We’ve all been there before. Rushing to meet a deadline, trying to get the last customer out the door, or dealing with an unexpected rush of diners, and then….boom. The POS terminal has frozen. Or crashed. Or the internet has died. Any of these cases quickly elevates your blood pressure as the need to get your equipment back up and running quickly becomes critical. Since you don’t have 24/7 point of sale customer service, you start to realize you’re out of luck.
The promises given by many POS vendors often fall short of reality. The simple truth is that your current POS system may not have the support options or availability needed to prevent situations like these from happening to you. Having any lapse in support availability will cost you money, time, and can hit your reputation hard. Thankfully, there is a simple solution to this problem.
Implementing a modern POS solution that includes 24/7 support as part of your overall package is the best way to ensure business continuity and to ensure your customers experience no interruptions of service. While you may not be sold on replacing or upgrading your current POS system just yet, there are some key benefits to be gained. The initial cost will quickly be offset by gains in efficiency and productivity, as well as key areas of customer service.
Point of Sale Customer Service Enhances the Customer Experience
Giving the customer what they need with a minimal amount of delay is critical in today’s on-demand society. Your POS terminal must not cause unnecessary or untimely delays for those standing in line. Staff need to be able to conduct product look-ups against your existing inventory or your suppliers in rapid fashion while maintaining the ability to access a customer’s purchasing history, to keep the customer happily moving through your aisles.
Restaurants need to be able to get payments processed as soon as cards or cash are presented to waitstaff so that customers can meet upcoming appointments. Diners need to be informed of menu items that are not in stock, and your kitchen crew needs to see orders as they come in to ensure meeting the customer’s demand for impeccable accuracy when orders are brought out to the table. Maintaining access to the customer’s preferences via your POS solution helps restaurateurs continue to provide a well-designed dining experience.
Accomplishing and executing a well-designed customer experience plan is reliant on a properly performing POS system. When issues develop within your POS solution, small business owners must have 24/7 point of sale customer service in place so that staff can continue to provide the customer with everything they need upon request. Keep in mind that free POS systems seldom include customer service in their plans. Dashing the expectations of the customer by watering down their experience with you is not only bad for your brand and reputation, but severely hampers overall flexibility in growing your business.
Having Someone There All Day, Every Day, Increases Flexibility
The successes businesses gain when armed with point of sale customer service that provides around the clock support is a key component for long-term growth. The flexibility presented to you via this high level of support gives you a tool in being proactive across the board. When issues develop, you can be assured of not only fixing the issue in question but can participate in developing a strategy of prevention. This may include streamlining internal processes, or the addition of functionalities or upgrades to harden your technology backbone.
Another key point of flexibility is in being able to adjust your hours according to your customer’s schedule. Attempting to balance limited support hours, the customer’s expectations of when they can visit your location, and the hours that work for you and your staffing, can amount to simply guessing. You may have been lucky to this point, but the law of averages indicates that you will experience an outage at a very inconvenient time. Not only does this harm your reputation, but it also limits your ability to expand hours or even launch additional locations. In the end, this only leaves you with a brand image that is stagnant and unappealing.
When you have implemented point of sale customer service that gives you support all day, the appeal of your business has limitless potential. Hours can be adjusted for holidays and sales events with you holding a high level of confidence that if something goes wrong, your POS support team will have you at 100% in a short time frame. You can change hours with the seasons, helping with both customer expectations and staff retention through more flexible scheduling. With 24/7 support at the ready, you can take complete control over your business hours, further enhancing your image and the customer experience.
Around the Clock Point of Sale Customer Service for Omni-Channel Businesses
Expanding operating hours is only the start of what can be a limitless outreach of your brand voice. When you have round the clock support at the ready, you can examine a round-the-clock business model. Establishing an omni-channel business presence can help you rocket to the top of your niche market by broadening the availability and accessibility of your products. The flexibility of having support available at all times gives you an edge and greatly reduces system downtime, which is a key aspect of operating in an omni-channel model.
Restaurants and food-focused businesses can also take advantage of the omni-channel business model. Cafes can gain an edge by taking pre-orders for morning lattes, ensuring a fast and easy stop for your commuting clientele. QSRs can leverage online delivery services to provide late-night delivery options or allow businesses to pre-order lunch meeting spreads days in advance. None of this is possible without having a highly capable POS solution integrated into the flow of your business, and all are prone to failure without a 24/7 support presence.
Driving Success by Your Point of Sale Customer Service Options
Stepping ahead of the competition in a digital world requires you to look at all areas of your operation to find ways to improve. Looking at your POS solution is a great first step, but only if your current or future POS vendor can back it up with around the clock support options. When things go wrong, you need to be fully functional…and fast. But how do you identify and determine which solution does this best, while making sure that you aren’t buying more than you need?
Taking control of your business is going to take a high level of technical expertise. While you can attempt at gaining this on your own, it is more economical and efficient to engage with a trusted third party. They must work with you as a partner, and be a mentoring presence to your business. The solution and advice they give will leave you feeling confident in not just the solution they implement, but in your ability to look towards the future.
Boosting your business in today’s business climate requires cutting-edge POS technology. This will only help you to achieve your business’s full potential when this comes with 24/7 support options. This gives you a clear sense of flexibility and helps in maintaining a high level of customer service. Regardless of if you are in need of an entirely new POS solution, or just need to implement updates to your current solution; talech is ready to help ensure that your next-gen POS solution gives you the support you need. Contact us today for a free demo and more information on how to bring cutting-edge technology to your customers.
