A point of sale system sits at the busiest spot in your business. If it is slow or confusing, customers queue and staff make mistakes. Before you compare features, decide what has to work at the till on a bad day.
Start with how your till works today
Write down what happens from the moment a customer reaches the counter until the cash drawer is counted. Note which products you sell by weight or by the piece, the specials you run, how you take payment, and who may give a discount or a refund.
The system should fit that routine. Changing your routine to suit the software is how tills end up unused.
What to look for
- Speed: a sale takes a few taps, with products found by name, barcode or button
- Stock: each sale reduces stock, and low stock is flagged
- Receipts: printed, by WhatsApp or by email, and correct if you are VAT registered
- Cash-up: a daily report that compares cash, card and EFT with what the system expects
- Staff logins: each person has their own login, and only managers can do refunds and discounts
- Reports: sales by day, product and staff member that you can export
- More than one till or branch, if you plan to grow
Plan for power cuts and a weak connection
Ask what happens when the internet or the power drops in the middle of a sale. Some systems keep selling offline and catch up later. Others stop. Check how your card machine behaves too, because it may depend on the same connection.
A small UPS on the router, the till and the printer gives you time to finish the sale in front of you.
Hardware
A tablet or computer, a receipt printer, a barcode scanner and a cash drawer are the usual parts. Check what the software supports before you buy anything, and keep the hardware you already own if it works.
Questions to ask any supplier
- Who owns the data, and can I export it?
- What do I pay each month, and what is included?
- Who do I phone when the till stops on a busy Saturday?
- Can the system grow into stock control or an online store later?