Terrible POS system

[leisuretraveler223]

22 minutes ago, PWP-001 said:

Let me make the same point by breaking down my words so you're not confused:

 

Southwest did NOT want to explore new technology.

Southwest had the money to invest in technology.

Southwest chose NOT to upgrade their technology NOT because a lack of funding.

Southwest did NOT have money issues that caused them to cut back on technology spending.

 

Source:  WSJ

 

Easy there with the snark😅.  "Lack of funding" can be interpreted as the funds did not exist, or budgeting did not allocate funds. You interpreted his statement as the former, I interpreted it as the latter.

[PWP-001]

1 minute ago, nelblu said:

Thanks, you said it for me. I guess lack of funding and adverse are on the opposite side of the spectrum.🤣

Wow!

 

Lack of funding:  "We really want to improve our systems, but we can't afford it."

 

Technology adverse:  "We have plenty of money but why spend it when what we have, has worked just fine for years?"

 

Southwest was "Technology adverse," clinging to SkySolver too long before they finally realized too late they needed something better.

 

RCI is in a "Lack of funding" situation where free cash flows are required to service debt.

[PWP-001]

1 minute ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

 

Easy there with the snark😅.  "Lack of funding" can be interpreted as the funds did not exist, or budgeting did not allocate funds. You interpreted his statement as the former, I interpreted it as the latter.

And I set the record straight with a quote from WSJ.

[leisuretraveler223]

3 minutes ago, PWP-001 said:

And I set the record straight with a quote from WSJ.

 

Semantics are still semantics.

[not-enough-cruising]

4 minutes ago, PWP-001 said:

Wow!

 

Lack of funding:  "We really want to improve our systems, but we can't afford it."

 

Technology adverse:  "We have plenty of money but why spend it when what we have, has worked just fine for years?"

 

Southwest was "Technology adverse," clinging to SkySolver too long before they finally realized too late they needed something better.

 

RCI is in a "Lack of funding" situation where free cash flows are required to service debt.

To be fair, Royal seemed to have no interest in upgrading the tech and POS when they were flush with cash either

[PWP-001]

6 minutes ago, goldfish65 said:

The labor costs aren’t that much, often less than min wage, often the users are tipped employees. I am sure in some industries, technology that’s efficient to use is a priority, but not so in restaurants/hospitality. 

I take it you haven't been exposed to hospitality finance.  Labor cost is more than the hourly wage.  Head count is a concern-- especially on a ship.

[goldfish65]

37 minutes ago, PWP-001 said:

I take it you haven't been exposed to hospitality finance.  Labor cost is more than the hourly wage.  Head count is a concern-- especially on a ship.

No, I am the lowly person who uses the pos systems, same as the bartenders and waiters on the ship. Why then are the systems set up so poorly for the users?

[PWP-001]

10 minutes ago, goldfish65 said:

No, I am the lowly person who uses the pos systems, same as the bartenders and waiters on the ship. Why then are the systems set up so poorly for the users?

 

A number of factors.  One is making the mistake of NOT involving the end-user such as yourself by getting feedback before a decision is made.  RCI would have done well for themselves by bringing in groups of bartenders, waiters, cocktail servers and letting them test the POS devices in a training environment -- sponsored by the vendor--at their Miami headquarters on a day the ship is in port.     

 

Other issues could be lack of proper training and poor menu design & layout.

[UNCFanatik]

18 minutes ago, goldfish65 said:

No, I am the lowly person who uses the pos systems, same as the bartenders and waiters on the ship. Why then are the systems set up so poorly for the users?

 

One reason is that often times the department that purchased the POS system does not get proper input from the end user. The POS system is likely fine but the workflow is where the problem lies

 

Also, if RC is using the POS system for inventory tracking then it adds extra button presses. Want a pina coloda? OK press pina coloda button then press the type of rum if well liquor isnt being used. And that process can multiply with drinks with multiple liquors. If they want to identify on the rocks vs frozen, another button press. The more options from the customer, the more buttons to be pressed

 

Also, hardware peripherals like RFID scanners, barcode scanners, swipes all for the set sail passes do fail and the server/bartender is left having to press additional buttons to bring up guest info. 

 

The point being is that RC ould upgrade their POS today and still have same issues because of poor implementation where the upper level management is not including the proper operation folks in the setup and workflow

[UNCFanatik]

9 minutes ago, PWP-001 said:

 

A number of factors.  One is making the mistake of NOT involving the end-user such as yourself by getting feedback before a decision is made.  RCI would have done well for themselves by bringing in groups of bartenders, waiters, cocktail servers and letting them test the POS devices in a training environment -- sponsored by the vendor--at their Miami headquarters on a day the ship is in port.     

 

Other issues could be lack of proper training and poor menu design & layout.

 

 

I fully agree with the exception of inventory management and guest tracking. RC may want more detailed info from the system that creates extra work on the staff. 

