Retail Point of Sale (POS) System Overview

Since a retail POS system is a vital component of your business, choosing a POS dealer is a big decision - greater in many ways than the decisions you make about your POS software and hardware. Price can be an issue, but you’ll surely get what you pay for, so it’s very important to do your research before picking a POS dealer. In any case, you have to make sure if your POS dealer is dedicated to and capable of supporting your business with any problems that might occur.

POS Support

As discussed here, customer support is important to the success of a POS installation. Make sure you know exactly how your POS dealer provide you in terms of responses, replacement policies, and phone support. This is the single yet most important aspect of a POS purchasing decision.

 

POS Installtion

Having a quality installation of a POS system lasts longer than the average installtions. Qualified installers will not take a standardized approach to installation: they analyze your needs, test your existing infrastructure, also includes the power lines, and make sure you get a system that that perfectly fits your location and business needs. Within the first week or two of using a POS system will determine whether it flies or flops, that’s why a well-tested installation is very important. You may ask how often the POS dealer will be on site during and after your launch - only after the system is up and running, or will they come back to check up on it and answer possible problems that arises?

 

Experience

As with any major business purchase, potential vendors’ experience in the industry is also important. But with POS systems you can go further: learn how much experience the retail POS vendor has in supplying systems to other establishments in your line of. Dry cleaners have different needs than liquor stores, and a county kitchenette varies considerably from a five star sea food grill restaurant. Good POS salespeople will definitely ask you about your business, what your business needs, then provide a solution that is appropriate for you.

 

Facilities

Visiting POS dealers’ facilities can be a great way to get familiarized with their operation. You’ll be able to visit their workshop and check out how they work. You can ask for an organizational chart or a tour of their help desk. According to your support needs, distance may or may not be that important to you - if you want to rely on telephone support and shipping components back for repair, it will not matter, but if you plan to have field technicians to come visit your location, distance from your vendor can be a hassle.

 

System Demonstrations

To make sure that the system is easy to learn and operate, test it for yourself. Some vendors do live demos, which gives you an advantage of being able to see how the hardware is set up and how will it look in your location. While other vendors will invite you to test-drive the system in their shop, which gives you that quick facilities tour we’ve discussed. Either way, an in-person demo is strongly recommended if you are not knowledgeable with POS systems.

 

References

Another easy way to investigate POS dealers for your business is to ask for references to other customers - youhave to make sure that you’re asking for references with the same business line as yours. Of course, you will be referred to the vendor’s most satisfied customers, but you can still learn a little more from them. Here are some sample questions you might want ask the references:

• How has the POS system affected your business?

• What would you want to be done differently with your POS system?

• Have you needed any support or repairs? Was the POS vendor responsive?

• Do you know of any one else who uses this system? This can get you additional references to call, and some may be more honest in their advices.

Never be afraid to ask for a reference that dislikes the dealer, as well. Every business has unsatisfied customers from time to time, and you can certainly learn from them.

 

Return policies

Most manufacturers have warranties that allows you to get repairs and replacements for any equipment failures, but returning equipment is more difficult. Many POS dealers charge hefty restocking fees, 0 and up, for returns on complete systems; some vendors may allow you to exchange hardware for others, but some don’t accept returns at all. Again, never forget to review their policies before singning any contract.

 

How can you find the right retail Point of Sale system provider for your business?

Here’s a convenient way to receive multiple quotes for retail Point of Sale (POS) systems via the web at: Retail-POS-Solutions.com

The author of this article is a retail POS system expert with over 20 years experience serving the needs of businesses just like yours.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at 7:35 pm and is filed under Small Business Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.