What is the best POS software for my business?

In today’s everchanging payment and software industry, it’s easy for business owners to get all caught up in all the hype of the newest features or next greatest POS software. However, it’s important to remember that the features that wow you today might not be essential for you business in the long-term. In fact, you will find that some of the popular POS software features come with a high price tag and are unessential to the growth of your business.  Therefore, it’s important to look at all the essential features that your business needs before choosing the best POS software for your facility.

Below are three major components to consider before choosing a POS Partner:

Customer Service

One of the most underrated and overlooked factors is the level of customer support provided. Find out what customer support system is used when choosing a Point-of-Sale system. Be sure your software partner has a team to support you from the start and throughout your business relationship. Your POS partner should provide you with all the support you need to get your company onboarded quickly, along with the proper training that you and your staff need to operate the software.

You may ask yourself, do they have a customer support team that can answer all my questions and assist me with getting my business started? Do they have product specialists to help demo the product?

What about on the technical side? If there are issues, how will you get those issues resolved? Do you have an account manager that you can call to help get you PCI compliant? How long have they been in business? 

These are all vital questions to ask before choosing a POS software provider. The last thing you want to do is to choose some fly-by company that you have no way of getting a hold of and will not be around for the long-term to support your business. You want reliability, trustworthiness, and a company that cares about your business just as much as you do. 

Pricing & Fees

Do your research! Make sure your software provider fits your monthly budget. Pricing can range anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars (basic POS terminal) to thousands of dollars, depending on the complexity of the software. 

Check for hidden fees in the proposal. Some software providers will charge low monthly fees in exchange for high payment processing costs.

Do they offer a flat monthly rate or tiered pricing? You will find that some merchant providers will offer tiered pricing depending on how many customers you have. Pricing can rapidly change as you scale your business. You may want to do a full business analysis, total out your estimated software and payment processing costs before purchasing any point-of-sale software. Be cautious of the terms. You may be locked into long-term merchant agreements and equipment leases. 

The software might look good at first glance, but if you cannot go to your partner for support or see past the fancy features, you could trap yourself into a long-term financial commitment that could hurt your business.

Features

An efficient point-of-sale system should have the basic functionality needed to help simplify your business management. What does that mean? In simple terms, the goal of any software company should be to make your life easier. As a business owner, you want to reduce your and your staff’s time spent doing administrative tasks. This way you can focus your time on growing your business.

The right software should save you both time and money in the short term as well as in the long run! You should consider a system that is simple and easy to use for you and your staff members. Be aware of software vendors that will overpack their point-of software with unneeded features, making it very difficult for you and your staff members to use. The last thing you will want to do is invest thousands of dollars in a new POS software system and spend endless hours re-training your members and staff. Simple is better! You can focus on the essential features for your business and a simplified POS software system that can deliver excellent customer support.

So what are some essential software features that you need in a point-of-sale system? Every business is different. You want to analyze your needs and decipher what features you truly want to run your business efficiently.

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Jon Micklow

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About Gulf Management Systems

Gulf Management Systems (GMS) offers all the payment management systems that you need for your business. Our affordable management systems are designed to simplify your business management so that you can save time and money. Our payment management solutions include ACH payments, Credit Card Processing, Virtual terminals, Direct Deposit,  payment management software, and more! 

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