Tower Systems: who we are and what we do
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The end of the financial year
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Wow, what a year it has been, this 2020 / 2021 financial year.
As we sit here in our Hawthorn, Victoria, office early this morning, looking back on the year, beyond the challenges and opportunities, yes, opportunities, of the coronavirus pandemic, this year has been big on plenty of fronts, very big in fact.
- New software. We are grateful to our team of dedicated software developers who have enabled us to deliver some beautiful new facilities in our POS software. These new facilities have been an important part of key software updates tested and then released to our customers.
- New services. Thanks to the dedication of our help desk team we have launches some new services in the last year, which have been loved by our customers as they have sought to gain even more value from our POS software.
- New under the hood. We have been working on our internal systems, delivering new tech with new facilities that help in serving our customers. We are so thankful to have been able to do this.
- New connections. Thanks to engagement by our customers we have made new connections though our online workshops, our community calls and more as we have leveraged different ways we can reach out to our customers and talk with them. these conversations are truly beneficial in us and them getting more from the POS software and the relationships it facilitates.
- New customers. This is the icing on the cake for us, so many new friends, new connections, new businesses to work with, learn from and share with. Every new customer is this and much more and for this we are sincerely grateful. Indeed, the number of new customers is quite stunning. This year has been a good year for new customers.
We are ending this financial year on a high, and for that we are truly grateful. We are encouraged, too, for what the next financial year will bring, where it will take us, what we will discover and those we will meet.
We understand that for some, these times are not so great. Based on our experience, offer … plan for better days, train for strength and endurance. Cultivate your land so that it offers abundance for you and all who work with you in your business. yes, it can sound a bit twee … but it is true. The successes we have in business are usually down to planning and commitment to professional and efficient execution.
Roll on 2021/2022, if you anything like this last year it will be awesome!
Welcome to Tower Systems
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POS software company satisfying …
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One of the most satisfying parts of what we do here at Tower Systems is helping our small business retail customers see their businesses differently. Slicing data can help achieve this, revealing opportunities previously not seen. #SmallBusiness #Retail #POSsoftware #Help #ShopLocal #AustralianJobs
Seriously, though …
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Today, April 1, is a good day here at Tower Systems. We are grateful to our beta crew for the work they have done proving the latest release of our small business POS software. Their feedback is helpful, inspiring. The next update, and the one after that … they are awesome!
More good things are coming in our software thanks to our beta crew!
Refreshed POS software website
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We are grateful to our in-house designer for fresh retail channel images for our POS software website home page and retail channel landing pages.
Each image has been thoughtfully selected and appropriately accessed for our online and print media use.
The visual refresh of our website reflects the visual refresh of our POS software.
Small business retailers beware POS software comparison websites
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Do a Google search for POS software and most likely ad from several POS software comparison websites will list first.
Do a search for Tower Systems in Australia and, again, most likely ad from several POS software comparison websites will list first.
These Marketing companies are paying for the POS software and for the Tower Systems keywords.
There is no law against it. But … and it’s a big but … there is a law against misrepresentation.
If a software comparison website claims they have done the research for you, if they claim to offer to suggest to you the best businesses, if they pitch anything indicating any research into the products they list, ask for the evidence, ask for proof of the research they undertook not only of the companies they recommend but the companies they do not recommend.
Tower Systems has not been evaluated by any POS software comparison website. They have not seen or used our software, they have not experienced our training. They have not experienced our support services.
No POS software comparison website can speak with authority as to how Tower Systems may compare with any other POS software company in the marketplaces in which we offer our specialty retail POS software:
- Bike shops.
- Jewellers.
- Pet shops.
- Gift shops.
- Toy shops.
- Newsagents.
- Garden centres.
- Produce businesses.
- Farm supply businesses.
- Homewares businesses.
- Fishing and Outdoors businesses.
- Firearms dealers.
- Music shops.
- Bookshops.
- Fabric businesses.
… and more.
Having looked at POS software comparison websites, we can’t see any we recommend, any we would trust to provide valuable help or guidance as to this software or that.
In our opinion, the comparison websites are merely marketping platforms paid by software companies to effectively advertise their businesses.
