Loss Prevention 101: Integrated Video (NVR) & POS - Volanté Systems

Data captured by POS solutions is extremely valuable, and there are many ways that a solid POS solution can help with loss prevention through tools like audit flags, manager overrides, and cash drawer management.

Unfortunately, theft occurs nonetheless—by patrons and staff. In 2017, as much as 75% of all shrinkage in the restaurant industry was linked to employees, so businesses need to stay on top of theft wherever and whenever they can.

With the growing number of fully self-serve operations or locations utilizing a combination of cashier and self-serve around the clock, integration between POS and your camera security system (also known as network video recorders or NVRs) is becoming a necessity to understand your operations.

There are several advantages to implementing cameras that are integrated with your POS, including:

1. 1.Increased visibility at every POS device
2. 2.Updates and live activity feeds on your mobile device, anywhere you are
3. 3.Combined analytics with surveillance data, allowing you to measure KPIs
4. 4.Reduction of manual review of video, eliminating the need to comb through footage to find a specific transaction or moment in time

Companies like March Networks are fully integrated with POS, providing the ability to understand behaviors like discount abuse, shrinkage, and customer traffic.

How exactly does NVR & POS integration work?

Transactions are matched to corresponding video footage through a software integration. You can look up dates and times, and they will be matched to transactional data being fed from the POS. For example:

“The system can be configured to alert you to unusually high-dollar transactions (for example, all transactions over $100) or repeated discounts by a particular employee. Reports show you all transactions at each location, listed by employee or transaction type. This makes it easy to see that “John” voided 10 orders over the course of the past week, when on average, every other employee voided just one. Because these transactions are tied to video, you can quickly click through to see what really occurred.”

How does the integration work for self-serve kiosks?

Regardless of the use of POS or kiosks, there is great benefit to having your camera system integrated with your devices. For kiosks, the technology works similarly and is able to verify and document events, such as kiosk button presses, transaction times, whether items were scanned or not, or if payment failed and the customer walked away without paying.

In a world where you can’t have your eyes on your food service operation all the time, integrated NVR and POS is a great way to help reduce theft, monitor your operation, and improve your profitability.

Other important security tools for loss prevention that you should consider for your operation include:

• ​Increased use of manager overrides for discounts, cash drawer opening, or open priced items. This ensures managers must input their code or swipe card to activate specific promotions or actions in the POS.
• ​Increased use of cash drawer management practices. Assigning staff to drawers reduces drawer sharing and provides better insight into each drawer and its contents, making it easier to track down theft if it occurs.
• ​Audit flags. Some POS solutions provide reporting on high-risk activity, such as certain discount thresholds, voids, and refunds, or other activity that may indicate theft. Setting these up as part of your POS implementation helps you better monitor your operation as a whole.

Interested in learning more about this solution? Feel free to reach out to sales@volantesystems.com for more information.