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Point of Sale Systems Overview
If the question, “Do you accept credit cards?” makes you seriously regret your current cash-only system, then it’s about time you make the change to a proper point-of-sale system. There are hundreds of POS systems and software online and offline, and available for nearly every size and style of business. The challenge in choosing a POS system for your company is finding the right one to fit the size of your business – no business is exactly the same, operates the same or has the same needs as another business. One size definitely does not fit all.
Finding a system that offers what your business NEEDS is the first step. While some POS systems may not have all the bells and whistles you WANT from a system, such as inventory management capabilities or payroll options, you should decide which specifications are most important for your business and find a system that has what you NEED. For example if you operate a one-man shop with no employees, you don’t need to pay more for a system that offers payroll capabilities. If you order parts on an as-needed basis (which you totally don’t because you’ve read our blog on inventory management, right?) you don’t necessarily need a fully integrated inventory management system. But if you plan on operating your POS system on a mobile device or tablet, you’ll need a system with the proper iOS/Android compatibility. Deciding what your business really needs is the first step in successfully choosing a POS system.
POS Systems
We took to Facebook to ask what kind of POS systems members of our Repair Community are already using, and we got a lot of different responses. Most Repair Community members use Square or PayPal Here to process payments easily with an iOS/Android device. It seems many businesses utilize POS systems on an iPad or iPhone, especially businesses who specialize in on-the-go repairs. QuickBooks is also a common choice, but users often find it too expensive and convoluted for small businesses. There are hundreds of POS systems out there and it takes time to research and find one that works for you. So let's break it down and see what some of these systems have to offer!
Square
Square is probably the most well known mobile POS system for business owners. You see the commercials everywhere advertising a free square card reader with each signup, so let’s see what Square really has to offer.- Receive a Square card reader for free with signup
- Square card reader plugs directly into your iOS or Android device
- Square App is regularly updated and easy to use for both you and your customers
- Track sales data, summaries, and create custom reports to analyze day-to-day, week-to-week or month-to-month performance
- Square is compatible with receipt printers, cash drawers, and barcode scanners
- You can list your business on Square Market for increased exposure
- Square charges 2.75% swipe fee, and charges 3.5% + $.15 for any card entered manually
- Square offers no human tech support; outside of an online Help Center there is no customer support offered
Intuit GoPayment
Intuit GoPayment is built specifically to work with QuickBooks accounting software, with payments syncing directly with QuickBooks.- Receive an Intuit card reader free of charge
- Registering for an account takes less than five minutes
- Automatically syncs to QuickBooks PC/Mac and QuickBooks online
- Ability to add up to 50 users per account
- Automatically adds location-based sales tax calculation for transactions
- Intuit GoPayment offers two pricing plans: pay a low monthly fee plus 1.75% transaction fee per swipe, OR pay-as-you-go with a 2.75% swipe fee and 3.75% manual entry fee
- Isn’t compatible with Blackberry – but who still owns a Blackberry anyways?
- Card reader is bulky, about 3-times the size of the Square card reader
- Doesn’t offer a solution for accepting cash transactions
PayPal Here
PayPal Here launched back in March and many members of our Repair Community are already using it. PayPal is one of the most secure ways to process payments, so it goes without saying that PayPal Here will safely and securely process your customers’ payments.- Receive a PayPal Here card reader free of charge
- Collect money securely through PayPal, without requiring customers to have an account
- PayPal Here allows manual entry of both checks and cash
- Offers an easy to use PayPal Here App, which is updated regularly
- Process full or partial refunds right from the app
- PayPal Here charges 2.7% per card swipe and 3.5% + $.15 for manual card transactions
- There can be considerable delays in receiving payment if the customer doesn’t use a PayPal account or PayPal credit card to pay
Imonggo
A member of our Repair Community suggested Imonggo, and since we hadn’t heard of it before we had to do our research. It’s free software that looks pretty easy to use so let’s see what it’s all about!- Imonggo is FREE software with dozens of features for all sizes of business
- Create customized receipts with your logo and business information
- For businesses with multiple locations, Imonggo allows you to set different prices for items you sell in different locations
- Imonggo allows you to process payments offline
- Receipts are automatically emailed to the customer
- Advanced functions are available such as split payments, layaways, reward points, customer memberships and more!
- Kill two birds with one stone: Imonggo offers inventory management capabilities, too!
- Set up separate accounts for each employee to track sales
- View sales data in graphs and tables to easily understand your sales performance
- Imonggo offers an easy-to-use iPad app, too!
- Did I mention it’s FREE? They also offer a Premium package for $30 a month, which includes unlimited everything and is designed for larger businesses
- Imonggo offers 24/7 support online, and members can contact them to receive priority support as well