Action Steps for Using Point of Sale Software
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider options for point of sale terminals

The point of sale terminal is the most important aspect of your system. It's the primary interface, where all information regarding product inventory, reservations, customer information and/or order and preorder data goes. Installing a terminal at your check-out point or front desk speeds up customer interactions, resulting in more efficiency and superior service.

I recommend: Start looking into supplies by comparing some POS terminals. HP has various fully equipped options that include the computer, monitor, printer and scanner. You can also see smaller, simpler options in keypad/barcode combinations at Merchant Accounts Express.

Evaluate software options to choose the ideal solution for your POS systems

Your retail store, warehouse, hotel or restaurant point of sale devices require central software to tie everything together. Varying packages are available specifically for different business types and practices; compare several packages before choosing one designed for the kind of business you operate. Keep your system efficient by checking for software updates or new software suited for your business.

I recommend: Evaluate choices for point of sale system software from POSGuys and Keystroke POS. POSGuys provides different software options for restaurant and retail business as well as credit card processing and mobile solutions. Alternatively, download a free evaluation package from Keystroke.

Add flexibility to your equipment with barcode scanner supplies for point of sale systems

Whether you're handling sales, checking in hotel customers or performing inventory tasks in your warehouse, barcode scanners are a helpful addition to any point of sale system. Depending on your business, you have specific needs for the information you gather and different ways your employees interact with customers.

I recommend: Round out or complement your point of sale equipment by analyzing myriad options for barcode scanners. Both mounted and handheld models are available; browse through the various POS equipment choices at Barcode Store and Barcode Discount.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Like any computer network, supplies for point of sale systems have to be compatible. Make sure when choosing your products that your software will integrate with your terminals and other devices. Although most packages are designed to work with any basic equipment, there are sometimes exceptions.

Guide to Making the Most of Point of Sale Software and Systems

Point of sale systems help retailers streamline business processes

By Stephanie Fagnani

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Determine what type of point of sale hardware you’ll need

Does your business need a retail POS cash register? Would a Web-based point of sale system be more beneficial? What about other POS equipment like displays?

I recommend: Before investing in POS software programs small business owners should research affordable point of sale hardware solutions. Visit the Web sites of vendor’s like CDI and Dell Point of Sale Solutions to view their various POS equipment options. Also, check out the Business.com directory for suppliers of POS systems and POS displays.

Control inventory using point of sale software

POS systems allow you to manage inventory right from your desktop by providing a method for recording sales and determining when an item needs to be restocked. Using point of sale systems can help you reduce the chances of overstocking items or running out of stock.

I recommend: Take a look at Executivpro.com, which offers a downloadable demo of an inventory management system for retail stores. Also, designed for the Microsoft Windows environment, Millennium Software offers the Atrex inventory control point of sale software package for most retail operations.

Track customer preferences with point of sale systems

Many industry-specific point of sale software programs feature easy-to-use customer tracking options that help generate automatic discounts for frequent shoppers and create targeted customer mailings based on buying preferences.

I recommend: RACO Industries offers Microsoft Point of Sale Software and allows you chat live with a product specialist.

Set prices and conduct transactions with point of sale systems

POS software enables retailers to set pricing not only by product but also by color and size within a product line when necessary. Point of sale systems also record cash register sales for credit card, debit and cash transactions.

I recommend: The CMS Professional Point of Sale module from 2020software.com is designed to record all sales transactions, including special sales promotions. Credit card readers are often included in many POS systems, but make sure you get a newer version capable of handling debit card transactions. For more help, check out Business.com’s listing of credit card terminals.

POS systems can improve loss prevention

Linking POS systems to loss prevention software can help you prevent merchandise loss as a result of employee theft or human error.

I recommend: Datavantage Corp. provides both point of sale and loss prevention software solutions as does Aspect Exception, which also offers free demos of each of its five products.

Increase profit margins using point of sale systems

Analyze detailed reports generated by POS systems to determine which merchandise offers the highest profit margins and which merchandise isn’t boosting your bottom line. Use this info to guide future purchasing decisions.

I recommend: Check out Apple's tips on boosting sales and profits with a POS system and review Mac-based retail point of sale systems.

Improve efficiency, accuracy and productivity with point of sale software

A POS system will allow you to reduce the time spent on paperwork and transactions, leaving you more time to spend on building your business. Point of sale systems can also greatly reduce the number of costly employee entry errors — for instance, when a worker rings up $2.95 instead of $29.95.

