Point of sale systems are one of the most important pieces of equipment in your operation. This is where your marketing efforts turn into sales figures. This interface is where your business generates the cash flow to support the organisation. Yet many businesses keep the same point of sale system in place while they keep up with the latest digital marketing technologies, customer relationship management tools and manufacturing methods.
Here are six signs you need to update your EPOS system.
You Don’t Have Vendor Support for Your Software
It is surprising how many small businesses are using point of sale systems running on Windows XP. Delaying an upgrade is understandable at first since it delays the capital costs and investment of time it takes to train everyone. However, if the operating system your EPOS runs on is no longer supported by the vendor, you must upgrade now before there isn’t anyone left who can do it at an affordable price.
Your Hardware Is Obsolete
Obsolete hardware is a major problem since you may only be able to run your point of sale software on that proprietary hardware. One warning sign regarding hardware obsolescence is that your peripherals are no longer repaired but replaced from inventory found online. In a worst-case scenario, the few replacement parts you get are those returned by others who upgraded their own EPOS systems.
If your hardware is literally becoming obsolete, replace both the hardware and software at once to minimize the disruption to operations. You can take a look at how EPOS systems have developed over the years and see what kind of system you’re currently working with by taking a read of The History of Point of Sale by Vend HQ.
You Cannot Meet Customer Expectations
Customers are accustomed to on-demand information and service. They won’t wait for ten minutes on the phone while someone visually checks if an item is in stock. They want to know the price of the item they are holding right now. They expect to be able to check out of the store quickly. If your point of sale system cannot support customers in the manner they expect, they’ll interpret it as poor customer service and take their business elsewhere.
Your System Is Buggy and Slow
Imagine the customer experience if someone uses a modem to check a credit card number or verify personal information. Customers worry if the system has poor information security or may fail. If you’re having to rerun transactions again and again because it fails regularly, customers will think that you’re either using dangerously obsolete equipment, don’t care about their time, or both. If your EPOS is slow or buggy, you need a new EPOS system.
Information Verification Takes Longer than the Rest of Checkout
Think about what it looks like if a clerk has to wait thirty seconds between scanned items because the point of sale system cannot go as fast as the clerk during the checkout process. If verifying a customer’s’ pin number or credit card account balance takes longer than the time it takes to scan their items and bag the products, your EPOS system is woefully out of date. You need to make the switch before your customers decide to take their business elsewhere.
You Cannot Grow
If you cannot get the terminals necessary to handle a planned increase in sales volume, you probably need to upgrade your EPOS system. If your point of sale system cannot handle a new batch of SKUs or another couple hundred UPC codes, you need new software. In both cases, the EPOS system is truly holding your business back.
Conclusion
When your EPOS system cannot keep up with customer expectations or business needs, it is time to upgrade.
