Depending on the point of sale provider you choose, you might have to purchase the hardware on your own. Other providers offer it in a bundle with the software. Many providers prefer or may require that you purchase the hardware from them, sometimes at a higher cost. Factored into that price tag are service and transaction fees, hardware costs, software licensing, and maintenance. Without the proper hardware to support your POS, servicing and maintaining your system could become very costly and labour intensive. If you choose to purchase your own hardware, you should be careful to cover all your maintenance needs.
What you should consider for your POS hardware
The hardware you purchase should be able to support the capabilities of your system. This isn’t always the case when you purchase hardware separately. In the context of car washes and service stations, the hardware you purchase must be able to handle the different integrations to either pumps or wash bays. Computers are not all built the same and specifications can vary wildly between POS systems. You must be very diligent in your search for items that are able to synchronize properly. Having POS software constantly crashing because of hardware limitations kills your sales, dampens performance, is time consuming, expensive to fix, and can leave an awful impression on your customers. This doesn’t mean that buying your own hardware is necessarily bad; it is simply a laborious process and can involve trial and error until you find the elusive golden ticket.
Remember that if you have existing point of sale hardware and update your POS, newer software may be incompatible. This applies to all pieces of hardware (i.e. cash drawer, scanner, printer, etc.). You have to be be diligent in your upkeep. Even with the same hardware, configurations of the system or the software included may be different from what is needed.
Why should I buy it bundled?
Buying POS software bundled with hardware removes the hassle of having to go through trial and error to find what works, and guarantees that all the parts work together perfectly. Your POS includes hardware specifically customized for the applications that your business requires. The upfront costs tend to come with a mark-up, but will include all the hardware, configuration, set up, and testing costs in that price. It is a convenient and safe way of getting the most out of whatever system you choose. A huge advantage of buying the items bundled is the reduction in points of contact for maintenance.
Your POS provider will handle all the hardware issues with you directly so you’ll only need one point of contact to find out what issues need resolving. If the issues can be fixed remotely, having the software and hardware bundled together makes troubleshooting easier because of the provider’s familiarity with it. Time spent without your POS always equals money lost on sales and dissatisfied customers. You can avoid this outcome by purchasing a reliable and fully functional POS bundle to give yourself peace of mind. Save yourself the laborious task of fixing issues on your own when things need maintenance.
Wiz-Tec offers all point of sale systems with a hardware bundle. iPOS point of sale is one of the best POS systems for car wash, gas retail, and convenience stores in Canada.