Point of sale systems are one of the most underappreciated pieces of technology in a business. Your POS is the centre of your business. They are capable of handling transactions, producing reports, and improving customer experiences yet many businesses choose not to upgrade their point of sale systems when they fall out of date.
Why upgrade?
Despite their apparent longevity, POS systems will always need upgrading to stay relevant in the market. These updates usually come in the form of software upgrades. for the first few years, at least. But as technology improves, the hardware powering your point of sale will need to be upgraded to handle it. This is mostly due to the degradation of hardware over time, more specifically the hard drive powering your computer. This means that in some situations you would be able to keep your previous hardware and only upgrade the software. However, you make sure that all hardware is compatible with one another or things won’t work as designed.
Many businesses tend to put POS upgrades and investments on the backburner once their business is up and running. This can range from being an inconvenience due to slow transaction times to being a major liability issue. Mostly due to outdated operating systems being vulnerable to cyber attacks and system crashes. Most point of sale providers recommend updating your system every five to seven years. This is to prevent these issues as this is the approximate life cycle of most computers systems. Think about how many years you’ve had your POS. Then ask yourself a few questions before upgrading to a new system. Things like the performance of your current system, the performance you’d want out of a new system, and your needs for the future are all very important while researching alternatives.
Slow transactions
If your operating system has been slowing down lately and your point of sale is processing transactions slower than before, you should update your system. Once a system has maxed out its ability to be upgraded, there is no more you can do. The hardware its running on is simply no longer capable of handling any more upgrades. The most worrisome consequence, however, is the possibility of system crashes, breakdowns, and security breaches. Downtime from these events can lead to days or weeks of lost sales as well as a loss of reputation.
If your POS provider maintains a regular software update schedule, upgrading is usually as easy as replacing your old hardware and re-installing your current software. You have to ask yourself what you want out of your point of sale and see if your system is still meeting those requirements. If not, use those needs to purchase a system that will satisfy them.
Lack of scalability
When your point of sale can no longer meet your needs for future expansion, it needs an upgrade. For example, if you are planning on running intensive marketing campaigns, you need a POS that can track customer habits and product performance. Growing your business can be extremely difficult when you are in constant fear of your point of sale breaking down. Having extended periods of downtime hurts your sales and your image. That’s why updating to a POS that can handle new volumes of transactions is very important.
Consider all these factors the next time you use your point of sale. After all, it is the backbone of your operation.
Wiz-Tec offers a variety of features with iPOS point of sale. It is the most versatile and comprehensive point of sale system for gas stations, car washes, and tax exempt fuel in the market.