Retail Systems: How to Find the Right Point of Sale Dealer
Posted: November 24th, 2009 | Category: BusinessRetail Point of Sale (POS) System Overview
Since retail POS systems is a very important component of your business, choosing for a POS dealer is a huge decision – greater in many ways than your decisions when it comes to POS software and hardware. Price will be an issue, but you will get what you pay for, so it is worth doing your research before going to a POS dealer. Here are some ways to make sure that your retail POS dealer is dedicated to and capable of supporting your business through any problems you might have.
POS Support
Customer support is important for the installation of your POS systems. So, you have make sure you know exactly how your POS dealer provide you in terms of responses, product replacements, and telephone support. This is the single important aspect of a POS purchasing decision.
POS Installtion
A good quality installation of your POS systems can last longer than the average installtions. Qualified installers will not take a standardized approach to installation: they analyze your needs, test your existing infrastructure, including power lines, and make sure you get a system that is exactly what your needs. With the first week or two of using a POS system will determine whether it does exactly what you need or not, so a well-tested installation is important. You may want to ask how often the POS dealer will be on site during and after your launch – only after the system is up and running, or will they check back and answer the unavoidable questions that arise?
Experience with POS
As with any major business purchase, potential vendors’ experience in the industry is also important. But with POS systems you can go at a greater extent: learn the experience of the retail vendor has in installing systems to other retail establishments in your line of. candy shops differ in needs with convenient stores, and a self-service cafeteria varies considerably from a five star sea food grill restaurant. Good POS salespeople will ask you about your business, what your needs are, then provide a solution that exactly fits.
Facilities
Taking a trip to POS dealers’ facilities can be a great way to determine how they operate. You’ll be able to visit their workshop and actually see them work. You may want to ask for an organizational chart or a simple tour of their help desk. When it comes to your support needs, distance may or may not be that important to you – if you want to rely on telephone support and shipping components back for repair, it will not matter, but if you expect field technicians to come visit you, distance from the POS vendor can be a factor.
System Demonstrations
Nothing will give you a better sense of how easy a system is to use than trying it yourself. Some vendors allow live demos, which gives you the added advantage of seeing how the hardware looks in your location. Others will invite you to test the system at their place, which gives you that facilities tour we discussed. Either way, an in-person demo is strongly recommended if you don’t know how to operate a POS system.
References
Another familiar way to investigate POS dealers that’s right for your business is by asking for references to other customers – make sure you’re asking for references that are in business similar to yours. Expectedly, you will be referred to the vendor’s most satisfied customers, but you can still learn a little more from them. Below are a list of sample question you may want to ask them:
- How has the POS system influenced your business?
- What would you want to be done differently with your POS?
- Any support or repairs you’ve made? Was the POS vendor responsive?
- Do you know of other people who might be using the same system? — By this you can get additional references to call, and some may be more honest about the quality of the system.
And don’t forget that you can also ask for references that dislikes the dealer. Why? Every business has it’s own weaknesses, which means they also get unsatisfied customers from time to time. By this, you can learn what to look for and what to watch out for.
Return policies
You may get a return policy but that depends on the manufacturer, not all of them issues warranties that ables to get repairs or replacements, and even returning an equipment is more difficult. Many POS dealers charge a large amount of money for restocking fees, 0 and up, for returns on complete systems; while some vendors may allow you to exchange POS parts for others, but some do not accept returns at all. Again, make sure you read carefully their policies before signing a contract with them.
How to find the right retail Point of Sale system provider for your business?
Here’s a convenient way to receive multiple quotes for retail POS systems available on the web at: Retail-POS-Solutions.com
The author of this article is a retail POS system expert with over 20 years experience serving the needs of thousands of businesses just like yours.