, it is easier to manage cloud storage than a local server.   Other benefits you can experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain include:   High-end Security: D365 ensures high-end security from hacking, malware, viruses, and other threats. Contrary to the old beliefs, the cloud has now become more secure than ever as its credentials are continuously monitored and attacked by Microsoft 24/7. With over 3000 security experts by Microsoft, you can assure bank-level security.   Low Cost of Ownership: When you no longer have to invest in hardware, maintenance, service management, staff training, and upgrades, imagine how much you are saving. With AX to D365 Upgrade, your cost of upgrade with a limit to testing and validation, hence removing every other IT-centric work. You do not even have to re-train your staff after an upgrade except for new features if any.   Remote Accessibility: one of the major benefits of AX to D365 Upgrade is its remote accessibility. Upgrading to a cloud-based platform allows accessibility on any device. Since your business apps are standardized by Microsoft, they can function seamlessly with a single sign-on and are integrated out of the box.  Effortless Latest Version Installation: As soon as you leap to the cloud, any subsequent platform will be automatically updated every three months. The application on the other hand will update every six months. Dynamics 365 provides update reminders from 7, 15, 30, and 90 days before the upgrade. You can even postpone upgrades by 12 months from the release date. Minor upgrades take place without disrupting your business operations, and for major updates, you will be updated prior.   No/Low Training Required: Since Microsoft uses the same functionalities, you do not have to spend much time learning the software. You can start working right away and boost efficiency at the same time. The core business logic you use has been transferred to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations, but the interface is updated.   Adaptability: AX to D365 Upgrade gives you enough flexibility to mix match apps and personalize your experience while increasing profitability. The best part is that the user experience of these apps is equally intuitive. For instance, you can leverage sales and field service along with Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations providing the ultimate growth platform.   Upgrade Dynamics AX to D365 and ensure the most agile, flexible, and secured features. If you wish to for an upgrade, you can Contact Trident Information Systems, a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Gold Implementation Partner and LS Central Diamond Partner. 

Why Should You Upgrade from Dynamics AX to Cloud?  Read More »

LS Retail ERP

How Can Supermarkets Reduce Food Waste?

Have you ever realized how much food your business is wasting every year? Probably more than you realize! It contributes to the waste management burdens on a significant level globally. According to The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, wasted food costs add up to US$936 billion a year. It is burdening the food management system and causing major threats to global issues like climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. The UN is urging countries across the globe to cut the waste in half by 2030. ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning) like LS Retail ERP have proven itself to be effective in tackling this situation. It is recommended to contact LS Retail Gold Partners as they are backed up with a strong track record.   It is shocking to note that the United Kingdom alone is throwing away food that makes up to 190 million meals a year. The edible surplus is going into animal feeds, landfills, or plants.   Food wastage is a global issue that needs to be tackled as quickly as possible, but it also needs a balancing strategy as well. By their very nature, supermarkets tend to stock up varied materials with different shelf lives and end up throwing up food that is no longer considered fresh. They need to find a suitable solution to guide them in buying relevant items in relevant amounts while fulfilling customer demands and providing fresh material at all costs.  We have compiled a list of solutions for you to minimize waste as much as possible.  #1 Manage Expiry Dates Properly   One of the major factors leading to food waste is expiry dates. It has been estimated that 87% of food that is wasted from grocery stores is because of them having to dispose of expired products.   The first thing that the stores can do is to educate their customers about what exactly the expiry date means. Many consumers do know the difference between sell-by, used-by, and best before dates. However, there are still people who are confused between them. Thus, supermarkets can assist buyers by standardizing this information while addressing it to their customers in clear and simple formats.   Supermarkets are also inclining towards software such as LS Retail ERP that can track expiry dates and help them create discounts and exclusive offers on individual items that are about to expire, so they can be sold while reducing food wastage. Tools like Dynamics Pricing grab customer attention and encourage them to purchase near-to-expire items over fresh products.   #2 Analyze Waste Patterns with LS Retail ERP  LS Retail ERP specialized in collecting and analyzing waste. Even Grocery stores these days are realizing the importance of collecting data from different touchpoints like their eCommerce site, vendor data, smart shelves, and loyalty programs. However, there are still some who prefer to operate on spreadsheets or paper printouts. By doing so, they miss capturing essential data which could deliver special insight to boost their efficiency and profit at the same time.   By optimizing demand planning and advanced data analytics solutions, they can use the collected and big data to predict demand, identify waste patterns, and order exactly the amount they need.   #3 Shift to Modern Appliances   According to a study conducted by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the grocery retail sector sucks up to 2% of the globally used energy, which is even more than what data centers across the world consume. Energy and asset monitoring solutions throughout the stores play a key role for engineering solutions worldwide food system (which is under massive pressure)  The key challenge is to maintain food quality and safety while using the least amount of energy. Modern refrigerators can help significantly with this as they are reliable and keep food at the current temperature. LS Retail ERP can take this a step ahead with its essential and actionable insights on how to enhance energy performance.   FAO declares that over the past 5 years alone, ERP Solutions have managed to save up to US$37 million (about $0.11 per person in the US) by reducing food waste.   #4Train Your Staff to Cut Food Waste   The food and packaging damage is most likely to occur during the transition phase. One of the most common mistakes that staff members make is to place heavy objects right over the easily breakable or easily bruised produce such as eggs and fresh fruits. This can end the writing of the entire box of fresh produce. This affair is very costly.   Food retailers can avoid scenarios like this by professionally training their staff. Getting staff on board and introducing methods to curb food waste can bring a meaningful change.   For Instance, in Germany, Metro Cash and Carry staff is trained in all aspects of food safety and hygiene while storing, processing, and storing. Thus, reducing loss of food and a greater volume of marketable products.   #5 Donate the Surplus   One of the best things supermarkets can do to reduce food waste is to donate their surplus for human consumption. In the UK, the top ten supermarket chains are donating less than 6% of their surplus for human consumption.   A representative of Tesco, the UK supermarket that gives away the highest surplus of its surplus food quotes “We first published our food waste data in 2013 and believe that only by understanding the hotspots can we reduce waste” then he also mentioned “Our priority is to reduce this surplus through optimizing our forecasting, ordering and ‘reduce to clear’ processes. Our target is that no food safe for human consumption will be wasted and [if you deduct 16,497 tons sent to animal feed and 9,661 tons given to colleagues] we are now 77% of the way there.” To achieve this, they used LS Retail ERP.   Conclusion   The world’s food issues need a radical solution throughout the supply chain. Using technology like LS Retail ERP can track inventory and its expiry date as well as provide meaningful insight to help you reduce waste could bring a significant difference. This Retail Management Software is one

