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Text one customer, or show the whole line.

A "text when ready" service messages one phone at a time, which means asking every guest for a number, then paying per message. Pickup Signal answers "is mine ready?" for everyone at the counter at once, on a TV, with no phone numbers collected and nothing per-message to meter.

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The whole counter, one screen● No numbers collected

One phone, or one screen for the room.

Pickup Signal boardOrder-ready text messages
What the customer getsTheir name on a shared screen: Now making, then ReadyAn SMS to their own phone when the order is done
Needs the customer's phone numberNo. Nothing is collectedYes, asked for and stored for every order
Who can see statusThe whole line, at a glanceOnly the one customer who got the text
Ongoing cost shapeOne flat monthly price, any volumeOften per-message or per-seat, so a rush costs more
Register requiredSquare, another register, or noneVaries; many need a specific POS or checkout to fire the text
Where it helpsThe crowd at the counter asking "is mine ready?"The customer who wandered off out of sight
Price$19.99/month per location, 30 days free, no cardVaries by provider, commonly a monthly fee plus per-message rates

Text-notification pricing and requirements vary widely by provider; the shapes described here are typical of per-message SMS tools and change over time.

Texts reach the customer who left. The board covers everyone else.

Keep the texts (if you use them)

If you already text customers when an order is ready, that message still reaches the guest who left the shop. Nothing about Pickup Signal replaces or interferes with it; the board is a separate screen and never touches your checkout or your messaging tool.

Add the screen everyone can see

Most of a counter rush never leaves the shop. The board answers "is mine ready?" for the whole line at once: no phone number asked, no per-message anything, and it's also your shop's name and colors up on a wall. Eligible Square orders can appear on their own; staff add exceptions by hand.

Asked by shops weighing texts.

Is it better to text customers or put orders on a screen?

It depends where your customers wait. A text is useful when guests leave and come back; a screen is better when the crowd stays near the counter, because the whole line sees its status at once instead of each person waiting on a single message.

Does Pickup Signal need my customers' phone numbers?

No. The board shows a first name and last initial with the order number, or just the number, and nothing else. No phone number is collected, so there is nothing to store, opt in, or unsubscribe.

Do I pay per message with Pickup Signal?

No. It's one flat price of $19.99 per month per location, at any order volume, with a 30-day free trial and no card to start. There are no per-message or per-customer fees.

Do I need a specific register to use it?

No. Connect Square to bring eligible orders in automatically, or add orders by hand on any register, or none at all, from the same page staff use to mark orders ready. See manual entry →

Put the answer on the wall.

Pair a TV, hand your staff one link, and skip the phone-number collection.

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