Grapevine 16

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Cocktail tales, surprise spot checks & other top tips

Points of view The GS team has extensive frontline operating experience adding value to the services we can offer growing businesses > pages 4 & 5

How to make your EPOS solution work harder for you by subscribing to Get Smarter > pages 6 & 7

Grapevine

Issue 16 Spring/Summer 2012

The newsletter for GS Systems’ customers

Licensed to automate

VIVA GS: EPOS PROCEDURES SAVE THOUSANDS EVERY MONTH !

GS Systems has installed an EPOS solution for the innovative ‘all you can eat’ Viva Brazil steakhouse brand, which has two restaurants in Glasgow and Liverpool with additional outlets in the pipeline.

Launched by a team led by Mancunian restauranteur and entrepreneur Andy Aldrich, Viva Brazil has installed a GS front of house and back office system to give the business the necessary management control and business intelligence to create a platform for growth.

Andy, who was the mastermind behind the Beluga and Champagne Bars brands amongst several others, attributes the success of his businesses to a relationship with GS that stretches back for more than a decade.

Improved margins “We are only a very small company – yet we will turnover nearly £5m this year. A lot of this is down to the control and ease of use of our systems,” he said.

“The GS solution gives us multi-site usage with remote management control, covering the entire package from stock takes to the emailing of orders. Everything is more accountable and easier to run.”

“For example, the procedures set in place for weekly internal stock takes have improved margins year on year and have reduced losses by nearly £1000 per week at retail,” said Andy.

“The system’s audit trail enables us to instantly spot and immediately rectify any bar or restaurant discrepancies,

GS Systems has installed an EPOS solution to fully automate Salford City Council’s licensing department. The council issues thousands of licenses each year for dozens of different activities ranging from taxis and private hire to landlord licensing and amusement arcades.

Previously manually-run licensing offices are now automated to give the council a full audit trail of every single transaction.

The EPOS solution streamlines and speeds up license applications, renewals and payments while also interfacing with the council’s financial systems.

This new commission follows the automation of the council’s register offices.

GS also has EPOS solutions in other council outlets, including Ordsall Hall, Salford Museum & Art Gallery, with its intriguing mix of Victorian and 20th century architecture, the Humphrey Booth cafe and Buile Hill Park garden centre.

STOP PRESS Viva Brazil has 15 different types of meat available including cap of rump, sirloin steak, garlic sirloin, top sirloin, flank steak, beef ribs, pork tenderloin, pork loin with parmesan cheese, home-made pork sausage and traditional Brazilian sausages.

an essential business tool in an industry notorious for theft and under-ringing. By following GS procedures, we’re virtually eliminating these loopholes.”

Continued on page 3

Baa Bar signs up with GS Baa Bar, a popular late night city centre bar brand, has selected GS Systems to provide an EPOS solution for the fast growing chain. There are currently nine outlets in Liverpool, Manchester and Nottingham with a 10th site opening in Liverpool’s Victoria Street in April.

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2 News GS adds bite to Black Dog’s winning formula A multi award-winning bar in Manchester’s Northern Quarter has selected an EPOS solution from GS Systems to control its busy front of house and back office operation.

The iconic Black Dog Ballroom bar, open daily from noon until 4am, offers gourmet burgers and pizzas, draught beers, cocktails and pool tables as well as hosting special events like an evening with Howard Marks.

Winner of Manchester Confidential’s 2011 Bar of the Year, the success of the NYC speakeasy style bar concept will see the brand rolled out with the addition of two new sites this year.

Black Dog’s expansion plans will be helped by the controls provided by the GS EPOS solution according to general manager Martin Taylor.

“As an expanding business, with a site opening in May and another later in the year, the facilities that GS offers for multi site operations in terms of reporting, stock controls and ordering will be invaluable,” he said.

“The GS EPOS solution gives us great control of till systems from a back of house perspective. Offering an easy to use system to control and report on stock is invaluable. We can monitor sales both in a ‘live’ situation as well as accessing historical data.”

