Your point of sale system is arguably the most important tool you have your store. From ringing up sales and taking payments to track your inventory and storing customer profiles, the right POS solution can keep your retail biz running like a well-oiled machine.
But like with most tools, a point of sale system is only as good as the person using it. That’s why it’s important that you and your team know the ins and out of your POS so you can get the most out of it.
Each solution is different, so there’s no one right way to answer the question of how to use a POS system. But most modern solutions today have similar general functionalities that you should be aware of.
This post will shed light on some of those features and offer tips on how to get the most out your point of sale solutions.
Let’s get started!
The primary function of your POS is to ring up sales, so you need to familiarize yourself with the sell screen of the system. Every solution is different, but generally, your POS will let you ring up sales using the following steps:
This is the first step of the checkout process. Depending on how your system is set up, adding items can be done by:
Searching for it on the sell screen (most POS systems have a search bar/product lookup functionality)
Using a sell screen shortcut (Asimot, for example, has “Quick Keys” for frequently bought items)
From there, you can adjust the quantities depending on how many units the shopper is buying.
If you’re running a sale or would like to apply discounts to a line item or the entire basket, you should be able to use your POS to do so. If your system doesn’t have this feature, see if it lets you adjust the item price manually.
This is the part where you get paid. Pretty much all POS systems have the capabilities to take cash or credit card, so the process of accepting these payment types is pretty straightforward.
That said, other solutions enable you to offer additional payment options including:
If you sell gift cards, make sure they’re integrated with your POS so can accept them as a form of payment. Some point of sale solutions has partnerships with gift card companies so check with your provider and see if you can score a deal.
Depending on your POS and payments processor, you may have the ability to take mobile payments. Check with your solution providers to learn more.
If you have a loyalty program, you can also take loyalty points or rewards as a form or payment.
Finally, if you need to add special notes to a sale (e.g., if a customer has a special request or shipping an item to their address) you can add those details as a note.
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