How to Use a POS System: A Step-by-Step Guide for Retailers

A point of sale (POS) system is an essential tool for retailers, restaurants and other businesses. Even though they are mostly designed for ease of use, they can still be a challenge to master when they are first set up. With this in mind, we have compiled an essential guide on how to use a POS system. Naturally, some details will differ from one system to another, but these general guidelines should prove very helpful no matter which system you are using.

There are very few retail businesses around the world today that do not use POS systems of some kind. POS packages are essential for the efficient running of retail businesses. They will help you do far more than just process payments – they are fully integrated management tools that can help you run every aspect of your retail enterprise.

A well-designed POS system can empower your business to carry out almost all of the key functions associated with the day-to-day running of your retail business – and more. When you know how to operate your POS system you can realize the following benefits:

What exactly is a POS system and what does it include? Although there are many variations on POS systems today, their basic functions are more or less the same. They are designed to enable merchants to process payments, log transactions and manage inventory, using a combination of hardware and software. Let’s take a look at the essential components of a POS system.

These essential components include:

POS hardware is designed to help you accept payments, process transactions, and also to capture all necessary data about any merchandise you enter into your inventory. The system should include:

The software that makes up your POS system is the most substantial and most important part of your business. A complete POS package includes the following software:

The most common use you will have for your POS cash register is processing your sales. The exact process for ringing up sales will differ depending on your business and the systems you use. You would start by opening the sales screen and either manually entering product information or scanning barcodes to add them to the sale. 

If you have customer relationship management functions on your system, you can link your sales to the correct customer profile, or you can create a new profile. You can also apply discounts and rewards as appropriate. Once you have added all sale items and applied any necessary discounts, you can then add the client’s chosen payment method. Once the payment is received, the system will prompt you either to print or email the receipt. The sale is then complete. 

The system will take you through the majority of the process automatically. The most important thing you need to know is how to scan products or enter them manually, and then process the various payment methods.

Before you can get to the stage of ringing up any sales, you first need to set your system up. The technical team from your vendor should be there to help you through the process. It will look something like this:

If you opt for a system with a significant number of hardware components, you will need to start by unpacking all the pieces, checking that they have been supplied complete and intact, and then assembling them. Clear your space, position all the components where you want them to be, and connect them as per the instructions. If you are running a small retail store or popup, your hardware will probably be minimal. Larger operations will require more hardware and a more intensive set-up process. Your hardware should come with complete assembly instructions. Follow them closely.

If you have a cloud-based system, such as Access2Pay, you can simply download the software onto your device and then enter your account credentials. The POS system should be instantly ready to start using. If you are using a traditional POS, the software should be installed on your server already.

Depending on which payment methods your system accepts, you should be able to integrate them instantly into your point of sale. You may need to go to the Settings menu to select, edit and remove payment methods. POS interfaces are generally easy and intuitive to use, so you can just follow the drop-down menus and click as necessary.

The most important POS functions that your staff will need to know are:

These are the basic functions and the easiest to train. They do not require any prior knowledge or training and can be mastered after a few repetitions. Management-level staff will need to know other operations such as inventory entry, reporting or staff management. These may require a little more training and practice.

Beyond the customer-facing levels of your business, your POS system offers a variety of management tools. These would include inventory tracking, sales reports and data analytics.

Inventory management systems are extremely useful tools. They help you to run your business with maximum accuracy while preventing stockouts, overstocks and stock loss. However, like any software system, an inventory management tool depends on the data it is fed. When you first set up your system, you may need to import stock information from your previous system, or you might need to enter your stock items individually during an initial stocktake. Either way, the procedure is relatively easy. Your system can also be set up to alert you when stock starts to run low, or even to send out an automatic replacement order.

As your system monitors sales and inventory, you can pull detailed reports to help you identify trends, plan your business strategies and create marketing campaigns – both public and personalized. You will be able to customize your reports to track key metrics and study sales trends. You can also use customer feedback tools to help you collect and analyze your customers’ responses to your products and services.

Even the best POS systems can experience problems at times. Let’s take a look at some of the most common problems, and what you can do to solve them:

POS systems are known to experience the following common hardware and software problems – but don’t worry: they can all be fixed without too much trouble.

Access2Pay is a secure, comprehensive, easy-to-use POS system that can be customized to suit your business. Not only is it easy to use, but we also make the installation and implementation trouble-free with our project management, training, data migration and technical support services.

Our team of POS experts will oversee the installation of your POS system from planning to initial implementation. Our project management services include:

Our approach to training our clients to use our POS systems is to empower each business to train its own staff. Our train-the-trainer program is designed to increase the efficiency of training by providing in-depth instruction to key team members, who can then become certified POS trainers in their own right. In this way, your business can take control of its own POS training programs, ensuring widespread knowledge and proficiency with our POS systems.

We make sure that all your existing data is safely and accurately transferred, minimizing disruptions to your operations. Our legacy data migration services are carried out in four simple steps:

We have four different lines of technical support, covering every type of potential POS issue, ranging from minor troubleshooting to deeper fixes at the development level:

From managing your staff to building marketing solutions, we will help you select system add-ons and custom-developed features that are especially suited to your business alone. Most importantly, you can create a system that integrates seamlessly with any other software and tools you use to run your business.

Acces2Pay integrates seamlessly with all the rest of your software. Our technical team will facilitate the integration, as well as automate certain functions to make your system even easier to run. 

When you automate your POS system, you can enjoy the following benefits:

Access2Pay provides you with all the POS tools you will ever need. After we have installed your software, shown you how to use a POS system, and begun providing extensive, ongoing technical support, you can enjoy greater efficiency and profitability in your retail business. Contact Access2Pay for more information.