Private Club POS Solutions
Private clubs come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some provide activities for members such as golf, swimming, tennis, hunting, boating, etc. Others simply provide an exclusive and unique ambiance where members can relax and enjoy a cocktail, a cigar or a great meal. Many clubs provide a combination of the luxuries mentioned above. Although private clubs are non-profit organizations, they are faced with many of the same business challenges that for-profit businesses face on a daily basis. Private clubs also introduce some other business challenges that are unique to that market segment.
Because of these unique challenges, private clubs often find themselves at a loss when seeking technology solutions. The larger private club segments such as golf clubs and yacht clubs can usually find POS solutions that are designed specifically for their business type. These segments are large enough that solution providers are willing to develop POS software that addresses most specific needs of these industries. However, smaller private clubs and membership facilities often find it difficult to deploy affordable solutions that resolve most of their unique business challenges.
Operations at a membership-oriented facility are typically more complex than at a public retail, service or hospitality venue. In addition to cash controls, payment processing and inventory management, private clubs are faced with additional business challenges. The POS solution must manage the aforementioned basics, but must also include robust functions to support the private club business. Examples would be membership tracking, recurring charges, mass billings, batch payments, tiered pricing based on member classes, etc.
Needless to say, automating the business functions at a private club by deploying the right POS solution produces tremendous results through gained efficiencies, error reductions, speed of service, cash controls, inventory controls and increased member satisfaction. By deploying a club POS system, the operator of the club positions himself or herself to provide better service to the members using less staff members and payroll dollars.
Below are just a few of the many reasons to deploy an automated POS solution at a private club:
- Speed of Service
- 1-5 second transaction times – even with credit cards
- Eliminate manual calculations and hand-written chits
- Eliminate lines that frustrate your members
- Train employees in minutes
- Member tracking and communication
- Track guest activity
- Email promotions, club events, club news, recruiting info
- Communicate with prospective members
- Use data gathered by POS transactions to target your communication
- Inventory and Pricing Controls
- Eliminate all user errors on pricing, payment processing, etc.
- Stop inventory shrinkage
- Order what you need when you need it, not what the vendor tells you
- Reduce waste and overstock
- Reporting Power = Decision Making Power
- Reports can be automatically emailed to you on a schedule
- Know when you are busy and slow to make staffing decisions
- Know what members use the facility, what they buy while they are there and when
- Know what products and activities yield the best profits at your facility
- Cash Management/Security
- What gets measured gets managed
- Every transaction is time stamped and tracked for accountability
- Reduce time spent reconciling cash and credit cards
- Work toward removing cash through automation
To learn more about items to consider when seeking POS solutions for your club, download our free checklist today.