“Operationally, we have been able to report closely on stock levels, perform weekly stock takes as well as daily line checks. These procedures are vital for maintaining stock levels, good GPs and enable me to report to my directors clearly and concisely.”

GS has worked closely with the Black Dog team to ensure

The Black Dog Ballroom has collected two major pub of the year awards from Manchester Confidential and City Life in the past two years - and is rolling out the concept in 2012. The iconic bar is open noon until 4am and serves food until 1am.

the EPOS solution is fully implemented and supported, help that is appreciated by Martin.

“Whether it is a daily task of setting up and modifying our back of house capabilities or giving us immediate out of hours assistance, GS has been there for us,” he said.

“Black Dog’s approach is the blueprint for growing hospitality businesses, successfully giving customers a memorable guest experience while also running a really tight operation and enforcing procedures to ensure they optimise the impact of the EPOS solution,” said GS operations director, Richard Tarran.

Argyll Holidays teams up with GS Systems GS Systems has installed an EPOS solution for Argyll Holidays to give the business greater control, improve the guest experience and encourage up-selling at three of its Scottish holiday adventure parks.

EPOS solutions have been installed at three sites in the Argyll portfolio, including in two hotels, bars and restaurants, two leisure centres and children’s play areas in west Scotland.

“We are after better stock control and financial management in what can be a complex business,” said Argyll Holidays director Roy Campbell. “We need to have effective financial systems in place to make sure we’re tracking our cash, stock, such as fish and meat where prices vary weekly, and sales, while ensuring we’re hitting our margins.”

“Just as important as the right control mechanisms, we have to make sure we give value for money. The holiday market, especially in the current economic climate, is very much about value and creating a superb guest experience. For that reason, we’ve introduced handheld ordering to speed up purchasing. This not only enables staff to up-sell and reduces queues but also ensures staff who are good at selling don’t spend half their time going back and forth to the kitchen.”

“Throughout the process, GS has been very good,

addressing all our issues positively and focusing on a very consultative approach,” said Roy. “Our solution will maximise margins and profits by

implementing controls and procedures back of house while also providing the platform for slicker front of house operations. We’ve worked closely with Roy and the team to create a better guest experience and to encourage a higher per head spend at the parks.

Additional tools also include loyalty and handheld terminals,” said GS Systems managing director, Niels Nielsen.

Argyll Holidays wants greater business control and a better guest experience for three sites in west Scotland and asked GS to install the technology to achieve these goals.

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News New York style inspires Brooklyn’s desire for dining in New Brighton

3

GS snapshots.....

Brooklyn's is a new restaurant brand launched in New Brighton and inspired by the spirit of the New York dining experience - although the operation is driven by technology from closer to home as GS Systems is providing the EPOS solution.

Located at Marine Point with stunning waterside views of the Mersey and Liverpool Bay, Brooklyn’s simple philosophy, according to general manager Mike Meyers, is to recreate the authentic New York dining experience in the UK, appealing to the whole family with a menu that reflects the range, quality and value of the best diners in the Big Apple.

“It seems that on almost every street in New York there is a great diner that is open long hours with a fantastic menu choice offering high quality food and good value.

To find places to eat like this in the UK is the exception rather than the rule so we’re looking to change that perception, starting in New Brighton,” said Mike.

Consultative approach “Inspired by the best in New York, Brooklyn’s has invested in the best architecture, interior design and IT technology to ensure we more than satisfy our desire to give our customers the best possible experience whenever they visit us. The result is a launch that has exceeded our original expectations and bodes well for the future as we prove the concept and roll it out elsewhere.”

Real-time reports and intelligence “A combined front-of-house and back office solution provides us with all the real time reports and intelligence we need to assess how we are doing and ensure we hit our sales, margins and profit targets,” he said.

“We’re very happy with the system and the professionalism offered by GS. They have been extremely flexible and taken into account we’re a fledgling business. A consultative approach based on showing us the benefits of EPOS is extremely enlightening.

