Since a retail POS system is a very important component of your business, choosing for a POS dealer is a huge decision – bigger in many ways than the decisions you make about your POS software and hardware. Price will be an issue, but you will get what you pay for, so it’s very important to do your research before going to a POS dealer. In any case, you have to make sure if your POS dealer is dedicated to and capable of supporting your business with any problems that might occur.

POS Support

As every retail business owners know, customer support is very important for the success of a POS installation. So, you better make sure you know exactly how your POS dealer provide you in terms of emergency responses, replacement policies, and phone support. This is the single yet most important aspect when planning to purchase a POS system.

Installation

A quality installation of your POS systems can last longer than the average installtions. Qualified installers will not take a standardized approach to installation: they analyze your needs, test your existing infrastructure, including power lines, and they make sure you get a system that is customized to your business needs. During the first week or two of using a POS system will determine whether it does exactly what you need or not, that’s why a well-tested installation is vital. You may want to ask how often the POS dealer will be on site during and after your launch – only until the system is installed, or will they check back and answer the unavoidable questions that arise?

Experience

As with any major business purchase, potential vendors’ experience in the industry is also important. But with POS systems you can go one step further: research how much experience the retail vendor has in supplying systems to other companies in your line of. candy shops differ in needs with convenient stores, and a county kitchenette varies considerably from a five star sea food grill restaurant. Good POS salespeople will definitely ask you about your business, your particular needs, then provides solution that exactly fits.

Facilities

Taking a trip to POS dealers’ facilities can be a great way to determine how they operate. You’ll be able to visit their workshop and check out how they work. You can ask for an organizational chart or a simple tour of their help desk. Depending on your support needs, proximity may or may not be important to you – if you plan to rely on telephone support and shipping components back for repair, it will not matter, but if you expect field technicians to come to you, distance from the vendor can be a factor.

System Demonstrations

To make sure that the system is easy to operate, test it for yourself. Some vendors do on-site demos, which gives you the added advantage of seeing how the hardware is set up and how will it look in your location. While other vendors will invite you to test-drive the system at their place, which gives you that quick facilities tour we’ve discussed earlier. Either way, an in-person demo is strongly recommended if you are unfamiliar with a POS system.

References

Another familiar way to investigate POS dealers for your business is by asking for references to other customers – youbetter make sure that you ask for references with the same business line as yours. As expected, you will be referred to the vendor’s most satisfied customers, but you can still learn a little more from them. Here are some sample questions to ask the references:

• How has the POS system affected your business?

• Did you wish you had done differently?

• Any support or repairs you’ve made? What kind of respond did you receive from the POS vendor?

• Do you know of any one else who uses the same system? — By this you can get additional references to call, and some may be more honest about the capabilities of the system.

Another thing, you can also ask for references that dislikes the dealer. Why? Every business has it’s own weaknesses, which means they also get unsatisfied customers from time to time. By this, you will be able to learn a thing or two from them.

Return policies

Most manufacturers offers warranties that will enable you to get repairs and replacements for any equipment damages, but returning equipment is harder. Many POS dealers charge expensive restocking fees ($500 and up) for returns on complete systems; some vendors only allows you to exchange individual pieces of hardware for others, but some don’t accept returns at all. Again, never forget to review their policies before singning any contract.

How to find the right retail Point of Sale (POS) system provider for your business?

Here’s a convenient way to receive multiple quotes for retail Point of Sale (POS) systems via the web at: Retail-POS-Solutions.com

The author of this article is a retail POS system expert with over 20 years experience serving the needs of thousands of businesses just like yours.