What to look for when taking card payments: suggestions for small businesses

These questions are individually important, but they can be summed up in a single moral; you need a card reader that makes you more money than it costs. To that point, card readers offering additional features provide even more bang for the proverbial buck, generating an even larger ROI. In essence, the more your technology can do for your small business, the better an investment it is.. 

So what does a small business need to look for when choosing between card readers? This article covers how to get a card machine for small businesses, specifically what features to look for. We identify two major areas of concern, including:

Accepting different payment methods
Cloud-based access

A card reader doesn’t just have to read cards

Making a POS system worth your time means covering all your bases. Although cash, check, and card were the norm for yesterday’s customers, the modern marketplace plays host to a wide variety of unique payment options. Modern card readers, then, need to be prepared for new payment types, including: 

Traditional payment (cash, check, card)
Contactless options (NFC, chip, tap)
Digital wallets (Apple Pay, Venmo, PayPal)

There are a few things to remember when considering how to get a card machine. For small businesses, the most important one is adaptability; digital wallets were barely in use 10 years ago, but they now make up a large portion of consumer payments.

Cloud-based access means accessibility and insight

Point of sale (POS) technology used to be inherently limited—it was usually a big register that sat on the counter, good for taking payments and nothing else. This worked due to technological limitations of the time, however, advancements have outgrown these limitations, increasing demand for a comprehensive POS.

Bringing POS solutions to the cloud provides small businesses with several money-saving features:

24/7 access to your POS information from any connected device
Data analytics to provide valuable insights on your sales
Integrations with accounting software that tracks every dollar going in and out of your business.

Making these tools available at a moment’s notice allows business owners to make important financial decisions on the fly. For example, accessing data analytics using a cell phone or tablet from anywhere can help you determine a promotion on the go if you see an opportunity (top-tier POS systems can make and release this promotion, as well!). This makes a cloud-based POS system more of an investment; offering these features offers the ability to save more money than it costs to maintain.

Want to know how to get a card machine for small businesses? Just ask.

Saving money is a challenge regardless of industry; both restaurants and retailers have bottom lines determining the considerations you will need to make in terms of investments. When considering a card reader, however, we recommend asking the following questions:

Can it accept multiple payment types?
Is it modular?
Is it adaptable?
Does it have cloud access?
Does it offer insight by way of data analytics?

Instead of wrangling all of these features separately, consider working with a company that’s done it before. talech has been showing how to get a card machine for small businesses for more than a decade. We pride ourselves on solutions that offer best-in-class features. If you are interested, we offer a free demo where we detail how we can become your trusted partner.