Sports teams have long evaluated and reevaluated their “playbooks” to ensure that they play the best game possible. With 2011 now in full swing, retailers and restaurateurs should take the same approach with their businesses.

If your business is not performing to your liking—either entirely or partially—step back and give your playbook an honest evaluation. What’s working? What’s not? Why? Some of this information can be gleaned through a thorough review of point of sale data maintained in systems such as pcAmerica’s Cash Register Express and Restaurant Pro Express. Solicit honest feedback from others by establishing a spot on your operation’s Web site where customers and even employees can post anonymous comments and suggestions. Leverage the Internet by looking at online reviews of your store or restaurant on Web sites like Yelp, Merchant Circle and Yahoo Local. This will truly allow you to identify what’s “broken” and needs to be fixed.

Keep an open mind when going through this exercise. You may only need to adjust your merchandise mix or menu, adjust employee scheduling to reflect store or restaurant “traffic patterns”, or simply change your hours. Or, you may find that it’s necessary to make more substantial changes. For example, if customers complain that you do not “connect” enough with them or go the extra mile to make them want to patronize your establishment, you might consider running e-mail specials, sending text messages about “exclusive” deals to top customers, or adding a social media component to your loyalty program as frozen dessert chain and pcAmerica customer Tasti D-Lite has quite successfully done.

Today’s consumers are no longer willing to settle for second best—in the products they buy, the foods they eat and the businesses they patronize. By scrutinizing the playbook—and changing the rules often—you’ll come out in first place.

Find out more how a point of sale system from pcAmerica can help improve your business by visiting them at, www.pcAmerica.com.