Five Considerations for Point of Sale Hardware and Software

Whether you own an apparel boutique, gift shop, sporting goods store, or any other consumer merchandise outlet, deciding upon a point of sale (POS) system implementation can become a crucial factor that affects whether you store succeeds or fails. Here are five elements to consider before you buy:

1. Getting the Right Implementation Team

Out-of-the-box solutions may work for some enterprises, but most will benefit from a professional analysis and implementation. Companies that are experienced in, for example, Microsoft point of sale implementations can help guide you toward selecting the right hardware, as well as installing the underlying network and customizing the software.

2. Choosing the Software that Fits Your Needs

If you own a boutique, your software needs are different from those of a restaurant owner. Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (also known as Microsoft RMS or Microsoft Dynamics-RMS), for example, is tailored to small- to medium-sized retailers. It can automate inventory, automate purchasing management, and streamline transaction processing, while being scalable to meet your needs as your business grows.

3. Minimizing Disruptions

Implementing new hardware and software necessitates a certain level of disruption, but you should choose a solution that is specifically designed for easy implementation and adoption. In other words, your store should stay open for business and your employees should be able to quickly learn the system. Microsoft POS solutions, for example, utilize build-in wizards and intuitive user interfaces to make learning the system quick and painless.

4. Integrating with Other Software Solutions

Even if the software you select streamlines POS transactions, unless it's integrated with your other systems you won't get the most out of your investment. Ideally, your point of sale software should connect to your business information and processes and be able to communicate with, for example, Microsoft Office programs like Word and Excel.

5. Enhancing Marketing Efforts

The best point of sale software can become an important component of your marketing toolkit. Thanks to tracking features, POS software can enable you to launch highly targeted marketing to select customers, such as those who have purchased certain items in the past or those who have indicated a preference for certain merchandise. In addition, it should allow you to set up promotions and discounts, as well as suggest up-sells at the register so your employees can talk about the products to your customers.

Keep in mind that, when you select a point of sale software solution, you should be able to get all of the features you need. For example, you may want to quickly add new items to your database, or enable a matrix that allows you to differentiate between similar items (such as the same dress style) by attribute (such as size and color). Likewise, you may wish to print out customized labels for your price tags. Perhaps you need software that will work for multiple stores, or maybe customized reporting and metrics are critical to your business. The bottom line is that, with the right implementation team, point of sale software and hardware can catapult your retail business to the heights of growth and success.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Point of Sale Hardware and Software or Majon's Business and Entrepreneurs directory

The Problem With Technology At The Point Of Sale In Financial Services

Background

There’s a conundrum that currently exists between the customer and the seller in financial services. The customer buys and the seller sells. The customer is focused on their wants as much as needs, and whilst the seller often says they are focused on the customer’s needs, all too often the focus is on products and profit. Indeed a wider examination of the decline in customer service might also do well to address the issue of remuneration systems which reward sales but not customer service. This latter practice merely confirms the customer’s suspicion that the seller has more to gain from any advice or transaction than the buyer. Included in the mix is regulation. Regulation was meant to assist and protect the consumer. Instead, we have witnessed a massive exodus from providing advice whilst compliance costs rocket skywards. The continuation of bad press on sales practices; fines of major firms; and the inability of the industry to speak with one voice leads many to believe that protection for the consumer is a by-product not an aim. In addition the customer is now faced with an overloading of the sales or customer relationship process with paper, which include endless questions to complete even the simplest transaction and massive fact finds covering every conceivable piece of information imaginable. Rather than act as a comfort to customers these processes have merely heightened their suspicions. Yet insofar as technology is concerned, whilst the customer trusts the technology, they do not trust the person operating the technology.

Point of Sale systems

In this scenario it is hardly surprising that Point of Sale systems continually fail to pay back the investment. In most cases it’s not that the system doesn’t work, it’s just that working the system requires different skill-sets and a realisation that the customer is wary of being asked questions. These are behavioural issues and yet whilst Point of Sale systems by design are based upon a customer’s past buying behaviours and potential future buying propensity they tend to lack an appreciation of:

a) The reluctance of the seller to use technology at the point of sale

b) The physical environment in which customer interactions take place

c) The amount of time it takes to learn to operate new technology with confidence in front of a customer

Reluctance of sellers to use technology at the point of sale

Many experienced and qualified advisers now rely heavily on technology. This explosion of the use of technology has led all software and hardware suppliers and IT departments to believe that the future is bright, the future is technology. In the rush to design and implement systems however, some basics have been overlooked:

a) Sellers are as opposed to sales processes as are customers

b) Introducing technology at the point of sale involves a significant change of behaviour on the part of the seller

c) Sellers experience great difficultly in changing their behaviour

d) Most sellers in the type of financial services organisations that can afford to buy Point of Sale systems are junior front-line staff with the consequence that

