Upgrading Your Point of Sale System: Is It Time to Consider Mobile?

Many small and mid-sized business owners are just becoming accustomed to the changing technological landscape that simplifies the complex and tedious tasks that they have to face daily. For those business owners who have leaped forward into point-of-sale systems, the days of manual calculations, mountains of receipts, and human error are long gone.

Many business owners and managers are already moving into the newest phase of POS capabilities – mobile functionality through tablet-based POS systems. With the right software and secure networks, tablets can support fully-functioning POS systems on their own or be integrated into the same existing systems to increase flexibility and usability. Tablet-based POS systems are catching on in so many industries. According to a Software Advice survey, 51% of respondents said tablet-based POS is “not at all difficult” to operate. Not only does it add mobility to a business, but it also creates greater convenience for customers.

So with that being said, it is essential to ask yourself, is it the right time to make the transition into mobile POS? The best place to start is by considering the following benefits and figuring out whether they are the right fit for your business:

1. Versatility

Mobile POS is rapidly becoming a hot item for many businesses. Big or small, restaurant or retail, switching to mobile POS can expand customer options and help retain valuable business intelligence.

On a smaller scale, local food trucks that serve a limited amount of dishes and employ only a few workers would benefit greatly from a mobile point-of-sale system. The right POS system can provide enough valuable output to feel like a third employee is in the truck with them. These systems are highly accommodating and flexible enough to manage small or large setups with great ease and little difficulty. In many cases, each transaction will update the change in the inventory, delivering an up-to-the-second analysis of the reporting.

2. Mobility

While many POS systems provide owners with remote access to sales, inventory, scheduling, and other information, tablet-based systems take this mobility to a new level. Payments can be accepted at the restaurant table. Inventory information can be reviewed directly in the stock room. Schedules can be updated during a team meeting.

The security of a fully mobile POS is unquestionable and can help customers feel more at ease when they pay. Touchscreen capabilities and mobile devices allow customers to handle their credit card transactions themselves, even selecting a tip amount, without their card ever leaving their hand.

3. Technologically Advanced

If your business is behind the technology curve, upgrading to a mobile POS device will propel you to the front of the class. The features will set up your business for convenience and flexibility, and the devices come EMV enabled and ready to go. Due to the EMV liability shift of 2015, business owners must comply and avoid fraudulent chargeback costs. Updating means that transactions and business data are protected by the most advanced security features available, which is critical in this era filled with data theft and cyber breaches.

The features that come with this POS investment will ensure that your business remains up to date with customer preferences for payment over time. On the broadest level, upgrading or switching to tablet-based systems allows you to streamline business operations—kiss manual inventory counting goodbye. Automatically generate reports and analyze your business like never before.

Aside from reporting enhancements, mobile POS ushers in a new way to market to customers. With these systems opening up capabilities, they allow more time to be dedicated to marketing. Many systems even have ways to set up loyalty programs, increasing customer happiness.

At the end of the day, upgrading or switching your POS system depends entirely on what makes the most sense for your business and needs. Mobility can mean different things for different businesses. With the range of new possibilities and capabilities it provides, it is worth the time and energy to evaluate the potential benefits that it can bring and see if it would be the right fit.