Abacus

Abacus POS is laser-focussed on offering all the features that modern hospitality businesses could need. This is apparent in both front-of-house features, and those that help companies take control of the “back office” side of the business.

From basics like table plans to more advanced additions like access to customers’ regular orders, there’s plenty here to offer an enhanced experience to clients old and new. Meanwhile, the customisable back-end handles everything from staff scheduling to business intelligence, including sales trend reporting and real-time information.

Plenty of Payment Choices

Abacus works with Australia’s “big four banks” and offers a range of payment integration options. These include AliPay, Square and WeChat Pay. This selection means that Abacus can slot easily in alongside existing systems and, most importantly, ensure that customers find it easy to use their preferred payment method.

A Rich Range of Add-Ons

Abacus’ bespoke model makes it possible to build a completely customised workflow – from the ordering app to the kitchen pass. Add-ons for the system include digital menu boards, kitchen displays (to help with efficient food preparation), and a smartphone app for stock and inventory management.

Modern Ordering Features

In the connected world, people no longer expect to just sit down and wait for somebody to take their order. While this is obviously possible, Abacus offers a wide range of innovative alternative ways for hospitality businesses to take their customers’ orders.

There’s mobile app integration, self-service iPad table ordering, and kiosk setups for outlets with a high turnover. Abacus users can choose to model their processes around one of these options, or give their customers a choice of several.

Staff Management Features

Businesses can make use of various staff management features within Abacus. There’s a rostering option that can store pay rates and employee roles, and even send out emails to remind staffs of their shifts!

At ground level, staff can clock directly in and out using Abacus, with timesheets generated automatically and piped through to accounting software. Finally, as is to be expected with a cloud-based system, management can have an at-a-glance view of everything that’s happening in real time – even across multiple sites.

Marketing Capabilities

In hospitality businesses, it’s not just about serving customers, but also about keeping them coming back. Abacus has various loyalty-related features, including the ability to configure and launch a points-based rewards system.

There’s also integration with regular marketing methods, such as email and SMS promotions. It’s possible to profile individual customers and run initiatives to keep them happy – everything from tailored promotions to reports on what their regular orders are.

Abacus POS keeps things simple – this is solely an iPad-based point of sale system. As such, there are no options for Android devices or Windows PCs.

Hardware Packages

Although Abacus generally suggests bespoke packages, there is a small selection of hardware available for direct purchase via the company’s online store. These include a VPOS cash drawer for AU$120 and Epson receipt printers for around AU$410.

Various third-party hardware is supported, including scanners from Honeywell and Motorola, and scales from Datalogic Magellan and CAS. It’s best to contact Abacus directly to seek their specific recommendations.

The list of supported integrations for Abacus POS isn’t the largest out there, but it covers all the main bases. Rather than aiming for compatibility with every possible system out there, Abacus definitely takes an approach of having a preferred system for each core business function.

For example, accounts integration with Xero is recommended for everything from timesheets to purchase orders; Deputy and Zuus are supported for staff management, and WooCommerce for businesses that also sell online.

One particularly notable feature of Abacus is that it integrates with RedflagPOS CCTV, which allows CCTV footage to be combined with transaction data.

Abacus has a clear interface and is highly customisable, allowing each business to build exactly the workflow it needs. Adding new product categories and individual items is straightforward, and a colourful and graphical approach makes it easy for staff members to quickly familiarise themselves with new menus and promotions.

The company takes a similar approach to the back-end, with a dashboard approach that hides a considerable amount of functionality behind a simple interface.

Abacus’ approach is “easy to pick up, easy to maintain,” and it’s clear that they take this seriously as soon as you glance at the user interface.