SkyWire and DataWorks, Inc create innovative new integration that eliminates repetitive data entry

Inventory management and point of sales systems, working in harmony…that’s what it takes to ensure that businesses know exactly what has sold and what’s still sitting on the shelves.

DataWorks, Inc offers a complete system tailored for the comprehensive management of purchase orders, inventory control and sales. As a company, DataWorks has been an industry leader for more than 20 years.

Most Food and Beverage interfaces are one way: POS sends sales info to the back office system. The new DataWorks / SkyWire integration, built using JSON technology, enables all inventory control for food and beverage to be seamless. It is currently one of the few two-way interfaces in the world. The two-way interface eliminates the need for double data entry by automatically sending item information to POS terminals and collecting sales and customer data to maintain accurate inventory.

“I can speak for the last 30 years and the 20 plus POS integration efforts I have been a part of (including MICROS, Agilysys/Infogenisis, SpaSoft, Springer Miller, H.S.I. , etc.), that this is highest level of integration with a POS Vendor we have ever undertaken,” says Mark W. Cecil, CEO, DataWorks, Inc, “This integration exceeds all other known efforts in the hospitality market.”

The SkyWire / DataWorks joint development was brokered by a customer who couldn’t find a solution anywhere in the hospitality software market. So they started knocking on doors for their needs. Those doors lead them to DataWorks. But as they were also looking for POS with integration they hadn’t quite found what they were looking for. A little bit more research and they learned about SkyWire POS and realized a marriage of the two systems would provide everything they needed.

DataWorks began in the 80s and was one of the first in the early 90s to integrate into POS. Skywire had the ability to work with the DataWorks team to merge the technologies. DataWorks feeds SkyWire POS menu items and prices, Skywire sends DataWorks sales info, covers, meal period, modifiers, etc.

As veterans in the industry for over 30 years SkyWire and DataWorks have raised the bar technologically by exceeding any other integration effort to date, making today’s restaurants, stores, hotels and entertainment venues run in the most optimal way possible.

Food prep modifiers and condiments are being defined in DataWorks inventory and then integrated with the SkyWire POS. This is a huge advantage for enterprise. Instead of having to maintain multiple systems, one integrated, enterprise inventory management system is all that is needed. The seamless interface eliminates the need for repetitive data entry, and labor – and with a single entry can communicate to unlimited number of POS terminals.

“The technology is a bi-directional, near-real-time interface where everything from the menu items and profit center groupings for reporting purposes is all done within DataWorks,” comments Jeremy Higgins, Director of Product Development at SkyWire. “DataWorks then takes that information and posts it into SkyWire POS so that there is a single place to do programming. In traditional inventory interfaces there was always a duplication of efforts. So, if you would program a cheeseburger in DataWorks you would have to program a cheeseburger in the POS, and if you got something mismatched inventory would be off, sales would be off and so on. So what we are doing is actually populating in real-time back and forth between the two. So as there are price changes, cost changes, etc. it’s all updated to the POS. On the flip side we are sending back sales detail to DataWorks so businesses can complete their inventory and see real-time info on re-order needs, cost of goods sold and things of that nature.”

Imagine if you had 40 properties, normally someone (or a team of people) would have to maintain all of them individually. As organizations add on properties, economies of scale are realized by leveraging the interface between the two companies.

Chuck Ginsberg, DataWorks COO sums it up, “With this new partnership, SkyWire and DataWorks bring to market a solution that has been missing. The two companies stand together to deliver a truly unified solution that removes the guesswork, streamlines workflow and gives the hospitality industry the analytics to maximize every guest interaction.”

About DataWorks — DataWorks has been an industry leader providing back-office procurement and inventory management systems for the hospitality industry for more than 20 years. We stick to a path of continuous improvement, simultaneously honing our software chops and keeping a laser-like focus on our clients’ needs. Our incomparable experience has led us to develop a comprehensive back office procurement and inventory management system. Along with proven interfaces, these products allow customers to make smarter decisions, improve customer service, maintain control and foster productivity—for a positive impact on their bottom line. More information about DataWorks is available at www.dataworksinc.com.

About SkyWire – SkyWire is an award winning, global provider of enterprise-grade software applications for the hospitality industry. SkyWire develops solutions for hospitality companies by creating and integrating cutting edge hardware and software into POS, PMS and retail systems that facilitate loyalty and engagement with the customer base. For more information, visit www.skywire.com.