What’s more, GS has been fantastic right across the board in terms of attention to detail and the way they

Brooklyn’s appeals to the whole family as well as the New Brighton’s busy business community.

look after us. Niels, Richard, Ann and the rest of the team have done a great job for us.”

"Working with inspired new concepts like Brooklyn's is great because we can instil best practice procedures from the start so Brooklyn's can optimise the benefits of the technology faster," said Richard Tarran, GS Systems operations director.

GS goes to college with Aquinas GS Systems has supplied an EPOS solution for the catering facilities at a sixth form educational establishment in Stockport, Aquinas College.

The EPOS system enables the college’s catering team, headed by catering manager Simon Cheadle, to manage and control pricing, daily specials and discounted items while also recording what is and is not selling. There is also the option to add a cashless function in the future as the catering operation develops.

“The EPOS system will help us improve our procedures and establish set menus for the students.

Equally, it will contribute greatly towards my main aims of breaking even with the costs and to keep the catering operation moving forward,” said Simon.

VIVA BRAZIL continued from page 1 Future plans for the solution include creating links between the sites and head office for reporting and importing data in to Viva Brazil’s accounting software.

“This next step with the solution saves us several hours administration per week and allows us to grow the business without increasing our head count.”

Andy, who is planning to launch other Viva Brazil outlets as the brand grows, appreciates the input from GS. “I have worked with GS for over 11 years as a business owner and can honestly say that the service the people provide is excellent. Obviously in our business there are always times when we make mistakes or are late doing things but GS has never let me down when I have needed

Manchester’s original riverside pub, the Mark Addy, reopened in 2009 by executive head chef Robert Owen Brown (above), has installed a GS EPOS solution at the award winning bar, which came second to the Feathers Inn, Northumbria, in the Great British Gastropubs awards.

work doing in a time sensitive situation. I have a great working relationship with many of the team and love their work ethic,” said Andy.

“Andy and the Viva Brazil team have been incredibly successful since the launches of the two outlets in Glasgow and Liverpool. They are seeing the benefits of investing in technology and software and implementing all the relevant procedures to ensure they optimise the solution’s capabilities,” said GS Systems managing director, Niels Nielsen. "Just as important, this is definitive proof of the benefits of establishing long-term business relationships built on genuine mutual respect."

GS Systems has supplied the San Carlo Group, one of the UK’s busiest high turnover restaurant groups, with EPOS solutions for new restaurants in Leeds city centre and Roundhay and Cicchetti (pronounced chi-KET-tee), located on the House of Fraser’s ground floor in Manchester.

Living Ventures has opened four contrasting concepts - The Alchemist (above), The Oast House, Australasia and Peppermint Bay - in Spinningfields, Manchester. All four have EPOS solutions provided

by GS Systems, who supply ongoing support and consultancy for the Knutsford-based hospitality specialists, who also own the Gusto, Blackhouse and Red Door brands.

*****

GS has also supplied EPOS solutions for the Pointing Dog, Cheadle Hulme, the latest concept launched by Ged Lynch’s Felicini chain, the Almond Family Pubs’ Puss in Boots, the Cheviot Hotel in Northumberland, the Troperio steak house with outlets in Chester, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Nottingham, jewellery and watch retailer, Boutique HoCo and Archer’s Bakery. EPOS and support services are also being provided to the TA Hotel Collection, a five-chain hotel group located on the Suffolk coast. Properties include the Thorpeness Hotel and Golf Club and the Brudenell Hotel.

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4 O&A Operations director Richard Tarran has a proven track record as a bar, restaurant and nightclub operator, trainer, area manager and IT specialist. Living Rooms, Mosquito, Deep Pan Pizza, Via Vita, Chiquito and Bass Taverns all feature on his very busy CV. He first worked with GS Systems at Living Ventures, where he was responsible for setting up systems for new openings, supporting managers with stock control, budgeting and forecasting and successfully implementing EPOS, CMS and chip’n’pin solutions in 40 restaurants.

