The top POS system features to help your business run smoothly.

Business tips
Jereme Sanborn


Today’s point-of-sale (POS) solutions enhance the efficiency of your customers’ shopping experience and streamline the way you do business. Because of the many all-around benefits that this hardware and software will provide to your brick-and-mortar or online company, it is crucial that you choose the right solution. Be sure that the POS system you go with contains a robust set of features that will keep your lines moving, your customers happy, and your company’s operations flowing smoothly. Features like:

Omnichannel sales functionality.

If you’re like many of today’s business owners, you are versatile and innovative when it comes to selling your products and attracting and keeping customers. You might have a physical store and a mobile one, each of which involves different ways of accepting payments. Even so, that does not mean that your POS can’t handle both tasks. A modern POS system should be able to seamlessly read physical cards, accept virtual payments, and handle mobile and phone customers as well. Regardless of when and how people pay, your system should also be equipped with customer relationship management capabilities to store important buyer data for building and maintaining loyalty programs and enticing potential repeat guests with special promotions and sales.

Enhanced sales techniques.

Choose a POS system with mobile capabilities and you’ll likely be thrilled with the added freedom and sales power it provides. No longer will your associates be stuck behind a traditional countertop cash register. Instead, they’ll be able to line bust and complete customer purchases from anywhere in your store. What’s more, they can use the system’s built-in inventory management features to provide instantaneous information to potential buyers about additional items. That’s how you deliver a truly customized experience that meets each buyer’s needs while simultaneously padding your bottom line.

Simplified inventory management.

No one enjoys manually monitoring stock or guessing what might be running low or what is not selling. Instead of spending hours poring over receipts and past sales logs, a modern POS system for business owners will include automated inventory capabilities that allow you to effortlessly keep count in real-time of what you have on hand and what needs to be re-ordered. As a result, you can avoid running low on bestsellers or ordering too many items that are not selling well.

Easy-to-understand sales reporting.

Another benefit of proper inventory management is that it gives you the ability to record sales numbers and generate reports on trends. Your POS system should be equipped with mechanisms that enable you to request breakdowns of what is flying off the shelves and what is not, as well as which employees are excelling and which may need some extra guidance. Armed with that information, not only can you order products more efficiently, you can also mentor your associates and reward jobs well done.

Streamlined employee management.

For many business owners, the mundane tasks associated with workers’ hours, schedules, and timesheets seem to take up an inordinate amount of time and energy. With a modernized POS solution, these tasks can be integrated and automated. In the process, human error and outright fraud can be minimized, allowing you to devote your valuable time to other aspects of running your business.

Automated invoicing.

If you are operating manually, dealing with customer invoicing and delinquent payments also represent a significant drain on your time and resources. However, the right POS solution can take much of the burden off your shoulders. Bills and reminder emails can be sent according to preset schedules. You can even give customers the option to make recurring, automatic, or flexible payments. While these features never eliminate the benefits of personal contact should issues arise, they can go a long way toward streamlining your daily billing operations.

Trouble-free returns.

Your updated POS system also takes this penchant for detail into the realm of record-keeping. As a result, the process of product returns can be transformed from a time-consuming nightmare into a seamless dream. In a matter of a mere minute or two, the customer’s funds can be returned to their original form of payment even if they have misplaced the physical receipt. At the same time, your inventory will be updated automatically to reflect the change in your supply.

NFC contactless payments.

More and more customers are adopting digital wallet technology that enables them to pay via Apple Pay or Samsung Pay with a simple tap or wave of their smartphone. It is a feature that is on the upswing and any POS system for business owners should, therefore, be equipped with the near-field communication (NFC) capabilities that powers these increasingly popular transactions.

Maximum affordability.

Fortunately, you do not need to break the bank in order to obtain these highly desirable features. Shop around until you find a POS solution that gives you the features you need at a reasonable price. Once you do, you’ll no doubt soon discover that your 21st-century POS solution has become an indispensable part of your growing business.

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