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AX to D365 Upgrade

It’s High Time to Upgrade Your AX 2012 to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations 

Today, almost all businesses leverage technology to surpass one another. When technology comes with exceptional benefits, it makes the competition harder. Hence, the one with the latest technology is most likely to win. As Microsoft mainstream support for 2012 ended in October 2021, businesses must Upgrade AX to D365. Nevertheless, this is not the only reason to upgrade.   In the era where the cloud rules, businesses running on on-premises technology will fall behind. In addition, Microsoft has stopped its AX 2012 upgrades, which means your services will become more and more irrelevant with time.   Some major drawbacks businesses already witness include:   Microsoft Dynamics AX is not a good choice for small-scale businesses. It majorly supports midsize to large-scale businesses.   Even Though this solution is very flexible and can be customized according to certain market needs, the dependency on ISV and partner channels can heavily cut your ROI.   You cannot get enough Cloud ERP and SaaS options if you run this software on-premises.  Upgrade AX to D365 to Get Exceptional Services   Given below are the top outstanding services you will get after D365 Migration:   Web-and-cloud Based Solutions   One of the major factors promoting AX to D365 Upgrade is its infrastructure. On one side, D365 AX is an on-premises version, which means the business will have to host it on a privately owned server. And on the other hand, Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations is a cloud-based solution that runs by and on Microsoft Azure. The fact that cloud-based solutions are entitled to more advanced, agile, and flexible solutions makes the difference. Your business needs to become agile and flexible with suitable tools to thrive in this ever-changing market.  One of the greatest benefits of cloud-based solutions is that you do not have to manage the entire ecosystem yourself. Your service provider is responsible for all your upgrades and updates. AX to D365 Finance and Operations Upgrade will support your software on any browser and OS wherever you want.   Consistent Upgrades   Upgrade AX to D365 to get a consistent iterative list of upgrades. The best part is you can install or disable whatever feature you like. You can even pause three upgrades in a row with no fuss. Make your software feature-rich and powerful, and access only the tools you need. Not to mention, this will also save your IT team a bulk of their time.   Since the updates are automatic, your IT team doesn’t have to engage there. Assign them other development projects that count. AX to D365 Finance and Supply Chain Management Upgrade ensures you are on the most up-to-date technology.   Extensively Innovative Tools   If you Upgrade AX to D365 Finance and Operations, you can tap into a plethora of different tools and features designed for different industries. Microsoft is said to have 3700 vertical solutions crafted for different industries. Associated features include human resource management, manufacturing management, purchasing management, inventory management, sales management, quality management, and product technology.   Combining all these features on the same platform presents Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations: an ERP solution that supports every business type, size, and industry.   Intuitive Interface   One of the most noticeable differences between Dynamics AX and Dynamics F&O is their user interface. AX has a standard user interface that can only be used via desktops. Dynamics AX, however, has a friendly user interface and can be used via different browsers, and mobile devices which encourage remote work and support anywhere access.   Additionally, after the AX to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations upgrade, the user can access workspaces where they can create custom queues and links to get them through day-to-day tasks.   On-demand Scalability   Upgrade AX to D365 and get scaling capabilities whenever and wherever you need them. In contrast to Dynamics AX where scalability was a big concern, Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations gives you the flexibility you need in a growing business. Furthermore, it is excellent to support your business in a rapidly changing environment.   You don’t even have to make a single upfront investment; you can pay in monthly subscriptions too. You can initially get the very minimum service package and increase resources as per need.   If you are looking forward to Upgrade AX to D365, you must get a suitable partner first. It is suggested to choose from a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Gold Implementation Partner. It’s perfect if they are old enough in the market, such as Trident Information Systems. We are a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Gold Implementation Partner and LS Central Diamond Implementation Partner. With a robust track of accomplishments, we have gathered impressive clientage and helped them thrive in the market. If you want to add yourself to the list, Contact Us.  