Q1 RT:

What is your role at GS Systems?

I am the operations director responsible for making sure we deliver quality customer service at every stage of the client relationship. Whether it’s initial discussions with a prospect, ensuring the correct procedures are in place for existing customers or offering managed service support to growing businesses, it’s very much a hands on role to make sure our EPOS solutions are truly effective.

Q2:

Obviously you have an impressive track record running bars and restaurants, launching concepts, training staff. How does that benefit GS Systems customers?

RT:

Q5: What’s the secret to success as an operator?

RT:

There is none. You need airtight controls. Without them you’re vulnerable. You constantly want to be controlling your stock, your sales, your cash and staff costs if you want a business that can develop and mature. That philosophy was embedded in my psyche from the day I entered the industry. Coming from Yorkshire helps. I am 100% into the concept of watching the pennies.

Do that and the pounds look after themselves.

Q6:

What do you see as your biggest challenges?

RT:

First, help operators see the bottom line benefits of the full EPOS capability. Do that and we can save them a lot of money and increase their margins. Some owners are happy with their earnings without realising they are leaking cash.

From my experience, they don’t even know it’s happening. Putting procedures in place can eliminate loopholes and give them stronger businesses.

I think former operators like myself and Stuart add an extra dimension to the GS proposition.

I’ve been involved with successful, profitable and growing businesses and can share my experiences and knowledge.

For example, the launch of one concept saw us exceed our 12 month net profit target by £100,000 within six months and earn a 72% gross profit on liquor.

Second, show how the intelligence and reports generated by an EPOS solution can impact on the bottom line. Why settle for a 61% margin when 66% is attainable with tighter controls and procedures? Imagine the impact of that 5% on your bottom line?

I helped another concept boost profits by 13% within two years of refurbishing a two-dozen outlet chain. All this accumulated know-how is now readily accessible to all our clients.

Q3:

So clients can enjoy the best of both worlds?

RT:

Exactly. In my time in the hospitality industry, I don’t think I’ve ever come across anybody quite as passionate about EPOS and his business than Niels. He is brilliant at explaining how the technology works and the numerous benefits associated with it. I think we complement each other. His knowledge, experience and expertise added to mine as a successful and proven operator is a great mix.

Q4:

Sounds like a great balance of skills?

RT:

It is. Without sounding too bashful, I’ve been there. Gone to failing outlets and turned them around by concentrating on the basics.

Hopefully, we can ensure a smoother progression for clients because of what I’ve seen throughout my career. It gives them a lot more added value to the relationship with GS.

Point

Q7:

And the third?

RT:

And third, ensure EPOS is more accessible to smaller two or three outlet multiples who want to use all the technology but don’t want to invest in in-house resources or a head office system. We can become an extension of their business with a managed services offering. This covers backing up sales data centrally on our servers, producing and distributing reports, data and information, ensuring stock control policies are implemented, configuring new menus, running promotions....the list is endless.

Q8:

Finally, as an EPOS purchaser, what’s your biggest tip to operators looking to invest?

RT:

Never make a decision to buy EPOS purely on price. It is a false economy. You are buying the hardware AND making an investment in a long term relationship. It’s a great journey and education but you need to be accompanied by like-minded spirits.

“Why settle for a 61% margin when 66% is attainable with tighter controls and procedures?

Imagine the impact of that 5% on your bottom line?”

Richard Tarran, GS operations director

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Added value

nts of view

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Customer support technician Stuart Clarke joined the hospitality industry while studying marine biology & zoology at Bangor university. After graduating he worked in bar management on cruise ships, hotels, pubs and restaurants, including time as general manager of a Revolution bar in Preston. After the transition into EPOS working with the likes of Staples, he joined GS Systems where his first hand knowledge of the hospitality sector is proving to be invaluable to clients.

Q1: What’s your role at GS Systems?

