Point of Sale Equipment - types of input devices 

Point of Sale (POS) Equipment: Keyboards and touch screens

Choosing which input devices to use as your POS equipment is one of the first things you may want to consider since it greatly affects your restaurants functionality. Going for a touch screen or a programmable keyboard depends entirely on its purpose. The only market where programmable keyboards are mostly used is grocery stores, since it has the ability to program individual keys for specific item codes and prices.

Touch screens are more intuitive to use than keyboards for many users. Touch screens also provides flexibility in the user interface and programming, where it eliminates costly staff training. You will find most touch screens these days are based on flat-screen LCDs instead of traditional CRT monitors. While LCD touch screens are a bit more expensive (typically $600 - $1,000 instead of $400 - $500), they are sturdier, saves electricity, and space-saving. They even look much better. With both CRT and LCD displays, avoid touch screens that are overlayed on top of regular monitors - they are more prone to breakdowns and add an unnecessary complication to your system.

For keyboards, some has the standard 101-keys model similar to any computer. For smaller keyboards, there’s the flat-panel membrane keyboard that’s more POS-specific, you often see on fast food chains. Often, they come in with built-in magnetic stripe readers for debit card processing. Programmable keyboards usually go for between $150 and $300.

No matter which you choose, just make sure to take in consideration the environment where you want place it. You can find both keyboards and touch screens available in the market that has varying levels of spills and dusts proofing.

Scanners
All scanners work in the same basic manner, reading a bar code and sends the information back to the computer. Typically, scanners connect to the system through Y-connectors called wedges that make them function as an extension of the keyboard. Bar code scanning improves speed and accuracy during checkout.

Low quality scanners are based on CCD technology. They cost less, but usually have limitations - an item being scanned needs to be 1 to 3 inches from the scanner. In a typical retail setting, it should be fine.

Laser scanners uses a beam of light in order to read bar codes, they offer much better scanning ability since they are able to scan at long ranges. You may find some laser scanners that automatically turn themselves on when scanning and then turn off again, this is called “autosensing”. Omnidirectional scanners send out 15 or 20 lasers simultaneously, which can easily scan a bar code from any angle. And the top of the line are embedded scanners, which are omnidirectional scanners that are positioned below a counter, commonly seen in supermarkets.

Properly use different types of scanners to serve customers. If you do not usually have more than a customer or two in line,. In a fairly constant flow of customers you might want to use an autosensing model for speeding up sales transactions, and for businesses with high volume of traffic, they should check out omnidirectional or embedded scanners. Prices range from below 0 for the most basic CCD scanners to 0 or more for omnidirectional laser scanners.

Handheld POS terminal
One of the latest and clever type of input device is the handheld, wireless terminal. Essentially a PDA, it can easily take orders and transmits it wirelessly it back to a base station. A great advantage for restaurants is that they increase the amount of time servers spend on taking orders on the floor and interacting with customers, because they never have to go back to a terminal to enter orders.

Newer still are write-on handhelds: think about combining touch screens with PDAs, this tiny input device allow servers to simply write the orders down. Handwriting recognition software parses the order then sends it on to the kitchen and bar to prepare the orders.

Handheld terminals are understandably more expensive than traditional touch-screen order terminals. However they can make up for the cost by up-selling customers with more desserts and drinks. If you are evaluating handheld terminals, make sure you ask about the “drop test” - each units are rated for toughness according to how much they can survive a fall. You can easily find out if your business is a candidate for handheld POS terminals by comparing multiple POS equipment vendors and check out their offered products and services.

For more info and free POS quotes or perhaps an online resource?

Go to POS-For-Restaurants.com

The author of this article is the Vice-President of Customer Relations at POS-For-Restaurants with over 20 years of experience serving restaurants of all types throughout the U.S.