What if your POS crashes on the biggest shopping day of the year? When you find your POS system down, you'll only be left with clueless cashiers, grumbling customers, and vanishing sales.
This scenario is a nightmare that many small businesses have faced. The wrong POS system or failing to use it right can harm your revenue and slow operations. Consequently, your customers run to your competitors. So, let’s go through some commonly-made POS mistakes and how to resolve them to make sure POS mishaps don't happen to you.
Many business owners overlook key features, fail to train staff, or prioritize cost over quality. The result? Pretty serious problems! Let’s find out more.
Are all POS systems the same? Well, NO! Still, many business owners pick a system without considering whether it meets their specific industry needs.
A restaurant POS comes with a table management system. On the other hand, a retail store POS has powerful SKU tracking. Choosing a generic POS can lead to:
For example, on June 15, 2019, 1800 Target stores faced a POS outage for two hours. Right before Father’s Day! Registers stopped working. Consequently, customers couldn’t check out.
The reason? A system error that couldn’t handle the high transaction volume. This incident cost approximately $50 million in lost sales and frustrated customers who abandoned their carts.
Before buying a POS system, make sure it is built for your business needs. It could be high transaction volume, industry-specific functions, smooth scalability, or more.
Suppose a clothing boutique sells a jacket online. But it still shows the jacket as available in-store. This can cause confusion when a customer walks in to buy it.
Many businesses don’t check integration features before buying a POS. Later, they find themselves:
The result? Increased errors and harder decision-making.
Your POS should connect perfectly with your accounting, inventory management, eCommerce, and CRM systems.
Even if your POS is marketed as “intuitive,” your staff will still require adequate training to avoid costly errors. Well, this is not entirely true. Without proper training, employees may struggle with the POS, leading to slower transactions and more errors. Plus, customer frustration rises.
Suppose you have an ambitious plan to launch a new self-ordering kiosk. But what's the point if the lack of well-trained staff won’t let you reap the expected benefits? Customers will try to place orders but won't get any assistance from staff members about operating the system. The outcome: Long wait times, frustrated customers, and abandoned orders. Instead of speeding up service, it would slow them down.
Even the most “user-friendly” POS requires staff training to avoid slowdowns and costly mistakes.
A business can’t function properly with inaccurate inventory tracking. Yet, many business owners pick a POS that lacks advanced inventory features. This leads to overstocking, stockouts, and lost sales.
A POS should offer automated stock tracking, bulk import/export, and real-time updates to keep inventory accurate and efficient.
Going for the cheapest POS option is tempting. But in the long run, this decision can cost way more. The ROI justifies the cost of POS systems for small businesses.
Small businesses, often operating on limited budgets, are more prone to making this mistake. On top of that, not reading the fine print makes the business suffer even more when stuck in a bad POS contract. Even when they want to switch, they face a huge exit fee. In fact, they’re likely to end up paying more in the long run than if they pick a better system upfront.
Instead of choosing the cheapest option, look at long-term value, scalability, and transparent pricing. Also, read POS system reviews. You can also look for trial versions at budget-friendly pricing. For example, you can get started with OneHubPOS at just $1!
When you find your POS system down during peak hours with no quick support response, your customers leave and you lose sales. The store could lose thousands of dollars in revenue during just a few peak hours. All because they didn’t prioritize customer support when choosing a POS!
A POS provider should offer 24/7 customer support, troubleshooting guides, and proactive assistance to decrease business disruptions to the least.
Your business needs a POS system that’s built for efficiency, automation, and long-term scalability. OneHubPOS puts an end to common mistakes with customized solutions, smooth integrations, user-friendly interfaces, advanced inventory tracking, transparent pricing, and reliable customer support.
OneHubPOS is built to cater to specific industries. So, you can get the features they need. Plus, no unnecessary add-ons or costly customizations!
With real-time data synchronization, you don’t have to worry about manual errors, duplicate entries, or delayed updates. This leads to better decision-making and smoother operations.
A POS should be easy for staff to learn and use. Otherwise, it slows down operations.
OneHubPOS provides real-time inventory tracking so you always know what’s in stock.
While some POS providers do not disclose their transaction fees, costly add-ons, or expensive contract termination fees, OneHubPOS keeps pricing clear and fair.
OneHubPOS prioritizes the best customer support. So, businesses get help when they need it. Thus, issues don’t lead to lost revenue.
The wrong POS system can lead to lost revenue, inefficiencies, and frustrated customers. Common mistakes, like choosing the wrong system, ignoring integrations, failing to train staff, mismanaging inventory, prioritizing price over quality, and underutilizing customer support, can all hurt a business.
But with OneHubPOS, you get:
Ready to streamline your business and avoid costly POS mistakes? Book a demo today and discover how OneHubPOS can boost efficiency, sales, and customer satisfaction!
Most POS systems are scalable. They can be adapted as and when your business grows and several add-on features can be activated.
OneHubPOS can manage inventory, staff, and reports across multiple locations. Centralized management can save time and effort if you have multiple restaurants or stores.
To minimize the cost of a POS system, prepare a list of features you need for your business. This will help you eliminate the unnecessary additions while buying a POS system. Compare the pricing models of various POS providers and choose the most suitable one for your business. Consider the hardware and software costs, transaction fees, and customer support provided before investing.
Calculate your total costs, including food, labor, and overhead. Then, add a percentage to these costs to achieve a desired profit margin. To ease this process, you must track your restaurant analytics.
Upgrading to a modern POS system can be an investment but isn't necessarily expensive. Costs vary depending on features and scale. Modern systems often pay off quickly by increasing efficiency, providing deeper sales insights, and improving customer experiences.