SC: I am a customer support technician. I have a wide brief as my role embraces hardware, software, technical support, training and account management. Selling too. When I see an opportunity for customers to benefit from additional tools and services, I’ll let them know. Like everyone else at GS, my mission is to help customers grow their businesses.

Q2: How does your previous hospitality career benefit you and GS customers?

SC: Externally, it helps if you’ve been there yourself. Whether I am talking to a general manager or one of the bar staff, having an understanding of their situation enables me to take a very sympathetic approach when it comes to explaining methodology and seeing their perspective. Internally, service calls come in and we’re able to assess them on a triage basis, which helps us prioritise our workload more effectively.

Q3: So knowledge is king?

“Having experienced it before we’re in a much better place to advise them and help make their businesses more efficient.”

Stuart Clarke, GS customer service technician

SC: Definitely. I am a great believer in looking beyond hardware/software combinations and interrogating the solution, questioning whether it provides everything you need.

I am also a great believer in feedback. As a bar manager I’ve worked in environments where you get absolutely nothing back from the operational team and it is very dispiriting.

You feel you’re running the bar blind half the time.

Q4: And customer interaction?

SC: Of course. I love feedback from customers. I think it is really important, especially when you have first hand knowledge of what they are describing. Been there. Done that. Seen that happen. Having experienced it before we’re in a much better place to advise them and help make their businesses more efficient.

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6 Multiples

Unlocking the power of EPOS GS Systems is launching a new managed services facility to give small multiple chains with under five sites all the benefits of a central management solution without purchasing a head office system.

Clients taking advantage of the managed services offering, provisionally titled Get Smarter, will use GS Systems’ servers to host their EPOS data, which is then used to populate selected pre-specified reports and business intelligence.

Empower clients The new annual subscription service is tailored to the unique needs of each business. Options include helping to monitor the business centrally, setting up prices, menus and supplier lists and advice on promotions and marketing.

Richard Tarran, GS Systems’ operations director and a vastly experienced bar, restaurant and nightclub operator, trainer, area manager and IT specialist, is responsible for running the bespoke service for existing and new clients.

“My time working with the likes of Living Ventures, Deep Pan Pizza and Bass proves beyond doubt the importance of using all the available EPOS tools. EPOS can give you watertight controls for your business if you have embedded the correct procedures. One of our roles, in addition to reporting and configuration, is to empower clients to realise the potential of their investment,” said Richard.

Plug the leaks “The other major benefit is the cost of the subscription will be repaid several times over because of the savings we’ll help clients make. By working together to implement procedures that will be adopted across the business we can plug all the leaks where cash and stock can mysteriously disappear.”

“This is a great fun industry where creative staff are empowered to become an essential part of the guest experience. Sadly, it also attracts one or two bad apples that have a disproportionate effect on profitability. I’ve seen numerous examples and the most effective way to stop their activities is to make everyone 100% accountable,” said Richard.

“There are definite economies of scale at work with EPOS solutions. Small multiples with two, three or four outlets are in a ‘no man’s land’ situation. They can clearly see a requirement to have a central management capability.

However, it is difficult to justify the cost of the system and employing additional staff to run and manage it at a particularly critical growth period in their development,” said GS Systems managing director, Niels Nielsen. “Once they have five outlets, the investment in a head office solution and in-house support resources makes more economic and administrative sense.”

Want to know more about Get Smarter? Contact business development manager Megan Brown on 0800 655 6095 or visit www.gs-systems.co.uk

Cocktails are popular with customers - but can be an opportunity for devious bar staff to short change you and your guests, underpouring measures and spiriting away your profits and goodwill, writes Richard Tarran. Similarly, if staff give away dozens of cups of coffee every week without charging? Think about it? The cost is not just the price of the stock but the income it would generate at the point of sale. £200 of missing or unaccounted stock could easily have a retail value of £1,600!

Here’s what three multiple clients say about us “Originally we had EPOS for individual restaurants, which was great for tracking sales but we needed more. With our third venue we needed a head office solution for greater business control. Since it’s been installed, it’s become integral to us, tracks everything. Without it....don’t ask!”

