Five Ways to Make Sure Your POS System Integration is Successful

If you’re new to owning point of sale equipment, you may not realize that your job isn’t done once you plug in your POS terminals and set up your preferences.

Here are five tips to help make your integration of retail POS systems go smoothly.

1. Train Employees Thoroughly
   
   Placing a group of untrained employees behind unfamiliar POS terminals will alienate your employees and frustrate your customers. POS equipment usually doesn’t require a lot of technical expertise to operate, but untrained employees will have a difficult time providing good service. They may even end up costing you money if a customer is undercharged or a transaction goes wrong.
2. Have Supplies Nearby
   
   Registers and cashwrap areas go through a lot of supplies, and running out can create checkout pileups and customer headaches. For instance, some POS equipment won’t reprint receipts under certain circumstances, which can be a problem when the paper reel runs out. Make sure your registers are fully stocked with everything employees need to do their jobs. If you have additional supplies in a closet or backstock room, make sure everyone on staff is aware of the location and can replenish items that have run out.
3. Plan a Sensible Traffic Flow
   
   Have you ever been to a store where everyone keeps asking you if you’re in line? Don’t set up your queue in such a way that customers will accidentally or intentionally cut in front of other customers. Multiple lines and informal lines can cause confusion and misunderstandings that decrease customer satisfaction. Usually the best option is to set up a simple roped-off queue and let customers file down to associates as they become available.
4. Implement Loss Prevention Tactics
   
   When you have several associates working on multiple registers, you have to make sure you have a way to monitor behavior. Many retail systems use computerized reporting to track illicit transactions and behavior, and others have strict end-of-day till counting practices. In more extreme cases, cameras can be placed over cash drawers to make sure employees aren’t skimming.
5. Set Up a Troubleshooting Procedure
   
   Like all other forms of technology, POS equipment can crash or malfunction. This can bring your business to a grinding halt if you don’t have processes in place to fix your equipment. Make sure there’s always someone on staff who knows how to contact tech support and sort out any issues.

More.