We suspect this is why some POS software comparison websites pay for keywords that match the names of successful POS software companies.
Our advice: be curious, ask questions, ensure that any claim as to research undertaken has actually be undertaken.
Tower Systems is a local POS software company making POS software for specialty retailers in New Zealand and Australia. We research each retail channel in which we operate thoroughly to ensure that our specialty retail POS software is specialty in function.
People matter at our POS software company
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What’s happening this afternoon in our POS software business is a good example that people do matter in our line of work.
Our help desk is open, calls are being answered by a human based in hawthorn Victoria. Our customers are getting to speak with real people who know our software and understand local retail. Today is a regular Saturday for us.
That our customers can do this without going through a call centre or a computerised phone systems that gets you pushing button after button. They can also reach us through a private Facebook page, a customer engagement area of our website or through other social media platforms. We make POS software customer service access easy.
We know that being accessible is key to a good customer service experience … from pre sales to sales to installation to training to support to accounts queries. This is why we are so accessible, even on a Saturday afternoon.
A good way to compare POS software companies is to see how many names, mobile numbers and email addresses you can find on their website. If they have faith in what they do they will list plenty, especially of their leadership team. If they are not sure of what they offer they will guide behind general details and no or few names.
On our website, prospective customers can watch videos of our team, too, videos in which we talk about our software and show parts of it. No cartoons here. rather, we publish real people from the business, real members of our team speaking to what we offer and how it may be of service. This is important as authenticity is key from a POS software company.
Now, to be sure that contact is easy, here is some of what we include in every customer email and newsletter …
- MANAGEMENT.
- CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER: csm@towersystems.com.au.
- CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER. Gavin Williams. 03 9524 8000. Email gavinw@towersystems.com.au.
- CEO: Mark Fletcher. 0418 321 338. Email: mark@towersystems.com.au.
- SALES. Please call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au.
We make contact easy and direct. It’s a key first step in any good POS software customer service experience. This is especially true and important for local retail POS software.
Our POS software customers get to meet our Software Development Manager
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Today, for the second time this year, our customers have the opportunity to meet with our Software Development Manager and leadership team. we will preview our next software update, share plans for what’s next and answer questions.
These sessions are terrific for us and for our customers. We are grateful for those who support them. We are grateful for the opportunity.
Is Retail Express the only POS solution with the features and support you need to build a thriving multi-channel retail business?
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Australian POS software company Retail Express currently claims at their website:
Retail Express is the only POS solution with the features and support you need to build a thriving multi-channel retail business.
We do not agree with this statement by Retail Express.
We know that here at Tower Systems we have helped plenty of retail business owners to build thriving multi-channel retail businesses. We know of other POS software companies that have done this, too.
It is frustrating seeing a company claim they are the only company doing something that your own business has done and is doing.
Here at Tower Systems, we prefer to focus on what we do for our customers, we prefer to focus on that over which we have control. We don’t like getting caught in what others are doing, it can be distracting. They, after all, need to be responsible for their own action and claims.
The Retail Express claim came to our attention and we felt we had to publicly state that we disagree, to state that we have in our POS software and services features and support helping local small business retailers to build a thriving multi-channel retail business.
We understand that in sales claims can be made. Our advice to small business retailers looking at and considering POS software is – check out every claim, ask for proof. It is important that you do your due diligence on software you are considering and the POS software company you are considering. You need to satisfy yourself that what they have claimed is accurate, supported by evidence.
For what it is worth, be wary of claims of being the best or being the only. New are not sure how any company can know these things unless they have looked personally at their competition, used them and throughly researched what they do. Here at Tower Systems we do not do that. We focus on what we do and how we do it’s that is what matters most to us and to our customer community., We don’t have the time to thoroughly research our competitors to make certain claims about what they do versus what we do.
if you are considering POS software for your retail business, we would love to be considered along with other POS software companies. We will gladly show you our software, let you explore it yourself and answer all of your questions.
Are we the best for your business? Only you can tell. Are we the only one doin g what we do? No, but there is only one Tower Systems.
The inspiring paperweight and out local small business focussed POS software company
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If you have a spare 6 minutes, here is a new video we shot in house a few days ago …
Covid one year on in our POS software company
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It is a year since Covid started to impact Australia and New Zealand, a year since we started to see an impact within business we serve with our locally made POS software.
