POS Systems

Your POS (point-of-sale) system is where your customers make their purchases. What used to be a straightforward cash register can now be an incredible tool for your business to house all your transactional information in one place.

Posted in Credit Card Processing on Thursday, October 28, 2021

Don’t Have a POS? Need an Upgrade?

Perhaps you don’t currently have a POS system or you have an older system. With so many amazing capabilities available, now is a great time to consider getting one or updating yours.

If you have an older system, you may be reluctant to give it up. It probably served you well for many years, and you’ve relied on it for reconciliation, inventory management, accounting and more. Plus, your employees know how to use it.

But, there are several benefits to getting a new POS system. Some older ones don’t accept EMV cards, which can put you at risk with chargebacks. Older POS systems don’t support contactless payments like Apple Pay^® or Google Pay^™ or applications like Grubhub. In addition, your POS system needs to be PCI compliant to protect cardholder information.

You may assume that POS systems are too expensive. They’re more affordable than you may think. Consider what you want and need a POS system to do.  You don’t want to pay for tools you can’t use.

A Smorgasbord of Features

POS systems are getting more robust all the time, and can include features such as the following:

• Online dashboard to view purchases in real time
• Shopping cart integration
• Yelp integration to see reviews
• Gift card or loyalty systems
• Multiple receipt printers
• Portable card readers & mobile app
• Standalone kiosks
• Employee management, such as scheduling and time clock
• Compatibility with accounting software
• Multi-language support

Customizable For Any Business

With so many features available, you can customize your POS system to fit your type of business. After all, different kinds of businesses have different needs. For example, a restaurant wouldn’t need all the same tools as a retail store. Here’s how their POS system needs may differ:

Restaurants:

• Ability to work with DoorDash^®, Uber Eats, etc.
• Manage menus and specials
• Ability to add a tip
• Self-service ordering
• Multiple receipt printers
• Table mapping

Retail: 

• Inventory management tools
• Layaway functionality with payment reminders
• Email or text receipts
• Barcode scanners
• Cash registers for multi-lane environment

Questions to Ask

When you are shopping for a POS system, make sure you ask questions to avoid surprises. Here are some to start:

• What fees will I incur – setup, monthly, a subscription cost or hardware cost?
• Am I locked into a lease?
• What features are available for my type of business?
• Do the support hours work for my business hours? (If you own a bar, for example, you’ll need support later than other businesses.)
• Will the support people have remote access to help me?
• Is the support outsourced to another country?
• Does the company offer on-site training? If so, what is the cost?
• Is the system proprietary?
• Can I switch systems without disrupting technology?
• Does it include EMV and NFC capability?

Proprietary Systems

Some POS systems are proprietary. This means they only work with certain payment processors. This is something to ask about before you commit to a system. You may be attracted to a low introductory rate, but if the rates increase, you won’t have the flexibility to go somewhere else. Before you know it, you’ve built your business around this POS system that holds all your customers and inventory. It has become too expensive, but you are locked in.

The good news is, you can generally find a non-proprietary POS system that includes all the features you need and is less expensive. After all, as your business grows, you should be entitled to a lower rate. It is to your advantage to go with a POS system that is “processor neutral” so you’re not locked in to a particular processor.

Professional Solutions is Here to Help

There are many POS systems available. As your credit card processing company, we’ll work to integrate payments with whichever system you choose.

Or, we are happy to help you get the POS system you need. We have equipment options for all types of businesses and budgets. We’ll talk to you about your particular business to see what makes the most sense for you. Whether you’re just getting started or need to migrate from one system to another and move menus or rebuild inventory, we’ll walk you through it all.

Three of the most popular POS systems we offer are Clover^® products: the Flex, Mini and Station Duo.  All three of these options accept EMV and contactless payments. They are all customizable with over 400 apps available from Clover.

Call Professional Solutions

With so many different choices available, finding the right POS system for your business can be difficult on your own. Let us help. We work with all kinds of businesses – floral shops, retail stores, dry cleaners, restaurants, warehouses, gyms, yoga studios and more.

Whether you have a particular system in mind or have questions, we can provide insight to help you explore your options. Give us a call at 1-800-232-2791.

Trademarks listed are the property of their respective owners.

The credit card processing program is administered through Professional Solutions Financial Services, a division of NCMIC Finance Corporation.