What makes a good POS system?

Any physical location where you can spend money will have a point of sale system. In short, a POS system is where you pay for the goods or services you buy or use every day. It's far more than just "the thing on top of the cash register where you plug in the eftpos bit" – and anyone who has worked a customer service role will undoubtedly know how painful the difference between a good and a bad POS system can be. So, what makes a good POS?

A good user interface

For many, POS is the primary software they will use throughout their work day. It'll perform a number of functions in addition to just compiling a total for payment, and so it needs to have a user interface that is easy enough to operate but also robust enough to handle the unique requirements of each business.

Seamless integration

As more retail and food outlets take up an online presence and integrate e-commerce into their operations, it's important to have a POS system that can support all areas of your business. Having a web store and a brick and mortar that run on different systems can be hugely problematic in terms of keeping track of sales, orders and customers.

When your staff have a great POS system to work with their job is much easier (and their smiles more genuine).

Reporting functions

One of the most important functions a POS system offers is the ability to create reports from the huge amount of data they store. What were profits in March? How many units of product X have we sold in the last year? What invoices are outstanding this month? This is why reporting is important – it allows you identify strengths and weaknesses based on almost any factor recorded during a transaction.

Timely support

When you buy into a POS system, you'll want to make sure that there is technical support available when you need it. Even the most state of the art POS system can have technical problems on occasion, and while there may be simple fixes for many issues, you'll want to have some backup if your EFTPOS goes down on Christmas Eve.

Stock management

Generally, a POS system will have a file for each product that is sold at your business. You'll want to make sure that these files are capable of holding as many specific details as possible in order to differentiate them from other, similar stock items. This is how you keep track of stock levels, and it's of the utmost importance that your POS system can handle your volume of stock.

LOOKUP.COM's point of sale solutions are extremely versatile. We provide POS systems that check not just the boxes we've covered in this article, but many more. Whether you're a new company, an existing customer looking to expand or an operation in need of a new software, we have the solution for you. For more information, contact LOOKUP.COM today.