Ged Lynch, Felicini, Sunday Times FAST TRACK 100 regular, worked with GS Systems for over ten years.

“The great thing with Niels and GS is they share our belief in big ideas. Our core system feeds information to us, information that we can use and develop upon and take as our own but it’s the new ideas that are important to ensure we still maintain our edge.”

Jeremy Roberts, Living Ventures, Sunday Times FAST TRACK 100 regular, worked with GS for over a dozen years.

“What attracted us to this system was the capability to use it across multi-sites. Our managers are cross-trained so they can do the kitchen, bar and cellar and we can move them between pubs as the operations are very similar.”

James Almond, Almond Family Pubs, worked with GS for half a dozen years.

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4

Accountability

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An EPOS solution is, without question, the most effective technology tool for controlling growing businesses. It tells the real time and historical business story, creating a fascinating, accurate and insightful narrative. Here we reveal four simple tips where EPOS gives you better accountability. There are many more that can be found when you visit www.gs-systems.co.uk. Alternatively, call business development manager Megan Brown to arrange a demonstration and a needs audit to see how EPOS can help your operation flourish.

top tips for smarter business control

Procedures protect your investment

Adopting integrated EPOS procedures safeguards your business from human error and theft. Without them, it is practically impossible to exert any real influence over your true performance. For example, if a complimentary coffee isn’t entered into the system your stock cannot balance - and you don’t know if a gesture to a loyal customer has also become a means for others to pocket your cash.

Every picture tells a story

Cash control

Key Performance Indicators can be used to constantly monitor and reconcile business activities. They can be fed through to you on a daily or even hourly basis to show your current performance. Our clients invariably want to know gross profit margins (the money you’re making) and staffing costs (your most expensive variable expense). KPIs can be fun too. A good staff motivator. Why not run a competition. See who sells the most Sol and use the KPI to monitor real time sales. Staff will love competing against each other - with the winner announced at the end of the session. They collect a prize - and you boost Sol sales and profits.

Spot checks keep everyone alert

Just as we all use mobiles, tablets and computers differently, so businesses have their own methods for banking, petty cash and floats, often with few, if any, control mechanisms to highlight errors and shortfalls. This needs to be rectified. Integrating cash control into your EPOS solution and adopting correct procedures gives you total transparency and accountability. Every transaction is attributed to a person, a shift and a terminal. A void without an explanation is not accepted by the system. Appropriate details have to be added to give you a forensic trail - and a picture of your business where unhealthy habits and trends can be spotted and eliminated.

Surprise spot checks are a great way of controlling your business and keeping staff on their toes. If they are carried out on an ad hoc basis then stock discrepancies and potential issues can be identified and nipped in the bud. Line checks can be carried out on a daily basis by picking two or three popular items such as bottles of Becks or Magners. A blind stock count where only you, as the owner/manager, know the figures you should be hitting takes a matter of minutes but sends a long lasting message that tight business controls are in place.

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Viewpoint

8

Issue 16 Spring/Summer 2012

Why gamble when EPOS procedures can safeguard your business?

As anyone who has ever worked with me professionally knows, I am passionate about the EPOS industry. After all, few business sectors can be simultaneously so exciting and motivating - and yet so frustrating.

At one end of the spectrum are the results we see on a daily basis thanks to our EPOS solutions. We have many long term clients who benefit from the very latest sophisticated, multi-faceted EPOS technology. They have developed successful organisations in part because they appreciate how EPOS gives them the operational tools and business intelligence to control, manage and grow their businesses.

Every decision they make is informed by evidence from our solutions. From recipe and portion control to highlighting stock discrepancies to validating and reconciling void transactions, our EPOS solutions provide them with pinpoint accurate answers.

However, sadly, for every hospitality and retail operator championing the power of EPOS, there are others who tell you they don’t enjoy the same effectiveness from their investment.

