Snooker club software: what to look for and what to ask

The basic job. Each table needs its own timer that starts when the table goes live and stops when the players finish. It needs a pause for when play stops for a while, and paused time shouldn't be billed. Ask whether the system keeps a log of who started, paused and stopped each table. When a customer disputes a bill, that log settles it.

• A different rate for each table, or each type of table
• Peak and off-peak rates by time of day and day of week
• Games that cross a changeover billed at each rate for the right part
• A minimum charge per table
• Billing on the time actually played, not rounded to the next half hour

If the software can only charge one flat rate, you'll end up working out the evening price by hand. That's exactly what you're paying it to stop.

Drinks and snacks ordered at a table should go on that table's bill, so the players get one total. If the bar is on a separate till, someone has to match them up at the end of the night, and some of them won't match.

Check that items can have sizes and options, and that you can sell combos. If you serve food, check how orders reach the kitchen.

Two players rarely want to pay the same way. Look for splitting evenly, by amount and by item, and for letting one player pay their share and leave while the table keeps running. Ask what happens when the last player leaves and part of the bill hasn't been paid by anyone.

Most clubs have regulars who settle up weekly or monthly. The software should keep a running balance for each of them, let you set a credit limit, and show you everyone who owes money in one list. If it can also hold a prepaid balance that regulars top up, even better.

Ask how the software helps you close the till. At minimum, it should tell you how much cash it expects in the drawer. Better ones track pay-outs and drops during the shift and show you whether you're over or short when you count.

Your front desk staff need to start tables and take payment. They probably shouldn't be able to refund a bill, void it, or give a 50% discount. Check what roles the software has and whether each discount and refund is recorded with the name of the person who did it.

You want to know which tables earn and when they sit empty, what the bar sells, and what each member of staff took. If the reports need an export to a spreadsheet before they make sense, you'll stop reading them after a month.

This is worth asking directly. Cloud software runs in a browser, works on any device and lets you check the club from your phone, but it needs an internet connection. Offline software keeps running when the line drops but usually ties you to one computer.

If you go with cloud software and your connection is unreliable, a cheap 4G router as a backup line is a good investment. Ask the vendor what happens if the connection drops in the middle of a busy night.

• How exactly is the price worked out? Per table, per user, per terminal?
• Is there a setup fee or a contract?
• Can I try it on my own tables before paying?
• What happens to my data if I leave?
• Which features are in the product today, and which are 'coming soon'?
• Does it handle my currency, my tax and my tax number on bills?

Then do the real test: run it for a full Friday or Saturday night during a trial. If the staff are still using it at midnight without complaining, it'll do.

playdesk covers everything on this list. Each table has its own timer with pause, a rate and a minimum charge. Peak and off-peak windows are billed across the changeover, bar orders go on the table's bill, bills split equally, by amount or by shares, regulars get a wallet or a credit limit, and cash is tracked by till and by shift with an over/short count at close. Refunds, voids and discounts are tied to staff roles, and each one records who did it.

It's cloud-based, so it needs an internet connection. Pricing is a flat monthly fee per table with every feature included, and there's a 14-day trial.