Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/652065
8 March 2016 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEMS Reviews I have always had a strange fascination with cash registers. Simple nine-buton registers, custom- designed registers, the antique register from the early 20 th century, I love them all. My obsession aside, the cash register has served as the main tool in the arsenal of the retail business since the late 1800's. Te original model simply recorded the amount of funds received during a transaction. Additional features such as an adding mechanism, multiple drawers, and automated change calculations have kept these machines modern. A s the retail industry grew, the need for beter inventory manage- ment, quicker sales processing, and beter customer management drove the creation of the frst point of sale terminals in 1974. Point of sale terminals are used by the sole propri- etor as well as the billion dollar box store. Tey're used at the neighborhood cofee shop, the liquor store, the gas station, and restaurants large and small. With the creation of mobile technology, point of sale products are being used now even by the weekend crafer or other part time business owner who sells products from diferent locations. Today, even the most basic point of sale system does so much more than the cash register ever did. Today's point of sale systems can process a sale, handle multiple tender types, accept credit and debit cards, manage inventory levels, serve as a timekeeping system for cashiers and other employees, and even track customer sales history. Point of sale products tend to be very industry- specifc, meaning that the system used at my favorite restaurant is not the same system used at my neighbor- hood grocery store or at the boutique down the street. So where does one begin to look for a point of sale product that will suit one's business needs? This magazine, for starters, along with the websites of the vendors, whose products we've reviewed. Many of these vendors ofer free sofware trials or product downloads, enabling your clients to familiarize themselves w ith the features and the interface. Industry specifcation actually means that fnding a product is much easier, with potential users able to eliminate some products that are not suitable for their business type. In this review, we looked at the following areas that are important to consider when looking to purchase a point of sale sofware product. Tey are: Basic System Function – Tis area examines ease of use, the ability to customize the system, and how quickly the system can be up and running. Tis area also looks at available add-on modules that integrate with the point of sale system. Specialized Features/Services – Touch screen technology, e-commerce, multiple tender processing, customer history and tracking are also examined in this section. Tracking/Reporting – Reports are an important part of any point of sale system, so we looked at the reports that were available with each system. We also looked at additional reporting options for things such as inventory, customer tracking, best-selling products, and cashier activity. We also looked at the availability of an audit trail system. Integration/Import/Export – Tis area looked at the ability of the product to integrate with related products or third-party applications. It also looks integration capability with other point of sale functions such as integrated shipping capability and the use of hardware peripherals. Help/Suppor t – W hi le Help/Suppor t i s an important feature to evaluate in any sofware product, it is perhaps the most important feature for point of sale system users. I've been in businesses more than once where the point of sale system has crashed, and workers are unable to process any transactions, in essence shuting down the business. Good, available help can be the difference between the store that continues to process transactions while the system is down, and the one that is forced to close its doors. Look at this category very carefully. All of the products included in this review include back ofce functionality as well as point of sale pro- cessing. So while there may not be a 'one-size-fts-all' option available, the scope of the products included in this review are likely as wide-ranging as the needs of your clients. Take a look, try out a couple of systems, and put that old cash register in storage. Or send it to me. Small Business Point of Sale Systems By Mary Girsch-Bock Mary Girsch-Bock Mary Girsch-Bock began her career as an accoun- tant in the property management and healthcare industries. She is now a feelance writer specializing in business and technology issues and is the author of her frst book, several HR handbooks, training manuals, and other in-house publications. She can be reached at mary.girschbock@cpapracticeadvisor.com . BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS SPECIALIZED FEATURES/ SERVICES TRACKING/ REPORTING INTEGRATION/ IMPORT/EXPORT HELP/ SUPPORT OVERALL RATING AccuPOS Point of Sale Software AddSum CAM Commerce Retail Star Celerant Command Retail Cougar Mountain Denali Point-of-Sale Keystroke Advanced POS QuickBooks Point of Sale Desktop Vend Point-of-Sale Wasp Barcode QuickStore POS