What a year it has been.
We have been busier than ever, welcoming plenty of new customers, delivering many new websites for customers, helping our customers pivot ins response to Covid and helping retailers challenged by extraordinary unexpected growth.
We have dealt with all of this in an environment of change. Most of our team members continue to work from home. Zoom continues to be a key too for us in business. Thankfully, we have a commercial account.
Through the year we have added many new POS software user training videos, many new POS software user advice sheets and more. Plus, we have delivered more than 100 live online workshops – each a fresh learning opportunity for our customers. Access to these wonderful online workshops was provided free with them often filmed for later easy access by those unable to make it live.
Our sales team members have been off the road, hauling in an awesome bag of business through remote demonstrations and prospect meetings … learning new ways to do business remotely.
Also, in the last year, we have fundamentally restructured how we do business at its very core.
Thankfully, not one team member has been diagnosed with Covid … for which we are sincerely grateful.
So, yes, it has been a year. We do understand and appreciate that we have not been alone in having such a year. That’s the thing about the pandemic, we are all in this, as cliché as that sounds. We have sought to make the last year our own, listening to our heart, following our own path, pursuing what we think is our to the needs of our small business retail customers for it is what matters to them that matters to us.
If anything, the last year has given us an opportunity to re-focus and renew our attention on our local small business retail community. We think this has been a factor in the wonderful and truly appreciated growth that we have banked.
Covid is a once in a lifetime experience. We have sought, without being too cocky, to ensure that it plays as an opportunity for us and for all who rely on Tower Systems for POS software, for income and for career fulfilment.
Thank you for being on this journey with us. We’re far from done. Look over the horizon – the sun is rising on a new day.
Locally made POS software for local retailers
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This is our POS software company
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Australian made POS software is best for Australian retail businesses
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Why is Australian made POS software best for Australian retail businesses? Here is why…
Australian made POS software will be closer to the needs of Australian businesses as it is made by people who understand local customs, needs and shoppers.
Australian made POS software is likely to be more easily enhanced to serve emerging local Australian retailer needs.
Australian made POS software will benefit the local Australian economy more with people working on making and supporting the software spending their payroll locally and this benefits local retailers who9 can use Australian made POS software.
Australian made POS software is more likely to be tuned to the needs of specialty retail channels in which the software is to be used. Retail channels have different needs, unique needs. Software made for these channels, for these Australian retail businesses will be more of a solution.
Buying Australian made helps the Australian economy and all who depend on the Australian economy. It is as simple as that.
Tower Systems employs local software developers, support experts and more in the pursuit of development and support of our specialty retail POS software. These people are our company. They live and work locally, connecting with local retailers as shoppers. Their experiences and easy access connection with retailers help them to make better POS software for Australian retailers.
Here at Tower Systems we develop specialty POS software for a range of specialty retail channels:
- Jewellers
- Garden Centres
- Pet shops
- Produce businesses
- Gift shops
- Bike shops
- Toy shops
- Adult shops
- Homewares shops
- Bookshops
- Repairs businesses
- Fishing & outdoors businesses
- Farm supply businesses
- News / Card / magazine shops
And, outside of these niche businesses, the Tower software serves because of its specialisation. For example, pool maintenance businesses, butchers, health food stores and more benefit from the Tower POS solutions.
If your local Australian retail businesses ever pitches shop local, then where you source what you use and sell in your business matters. The COVID-19 pandemic and the economic response has brought that into sharp focus. It has helped us understand that our local economy matters.
We are proud to offer Australian made POS software for Australian specialty retailers. We are grateful to our customers that we can do this.
Welcome to 2021
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Day 1 of a new year is always exciting, and full of anticipation.
We have plans for this year that we are excited to share with our customers as the year unfolds. New products. New services. New connection opportunities.
All in pursuit of helping small business retailers in our community to have an awesome 2021 using our POS software.
We have had a busy few days between Christmas and New Year planning for 2021, working on our software, working on our customer experiences and more.
The last few days have been a wonderful opportunity to set us ready for Q1 2021.