[robtx100]

• I have noticed how many touches to the screen the bartender has to do when ringing up a drink on the delexe drink package. It's even worse when we're with a group of people and he or she takes 3 or 4 orders at a time. The other thing i find amazing is there is no way to enter a Gift Card on their website to pay for the cruise or cruise manager purchases. They are really missing the boat here. The other lines I sail it's very easy to choose gc as a form of payment and enter the gc information. RCL requires you to mail it in and it may take 10 to 20 days before it is applied for cruise fare only. 

[goldfish65]

Bottom line to me, the company doesn't think it's important enough to do what it takes to have a more efficient system, and the front-line employees are the ones who have to go through so many extra steps and try to do it quickly so they can serve the next guest who's waiting, so people won't complain about slow service.

[F27TW]

2 hours ago, nelblu said:

Not sure what ships you have been on, but I found none of the problems that you indicate.  Since sailing opened up, I've been on Mariner, Oasis (2X), Allure and Anthem (2X).  The only delay that I experience is when I order a drink in the WJ, theatre or other entertainment venues and the pool area. 

 

You do realize that you totally contradicted yourself there. 

[BirdTravels]

1) Electronics cost money. 

 

2) scribbling “shrimp cocktail” in abbreviations is a lot faster than plowing through multiple submenus on a tiny tablet. 
 

3) tablets break

 

4) tablets walk off

 

5) and the biggest thing that we have seen on ships is that at the end of the day, tablets run out of battery power… yeah, you could strap a big honkin battery, but your waiters will throw it overboard after a few days. 
 

6) on a recent cruise, there were Wi-Fi intranet problems and when the IT dept rebooted the network, the ship’s tablet users and phone users came to a standstill. 

[PWP-001]

3 hours ago, UNCFanatik said:

 

 

I fully agree with the exception of inventory management and guest tracking. RC may want more detailed info from the system that creates extra work on the staff. 

Modifying a cocktail by specifying a called liquor --rather than well-- is a revenue issue more than it is a function of inventory control.  At least that's how it's sold:  revenue enhancers a great sales tools.

 

That aside, cocktail orders typically need their specifics keyed in, so it comes down to screen layouts and design.  

 

I can also share that over the years as I've watched bartenders in particular using different POS, I've seen some fly through orders, tapping at lightening speed as the menus progress with their drink orders.  And I've seen others struggle with the same POS.  So there's the human factor.

 

And sometimes orders are just complicated.  Take my mom's lunch at Chili's today which she always orders the same as we sit with a waitress who's been at the store for 20 years or more.

 

The entry of the simple $10 lunch combo caused her to stop chatting as she concentrated to enter:

-Caesar Salad

-Double Cheeseburger

--no pickles

--no mustard

--sub swiss cheese

--add grilled onions

--cut in half

--sub loaded potatoes

 

It was a heck of a lot of poking through screens to find all of those modifiers, but everything came out exactly as ordered.

 

 

[3CatsInMA]

I don't mind the handwritten slips for drinks at Labadee.  I always figure there's a 50/50 chance of actually getting charged for it.😁

[Merion_Mom]

4 hours ago, 3CatsInMA said:

I don't mind the handwritten slips for drinks at Labadee.  I always figure there's a 50/50 chance of actually getting charged for it.😁

 

(that happened on our very first cruise)  😄 

[Tlbecker1]

5 hours ago, 3CatsInMA said:

I don't mind the handwritten slips for drinks at Labadee.  I always figure there's a 50/50 chance of actually getting charged for it.😁

Same with Coco-Cay for us.  We rarely get charged for using one of our vouchers.

Edited January 7, 2023 by Tlbecker1

[UNCFanatik]

On 1/6/2023 at 8:21 PM, PWP-001 said:

Modifying a cocktail by specifying a called liquor --rather than well-- is a revenue issue more than it is a function of inventory control.  At least that's how it's sold:  revenue enhancers a great sales tools.

 

That aside, cocktail orders typically need their specifics keyed in, so it comes down to screen layouts and design.  

 

I can also share that over the years as I've watched bartenders in particular using different POS, I've seen some fly through orders, tapping at lightening speed as the menus progress with their drink orders.  And I've seen others struggle with the same POS.  So there's the human factor.

 

And sometimes orders are just complicated.  Take my mom's lunch at Chili's today which she always orders the same as we sit with a waitress who's been at the store for 20 years or more.

 

The entry of the simple $10 lunch combo caused her to stop chatting as she concentrated to enter:

-Caesar Salad

-Double Cheeseburger

--no pickles

--no mustard

--sub swiss cheese

--add grilled onions

--cut in half

--sub loaded potatoes

 

It was a heck of a lot of poking through screens to find all of those modifiers, but everything came out exactly as ordered.

 

 

Its an inventory issue in so far as that management may want to track what liquor is being sold and if the amount of liquor type being sold in the POS equates to the amount of physical liquor on hand. Some bars use a Berg system to control liquor pours precisely