As customer expectations shift and technology advances, businesses need to embrace technology to remain competitive. Nowadays, consumers increasingly demand personalisation, fast transactions, and accuracy in addition to frictionless purchasing.
Therefore, merchants should use technology as a force multiplier to accommodate these new behaviours. And one of the best ways to speed up and optimise your operations is by using cutting-edge POS systems.
How long has it been since you updated your point-of-sale (POS) system? When was your POS software last considered new? If you can’t remember the answer to these questions, it’s probably time for an upgrade.
In this article, we’ll dive into the most common red flags to look out for from your current POS provider. You should consider switching if:
You are constantly overcharged
As your business is growing, so is your product portfolio. If your current POS provider is overcharging you for going over an inventory cap they set, it’s probably time to consider other options. Newer POS providers won’t overcharge you for adding more inventory and will help you grow incrementally.
Your hardware is slow
Review your hardware requirements: is your POS touchscreen not as bright as it used to be? Are your receipts easy to read? You should operate with the hardware that saves you time, not adds complexity.
Can you accept alternative payment methods?
Post-Covid 19, accepting contactless or mobile payments using Google Pay or Apple Pay has become the norm whether you are a small or large business. If your current POS solution does not offer these payment options, it’s time to upgrade.
Charge for additional features.
Most set features such as inventory tracking, customer loyalty, payment functionality or employee management should be part of your out-of-the-box POS package and not be charged extra. It is, however, normal to pay for advanced features that require cloud support or scaling the basic POS package.
Manual and time-consuming business reporting
With newer POS hardware, you don’t have to spend hours updating and uploading reports to determine what the data means. This manual process will take time to learn and won’t immediately give you useful data insights. It will also take time away from your responsibilities, especially if you own a small business. Nowadays, smart POS providers offer simple, easy-to-read data reports which can be exported in any format you need, whether PDF or Excel. Moreover, you can access your reports anywhere and anytime with cloud backup.
It’s not portable
Whether your business is retail, hospitality, or deliveries, your customers don’t like to wait, so you need a POS terminal that can be on the move. To accept payments indoors and outdoors, you need a pocket-sized, portable POS system with extended battery life.
It always has connection problems
An older POS system usually connects to the Internet using an older mobile network, such as 3G. The problem is that they often fail to connect, resulting in declined transactions, which frustrates your customers. If you want your POS device to keep up with the times, you should be able to switch between 4G networks and WiFi so that you are always connected.
You are tied to your desktop computer
If your current POS system requires you to manage all business transactions using a desktop computer, it’s definitely time to upgrade. Newer systems will allow you to manage everything from sales, refunds, reversals, gratuities, and phone payments on the move to be more productive.
The bottom line is: if your POS system cannot support your business needs, we recommend looking into other options. The system should assist you in running your business efficiently, not complicate it. You will save time and money if you spot these red flags sooner rather than later.
Enable fast POS payments with Ingenico
Ingenico Move 5000 is a modern Trust Payment POS solution that will enable your business to take payments your customer’s way by offering the latest features from constant connectivity, portability, advanced reporting and support for the newest payment methods.
With 24/7 service, Trust Payments supports over 10,000 POS terminals across the UK, Malta, Ireland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Cyprus, so connectivity won’t ever be an issue.
Would you like to learn more about upgrading to our POS retail solution? Reach out now.
