Campers today expect modernized digital features during the booking process and their stay at a campground. To accommodate campers appropriately, campground managers need a reservation system that provides convenience across all areas of their campsites. Ensuring your reservation management software integrates with a point-of-sale (POS) system is one of the largest opportunities to provide guests with a streamlined, more transparent payment process.

Explore how a POS system that integrates with your reservation management software enhances the guest payment experience at campgrounds of all sizes. 

What Is a Mobile POS System?

A mobile POS system is a smartphone, tablet, or another handheld device that is turned into a cash register or transactional terminal to assist in point-of-sale payments. By leveraging a mobile POS system, vendors can make transactions with guests from anywhere, creating convenience for both parties involved in the sale.

How Can It Help Campgrounds?

There are several reasons why mobile point-of-sale systems are becoming increasingly popular in the outdoor hospitality industry. 

Your campground may have multiple sources of revenue. From reservations and upsells to restaurants, kiosks and general stores, managing each guest transaction manually can be inefficient and lead to lower ROI over time. By integrating a campground POS system with the right reservation management software, you’ll be able to reduce the inefficiencies in these areas to optimize transactional operations.

Benefits of Campground POS Systems for Your Guests & Staff

There are a few benefits to integrating a POS system with your reservation management system.

1. Streamlined Payment Methods and Features

Modernized POS systems enable campers to make contactless payments at any time, from anywhere, on any device, reducing point-of-sale friction. Campers can quickly make payments with a POS system that enables one-click, bill-splitting, and digital wallet features. If your POS system supports tokenized payment that’s PCI DSS compliant, you may be able to provide a secure transaction process through tokenized payment and:

• Collect and centralize guest information
• Accelerate reservation, services, and products transactions
• Provide cutting-edge transaction security for guests

Combining this streamlined payment method with the robust features of a reservation management system, removes disjointed processes from your campers’ transactional experience. This way, they can focus on enjoying their stay without worry or frustration in making purchases. 

2. Improved Efficiency with a POS System-Reservation Software Integration

When you combine the powers of your POS system and reservation software, you may gain access to insights to help you make more informed business decisions, such as:

• Rich reporting tools for comprehensive insight into each department of your property
• Chargebacks to prevent missed or fraudulent payments
• Instant and digital invoicing for quick billing

A modernized campground POS system integrated with reservation software should operate as an automated accounting system within your management platform. For example, when a guest makes a transaction, the two systems work in tandem to connect the purchase with a camper record to identify in real-time any discounts or credit for that individual. Not only does this provide a streamlined experience for your guest, but it removes manual processing and potential mistakes from multiple touchpoints or areas of your property. 

This will save your staff time so they can focus on other guest-related tasks rather than finances.

3. End to End Visibility Into Guest Interactions and Business Performance

The most important benefit of a campground POS system integrated with your reservation system is the visibility it provides into guest interactions with your business. 

A POS system collects information on all points of the sales process, such as:

• Debit and credit card payments from guests
• Reports of daily, monthly, and annual guest accounts for consolidated bookkeeping
• Real-time billing and invoicing information

As a standalone system, this is vital information on the financial health of your business. However, when integrated with your reservation software, a POS system becomes an integral part of taking your business to the next level. 

By leveraging these two systems together, you can facilitate all transactions throughout your property while sending that information to one central system seamlessly. This allows you to combine all financial touchpoints with your guest information. This insight can enrich your guest communications with transaction history and promote more relevant offerings to hone in on their specific preferences — at scale.

Maximize Your Sales and Streamline Guest Payments

You owe it to yourself, your staff, and your campers to make every part of your business efficient and stress-free. But your property management capabilities are only as good as the system used to power them. Critical integrations, such as a POS system and robust features can be hard to navigate without proper insight.

Download the Ultimate Guide to All-In-One Reservation Management Software today to discover how to choose the best management software for your outdoor property.