SpotOn is a reputed merchant account provider established in 2018 in San Fransisco, California. SpotOn manages to deal in various services, but the company has an exclusive POS system for restaurants and small retail businesses. It deals with all business sizes and has experience working with renowned companies.
Undoubtedly, the company competes with the other alternatives by offering a thorough interface, multiple integration choices, and simple contract terms.
But all these services don’t compensate for the setbacks of the company. While it has expensive subscription plans, you are bound to use SpotOn Payments as your provider. Otherwise, you may have to pay hefty fees. These restrictions and costs are some of the most troubling aspects for merchants. The company also holds some negative reviews regarding the billing system and customer service.
Here is a detailed SpotOn Payments review based on thorough information to help you choose the best merchant account provider for your business.
SpotOn Restaurant Main Features
SpotOn provides customized features for every business type. The provider has tailored some features specifically for the business model of restaurants. Moreover, additional elements can also be integrated according to the type and size of your business.
Below are some of the main features that SpotOn offers to its clients. Based on them, the provider claims they can completely handle all financial operations of the restaurant and other retail businesses.
Menu Builder
The company has an organized backstage menu builder for the merchants to solve the problem of menu devising. It allows merchants to customize the menu and also will enable them to list a detailed assortment of items.
Table Layout
The table layout generator takes care of restaurant sitting that smoothens the customer flow. It is also used to make advanced table reservations.
Data Reporting
SpotOn keeps a record of all data related to business matters. You can view any changes in data backup. It creates 90+ reports for the subscribers to analyze the business growth. These reports include the sales trends, ROI on reward redemption, marketing metrics, and many more features to analyze the business.
Employee In&Out Timings
SpotOn helps employees to record the clock-in timings during duty hours. You also have the authority to change and record office timings for every employee individually.
Customer Data Base
Repeated customers significantly increase the business growth ratio, and you can increase the number of repeat customers by giving away customized offers. The merchant account provider registers the customer’s database and prepares personalized proposals for them.
You can also set up a loyalty program to keep the customer returning. With the help of a built-in loyalty feature, SpotOn quickly sets up a loyalty program for your business.
Easy Ordering System
Through SpotOn, creating orders has become much easier. You can accept orders digitally from a tableside using a tablet. And the order is directly transferred to the kitchen with a single click so chefs can start preparing it. The system not only customizes the order for a customer but also excludes or includes specific ingredients in the dishes based on the order.
Moreover, if any customer wants to modify the order after placing it, the system changes it without trouble.
Along with contactless ordering, the SpotOn also generates a QR code on the receipts for payment. Customers can directly pay from their phones by scanning the code.
Online Ordering & Delivery
A single portal helps the customers to order takeout and delivery. Customers can use SpotOn delivery and place orders online for delivery from your website.
For delivery convenience, SpotOn allows integration with delivery services like DoorDash to deliver orders without trouble. However, there’s a flat delivery price charged for every order.
Touch Screen Interface
SpotOn made its way into the market as a well-known choice for its easy-to-use interface. With the help of a tab, you can review and control the order. Not only that, but it also helps in backhouse system management.
Inventory Tracking
As it is known, SpotOn handles all the backhouse business, including the inventory tracks. All ingredient records are kept under supervision, and it informs the employees before the stock is about to end.
Google business Integrations.
SpotOn has a robust integration with Google, so customers don’t have to go through any hassle downloading the app to place an order. They view your timings and working hours directly through Google. Customers can also order for delivery or takeout through the business page.
Automatic Updates
SpotOn offers its clients with an up-to-date system at all times. As soon as the new update is introduced, it will automatically be installed in your system. Moreover, SpotOn frequently reminds you to check for updates.
Review Management
SpotOn collects all online reviews about your business in one place. It also informs you when a new one is added. This merchant account provider helps you view and reply to every review from your computer.
Pricing
In this section of the SpotOn review, we will analyze the processor’s pricing. If the company is considered a one-stop solution for the restaurants, it is not a cheaper choice. The basic package of POS starts from 25$ per month. For the restaurants, you have to pay an additional 65$ per month. Plus, if you plan to use another payment processor, 125$ is charged. For the regular card-present transactions, it charges 1.99%+20c. At the same time, international and keyed-in transactions cost 2.99%+20c.
There is a calculated amount charged for integrations except for the previous package. For example, Integrations like the website and loyalty costs an extra amount each for 65$ per month.
Considering the prices of SpotOn, the system can be a worthy choice for the restaurants that sell high-priced items.
Hardware
SpotOn POS is only compatible with the company’s hardware. The merchant account provider gives plenty of hardware options according to your subscription plans. SpotOn Restaurant hardware is designed to run the software efficiently, irrespective of your restaurant size. The company offers a 10-inch touchscreen tablet along with a built-in card reader, and it comes with a tablet charging station. Restaurant hardware includes a 19.5 inches touchscreen monitor, cash drawer, receipt printer, and backup wireless router.
