5 Old POS System Features Working for Today’s Business Model

Business changes are necessary because change across the wider world is inevitable. In the 2020s, customers expect more personalized experiences than they’ve ever demanded; they want to shop and pay their way. They want to communicate with your business in ways old POS systems don’t allow.

To make the most of today’s market, you need to use technologies and concepts built with these specific times in mind.

However, what you don’t need to do is abandon the core business principles that have always guided successful operations. If you’re looking to upgrade your business tools, especially your point of sale (POS) system, don’t forget to make sure you’re still prioritizing these fundamentals:

Keeping QuickBooks and Your Accounting Favorites
Maintaining Loyalty Programs
Offering Reassuring Payment Security
Providing Reliable Bookings and Reservations
Measuring Inventory Accurately 

Old POS systems can’t get the maximum return from the digital 2020s, but the core values that made them successful for the past decade are still integral to growth.

Here are five old POS features that you’ll still need to prioritize in your new POS solution.

1.   Keep QuickBooks and Your Accounting Favorites

The leading POS solutions can integrate third-party software into your overall business system, so you can keep using the tools you’ve come to trust over time. That means your favorite accounting or HR programs, such as QuickBooks, can be brought over to your upgraded all-in-one platform. It’s not so much a transition as a way to keep what’s working and better integrate it into your bigger picture.

The right digital platform will let you merge live information on sales, inventory, and other critical numbers into your accounting software so you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of your bottom line at the close of each working day.

2. Maintaining Loyalty Programs

Repeat business remains an essential component of growth, and the decades-old practice of earning customer loyalty by incentivizing each visit remains at the forefront of 2020s operations.

As with many of the features of old POS systems, the difference with today’s digital options is better connections with customers. A digital POS solution puts all the data you’ve collected from customer interactions into an easy-to-access form that is far more effective than some old mail merge program. Instead, you can personalize messaging and merchandise, automate in-store and online greetings, offer both cards and digital accessibility, and more reliably turn customer preferences and habits into sales.

3. Offering Reassuring Payment Security

The foundation of the previous generation of old POS systems was the ability to take mobile payments. That old hand-held technology is still in use today, but the constantly growing list of customer payment options is quickly making them obsolete. Where once you could get by offering chip and PIN readers alone or relying solely on EFTPOS, today’s stores need to cater for tap-n-go payments, digital wallets, and smartphone or third-party services that avoid the big banks altogether.

Along with all this change, businesses also need to provide customers with the latest in end-to-end encryption and authentication that still delivers speedy service. Cashless payment is the cutting edge of customer service and the one facet of business that needs to be consistently upgraded.

4. Providing Reliable Bookings and Reservations

The digital age is all about communication. One of the significant improvements modern POS solutions have over their predecessors is the ability to use the Internet to better connect with customers. The previous generation of old POS systems began capturing customer information at the point of reservation, but today’s models offer full online integration that makes it easier than ever to prepare the customer experience.

Whether you’re a restaurant getting advanced warning of a diner’s preferences or allergies, or a salon wanting to know precisely what the client expects, modern POS systems make customers feel appreciated.

5. Measuring Inventory Accurately 

Accurate inventory fulfills the promises you make to customers. Knowing exactly what you’ve got on the shelves, what’s still unpacked out back, and what you need to order more of has always been key to the sales process, no matter what POS system you’re using. Today’s digital solutions, however, introduce new levels of accuracy and accessibility to that process.

While your old POS system might have been split into several different books carrying supplier, stock, and sales information, modern versions make sure every item that arrives in your store can be tracked across a single platform. This digital process means you can run a stocktake whenever needed and keep a live count of all your assets.   

This living inventory is possible through cloud computing and the effortless connections it makes across your business. Older POS systems weren’t created with the internet in mind, and their lack of accessibility, automation, and responsiveness are vital reasons why you should consider upgrading your solution.

You Should Still Consider Upgrading Your Old POS Systems

It can be tempting to hang on to an older POS system for the simple fact that it still works. The reality, however, is that the market around you, your customers, and your competitors continue to evolve and embrace new technologies and concepts. While your system may still function, digital solutions that make better use of the internet and the efficiencies of 2020s life are generating advantages elsewhere.

A modern POS solution is built for the digital age. It creates effortless and beneficial links between the in-store and online worlds, automates and calculates with digital accuracy, and gives you smartphone access to every tool and piece of information you need to run your business anywhere and anytime you wish.

Your old POS system may still work, but upgrading offers a much easier and reliable way to succeed.

The POS solutions offered by talech are designed for the 2020s. Our platforms bring together the best business software so you can maximize the advantages of cloud computing, digital automation, and advanced customer analytics.