Before buying a Point of Sale (POS) software

Many times people buy a Point of Sale (POS) software without really understanding all the features it offers. Other times, they buy a POS that does not have the functionality they real need. It is important to make a list of all the specific of your business. Lay down in a piece of paper all your processes such as purchasing, selling, inventory control and reporting. Make sure you go through each process from the beginning to the end. This exercise will help you identify all the requirements before you start evaluating applications.

Furthermore, you should prepare some cases for each process. How should the data flows from one process to the other? What should be the output? What are the reports you like to see and use? Do you need integration between the Point of Sale (POS) and your accounting software? Do you use a CRM application and want integration with your POS? How many checkouts do you have in your business? Do you have more than one store? What type of inventory do you have? Do you stock it or it is just-in-time?

As you can see it can be an extensive list, each business is different, even in the same line of business people do things differently. Do not let yourself getting impress for all the features and reports an application can offer. You will probably use less than 50% of them, but you will pay full price. It will take a longer time to implement and learn how to use it.

Once you identify two or three applications that you are really satisfied, drip down about the company, training they offer, their quality of support and specially the turn around when you have an issue. Ask for references, if you can ask for businesses in your field, they will understand your language.