- their feedback on the reality of using these systems in front of customers is often ignored

- where they provide feedback it is often guarded

- pilot launches are always used with ‘champions’ who provide a minute insight into the difficulties which will be faced when launching the system to a wider audience. In addition many of the results of pilots are widely exaggerated in order to bolster the confidence of those who have already embarked upon considerable expenditure and of those who will continue to be used as champions

e) The ability of sellers to convince managers that the system is being used when it is not (this in itself is one of the main reasons for Point of Sale systems not realising any return on investment)

f) The ability of sellers to convince managers that customers do not like the new system whereas the opposite is almost always the case. What customers do not like is the behaviour they experience from the seller. Clearly if the seller is reluctant to use the system they will adopt a less than enthusiastic set of behaviours in front of the customer

g) The ability of sellers to convince managers that changes should be made to the system in order to make the customer feel more comfortable

The physical environment

Most Point of Sale systems are information hungry and therefore the programme requires the seller to either input or to read a significant amount of data. This results in the seller and customer seating positions being such that almost always exclude the customer from seeing what is going on. The customer becomes wary. The seller senses the discomfort of the seller and reacts accordingly. The customer senses the discomfort of the seller – and so the cycle continues.

Time to learn

In all cases, the time estimated and used to teach sellers the new system is inadequate. By the time sellers return to the workplace most will have forgotten 90% of the details of the system. This then requires them to teach themselves how the system works during lulls in normal customer interactions. This fragmentation of learning takes place without reinforcement or feedback and certainly without the practice of using the system in front of a customer. Within a very short time-scale sellers have taught themselves to use the system without the customer being present. When the opportunity then presents itself to use the system live with a customer the leap from theory to practice is too daunting and therefore delayed until the seller feels more confident. This simply never happens.

The solution

In an environment where the cost of Point of Sale is significant the solution is simple but unpalatable – it requires more time and resource.

DESIGN OF THE CUSTOMER INTERFACE

The system has to be designed with the customer in mind not the seller. The customer has to see what is happening and in this way can be encouraged to take part in the exploration of their needs and wants

DESIGN OF THE TRAINING

The first step for sellers is the need to convince them that the system will work in front of a customer. They have to be shown how it will work. The second step is to convince the user how much effort is required to learn how to use the system in front of a customer. The third step is to provide sufficient time and to ensure that the design of the training balances technical knowledge with physical selling skills

FIELD IMPLEMENTATION

The most critical aspect of field implementing is often overlooked – the involvement of the line manager. The manager must act as a coach which means they have to be trained to use the system – but do not need to become experts. They need to experience the learning. In this way they will be able to gauge when sellers are resisting because of learning difficulties or emotional difficulties. They need to taught how to recognise the difference and how to behave accordingly. Coaches need to be taught how to transfer training to the field and the crucial element – how to improve performance. The whole point of Point of Sale is to improve performance.

Frank Salisbury is a motivational an inspiring business coach and trainer. He has designed and delivered a range of personal development programmes for individuals and organisations aimed at helping people achieve their potential. He has spoken at numerous conferences and seminars where his style has received acclaim from those who hear him speak with a passion for life and achievement.

In 2006 Frank was elected a Lifetime Honorary Fellow of the Sales Institute of Ireland. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Commercial Management; a member of the Institute of Leadership & Development; a member of the Association for Coaching, and a Council Member of the Gerson Lehrman Group Business Services Council.

http://www.btsolutions.ie

Cash Register Stand Allows Retailers to Make the Most out of Cramped Quarters

One of the biggest problems for most independent retailers is space- or more accurately, the lack of it. In the never ending quest to offer more to customers, we soon find ourselves offering less space to move around within our store. And that can cause big problems. One solution many retailers are turning to is cash register stands. By abandoning the large store counters of the past for simpler, smaller space saving cash register stands, retailers are saving space and making the most out of their available square footage.

Cash register stands give retailers the professional presence of a traditional checkout counter, without taking excessive space that could better be used to display additional products or allow for more free flowing in-store traffic. Most cash register stands have a flat front with shelving in the back where retailers still have space to store essentials.

For some retailers, it?s important to have a large and long countertop checkout area in the front of the store. But for retailers whose situation has forced them to value space over presence, a cash register stand can be a very valuable consideration for saving space and creating a more welcoming and open environment to entice and serve your customers.

