For an easy POS integration in 2018, follow these four steps

It’s almost 2018, and a new year means setting sales numbers to zero and making a new start. Position your business to make 2018 a great year by giving your customers the shopping or dining experiences they want while enabling your staff to work smarter, not harder. A new or upgraded point of sale (POS) system will allow you to have the POS integration your business needs now and also gives you some room to grow.

Here are four things to do if a new POS integration is on your wish list this holiday season:

1. Speak with your staff about what they need to make their jobs run more smoothly.

Talk to your staff to understand their challenges and the technology that can help them do their jobs more easily and efficiently. A retail store’s counter staff and sales associates or a restaurant’s servers and line cooks are on the front lines of dealing with customers and hearing their feedback — especially when your business doesn’t live up to their expectations. Your employees’ input can help you identify which POS integrations are important for reducing wait times, increasing order accuracy and providing a higher level of customer service.

2. Choose a system with these five capabilities.

When making an investment in a new POS system, ensure it has at least the POS integration capabilities to support these five types of solutions:

• Sales reporting and analytics: Gain better insight into sales numbers and profit margins, identify top selling items.
• Inventory management: Maintain proper inventory counts and gain transparency into which store locations have items available.
• Customer relationship management: Collect important data about customer buying habits and preferences, which can be used as the basis of a marketing campaign.
• Employee management: Time clock functionality, scheduling, and integrated payroll processing will automate some of the most time-consuming processes.
• Check out tools: Make sure your POS system integrates with peripherals that help the checkout run smoothly, including barcode technology and fast, accurate scanning capability.

3. Select a dealer partner that will train your staff and provide support so you get the most out of your investment.

Choose a reputable POS provider with a solid track record of success. Before signing on the dotted line, ask what types of training and support services are available. Star Micronics offers top of the line support through its website. Adding functionality to your POS system will require expert training to make sure your staff understands how to use new functions and features and how your business can leverage them to get the greatest ROI. Be sure to inquire about the availability of on-site training, tech support hours, repair services (on- or off-site) and additional support that’s available.

4. Determine whether you will be using mobile POS, how, and when.

Carefully consider the choice to integrate mobile POS with your POS system. Mobile POS is a reliable way to increase table turn or reduce waiting at the check-out. Servers can take orders and process payments right from the table, which cuts several minutes of waiting for hungry diners. In retail stores, adding tablets or ruggedized mobile devices allows employees to search for inventory or process transactions right from the sales floor. Some retailers may opt to remove some of their traditional cash wraps and replace them with mobile devices, which frees up floor space for additional products. When you upgrade, evaluate whether adding mobile capabilities is a smart strategy for your business.

Star Cloud Services can offer all of these steps and more. After initial set up of your Star Micronics printer, you have a whole suite of tools ready to help improve your business. Star has an excellent support team for any issue that can arise, giving one less thing to worry about while managing your business. Mobile POS is also a large part of Star Micronics printers. We offer multiple printers that can even change from portable to desktop with a simple addition of a charging cradle.

A new POS integration can help optimize operations at your store or restaurant, improve inventory management and ease the workload on employees. If you’re considering purchasing a new POS system or upgrading the one you already own, choose one that enables integrations that automates processes, manage inventory and helps your business run more efficiently. The New Year gives you a fresh start, so make it the best one you can with a cutting-edge technology refresh.