It depends on the kind of POS. A traditional till keeps its software and sales on the machine behind the counter, so it works without the internet. A cloud POS keeps your menu, sales and reports online, so it needs a connection for most things, but a good one keeps taking some sales when the Wi-Fi drops.
What matters is knowing exactly what stops working in an outage, before the outage happens on a Saturday lunchtime.
What usually needs a connection
On almost any cloud POS, these wait for the internet:
- Card payments taken through the POS, because the payment has to reach the card processor.
- QR table ordering and online orders, because customers' phones send the order over the internet.
- Menu and price changes reaching every device.
- Reports you read away from the venue.
A stand-alone card machine with its own SIM card can keep taking cards when your broadband is down, which is one reason many venues keep one.
What a good cloud POS does offline
Look for an offline mode that:
- Opens and keeps selling on a device that has been used before, even if the internet is already down.
- Takes cash and records the sale with a receipt number.
- Stores the sales safely on the device and uploads them when the connection returns, without losing or duplicating any.
- Tells a manager about anything odd once it syncs, such as a price that changed while the till was offline.
Ask a supplier to show you this, not just describe it. Switch off the Wi-Fi in the demo and try to take a sale.
How to plan for an outage
- Use a dependable connection at the counter. A wired connection or a router close to the till drops less often than a weak Wi-Fi signal.
- Keep a backup. A phone hotspot or a 4G router can carry a tablet POS through most outages.
- Keep a float of change so you can take cash when cards are not working.
- Decide how the kitchen hears about orders if tickets stop printing: a pad by the pass is fine.
- Tell staff the plan before the day it is needed.
How Café QR handles it
The Café QR till runs in a web browser. Once it has been opened on a device with a connection, it opens and keeps selling on that device when the internet drops. Offline it takes cash and your own payment types. Each offline sale gets a provisional OFFLINE receipt number and is kept on the device, then uploads when the connection returns, and anything odd, such as a price change or a sold-out item, is flagged for a manager.
Card payments, tabs, gift cards and anything needing a manager's PIN wait for the connection. Offline sales do not send a kitchen ticket, and QR, online and kiosk ordering need a connection, so plan for a dependable internet connection at the counter.