Your business’s POS system is a highly valuable and necessary tool to enable your daily business to run as needed. When faced with new POS installation or ongoing maintenance, there can be many daunting areas to cover that you may not realize attention is needed. It is vital to ensure your business is not impacted in a negative way and runs smoothly so your sales and repeat business are not affected. A proper technology service will make all of the difference during this process.

Examples of Commonly Used POS Systems:

• Aloha
• NCR
• IBM
• Verifone
• Micros

When choosing a technology service look for one who covers the below areas:

1) Make Sure Your Technician Performs a Site Survey

By carefully studying the store or layout of your business, a technician can recommend the most effective installation locations and time. This helps to minimize business disruption with maximum impact. In addition, it’s important to check that all documentation is made during this process by the technician who is on-site. Having a “manual” or some form of documentation will streamline the process if the retailer you’re working with chooses to expand their current system in the future.

2) Choose a Technology Service Who Offers a Web Portal

When the technology service provider you are working with has an accessible web portal this allows for easy tracking and project management on both ends. TST for example, has a portal that tracks everything from receiving the POS system, staging, testing, installation and maintenance, photos which display project completion, checklists, and other deliverables which are imperative for your on-site needs.

3) Make Sure Your Technician Tests Your System

The POS system provider may not have been tested prior to the system shipping the unit. This means it may arrive at your business without going through the troubleshooting process first. A technology service provider should test the system being installed before it goes live, and make sure to work with the deployer to resolve any issues if needed.

4) Choose a Technology Service You Can Rely On

A technology service you trust can ease the time and resource burden for your business. The technician who performs ongoing on-site maintenance should be able to perform simple tests and repairs. If escalated steps are needed to fix your POS, it’s important to know you’re working with a service provider you trust, and has done their due diligence prior to taking next steps; such as sending back to the manufacturer etc.

5) Document Everything

We cannot stress the importance of this enough - document, document, document! Pictures of the technicians completed work which are readily accessible, is an excellent way to keep track of exactly what was serviced at your business. Visibility through a web portal gives you the utmost transparency when tracking a project. Thus saving you time and confusion if problems ever arise in the future with your POS.