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It can be challenging to find the right Point of Sale software system for your business. This article provides a checklist of features you should consider when making your decision. In part one, we will look at point-of-sale, customer tracking, and security features.
Point of Sale
This is the heart of a POS system. Does it feature an intuitive user interface? Will you be able to train employees quickly? Can you customize the software for your unique needs? Features to look for:
- Touch screen support.
- Customizable menu buttons to access frequently sold items.
- Customizable receipts and invoices.
- Ability to email receipts.
- Ability to create and manage quotes, layaways, special orders and workorders.
- Ability to manage gift registries.
- Ability to set up automatic add-on sale suggestions or substitutes for out-of-stock items.
- In-house gift card/store credit tracking.
- Ability to import tickets from a remote location, such as a trade show.
- Ability to interface with credit card processing software. Will you need to switch to a different processor than the one you are currently using?
- Support for electronic signature capture.
- Support for debit card cash back.
- Support for foreign currency.
- Ability to calculate and track sales tax for different municipalities, different customer types, and different types of inventory items.
- Ability to manage recurring billings, (for example, subscriptions).
- Ability to manage tips and customer tabs
- Ability to compute and track commissions and spiffs.
Customer Tracking
A major benefit of a point-of-sale program is the ability to track customer information and buying habits. This allows you to do targeted marketing to increase sales. Here are some features to look for:
- Option to store customer photographs (useful if you have a membership program).
- Ability to print customizable membership cards.
- Option to track multiple customer types, such as wholesale, presale, member, etc.
- Ability to track purchases made by each customer, including serial numbers, warranties, and layaways.
- Ability to create targeted email and/or mailing lists.
- Ability to send customized email in bulk.
- Ability to print customized mailing labels.
- Ability to manage accounts receivable
- Ability to print and/or email accounts receivable statements.
Security
Your point of sale system can help you prevent employee fraud and assist you in loss prevention. Features to look for:
- Bad check tracking.
- Integrated video surveillance.
- Ability to limit employee access and rights.
- Option to require login for each sale or after a specified period of inactivity.
- Security tracking log so you know which employee handled a void, price override, return, etc.
What to Look for in a Retail Point of Sale System, Part 1
