When you work in sales, using a Point of Sale software is necessary. It will help increase your revenue and it will also help with customer relations. Because this is a needed software for many businesses, there are many options that are produced and offered. It might be hard to choose the best one, especially if you are new to this type of tool.
Here, we will talk about some of the things that you should look for when choosing a POS software. This is a guide to help you choose a tool that will best suit your business. Not all software will work for all types of business, so it is best that you choose based on what type of industry you are in.
Features
As mentioned above, not all software will work on every business. There are Point of Sale systems that are specific to certain industries. The first thing you need to do, before you even start looking for a software, is to establish what your needs are. If you are in retail, then a POS software suitable for hospitals may not work for you. You have to think of what you will need so it will be easier to compare it to what software providers offer.
Here are some top features that should be present in your software for you to consider it:
- Reporting and analysis of sales. This is an important feature which will show you how your sales are doing. Instead of doing the analysis of your reports manually, the software will be in charge of analyzing your reports for you. With this, you can get more accurate and detailed reports. You will also be able to tell how much money you are getting for every specific product that you have. With the information available, you can now decide to stock more on some items or to let go of
- Customer management. When you manage your customers effectively, chances are they will be loyal to your business. Check here for more reasons why you need customer relationship management tools. The POS system will allow you to know which of your customers are the most loyal and you can recognize or give them rewards. One survey says that 77% of buyers like it when a brand shows their appreciation for client loyalty.
- Employee management. Usually, when the boss is away, the employees tend to play. This would translate to poorer customer interaction, thus poorer sales. With the Point of Sale software, the boss can still monitor his employees even from a remote area. He doesn’t have to be in the office to know how transactions and sales are going. There is a software that offers access through the use of mobile phones or laptops. You can check software reviews at com to know which software providers offer mobile access and effective employee management.
- Inventory management. Inventory is where most inconsistencies happen. This is how you can be a victim of employee theft. With the software, you can keep track of all the products that go in and out of the business establishment. Inventory will be automatic and you will know exactly where every product is.
- Point of sale. This is the basic feature of any POS software. This will improve your checkout process and make it quicker. Meaning, you can serve more customers in one business day and get more revenues. There are different software and hardware, though, and this will vary in pricing depending on what type you will choose.
Cost and Compatibility
There are many factors that will affect the pricing of a POS system. Depending on the plan and type of system that you would get, a POS system can cost from $50 to $100 with a onetime fee of $1,000 to $5,000. A higher price does not mean a better software. You still have to do a lot of research before you choose and get a particular software. Reading comments and suggestions from review sites like CrowdReviews.com will help you decide on which software are the best in the market.
Another thing that you will have to set aside a budget for is the installation fee. The cost mentioned above is just for the software, but Point of Sale is a combination of both software and hardware. For hardware, you would need a computer or whatever you plan to use to manage the software, a printer for the POS receipt, a barcode scanner, a credit card terminal and a cash drawer. If you have a lot of cashiers, then you would also need a lot of these hardware.
You would also need to consider that your hardware is compatible to whatever software you will get. It is important to read the fine print of the hardware you acquire so that you will know which software providers are compatible with the whole system.
One more thing that might cost you is the type of software. It could either be cloud-based or on-site. Cloud-based might be cheaper because the database and server are hosted on the cloud. On the other hand, on-site might cost you more because the server and database will be installed in a physical location. The upkeep and maintenance of the on-site server will also be more expensive because you would need a team of experts to manage it. While for cloud-based, maintenance can be a part of the package that you will get. Check out the benefits of using cloud storage for your business.
Usability
This refers to the ease of use of the software. Ease of use does not mean that the software will be lacking on the needed features. It just means that no matter how sophisticated the software is, it is easily understood by its users. Ease of use also means that it will be quick to learn and that will save time for the employees who will use it. You can check out POS software reviews to know what others are saying about the ease of use of a particular software.
You can try the ease of use with the free trial that the software providers offer. It would also be another point for the company if they offer a free trial because they are not afraid to show the people their work even though it isn’t paid yet.
There are companies that offer free training to their clients. If you could find one, then that would be a great bonus. Try to read some reviews of Point of Sale software to know which companies are offering free training.
Software Integration
When you run a business, you won’t only use one software. You would need a lot of different applications for different purposes. For example, you would need an email marketing software to help with your email marketing. A customer relationship management software is needed to establish a better rapport with your clients. There are many tools and applications that you can use to make your business better.
It is essential that you could use your POS software easily with these other applications that you already have or are planning to get. Integration will ensure that there are no double entries in any of the databases and all information entered are correct. The integration of different software will also help lessen the risk of possible human error because data no longer need to be exported manually.
Customer Support
One factor that is often overlooked is the availability of a help desk. Companies dealing with software and application should always have a hotline or any form of communication available all the time. Computer applications are tricky and if one is not well aware of how something works, they might have problems. They need expert customer care representatives to answer any questions they might have.
That is why it is important that you only consider a company that offers reliable customer support. They should also be available through a lot of channels like email, phone, or live customer support. According to a study done by Microsoft, 81% of consumers deem the phone to be the most important customer care channel. Your software provider should at least have a hotline number available 24/7.
Another thing is the expertise of the customer care agent. It doesn’t matter if they are available all the hours of the day if they won’t be able to answer your questions. There is really no way to know about this beforehand, but maybe reading some software reviews can give you an idea.
Consider the factors mentioned above and looking for a Point of Sale software will be easier. Another tip is to consider your business needs first and foremost before you go looking for a suitable application. One software does not fit all businesses, so consider what you will need the tool for and you can compare it to what the companies are offering. One last thing before we end this article, although the price is important because of budget constraints, quality should always be considered above the money. A quality product will work for the long run and give you your return on investment quickly anyway.
Check out CrowdReviews.com to know reviews and rankings of other users on the best Point of Sale software.
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