By Debbie Carson - 5.15.2019
Not to be confused with Skylab, the first space station operated by the United States, Shift4 Payments has launched SkyTab, a next-generation pay-at-the-table solution.
SkyTab is designed to integrate seamlessly with various point-of-sale (POS) systems, including the company’s Harbortouch, Restaurant Manager, Future POS and POSitouch software brands as well as Oracle Food & Beverage, which offers its own restaurant management and POS platforms. Additional integration partners will be announced soon.
According to the company, Skytab will be offered free of charge to new customers. The solution will cost $149 for existing Shift4 restaurants, according to reports.
Last year, the Allentown, Pennsylvania-based company, which reportedly handles merchant accounts for over 150,000 merchant locations and processing in excess of $13 billion annually, unveiled its new complete payment solution. The solution provides restaurants and other businesses with all-in-one platform capabilities that combines full merchant services, payment security technologies, accounting portal, EMV devices and more.
Now comes SkyTab, which combines state-of-the-art hardware with intuitive software to deliver pay-at-the-table capabilities for restaurant operators and their guests. Its user-friendly payment interface supports EMV chip cards, NFC mobile payments and traditional swiped card transactions. SkyTab also includes the ability to split checks, add tips and offers guests their choice of an e-receipt or a paper receipt via the integrated printer.
By eliminating the need for servers to walk back and forth to a stationary POS system, SkyTab, like many next-generation POS solutions, seeks to improve operational efficiency so that restaurants are able to serve more customers and turn tables faster. Waitstaff can also re-order menu items from the device, making it quick and easy to order another round of drinks or add a second appetizer. Full order-at-the-table functionality will be available soon through an upcoming software update.
The solution also delivers functionality beyond payment acceptance. For example, restaurant patrons are prompted to rate their service at the end of the transaction. If the rating is below a predetermined threshold, a text message alert will be immediately sent to management. This allows the business to address unhappy guests and resolve their concerns before they leave, preventing negative online reviews.
The solution’s e-receipt capabilities also provide business intelligence advantages, allowing the restaurant to automatically populate their customer database and personalize future email marketing and loyalty campaigns.
SkyTab also integrates with Shift4’s Lighthouse Business Management System, the company’s back-end POS management and reporting portal. Lighthouse includes management tools for social media, customer engagement, loyalty and online reputation. Restaurant operators can link their social media profiles to schedule posts, track the performance of their content and manage all their social media accounts in one place.
Customer engagement tools enable businesses to set up welcome emails, promotional offers and more using built-in tools to improve customer loyalty. Businesses can also view ratings and reviews from multiple online review platforms and easily respond to customers to improve their online reputation.
Skylab spent six years orbiting Earth until its decaying orbit caused it to re-enter the atmosphere. The launch of SkyTab, by contrast, should result in more efficient restaurant operations, improved guest satisfaction, and no scattering of debris over the Indian Ocean.
