Which Point of Sale (POS) Software Should I Pick?

Which POS software program should I choose? Well, that's the $10,000 question, or $2,000, or $1000, or under depending on what you finally decide on. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of POS software applications to select from. In actuality, there are so many options, it can be mind boggling. If you end up in that situation now, hopefully this report can allow you to maintain your sanity in tact.

If you own a retail shop consider these important questions:

Do you need remote access into your POS software?
Do you need to provide gift/loyalty cards?
Do you desire the freedom to select your own credit card processing company?
Do you wish to collect customer information for email or snail mail advertisements?
Do you need to offer a layaway program?
Will you will need to combine unique SKU items to offer you a kit under one SKU for resale?
Will you will need a wireless barcode (batch) scanner for inventory and upload scanned data to your POS?
Will you wish to provide integrated electronic signage with your POS system?
Do you intend to open more than one shop?
Will you will need to print barcode labels?
Which sort of coverage features do you want the POS applications to make for you?
Are you going to need to take items on consignment?
Do you require integration with a third party accounting program?
Will you want to sell things by weight? If so, you'll need scale integration.
Will you need after hours and weekend telephone software tech support?

If you own a restaurant consider these important questions:

Do you need remote access into your POS software?
Do you need to provide gift/loyalty cards?
Do you desire the freedom to select your own credit card processing company?
Do you wish to collect customer information for email or snail mail advertisements?
Will you will need a wireless barcode (batch) scanner for inventory and upload scanned data to your POS?
Will you wish to provide integrated electronic signage with your POS system?
Do you intend to open more than 1 restaurant?
Will you need the ability to print product labels? I.e. tag on pizza box
Do you require integration with a third party accounting program?
Will you want to sell things by weight? If so, you'll need scale integration.
Which sort of coverage features do you want the POS applications to make for you?
Are you going to provide modifiers for menu items? I.e. extra cheese, extra mayo, etc
Will you want servers (waiters & waitresses)? If so, then you'll need the following:
*Skill for split ticket payments
*Skill for table assignments
*Skill for tip calculation/charge
are you going to need to incorporate a guest paging system for full service restaurant?
Are you going to need to take phone orders and provide home delivery?
Will you need after hours and weekend telephone software tech support?

The above list of questions to think about aren't all inclusive, but, in my opinion, are a few of the most important so as to get the program features you require for your company. Needless to say, the more feature rich a POS software application is... the more it will cost. However you'll require a POS software application that has the capacity to run your business how you want it. Your POS program shouldn't hinder or frustrate you daily company operations in anyway. If this happens to somebody, then odds are he/she made the wrong option. As soon as you've narrowed down applications vendors you like, then examine the support services they provide. Does the POS program you're interested in have tech support available? If so, which sort of tech support? Also, checkout how much they charge for tech support? The ability to find great after sales tech support can be just as significant as the POS software itself. There are few things more frustrating then your POS software giving you an error message stating it can not publish to the receipt printer at the same time you have clients in line, so you pick up the telephone, call your software vendor and no one answers; today that's a worst case scenario, but it's something to take into consideration when making a last option for your POS software. Know for sure your preferred POS vendor will be there to support you when required.

Certainly do your homework and ask the POS software vendors as many questions as you will need to so as to make an informed decision. List all all the program features you believe you'll need on paper, and list all the questions you can think of to ask a software vendor. Ask other business owners in your business what POS applications they use and obtain their advice. If you follow this procedure, you should be able to generate a confident, informed decision and proceed with a POS software vendor which is going to be a business partner with you for several years to come.

The Fundamentals of a Point of Sale System (POS)

Point of sale (POS) can be known as a check-out or money wrap and is normally the location in a shop or restaurant where transactions for the exchange products and services happen. A point of sale system typically identifies the physical digital hardware and peripherals that are utilized to run a transaction. This hardware can have a cash register, a dedicated computer or even a portable smart device such as a tablet computer. Value Added Resellers (VAR) interchangeably use the term POS when they talk about the hardware and the checkout place. The credit card business adds to the confusion. Merchant services suppliers who process credit card transaction and their Independent Sales Organizations (ISO's) will refer to standalone credit card terminal as a POS also. A POS in this sense is merely the peripheral which reads the charge card, sends the transaction information between the store and credit card processor and might issue a receipt after approved.

The first POS hardware was a mechanical cash register invented by a Dayton saloon owner named James Ritty in 1879. The purpose was to keep employees and customers honest. It's hard to discover a mechanical cash register now; the vast majority of POS systems are digital, meaning that they use an electronic cash register or computer system. Electronic POS is sometimes referred to as ePOS. Electronic cash registers help streamline some of their finish of day calculations that store owners will need to process on a daily basis. Realistically they're only used at stores that have not automated, require a backup system or do not process many transactions on a daily basis.

The POS System is hardware that's combined with POS applications and peripheral devices. This hardware assists a store clerk or associate handle the sales process. At a simple level POS software manages the transaction calculations. But, POS software is very scalable and modules can be added for accounting, stock and even customer relationship management (CRM.) Value priced software options are available which could give a little shop owner a number of the tools the massive fortune 500 retailers utilize.

POS peripherals are devices such as:

Receipt printers

Give a physical record of this transaction

Magnetic stripe reader (MSR)

Automate the entry of credit card, driver's license or loyalty card Info

Bar code scanners

Automate the entry of information located on goods, loyalty cards and coupons. This information is referenced in Universal Product Codes (UPC) and Quick Response (QR codes).

Cash Drawer

A drawer on the POS used to securely save cash and coins.

POS Keyboard

Typically is retail hardened keyboard built to resist the continuous use in a retail environment and can be used to input client, product or service information. Many times it will have the MSR built in. Many large stores utilize mechanical keyboards that are rated for greater use than a normal consumer keyboard.

Signature Capture

Used to save a digital record of a client's signature

Electronic Scales

Automate data entry of weight Details

Computer Display

Employed as a computer display to show information. May have touch screen technologies.

Typically large companies have customized or built the hardware, software and peripherals to match their precise needs. The target is to process transactions in the quickest and most precise framework so as to keep their clients happy, partners trainable and accounting true.

Small and Medium businesses (SMB retailers) typically purchase off the shelf hardware packages with applications customized for their business vertical. Now this software no longer have to live on a computer in the shop it can be hosted on a cloud and marketed under the software as a service version (SaaS.)

Mobile POS is currently available that prevents POS users from being tied down to a particular location in a shop. Mobile POS devices allow for some or all the performance of the hardware and software in a traditional point of sale system onto a device that fits in the user's hands.

POS systems have come a long way since 1879 and will continue to alter adding both attributes and advantages. In the end they'll continue to help restaurant and store owners manage and measure their performance, relieve rote work and increase client satisfaction.