In 2021, a lot has changed in the restaurant industry due to pandemic guidelines, customer and employee safety, and government mandates. Restaurateurs have overcome all of the recent obstacles thrown at them bruised, but not beaten and not finished serving devoted customers of their establishments. Through the struggle of staying in business during modern times and the unrelenting perseverance of the people who give it life, it seems there is only one thing that could bring a restaurant to a grinding halt – point of sale system notifying Credit Card Processing DOWN.

Though this can happen several different ways, it always ends in the same result. Customers wanting to pay and cashiers or servers not being able to charge and close the check. Panic ensues, justifiably, and there’s only finite solutions to the problem.

Check your internet connection

The most common problem starts at your internet and ends at your credit card processing device. Whether it be an integrated point of sale solution or a stand alone credit card terminal, they all need internet to process credit cards. There are several different ways to check for internet but the easiest is to try going to a website like Google! It will notify you that there is a problem by saying no internet connection or DNS not resolved. Another way to see the status of your internet connection is by looking on the Modem. Make sure it’s powered on and there is a solid green light on the internet icon. New Mexico POS recommends to check all cables are plugged in securely and if so, give the modem a reboot.

Check the status of your processor

Some credit card processors have downtime and you’re at their mercy. Going to the processors website should have a link or notification about their services being down. If so, there is sadly not much you can do until their services are back online. If your Point of Sale software allows an offline mode, like Focus POS, switch to the mode and continue taking credit cards until the processor service is up and running. Another option would to have credit card slips readily available for the inevitable. Though considered obsolete, this method could keep your establishment running smoothly until service is restored.

Check all cables

Cables come loose, mysteriously and unknowingly at any given time. It’s a good idea to make sure all connections are secured into their designated slot. If the pin pad device is disconnected from the point of sale terminal, you’ll start receiving errors. Same if the computer won’t turn on, it could very well be the power cable is disconnected.

Call your Point of Sale Help Desk

When all else fails during moments of chaos, the last option is to call your point of sale provider’s help desk. They can quickly troubleshoot the issue, sometimes even resolving it through remote support. New Mexico POS provides around the clock support for all customers.

Though it can be troublesome and a complete mess at times, customers using cards isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The best advice is to have backups in place and a redundancy plan when it fails so your business is affected very little. New Mexico POS prides itself in training customers to take the necessary steps to activate their offline mode and give support in case anything arises. Match that with the best credit card rates you could possibly get in New Mexico and you have yourself a winner!

Thinking of switching to a company who is local and will give you better rates? Call New Mexico POS at 505-293-7551.