However, you can add additional hardware like display monitors, kitchen printers, and other devices to your package with extra charges.
Integrations
To add more features to your package, SpotOn provides advanced integrations on its website that are entirely compatible with your previous package. These integrations can vary from inventory management tools to delivery processing services. Ctuit, Quickbooks, Restaurant 365, Bevager, Paycom, and Hot Schedules are some top available integrations of the company. Currently, there are almost 20 integrations displayed on the SpotOn website.
Payment Processing
SpotOn allows the merchants to choose their own payment processor, but it adds considerably high charges to the pricing. To make it budget-friendly, it is recommended to use SpotOn as a payment processor. SpotOn merchant service assists with valuable features like reviews, payment reports, and marketing. But to add a website and loyalty feature, you have to pay more.
As SpotOn does not announce the compatible credit card processors on its website, it is necessary to contact the company representatives to know whether your existing provider is compatible or not.
Customer Service
SpotOn Payments has a very mixed bag of reviews when it comes to customer service. It provides an easy-to-use system in matters of account creation. You can directly complain and ask your queries using the service.
Although the company offers multiple approaches and alternatives to facilitate the merchants, some pricing issues and unresolved complaint reviews are associated with the company.
Merchants can contact customer service representatives 24/7 through their customer care number. Merchants can also send their system-related queries through email if they wish. The SpotOn help center also assists the client in understanding the POS system, various integrations, and SpotOn restaurant. It presents many articles with comprehensive user knowledge. For the announcement of updates and business strategy declarations, the SpotOn blog is regularly updated. The company also presents itself on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
SpotOn gives an edge to country locals by establishing a national dealer network. But only the merchants residing in big cities can benefit from it.
Drawbacks of SpotOn Restaurant
SpotOn is an acknowledged name in the restaurant industry. It is recognized for serving all types and sizes of restaurants. But unfortunately, it doesn’t have a very good reputation if we consider customer reviews.
Overall, there is a suspicious lack of reviews about the processor. The company has just above 13+ complaints filed against it on BBB in the last three years, and seven complaints were reported against it last year. Overall, it holds a good rating as A+ BBB.
But there are certain areas where it needs thorough improvement. Following shortages of this merchant account provider makes it a tough choice for merchants.
High Prices
SpotOn is quite costly compared to the other providers in the market. Plus, if you want to add specific integrations to your system, the monthly cost skyrockets surprisingly.
And, there is a restriction on using your payment processor. A further cost is charged if you have signed up for their service and don’t want to use the SpotOn Payments as your processor.
Hidden Costs
Many users complained about hidden charges as well. Customers report getting unexpected fees for reports and other random charges. And SpotOn imposes sudden expenses on gift cards and other receipts.
There are complaints against holding customers’ money. Users are restricted from a surprisingly large amount with the guarantee of a refund, but they have to wait for weeks or even months until their cash is finally returned. There are some reviews that clients had to struggle with customer service for the refund.
Customer Service
While SpotOn states that to provide purposeful and efficient customer service, users have contradicted reviews. They undoubtedly present multiple reporting options, but clients face problems resolving their issues. Customers find it hard to submit their concerns.
It is also reported that a person must make multiple attempts until the issue is finally resolved.
Restrictive Hardware
SpotOn imposes certain restrictions on using the hardware. Their POS is only compatible with SpotOn hardware. This is generally considered a downside of the system, as merchants cannot use their system or tablet for that purpose.
Credit Card Processing Features
SpotOn is not flexible in providing credit card integrations. Although you have the choice to use a third-party processor, it comes at a high price. The company also does not publicly declare compatible processors either.
Delivery Integrations
SpotOn has integrated with delivery companies to facilitate the restaurant delivery process. Yet, Users have objections that there are only a few associated companies and there is a lot of room for improvement.
Learning Curve
Although SpotOn has an easy-to-use UI, some system complexities aren’t easy to understand. There are certain features of the system that makes it tough to use. Almost 60 to 70 % of users reported difficulty in understanding it.
Glitches and Bugs
There are also some complaints posted against random system and application glitches. Users have difficulty setting up accounts. The system often gets stuck while viewing reports, and many glitches are found in financial reporting. Some users faced trouble ordering through the app. There are also reviews of tabs malfunctioning.
Evaluation
Unquestionably, SpotOn Payments brings customized features that simplify the restaurant business. The merchant account provider has also made various integration options available for merchants according to their business model. It comes up with its own hardware system compatible with its POS software.
However, considering various reviews about this system, there can be some drawbacks to using the system. Compared to the competitors, it is quite an expensive choice. Along with it, some merchants are not satisfied with the hardware restrictions. There is significant improvement needed in the customer support area. And the system needs to fix the random glitches in the system. All of these issues were discussed in detail in this SpotOn review.
Until it deals with these existing issues, your business has many better choices in the industry.
