Choosing a POS System is not something that naturally comes to retailers and small business owners. Their transition from manual operation to a software-based system can prove to be a nightmare if they choose an indecent POS system. Although there are several POS systems in the market, selecting the one might need some information gathering first.
A Point of Sale system is necessary for small businesses as it provides online payment support with inventory and record management. It helps to do many chores in minutes, which typically takes hours of grunt work. But how do you choose what’s the best POS for you? Let’s discuss the 5 mistakes you should avoid while choosing a POS system for your business.
Cheap versus Best
As a business owner, it’s always better to give a thought to the cost of anything you are buying because if you can get something for less price, why go for the costly one. But sometimes thinking about ‘only’ the price might not be that great. If you are looking to buy a POS Software, you must consider various factors like price, usability, ease of access, etc. but your primary focus must be on the Features. If your POS system lacks the essential features that your business need, then it has no real advantages of being cost-friendly.
To choose the good POS system, first, you should analyze the essential tools and services you want in the Point of sale software. Then after that, choose a software that provides all those functionalities. And as the last checkpoint, choose which one of them can save you some money. This way, you can find the best POS system for you without wasting your hard-earned money as well.
Hardware versus Software
Many people forget that a POS system is a combination of both the hardware and its compatible software. Taking any one of them out of consideration might cost you even more than setting up a new POS system. A common mistake that many retailers do is buying hardware and software without checking their compatibility, which creates problems in either setting up or working of the POS system.
To make your system an error-free one, you should check the hardware and software compatibility of the system before buying it. It is better for your business to buy both Hardware & software system from POS provider because not all business owners have technical knowledge of the system. It is also suggested because if you will buy POS software from one provider and hardware from another provider, you might get compatibility issues between hardware and software parts.
Don’t Checking for 24*7 Support
Quick and convenient support is as necessary for any business using POS software, but some people don’t pay much attention to the support quality of the provider. They either don’t consider support as an important factor and also they don’t want to pay for it. In both cases, they miss out on an essential aspect of selecting the right point of sale software for their business. If you still aren’t convinced that you need to have responsive support for your POS, then ask yourself if you want to see yourself holding a call for 20 minutes, ask them how to set up a payment method?
The solution to this one is quite easy. You should check that the POS company is providing 24×7 support or not with software. If yes, then check their service reviews and ask their existing customers to get the best idea about it.
Looking for Unnecessary features
There are a lot of POS systems out there, some with basic functionality, others with some advanced ones as well. Small business owners, especially the ones who are getting their first POS system, tend to go for the one with advanced functionality most of the time. But that doesn’t necessarily be a good thing for their business. Why would you want to get a feature that you may never get to use in your business? For example, if you are a restaurant owner, why would you opt for a color-based inventory management system designed for libraries.
These types of misconceptions must be cleared while selecting the best system for you. The sales executive must explain to you what is best for your business. A software with a lot of functionalities may appear better choice at first but not when you start getting confused while using your POS system.
Choosing a Wrong Service Provider
Finally, all of the above-given information rests on one ultimate decision – Differentiating between a right or a wrong Point of sale partner for you. While you should consider all the facts mentioned above, you must also see which company are you going to trust. You must check all the requisite details about your POS system provider before entering into any agreement with them. Check your partner with the following questions:
- What’s the history of the POS system provider?
- What’s the primary business of the company?
- Are there any hidden charges applicable to you?
- Is the price break-up easy to understand?
- Do they provide hardware, software, or both kinds of supports?
- How secure will be your data with them?
- How often do they roll out updates to keep the system up-to-date?
Only after getting satisfactory answers to all these questions, you should get into the business with them. There are various other mistakes that you could make while choosing a POS System for your business as no one’s perfect. But reading this article will help you understand the basic errors and help you to choose a good POS system for your business as per your requirements.
These were some common mistakes that merchants and small business owners make while getting their first POS system. If you are looking for the best POS software in the market and trying to get one for your business, then try not to make these mistakes and choose what’s better for your business. If you have any other queries in mind regarding choosing your new POS system, contact us. We will help you get the best customized POS system according to your business’ needs.