Cash register stands are also very popular among seasonal retailers, including garden retailers and produce and pumpkin farms across the country. Cash register stands work well in this environment because they are portable, they take up very little space when in use, and they? extremely easy to store. A traditional store counter simply isn?t versatile enough to be functional in garden retail spaces.

Retailers who are short on space can look to other areas of their store for solutions as well. Walls provide retailers with a number of options for displaying or storing products and freeing up the sales floor. There are a number of product display solutions that, if implemented creatively, will allow retailers to always make the most of their available space.

Nu-Era and nu-era.com are services of The Nu-Era Group, LLC -the industry leader in store fixtures, supplies, and fulfillment. Nu-Era has been providing its customers with competitively priced quality products with customer-oriented service since 1949. For more information, visit them online at http://www.nu-era.com Visit the company?s blog at http://www.retailstoresupplyinfo.com

Cash Register

James Ritty might not have guessed that the cash register, which he invented in 1879, would change completely into some thing, which even he would fail to identify. He just wanted to devise a fool proof cash handling system, which effectively prevented his dishonest staff steal and pocket the money at his tavern in his Dayton, Ohio.

Early cash registers were mechanical machines, which did not issue receipts. The cashier would crank up the machine and press the total key to register transaction and that is when the cash drawer would open and a bell ring at the managers/owner?s office to alert him of a completed transaction.

But would it not be possible to open the register when there is no sale at all? These are day to day necessities and the manager or the owner would want to check or take away cash from the register even when there is no sale and the drawer can be opened by hitting the NS (no sale) key which opens the drawer after logging that the drawer was opened. Some models have special keys and latches for such instances.

Modern Cash Registers Whether you have a small business or a restaurant, modern line of cash registers will fit the bills for you. These computerized cash registers of the day can be attached to scales, check stands and bar code readers. Some specially ordered models have the capacity to be attached to credit card terminals and software such as EFTPOS. EFTPOS stands for Electronic Fund Transfer and Point of Sale, which handle transactions with customers. It handles electronic debiting of customers? accounts and crediting the amount to the merchants? account.

Pilferages with modern cash registers are not easy. These are highly protected. One example is alphanumeric passwords.

Accounting and Taxation Angle to Cash Registers It is mandatory for customers and merchants to maintain the receipts for some time while merchants compile tax returns. The point is, it is easy taking stock at the cash registers by the volume of sales rather than inventory. Bar code scanners such as EAN and UPC maintain logs for each item sold and totaled at the end of the day.

Top Manufacturers and Salient Features Japanese have pulled it off in this regard. Toshiba, Casio, Sharp and American companies like IBM, Wincor-Nixdorf and TEC are top selling models. Features keep changing but, Clerk ID System, Self Tax Computation, Memory Protection, Locking Cash Drawer Locking coin tray, multiple tax rates; thermal printers and pop-up rear display are only the most common features.

Have you seen a self checkout cash register yet?

Alan Ross is a regular article contributor on many topics. Be sure to visit his other websites Cash Register Resources, POS Cash Register and One Stop Information

POS Software - Improve The Way You Do Business!

 

Let’s first discuss exactly what POS software is and then we will go into why it is one of the most important pieces of software that your business needs. POS, stands for Point of Sale, and is also referred to as Retail Management Systems (RMS).

So why is this software so important to your business, no matter what type of business that you may have?

POS software will help you to keep track of your money. It will let you know many things about it – such as where it is coming from, where it is going to and what is making you the most possible amount of money. It’s going to ensure that your inventory is filled with products that are being sold the most. This is how you are going to make more money from using POS software. There is no reason to fill your inventory with items that are not selling, and pos software can even help you to recognize trends, so you can see what products are going to be in demand at different times throughout the year.

Keeping track of your inventory will help with various things in your business, such as keeping control over employee stealing and stocking up on items that will not sell, and in return this will save you thousands. It’s actually pretty amazing how much you will save because of pos software. You can easily print our inventory reports with only a few clicks of your mouse.

There are many other options available with POS software, such as credit card processing. A POS software system will offer bar code checking, touch screens and instant credit card authorization. This will mean that your customer has a faster checkout time. Nobody likes to wait in line for an extended amount of time. Your receipts can also be used for advertising your promotions. Now you are saving money on advertising and increasing your customer’s satisfaction. Besides most people now a days don’t carry around cash, so if you are not offering any type of credit card processing then it’s a good idea if you want to increase your business to get this implemented.

There is no reason that you should not be using any type of POS software that is available to you today. Many POS software are offered with many business packages that can suit almost any type of business. This is great because it will save you ton’s of time searching through available software out there, you will have one that is already tailored to your specific needs for your specific business.

P Abbey owns and operates http://www.possoftwarefacts.com

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