Actually, not all POS systems are the same

Picking the right POS

Choosing a POS software for your business is like picking a personal assistant. It is not easy to know their potentials, and it will be painful to change one later. Therefore it is extremely important to discover as much as possible during the early buying process.

Common challenges for buyers when shopping for a suitable POS:

• There are simply too many POS softwares out there.
• Many of them just show similar functions with no clues on reliability.
• Sales person talks may sound too promising to be true.
• Questions about long term scalability and after sales service.

There are ways to find out if you are willing to spend time looking around:

• Calling a list of POS companies for demonstration is tiring but it will tell you about product and service quality. A customer once told me a known brand in Malaysia had sales people hanging up on inquiries, simply because the amount is small or the industry is not favorable.
• It is more effective to have most relevant questions and challenges for sales people to answer than reading their scripts, not only it saves time but also helps to reveal their pros and cons.
• Asking technical questions and real world issues, helps to filter out improper sales people who promises too much, or only concerns about your money, and their answers also reveal a lot about experience and in-depth knowledge, you should look for substance over style, if not both.
• Many POS systems look and work great in standard environment, but fall apart during large scale and heavy usage, this is why you should always look for their client references not limited to big brands, but how scalable and durable they perform in real world, with proven facts.
• Last but not least, refer to common checklists will also help to improve your selection process.