It’s High Time to Upgrade Your AX 2012 to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations  Read More »

How the self-service trend is transforming restaurants

Modern consumer places a huge value on convenience. A recent report by the National Retail Federation found that 97% of consumers have backed out of a purchase just because it was inconvenient for them. And in quick service restaurants, figures show that lengthy queues can be off-putting: almost three out of four guests say they would leave if there were seven people in line. More than nine out of ten said they would go elsewhere if there were more than 10 people queuing before them. Taking the example of supermarkets, which have successfully alleviated queues with self-service checkouts, fast food brands are now adopting touch-screen self-service kiosks. And as more report the positive impact of these kiosks, adoption is rapidly taking off. The rise of self-service kiosks McDonald’s now has self-service kiosks in all 14,000 of its US restaurants. When it began rolling them out in 2017, it said its intention was to enhance the customer experience by speeding up ordering time, reducing human error and allowing for easier order customizations. Almost three years on, McDonald’s is living proof of the success of self-service kiosks. During its 2019 Q2 earnings call, CEO Steve Easterbrook said the chain is seeing impressive incremental sales rises from its use of kiosks. “As we convert the restaurants, we’re getting an incremental sales lift from that, some of which will come through growing and increasing use of the self-order kiosks where we generate higher average checks,” he said. Interestingly, not only are self-service kiosks delivering on consumer desire for ultimate convenience, they’re altering behavior too. As the use of the technology grows, self-ordering has been demonstrated to boost sales by increasing the average order size per customer, while at the same time lowering costs in the restaurant by improving efficiency. There are some compelling statistics to illustrate the impact. When the Dodgers Stadium concession stands in the US tried out new self-service kiosks, the average order size increased by 20%. Similarly, Subway noted that kiosks encourage more consumers to purchase add-ons and generally spend more. The traditional experience Lee heads to his local Easy Burger for lunch. He isn’t a regular customer so he doesn’t know the menu well. It’s a busy Friday afternoon in the restaurant and as he joins the queue he starts scanning the menu board behind the counter to see what he would like. When he gets to the front, he still isn’t quite sure what he wants and spends a few more moments deciding. By this point he’s a bit flustered. He doesn’t want to hold up the queue, so he quickly orders the standard burger meal with no cheese and large fries. It’s noisy in the kitchen, and the server asks Lee to repeat his order. She presses the buttons on the cash register to input Lee’s choice, and politely waits for him to decide which drink he’d like before finalizing the order and taking his payment. This all takes place in the midst of noises coming from the kitchen, voices of customers waiting, and general pressure from people standing in line waiting for their turn. It’s clear to see that there are several opportunities for mistakes, delays and general frustration from both the customer and the cashier. The self-service experience What would the same scenario look like with a self-service kiosk? Again, Lee heads to Easy Burger to pick up his lunch. It’s busy, but Lee heads to a self-service kiosk, where he doesn’t have to queue to place his order. Lee hasn’t actually used one of these kiosks before, but because it looks just like a large version of his mobile phone and all the menu items are clearly labelled, he has no qualms about trying out the technology. With nobody standing behind him putting pressure on him to quickly place his order, Lee feels he can take the time he needs to choose his lunch. He scrolls through the menu and takes in the appealing pictures of food, drinks, and add-on items. He ends up trying out a new meal deal and customizes his burger (no pickles, extra onions and mushrooms), adding the curly fries with cheese – they look too good not to try them. It’s a pleasant, stress free experience. After selecting the items, Lee taps his credit card on the contactless card reader and heads to the counter to wait for his order. He can clearly see his order on the screen above him, so he know there are five orders before his – a bit of a wait, but not too much, before it’s ready. A few minutes later, his number is called out. He picks up his food and heads straight to a clean, empty table. That’s another added bonus. With fewer employees required at the counter, they can spend more time in the kitchen, speeding up food preparation, and on the floor, making sure the restaurant stays clean and tidy. Embracing the trend with LS Central Restaurants are embracing the trend in different ways. Some are buying self-service kiosks running systems and interfaces separate from what is used across the rest of restaurant. This decision entails a lot of extra work, as these systems will have to be integrated with the IT setup, and then updated and maintained individually over time. Thankfully, there is another option. If you selected a unified restaurant management solution like LS Central, you enable customers to order and check out for themselves using the exact same POS system that cashiers use at the manned tills. This wouldn’t be possible with many other restaurant management systems because they are too complicated, and can’t be used effectively without previous training. Not LS Central. There are more benefits, too. You can easily amend and customize the looks of the kiosk to suit your needs. Just as you would customize the POS, you can change interface and menu options to suit your branding, and apply the changes across all your locations – no headache of setting up the brand look for each individual kiosks. Simple menu customization also means you have the

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