Implementing a new point of sale system can often be a daunting task. Don’t let that scare you away. The benefits of a new point of sale system can greatly outweigh the costs. Here are some of the expectations you should be aware of before buying. 1. Onboarding Onboarding is essential for you to properly utilize your new software and train your employees. The standard period for onboarding is 3 months. This will consist of several meetings that you schedule into for online training. Onboarding can be an extra cost in addition to your new point-of-sale. Be aware that not all software companies offer onboarding. 2. Support After your onboarding, you will have questions about your new point of sale. Whatever point of sale you go with, be sure to choose a system that offers support packages. When shopping for a new point of sale look for software that offers a user portal, help files, and a support line. Again there maybe cost associated with support but you want to at least have the option to opt in or out. Learn more about what to look for when buying new software. 3. Hardware setup When you buy a new point of sale system, you will want to be prepared for setting up the hardware. If you are not tech-savvy, you may want to enlist the help of a contracted IT professional. Setting up hardware may include:
- Running cables
- Connecting routers
- Setting up work stations
4. Operations
Implementing a new point of sale will require you to standardize your policies and procedures. If you do not have a documented training process or standard best practices outlined for your employees, this is something you will want to begin now. It is never too early to formalize you policies and procedures. It will save you time and money down the road.
5. Pricing
After purchasing your point of sale and you begin onboarding, you will start the process of inputting your price list and inventory. This is every item, package, combo, and offer you sell. If you already have documented price sheet for your facility this will not be hard to complete. If you are currently in the market for a new point of sale and do not have a price sheet available, now would be a good time to start collecting your data.
6. Training your employees
The onboarding process usually does not include your employees. Onboarding is reserved for Owners and Management. Once you have gone through onboarding, you will then need to train your employees on the software. Your customer service employees will not need to know all the dynamics of the point-of-sale system, so training will be much quicker. You will want to outline exactly what your customer service employees need to know, so the process can be duplicated.
7. Start using your new point of sale
Once you have taken the time to implement your new point of sale, you can start taking advantage of all the benefits it has to offer. Get your sales and marketing teams involved for ideas to take advantage of some of the great tools available through your point of sale system.
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