I come across them and their anecdotal evidence all the time, at exhibitions, at prospect presentations or from horror stories I hear from my peers in the hospitality and retail sectors.

You need to show staff you are totally committed to eliminating all operational loopholes Despite having access to the same or similar EPOS technology and possessing good brand concepts, EPOS just doesn’t do the business for them.

Although no two circumstances are ever likely to be the same, the major reason EPOS doesn’t work for them is simple. They don’t embed the necessary watertight procedures into their businesses.

And that is crazy. Think about it in another context. Away from the office I fly planes. Before I even contemplate taking off, I have to follow over 30 pre-flight safety

procedures to check the aircraft is ready for action. And I willingly carry them out because I know that being 2,500 feet above the North Sea is not the best time or place to discover you’ve neglected to follow safety procedures designed to protect you.

As a pilot, I also carefully study reports of aircraft crashes to help improve my awareness of the dangers inherent in my hobby. My studies show it is clear pilots are far less likely to be involved in accidents if they adhere to all the relevant procedures.

It’s the difference between incurring unnecessary losses, breaking even or making a healthy profit The same lessons apply to the hospitality and retail industries. Obviously, following EPOS procedures is not a matter of life and death but it’s the difference between incurring unnecessary losses, breaking even or making a healthy profit.

That’s why whenever I meet potential new clients I focus on communicating the importance of two key objectives.

The first is to demonstrate the solution’s functionality, revealing the WOW factor. The second is to explain how the technology is only ever as good as the procedures in place to support it. This bit isn’t so exciting as it means committing to a lot work and effort (although we’ll help you through the process).

Nothing happens without you having a full audit trail Whenever we specify a solution, implementing clearly defined procedures is integral to our overall package.

GS Systems managing director Niels Nielsen is passionate about the power of EPOS technology. One of the EPOS industry’s most experienced and innovative experts, he works closely with many leading hospitality and retail independents and multiples such as Alma De Cuba, Almond Family Pubs, Alchemist, Blackhouse, Cheshire County Council, Gusto, Felicini restaurants, High Peak Borough Council, Living Ventures, Lowry Arts Centre, Max Spielmann, Salford City Council, San Carlo Group, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council and Timpson.

We recommend the rules of use for your new EPOS solution are literally written into the terms and conditions of staff contracts. Failure to observe them becomes a disciplinary matter with dismissal as the ultimate sanction.

Such measures may appear to be drastic but they are necessary. You need to show staff you are totally committed to eliminating all operational loopholes to protect your business from genuine and deliberate ‘mistakes’.

By integrating failsafe EPOS usage procedures into your business, you are effectively ensuring that all transactions, purchases and stock movements are transparent, trackable and traceable. Nothing happens in your business without you having a full audit trail.

That is a remarkably powerful business tool to have at your disposal - and there is no greater feeling when you see businesses in full flow with a fully functioning EPOS solution accelerating their growth and financial prosperity.

You can read Niels’ regular blog about unleashing the power of EPOS - including tips and advice on initiating, implementing and monitoring procedures.

Simply visit www.gs-systems.co.uk and register your details and choose the information you want to receive from us. The www is packed full of information, case studies, videos and all the latest news about EPOS helping businesses grow.

How do you choose your EPOS provider?

There are numerous EPOS suppliers out there, ranging from the good, the bad to the downright ugly, writes GS Systems business development manager Megan Brown.

Deciding who is suitable for your business is never going to be easy. To help, we’ve published a comprehensive white paper to guide you step by step through the selection process and help you make an informed and objective buying decision. Inside, you’ll find information about the real cost of EPOS failure, how EPOS has evolved, what to expect from your EPOS provider and what sort of questions you need to ask to ensure your prospective provider is right for you. A free copy can be obtained by calling me on 0800 655 6095 or visiting www.gs-systems.co.uk.

GS Systems, 119/121 Buxton Road, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 6LR Tel: 0161 483 5595 Fax: 0161 419 6207 E-mail: sales@gs-systems.co.uk www.gs-systems.co.uk