I recommend: The custom label designer included in POSitive Software's solution allows you to create barcode labels of almost any size for new stock and can also be used to create shipping and mailing labels. Other time saving features, like being able to reconcile cash registers using reports on sales and tender information, are part of Everest Software's offering.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Point of sale software allows small business owners who can’t afford an IT staff to easily computerize and track company procedures.
• •  Point of sale systems help discourage employee theft because merchandise accountability is more easily enforced.
• •  Computerizing customer data allows business owners to develop a closer relationship with their shoppers who, in turn, will benefit from special targeted promotions.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get to know some point of sale systems basics to evaluate their usefulness to you

Point of sale machines and software packages create a full system to streamline your work. In a restaurant, hotel or store, they gather all transactions into one system. You can integrate each computer in your place of businessinto the system, and any transaction taking place on that computer will be in the system, recorded for inventory and reference purposes.

I recommend: Get more information about point of sale systems basics by examining details regarding operation and seeing some of their advantages over alternative sales options. Check Automation Access and WhatIs for some basic information, then consult The Hungry Horse for an article about the worth they can bring to your business.

Analyze the advantages that a point of sale system can provide for your business

Because each point of sale terminal is a part of the central system, all information regarding things like sales, reservations, product inventory and customer information becomes stored for easy reference. You can centralize all your pertinent data and access it from any terminal in your business. You can also improve customer satisfaction, because check-out transactions go through much more quickly and easily.

I recommend: Discover how point of sale equipment and systems can enhance your business and help you gain an advantage; AllBusiness and Microsoft Small Business Center both have articles outlining the reasons your business will benefit from an upgrade to a point of sale system.

Learn the full range of POS equipment you'll need to set up a fully functioning system

To fully take advantage of a point of sale implementation, you'll need software as well as devices like monitors, computers and barcode and credit card scanners. Before buying, check into the costs associated with integrating such a program into your business.

I recommend: Check point of sale equipment and software providers like The POS Solution and POSPros.com to get a full idea of the products needed. Each of these POS systems suppliers has a special information request form to fill out to obtain detailed info about their solutions and prices.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Setting up point of sale systems is a process; you will not realize the advantages immediately, and in the short term, it will be extra work. It's essentially a complete overhaul of your system, so make sure of all necessary details before beginning, including preparing and training your employees and notifying customers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Point-of-sale system

A point-of-sale system is comprised of both software and hardware that's networked together and used to process customer transactions. A vast improvement over the traditional cash register, a POS system helps improve a business's efficiency and effectiveness by instantaneously recording sales so users can easily track and compare data over specific time periods. With a POS system, users can also maintain a customer database, track inventory and create order lists. You can purchase a complete POS system or you can build one a la carte. EPoS (electronic point of sale) is another term used to refer to POS software and hardware.

I recommend: Learn more about all the hardware components of a POS system at Retail POS Systems.

Matrix

A matrix refers to the ability of POS software to accept entries for a product at a set price while retaining the ability to track that item not just by total units sold, but also by different criteria such as size and color.

I recommend: At Visual Retail Plus, see an example of and learn more about the features you can get with POS software that supports matrices.

Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR)

Magnetic ink character recognition refers to that part of the check authorization process in which an MICR device reads the data (special symbols and numbers) printed on a check and then transmits that data to the networked retail software. The retail software then forwards the data to the check processor.

I recommend: Learn more about the importance of magnetic ink character recognition in nonsufficient-funds check processing at Affirmative Technologies.

Charged-couple device (CCD) scanner

A charged-couple device scanner is a relatively inexpensive tool used with a POS system to read barcodes from three-six inches away. Laser scanners, on the other hand, use a beam of light to read bar codes and can scan from longer distances.

I recommend: Read the article at Tysso, a POS solution provider, for a brief but technical description of how a CCD scanner works.

Impact printer

An impact printer, also known as a dot matrix printer, is a receipt printer for a POS system that incorporates pins that strike an ink ribbon, which forces an imprint onto paper behind the ribbon. One benefit of these printers is the ability to simultaneously generate multiple copies of a receipt. Impact printers require refills for paper and ribbons.

I recommend: Learn more about the benefits and features of POS impact printers by clicking on any of the models at the Epson website.

Thermal printer

A thermal printer is a receipt printer that uses heat to produce images on specially designed, heat-sensitive paper. These popular printers require only paper refills, but can't simultaneously generate multiple copies of a receipt.

I recommend: Click on any of the Citizen Micro HumanTech thermal printer models to learn about the different features available.