Features available with POS (Point of Sale) Software

Packages vary in capability but features available are:

•  Customer Information: The system automatically records customer names, addresses, credit card information, what they bought and when. It can also record birthdays, anniversaries, and any other information that may be significant to a particular business. This information can be searched and selected to make targeted and timed mailings not only practical but easy.

•  Customer Relations: Everything about the customer's purchases can be immediately called up from the system. This makes handling payments, returns and other transactions easy even if the customer has misplaces the paperwork. In multi-store environments it doesn't matter which store the customer goes to, all the information is available at all stores.

•  Rentals: Rentals can be handled by the same system, including combined rental / sales (rent sander, sell sandpaper, deduct unused sandpaper on return).

•  Layaway: Items can be set aside and deposits tracked by the system.

•  Multiple forms of paymen: Any mix of credit card, checks, store credits or what ever can be applied to a purchase.

•  Credit Card Clearing can be integrated with the POS system. No expensive clearing terminals to rent or buy, and magnetic scanners can be integrated with the keyboard. The same printer that produces the register receipt prints the credit card signature form.

•  Logos: Register receipts with store logo improve the image of your business.

•  Full Size Invoices: “Big ticket items” requiring a full-size invoice, instead of a register receipt, can be printed from the same screen.

•  Inventory Control: The computer keeps the store's inventory, so the POS terminals attached to it automatically update inventory with every sale or return. In multi-store environments, if one store has an item out of stock, the person at the POS station can check stock in other stores. The central office knows at all times how much stock each store has.

•  Inventory Analysis: The system knows at what rate each item is selling at all times, making it easy to decide what quantity to reorder. Trends can be identified to reduce buying mistakes. In multi-store environments the central office can see the differences in item movement from store to store, making it easy to account for local or regional preferences.

•  Reduce "Out of Stock": Low stock reports and purchase orders are produced automatically with enough lead-time to receive goods.

•  Size/Color Matrix: Because a size/color table can be attached to any SKU (Stock Keeping Unit), only one SKU is needed, yet a sales tracking by size and color is enabled.

•  Sales by Measure: For example, sales of 2 x 4 lumber need only have a single SKU, yet be sold in units of 4 ft, 8 ft, 16 ft or other lengths.

•  Price Tags / Shelf Tags: To eliminate pricing and SKU identification errors, price tags / shelf tags can be printed on receiving stock

•  Order Entry: For a business that handles both Point of Sale and Order Processing (mail order, wholesale, etc.) only one system is needed and both methods are perfectly integrated.

•  Bar code Integration: Various bar code reading devices can be used in conjunction with shelf stocking, warehousing and at the sales terminal to speed entry and greatly reduce human error.

•  Warranty Tracking: Time and date of purchase are automatically recorded and can be retrieved from the system within seconds. Stores other than the one where the purchase was made can easily handle warranty issues.

•  Serial Number Tracking: For major items where tracking the individual unit is essential there is serial number tracking available.

•  Gift Certificates: Production, tracking and redemption of gift certificates.

•  Special Pricing: Sales and specials are easy to control. Begin and end dates can be assigned to products or product groups and the system will automatically handle them.

•  Customer Groups: If senior citizen discounts or discounts to club members or other groups are offered, their discounts will be automatically applied. If customers don't mention the discount until the transaction is nearly complete, it can still be back applied without voiding the order.

•  Contract Pricing: A particular customer can be assigned special pricing, which will be automatically applied to sales to that customer without intervention by the person doing the sale.

•  Progressive Discounts: Customers can be assigned progressive discount levels that depend on how much their total purchases over a period of months have been. The system automatically calculates and applies the discount.

•  Discount Matrix: Special discount builds by quantity or other factors can be built and attached to individual products or families of products.

•  Loyalty Programs and Coupons: Easily handled, including expiration and renewal.

•  Sales Commissions: Commissions are automatically calculated and reported by the system. Different product lines can carry different commissions and commissions can be automatically reduced if the salesperson discounts an item.

•  Field Sales: At a show or remote location, sales people can query the home office system for up-to-date pricing and availability, and even complete sales from the remote location.

•  Hand Held Terminals: Often used in warehouses (for inventory) or by roving floor sales people, hand-held terminals can be integrated with the system.

•  Profit Center / Product Line Control: It is very easy to set up both profit centers and product lines. This makes tracking performance of individual sales managers, and product line profitability easy. Know where the money is coming from!

•  Price Adjustments: It is easy, very easy to bump the price 5% for all (or some of) the SKUs in a product line.

•  Accounting: Since the Point of Sale system is completely integrated with full function accounting (General Ledger, Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, Inventory) the books are always up-to-date. No hand entries by bookkeeping staff are required. In multi-store environments the central office always has the accounts for each individual store in real time, and can produce consolidated accounting reports as well.

•  Data Export: Data files and reports can be exported from the POS system for use with other software.

•  Data Import: Part number lists, customer lists, and other bulk information from outside sources can be imported into the POS system without resorting to hand entry.

•  e-Commerce integration: A store system can be fully integrated with Internet Web (and kiosk) sales to the point a customer with a question can call the office and a sales person can pop up their transaction on the screen in real time and help complete the sale

•  Specialty Equipment: Pole displays, receipt printers, bar code scanners, cash drawers and other specialty hardware items can be added to the system with great flexibility in selection and positioning.

•  Manager Control: The manager has complete access to his store, or chain of stores at any time of day or night, and can even do store transactions locally.

•  Security Levels: Employees are only allowed the access assigned to their password. Manger override can be required to allow price changes or discounts.

•  Loss Prevention: Record keeping is so thorough and reporting so clear that employee theft of either inventory or received cash, even if cleverly disguised, is detectable and traceable.

•  Support: Both accounting and technical support people can call into the system and inspect the records for themselves. This greatly reduces the level of skill needed at the store to resolve accounting problems.

•  Time and attendance: One of the top challenges in today's industry is increased labor costs. Being able to efficiently and effectively manage time and attendance information will reduce overall labor costs and increase employee productivity.