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Having the ability to take the terminal to the customer improves customer satisfaction through faster transaction finalization and reduces the opportunity for identity theft
The restaurant’s wait staff also benefits from a portable payment terminal’s ability to “suggest” a tip percentage. When patrons add the tip with a portable payment terminal, it is a true 15%, 18% or 20%, which is often an uplift in tip percentage for the waiter or waitress.
Not only does this benefit the wait staff and restaurant management, it also benefits the consumer.
When guests are ready to go, they want the check!
In a study of 270 consumers, Cornell University researchers concluded that guest satisfaction is tied strongly to their perception of the meal’s pace. Researchers identified opportunities during certain parts of a meal to speed service, without alienating guests. They divided the meal into 3 segments:
- Pre-process (ordering drinks and reading the menu),
- In-process (actual meal) and
- Post-process (check settlement).
Their conclusion was that there is a greater tolerance for speed in the post-process stage. When patrons are finished, they want the bill presented, to pay quickly and to leave. Nothing can spoil a positive dining experience more than a delay in finalizing the check once the patron is ready to leave.
The Ingenico 7780, with its Visa® PED approved integrated PIN pad, is an example of a terminal that can be brought to the table, giving patrons the option of entering their PIN to complete the transaction as online debit or having the transaction processed as a signature-based credit card sale.
ELIMINATING CREDIT CARD SKIMMING
A major concern of restaurant owners and managers, as well as restaurant patrons is credit card skimming. Skimming can occur anytime a credit card holder loses sight of their credit card and is most often perpetrated by employees.
Unscrupulous wait staff or attendants use a small magnetic stripe reader to capture the encoded information from a consumer’s credit or check card. The magnetic stripe reader, used to copy this information, is often small enough to be hidden in an apron or pocket. The captured card information is then re-encoded and used for fraudulent purchases.
Examples of card skimming can be found in most daily newspapers and on the Internet. No restaurant owner or manager wants to read about their establishment in the local paper in reference to skimming.
IDENTITY THEFT
The number one issue on the minds of many consumers is identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission released a report in September 2003 detailing that 2.3 million Americans discovered that their personal information had been misused during the past year. Identity theft is the top fraud complaint reported by consumers, accounting for 43 percent of complaints logged by the Federal Trade Commission. The number of reported fraud complaints jumped from 220,000 in 2001 to 380,000 in 2002 with the dollar loss consumers attributed to reported fraud growing from $160 million in 2001 to $343 million in 2002.
SOLVING THE ISSUES OF SKIMMING AND IDENTITY THEFT
The solution to skimming and identity theft in restaurants is simple. Implement an electronic payment solution that provides customer-convenient payment, enabling a patron to always keep sight of their card. The i7780 is an example of a portable wireless terminal that allows the consumer to complete their own payment transaction including automated tip entry.
When a check card is tendered, a customer can enter their PIN number, converting the transaction from a signature-based transaction to online debit.
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