The first recognisable cash register was a US invention born in 1879, a mechanical calculator used 'to stop employees pilfering profits'. We’ve come a long way in the last century, moving from mechanical to electrical, from glorified calculator to versatile business development aide. The modern day EPOS system is more than just a place to stash the cash. Here are 3 reasons why it's time to say goodnight to your legacy POS;
Your customers
No customers mean no business, and today's consumers are more demanding than ever before. A culture of instant gratification means people want quality products and services as standard but they aren't prepared to wait for them. Customer retention is essential to your businesses survival and this means providing a great customer experience every time. Legacy POS systems offer no means to facilitate this and this lack of functionality is holding you back.
By utilising Epos Now's award-winning AppStore, you can customise your system to meet your specific business needs. This could be offering customers a broad range of payment options, a fully integrated loyalty programme rewarding regular custom, or the ability to send highly professional and branded marketing material directly to your customer base. Insightful reporting allows you to examine what your customers buy, highlighting poor performing stock, allowing you to make actionable changes for the betterment of your business.
A simple and intuitive interface means faster transactions, shorter queues and fewer walkouts. EPOS systems empower you to create a great customer experience every time, securing your business custom long into the future.
Your business
Running a business is difficult, particularly when your role as an owner requires you to wear many different hats throughout the day. At any one time your the manager/accountant/marketer/HR/floor staff, it’s hard to keep an objective and strategic overview when you're bogged down with the day to day. Legacy POS may track sales, but it won’t save you hours of tedious admin or identify unnecessary costs to be cut. For example, Epos Now’s intelligent inventory module allows you to automate all product ordering, removing the need for monotonous stock takes and eliminating costly human error.
Time is your most valuable asset, why waste it with mind numbing data input? A fully integrated accounts package allows you to reconcile accounts with accuracy and speed. Epos Now integrates with industry leading accounts packages such as Sage and Xero, saving business owners on average up to 7 hours admin time a month. This is time that can be spent strategizing, planning for future growth and assessing all avenues of business development.
Accurate business forecasting allows you to predict a number of things that directly affect your profitability, empowering you to make savings and maximise opportunities. Check back on historical data from the last hour, week, month or year to see when your highest levels of footfall are, or use push messaging to drive traffic in during slow periods.
Your employees
Employees are your customer service champions. They represent you and your business in every interaction. How can an EPOS systems encourage high levels of employee engagement? Through insightful data reporting. Identify and reward your top performers, run incentives and drive revenue through upsell popups. Take the pain out scheduling with a fully integrated employee package that can streamline staffing costs and ensure you're never over or under staffed. Track timing and attendance and improve communication with employee rotas sent directly to your phone.
As much as we’d like to think our staff are as trustworthy as they’d have you believe, high levels of staff turnover can leave you vulnerable to dishonest and unscrupulous individuals. Legacy POS systems are easy to fool with overrides and clunky reporting features. Protect yourself with an efficient EPOS solution that allows you to spot data discrepancies with ease, set access permissions limiting the potential for theft.
Conclusion
Intuitive EPOS solutions surpass their legacy counterparts in a number ways, but predominately it's about affording business owners more flexibility and freedom. Whether that's checking your data on the move, managing costs or saving time through task automation, Epos Now systems allow you to focus on what you do best, running your business.