You most likely learned very early on in your career as a business owner how important it is to have a support system backing you up. Whether your support comes from family, friends, or previous business relationships, you have that inner circle to turn to when you are in need of help or advice. So doesn’t it make sense to have the same, nearly instantaneous access to help and support backing up the software and equipment you use to run your business?
Selecting the right POS tools that give you a winning combination of technical ability and support requires that you enlist the help of an experienced POS consultant. They will guide you towards the best solution for your business, and ensure that the support you receive fits your business model. This helps you to maximize the ROI from a new POS solution while giving some new, head-turning features that will elevate your brand to trendsetter status.
The best POS software guide for your business will develop a customized solution that leans on an invisible, yet powerful, support model. During the process of selecting your POS software guide, there are two important support areas that you should familiarize yourself with. These couple of points will help to better your interactions with your vendor, while developing a concise strategy that gives you the best support model possible for your operations.
Effective Hardware Support Starts With Redundancy and Replacements
Providing remote hardware support consists of a service desk person asking the customer on the other end of the line to try a few things before administering last rites to the device. It is not likely that a support desk can revive a malfunctioning hardware device issue without recommending that it be replaced. While it sounds simple enough, what would this look like with your current POS provider? Who would be responsible for replacing a defective device, or in managing the device’s refresh cycle?
These are important questions that, if not fully defined, could be very costly for you. Understanding just how far your POS provider will go in making sure you have fully functional hardware devices is critical to your ability to keep the lights on. There are two primary ways in which a POS provider can minimize your downtime while ensuring that hardware replacement or upgrade costs are not being passed to you.
- Provide redundancy through on-site spares. This one gives you the most flexibility in how you do business, but potentially at a cost. You would need to weigh the balance between having an instant, on-hand replacement that takes up space and could incur an additional cost, or to opt for the next option.
- Rapid shipping of replacement devices. Having a POS provider that can overnight you a replacement device may not help you immediately but would save you the storage space as well as any associated costs for having a device that isn’t in use. Additional scenarios, such as using a personal device or exclusively using digital receipts, could get you through until a replacement device arrives.
Neither of these is applicable if you are opting for the bring your own hardware model. Any malfunctions, device support, POS software compatibility, or security patching will fall squarely into your lap. While we do not recommend this model for customers, if you feel a pull towards using your own equipment, we recommend that you use iPad tablets with compatible, Bluetooth-enabled hardware. This gives you Apple’s world-class support while ensuring that security and usability will not create issues for you.
What Should POS Software Support Cover?
Software support can be complex not only in terms of support available but also when determining what functions and options are within a support scope. Support scope should be laid out plainly and be easily understood by all parties. In order to avoid any misunderstandings of what this includes, it should be covered by the training provided by the POS software vendor. This gives everyone a clear picture of what the software should do, and how to go about initiating a support session.
Some common areas of software support that must be defined include:
- Software upgrades. Are these included in the support contract, and which party is responsible for installing them?
- Hours of availability. This is a very important item. Your POS software support team must be available not only when you are open, but also provide a level of after-hours support in the event an upgrade or closing task experiences an issue.
- New Employee Training. Does your POS provider give training to new employees, or just at the time of platform implementation?
- Data and system security maintenance. Which party is responsible for addressing a data breach or plugging a reported security hole? What is the SLA say about the timeframe for addressing one of these issues?
- Lifecycle Management. Both hardware and software age, and rarely does technology age gracefully. Understanding how to initiate the update process and if this is included in your product support can save you headaches down the road. Also, you want to seek a POS vendor that provides a proactive approach to keeping your POS platform relevant to emerging consumer technologies.
Digging into these items deeply with a potential POS solutions provider will help you to achieve the important balance of having the most robust POS technology available blended into a top-notch support model guaranteed to keep you rolling. The delicate nature of obtaining cutting-edge POS technology and having a robust support channel at the ready requires that you seek out expert advice by a POS partner you trust.
Let talech be Your POS Software Guide
The decision-making process that goes into the building of an advanced POS solution is complicated on its own without adding support and accountability into the mix. The expert consultants that talech can provide will serve as your POS system guides. They will expertly lean on their business wisdom and knowledge of emerging POS technologies to ensure that your POS platform provides the power you need, and with a strong support team backing you up.
Developing a partnership with an experienced POS solution provider gives you some distinct advantages. You gain access to the latest and greatest in POS technology and have a partner standing by to help you in your time of need. This is especially important when it comes to seeking guidance or support, which talech stands ready to provide for you. Reach out to us today to sign up for a demo and to learn more about how talech can be your valued POS partner.
