Why EPOS is the Future

Electronic point of sale systems can make sales swifter and life much easier for University Managers. University Business looks at the potential for a cashless campus.

Gone are the days of long queues in university outlets and toiling over stock-taking with a pen and till receipt. Technology has intervened yet again to increase efficiency and make life easier. This time in the form of electronic point of sale (EPOS) systems. Many universities have installed EPOS and seen the advantages these systems have to
offer but the next step in this drive for efficiency is completely cashless campuses.

Traditional EPOS systems electronically monitor what is sold on campus. This is clearly very useful for managers to keep track of stock and quickly determine which of their products are successful and which are floundering. Nick Leach, Catering Manager at Portsmouth University, has 16 linked EPOS tills across his campuses, and says that the system makes it much easier to monitor sales. "The advantages are huge!" he says. "Previously, if we wanted any sales data, we had to work with a till receipt or ask staff what they thought was selling well. The EPOS system gives us this information at the touch of a button. We can view the top 10 and bottom two of all our sales quickly and easily."

This time-saving functionality is a huge boon for managers keen to meet the needs of their customers, but there are wider implications to EPOS systems. The revolution suggested by this burgeoning technology is cashless campuses. There are now a number of universities running smart card systems, which entail students and staff loading up smart cards to make purchases on campus. The advantages here are manifold and include reduced queue times and increased security, but does the system work?

Last year Griffith College installed a Cashless Catering system from G2 Integrated solutions at its new restaurant and licensed bar. The seven acre, city centre campus is run by Campbell Catering and serves more than 8000 students. This system covers cashless solutions based around the Mifare card that students use at payment points to pay for food, beverages, alcohol, library charges and items from cashless vending machines.
Eugene Coghlan, until recently a Regional Manager for Campbell Catering's operation at Griffith College Dublin, explains that the main motivation for going cashless was to increase security on campus. He says, "The primary reason for installing MYRIAD Cashless was to eliminate cash from campus. Griffith didn't want lots of cash on site and going cashless meant they could easily control this and help increase security." However, having less cash on site is not the only way in which a smart card system can improve security. Cards can also be used for identification and even to gain access to buildings on campus, keeping unauthorized people out.

Installing cashless systems also speeds up the purchasing process, helping at busy times. Mr Coghlan explains: "During busy periods it eliminates queues and bottlenecks of students going through tills "we have up to 500 people passing through at lunch times. Cashless is much quicker than using notes and coins you save time on collecting money and returning change."

So going cashless is potentially quicker and safer, but is it the future? At Portsmouth University Nick Leach says his concern is the card hitting his bottom line: "My only concern is that this may cut down impulse purchases as people aren't carrying any change."But fans of the system believe that the advantages far out-weigh any potential drawbacks. Mr Coghlan says: "The system has been a big hit with students and staff people on campus have found MYRIAD Cashless very easy to use. The aim is eventually to totally eliminate cash from campus.