TOP 3 REASONS YOU SHOULDN’T USE A CLICKER NEXT SCHOOL YEAR

Districts all over the country have been having to make more long-term decisions regarding their program. One of those decisions being whether or not to continue using your POS or switching over to using a clicker. Though it might seem easier to use a clicker, the truth is that it might cause more problems for you down the line. Here are three reasons why you should continue to use your POS even if you aren’t serving under NSLP. 

Using a clicker might make sense because all meals are currently free, but when the time finally does come to switch back to NSLP, you won’t miss a beat if you continue using your POS the same way you always have. This means your employees won’t have to switch back and forth between processes after the school year and can continue operating seamlessly if/when things change again.

Clickers can help you keep track of how many meals you are serving – but they can’t tell you when a student has already been served a meal or not. Using reliable POS software can not only help you track the number of meals you serve, but will also notify you if a student has already been served a reimbursable meal. Systems like ExpressPoint will still let you serve the second meal but will charge the student the full price of that meal and ensure you are claiming your meals correctly and accurately.

Districts currently using a clicker to track meals are having to think of out-of-the-box ways to monitor students with allergens. They are using wristbands, stamping student’s hands, and relying on teachers to notify the staff each lunch period. This is a thin line to walk and can result in a mistake leaving a student to suffer a severe allergic reaction. If you continue to use your POS as you normally would, your cashiers would be notified of any student allergens as soon as they input their ID number and can easily identify if they have allergens and what those allergens are.

PrimeroEdge’s ExpressPoint is both an app and web-based POS that helps cashiers move through their serving lines quicker and notifies cafeteria staff of any student allergens, purchase restrictions, and duplicate meals. Transactions are recorded directly to the system for real-time data on counting and claiming. Offline functionality allows staff to continue serving students even if the internet goes out or you are out of your wifi range. More mobility allows more options for schools and students. Breakfast in the classroom, grab-and-go items, and nontraditional serving areas become possible when not tied down to traditional, clunky POS terminals.