Published by Allen Brown
A point of sale system (POS) is vital to any business and seller. It is not just a system for your customers to pay for their purchase as it goes beyond this and offers your business insight and useful data that you can use to develop your business. There is a lot to consider when choosing a POS, and picking the right one can make all the difference between a successful business and a bankrupt one.
Here are 3 things you should know about Point Of Sale.
What Is A Point Of Sale?
For those who are unfamiliar with the term point of sale, we will break down what it means here. In simple terms, the point of sale is the time and place where a purchase/transaction has been made. After the customer makes a payment, they are given a receipt for the transaction, which is typically printed, however, the receipt can be sent out electronically too.
1. The Features And Capabilities Of A Point Of Sale
There are many different POS systems available as they are used in all sorts of industries. Different industries will require different features and capabilities. So, if you are a business owner, getting the right POS will require you to think about what features will benefit you and your business. Some examples include the following;
- Accounting
- Inventory tracking
- Customer management
- Sales reporting
- Cloud-based software
- Employee management
And many more. So before you commit to any old POS system, make sure you have the interest of business in mind as a good POS system can help your business reach its full potential.
2. The Usability Of Point Of Sale
There is no point in having a super sophisticated and complex POS system if nobody knows how to use it. The last thing you need is for staff to spend most of their day checking out the manual as opposed to making actual sales. This is especially detrimental to fast-paced working environments. This can also be very off-putting for customers as they do not want to be wasting time waiting for staff to figure out the POS system. This can be a negative experience that prevents them from using your services again. So, the bottom line is to make sure that the system you do choose is easy to use and easy to learn, so that when new staff joins they do not have to spend excessive amounts of time learning how to use it and can focus their attention on other, more important areas.
The simplest way to make sure your POS system is easy to use is to get a system that only has features you need. There is no point in complicating it with capabilities that you will never use.
3. The Reporting system Of A Point Of Sale
One thing that not everybody knows about POS systems is that they can provide crucial data and other information that can help you develop your business. Different reporting options are available on POS systems. Being able to monitor sales and other information will highlight what is working well and what is not working so well in your business. As a result, you can then focus your attention on the things that are not working to their full potential. You will also be able to track your employees so that you can see how many hours people are working as well as who the top performers are. This is very useful information because it allows you to incentivize the employees. For example, if there is a prize for the top performer of the month, you will see a rise in the efforts to make sales among employees. That is if you offer them a good price at least.
As a business owner, you will be required to make difficult decisions daily. To be able to make well-informed decisions you need to have access to the data regarding inventory, customer sales, popular product sales and a lot more. The right POS system can provide you with vital information that can help you make the right decisions, so the importance of a good POS system is not to be underestimated.
So, if you are in the market for a POS system, make sure you invest the time to research options that are compatible with your business needs. While it may feel a bit boring to scroll through an abundance of options, it will all be worth it when you find a POS system that perfectly fits the needs of your business.