How to Automate POS Order Entry from Restaurant Delivery Apps and Phone Orders

Entering orders into the point of sale system introduces a point of error into the restaurant experience: hitting the wrong pizza size button, adding parmesan cheese instead of provolone, plain forgetting to add fried zucchini stick. 

Automated POS order entry can circumvent all these potential errors and be a time (and profit) saver. But only if you approach it in the right way.

How exactly should POS order automation be set up? We’re so glad you asked.

In this guide, you’ll discover how to:

• Automate POS order entry from popular delivery platforms like Uber Eats and DoorDash using the power of order aggregation software
• Leverage the latest in phone order automation technology to reclaim hours of labor each week
• Use POS systems with native third-party integration to help your business thrive

Let’s begin.

The Pros and Cons of Order Aggregation Software

Order aggregation software (OAS) is a great place to start when simplifying your restaurant operations.

These platforms (think: ItsaCheckmate, Lunchbox, Deliver) act as middleware between your POS and third-party platforms — connecting the dots so all of your orders get aggregated in one place. This saves you time, reduces manual input errors, and means you’re less likely to lose orders.

But not all OAS platforms are created equal. Here are some of the pitfalls you need to watch out for:

• They’re usually geared toward delivery platforms. 
• They don’t always include integrations with other ordering channels (like Google Maps ordering, or mobile app providers, etc), so you still have to deal with manual re-entry on some orders.
• OAS integrations are non-native. They can break, or the data might not be clean when it gets to your POS, which leads to problems with your inventory, reporting, and analytics. 
• You may have to pay extra fees for each integration, which adds up quickly.

Trying to avoid these pitfalls? There is a better way — POS systems with native third-party integrations. We’ll expand on those at the end of this article. For now, let’s zoom in on another way to automate order entry: phone automation.

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How OrderAI Can Automate Phone Orders for Your Restaurant

Phone order technology is another popular way to automate POS entry and save on labor.

OrderAI was designed for this exact scenario. OrderAI uses artificial intelligence to answer phone calls, take orders, and process payments. Best of all, it connects to your HungerRush POS system natively — so you don’t have to worry about manually inputting phone orders ever again.

“On a Tuesday, OrderAI may save half a person’s worth of labor. But on a Friday night, it could be as much as six people per local store. These are for roles we couldn’t keep filled anyway, so franchisees don’t have to fight the labor shortage as much and they’re seeing better profits in their stores.” –Aaron Nilsson, CIO of Jet’s Pizza

OrderAI reduces labor costs and frees up your staff from answering phones. It’s a straightforward solution for restaurants that want to automate phone order entry. However, it requires a HungerRush POS system to work.

Discover: What We Learned Handling 5 Million AI Phone Bot Orders at Restaurants 

Automate the Boring Stuff, with POS

Our final piece of advice? Try a POS system with native third-party integrations that can handle orders from various channels without hassle. 

This kind of POS system communicates directly with the platforms that you use to sell your food. With native integrations, you don’t have to manually re-enter anything. The orders automatically appear in your POS system and update your inventory and sales data.

These systems connect to popular platforms like DoorDash, Google, Shopify, and QuickBooks. They also offer features like payment processing, loyalty programs, marketing tools, analytics, and so on. 

Here are some of the pros and cons:

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The All-in-One POS System for Restaurants

It’s 2023, and you shouldn’t have to put up with the hassle and expense of manual order entry anymore.

Modern restaurateurs like you are using solutions like HungerRush to eliminate human error, improve labor efficiency, and increase customer satisfaction. 

Joining them is easier than you think.

Request a demo and see what HungerRush can do for you today.

“With a company like HungerRush, scalability became a non-issue because once we had it down at one Fajita Pete’s, we were able to take that model, treat it as a module, and plug it into our next stores.” –Pedro “Pete” Mora, CEO of Fajita Pete’s

The post How to Automate POS Order Entry from Restaurant Delivery Apps and Phone Orders appeared first on HungerRush.