The last few days have been busy bringing on new customers, too. We have had new customers keen to use a quieter time in their shops between the major holidays to get our software installed and up and running.
2021, we’re ready and excited. Let’s do this!
It all started in 1981…
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Yes, we are celebrating National Ninja Day, of course!
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What differentiates our POS software co.
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While we think there is plenty in our POS software that separated us from others, it is our active wonderful of retail businesses, where we play with our software daily, that is a key differentiator. here is a video that we shot for one of our stores a few days ago, launching our Christmas card range…
We’re not your usual POS software company…
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We’re not your usual POS software company. We own and run retail shops as well as online retail businesses. We are grateful and proud to share this video of part of the Christmas display at our newsXpress Southland store. This was live over a week ago. The shopper reaction already has been wonderful.
Having retail shops where we can experiment with the intersection of POS software tech enology and physical retail is helpful to our software business and our retail businesses.
This is us…
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Working through Victoria’s stage 4 lockdown
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Here at Tower Systems, weeks into this second lockdown in metro Melbourne due to Covid we’re doing okay. We have a core group at the office for necessary work with 90% of our team working from home.
Thanks to our infrastructure investment in VoIP and other technology, our customer service, POS software development, customer training, sales and other work has continued unimpeded.
We are grateful to our customers for their understanding and their faith in us. We sincerely appreciate their business.
While the world does look different to what we anticipated for 2020, being here and being able to connect in new ways is terrific.
Regardless of what happens in our home state with this latest lockdown, we plan for our team members to continue to work from home into 2021, to provide for them the safest work situation.
New help desk team members now on-stream
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A couple of months ago, we hired Matt for a new role on our help desk and around a month ago we hired Eric. These are net new roles for us, an expansion of our team.
Following comprehensive training, they are participating in help desk calls, helloing to deliver timely and professional help to retailers using our POS software.
With more retailers joining our community every month, we needed to expand our capacity. Matt and Eric are helping us do that.
While 2020 is an unusual year, delivering unexpected situations, we are grateful that more small business retailers are partnering with us and the tech we develop and sell.
Our small business is proud to be creating jobs in Australia
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Tower Systems is proud to have created two new jobs in Australia, for entry level tech roles, in the last 2 months.
We have been able to do this because Australian companies, local small business retailers, are supporting us, using our POS software.
So, thank you. Thank you to all the businesses that have chosen Tower Systems this year already. We are on track to welcome more new customers this year than in the last six years, which themselves were each a good year.
Creating jobs is something we are proud of. Welcoming Matt and Eric to our team is a thrill, something for which we are sincerely grateful.
As a company focussed only on serving local independent small business retailers, we are aware of the importance of service of the local community. Our software helps our customers in this mission. Being a small business ourselves, it keeps us grounded, focussed on the same goals as our customers.
We know that is we serve the local community well, the local community will serve us. yes, it reads as cliche. However, it is more than that, it is a maxim to live by.
By adding two new roles to our front line help desk, we have improved our ability to serve our customers, to help them enjoy more from using our software, to help them create businesses that are more valuable to all who rely on the business for personal value.
We get it that we are part of an eco system. Playing our role really does help others. This is another reason why we need to keep evolving what we do. hence, our regular review of staffing levels and growing as we need to grow.
2020 is an unusual year. for us, it is a year of growth, evolution and discovery. We are enjoying the year, even though the news out there is not ideal. We think we are better at what we do and that is part of the reason we are seeing the growth we are enjoying in 2020.
Thank you for your faith in us, for positioning us that we need to add new roles to the company. It is your support of us that has helped us created these 2 new roles and the Australian economy appreciates that. Small steps, for sure, but steps in the right direction.
Have a wonderful weekend…
8 reasons we’re happy this Monday morning
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We love Monday mornings at our POS software company for these reasons and more:
- There is the excitement for a new week.
- We get to hear good stories from the weekend from our team members and customers.
- We set the agenda for the week in terms of deliverables for our customers.
- We have a team meeting and catch-cups are always fun.
- We welcome our first new customers of the week.
- We look for opportunities of change.
- Our latest software update is being well received.
- Especially today, we have a new team member joining our help desk.
While 2020 is an unusual year, we’re grateful for what it is bringing to us.
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