The POS Software Blog
News from Tower Systems about locally made POS software for specialty local retailers.
Last week we released these enhanced knowledge base articles for retailers using our POS software:
For years Tower Systems has provided its customers with a professionally printed support card. Indeed, we provide several cards to new customers, updating customers and yearly to all customers – to help make contacting our help desk and the after hours support service easier. We also had the card out at trade shows, user meetings and other customer events.
We know small business retailers prefer to speak with an engaged human rather than deal with a nameless person by email or through a third-party call centre. This is why we make contacting us, at all levels of the company, easy.
The blue card published with this post is the latest version of our support card. It’s professionalism reflects the professionalism of the software it supports.
As with each POS software update released by Tower Systems, the communication provided announcing the release of the latest update is thorough, professional and easy to understand. This good advance communication is key to confidence in the software. It encourages trust.
Our communication helps customer decide when they want to install the software. We do not force any update on our customers. There are no surprises.
The latest communication lists all enhancements and changes in the software – showing the value of our commitment to software development and the extent to which we listen to our customers in deciding what is to go into an update.
In addition to testing the software itself, our comprehensive beta release program tests the communication announcing the update.
All Tower systems customers can vote on items to be included in an update through our transparent software ideas process.
A tech company recently sent out a survey on 2015 activity to their customers with an out of date logo, a design from the 1990s and a follow up thank you note referencing 2014. These three missteps made the business look unprofessional in its approach. They made it an easy target for anyone wanting to show weaknesses in the business. Their communication also provided some fun for competitors.
Since online is so vital to business today it is important that your online and electronic communications are on point: professional, using your current logo and art, referencing current activity and followed up with relevant material.
Software companies and all businesses need to be professional in every contact as the last contact could be the one on which we are judged.
This week between Christmas and New Year is usually the quietest for the POS software company help desk with many retail businesses either closed or busy with post Christmas sales.
Regardless, the Tower Systems help desk has been open for business, taking calls, checking supplier stock files, providing free training, enhancing Knowledge Base content and undertaking installations.
As with other years we have used the opportunity for housekeeping – as have many retailers. We support this with assistance in running housekeeping tasks including sales to quit dead sock and other tasks retailers like to reset their businesses for the new year.
Hence the decision to ensure we have been at full strength and capable of serving any needs expressed by our customers.
It is in this Christmas / New Year period when software companies that are actually open carry the load for others. We have taken calls that ought to have been handled by others yet could not be as they are closed.
Suppliers to small business retailers are notorious for this – for being closed when they should be open providing the customer service they claim to provide.
While we are happy to help, it is frustrating that lazy suppliers get a free ride from our generosity and the forgiving nature of our customers and their customers.
In the first three days of Christmas / New Year most support calls have been from people wanting advice on how to do things they might not have got to through the regular busy trading period. Being accessible has been key to the service we provide – accessibility like regular blog posts here, access by email, access by phone and the continuation of our weekly support email.
Small business retailers using the Tower Systems POS software have access to our after hours help desk network today.
With Boxing Day Sales already in full swing, having access to assistance is important for retailers. Too many retailer suppliers are closed. Tower Systems is not, we’re here to help.
While our offices may be closed for Christmas, to give our team members time with their families, our support services are still available – as several customers found out today already. While none of their queries were to do with issues with our software, that we were available to provide advice on internet and other issues was a comfort to them. We are grateful to be of service.
Our POS software help desk has closed for the Christmas break. We re-open December 29 at 7am. All our after hours contact points are operating right through the Christmas period.
Have a wonderful Christmas.
These last few days before Christmas are proving to be busy for us on our POS software help desk. The type of calls we are receiving reflect a business in retail. This is good news as most of our customers are independent small retail businesses. Their business is important to us.
To ensure we make these last few days before Christmas calm and producing we have all hands on deck assisting customers, providing training and other help so they get the most from their Tower software. By all hands, we mean everyone. Tower is a very flat company with people across the business tasked to provide the excellent customer service for which we are known.
We were privy recently to correspondence between a POS software company and a customer from just before the customer switched to us. The correspondence is an example of how a tech company serving small business retailers ought not communicate with customers. The correspondence was rude, condescending and short on ethics.
In response to concerns raised about the time consuming nature of some functions in the software, the software company representative ignored the question and ranted on using technical terms to claim, more or less, that the customer would now know if the software was good as they were technically inept.
Yes, sometimes the customer is wrong. The key is to deal with this in a respectful and helpful way.
The communication we have seen was disappointing as it reflects badly on all software companies, especially those of us serving small business retailers.
Thankfully, we have switched the customer to our software and are providing respectful customer service that is restoring their faith in tech companies.
Tower Systems has implemented enhancements to its CRM, Customer Relationship Management System that provide team members in the company with better tools for serving customers. The enhancements provide new facilities commensurate with the growth we are experiencing and with changes in technology delivery platforms worldwide.
Software companies need quality tools if they are to deliver quality service to their customers.
Our work with the Sugar CRM system and the integrations we have made provide us to excellent service opportunities.
We appreciate the thoughtfulness of suppliers and colleagues as they thank us at Christmas time. This year already we have received an abundance of gifts we are sharing with colleagues in-house.
This beautiful box of Krug Vintage 2000 will be especially appreciated. It is a fine drop.
While we are thrilled to work with so many wonderful companies and people in those companies in what we do here at Tower Systems, this special appreciation of the bottle of Krug from them is something for which we are most grateful.
Christmas cheer is in full taste.
Here are tell-tale signs a POS software company fails its customers:
POS software companies that fail in these and other ways damage the reputation all software companies. They make our job harder.
Small business retailers love being able to talk directly with our software development experts.
Our customers love being able to find out more about the software, discuss future plans and explore opportunities beyond what may be covered in a help desk discussion.
Too many software companies hide their development experts away from customers. Not Tower Systems.
Our leadership team and out software development team are accessible to our customers, giving our customers an advantage over retailers using POS software from companies that do not provide such transparency.
This is a Tower systems difference, an advantage for our retail partners over others, a way we help our retailers and how they help us as we have a shared goal of providing the best solution for we know that will help us grow market share.
Tower Systems is proud to have lead again in 2015 in the hosting of live in-person POS software user meetings around Australia and in New Zealand.
Our comprehensive and consistent user meeting program helps us provide a better customer service experience and it provides us with better guidance from customers and this helps us create better software.
Well done to all involved.
We shared updated information with our customers over the weekend on the Microsoft Windows 10 update that is being pushed currently by Microsoft. We have sought to provide clarity and certainty to small business POS software who rely on us for technical advice and support.
Tower Systems is helping retailers make the most of Christmas with Christmas themed free training POS software opportunities. In groups and individually, Tower is delivering access to free live training to give retailers comfort from knowledge and confidence that their Tower POS software can deliver even more than they expected this Christmas.
Our comprehensive free training opportunities win us new customers.
Tower Systems is thrilled to announce more free POS software training for its small business customers. Here is a list of the new free training opportunities launched by the company:
Last week we mailed, yes through the post office, a print newsletter to our 3,500+ small business retail customers. This is in addition to our weekly email newsletter.
We figured an update by snail mail would be good to catch those who do not read emails. It did. The contact from customers following the mailing has been terrific.
The experience we have had is a reminder for any company service small businesses that it is important to have more than one or two channels of communication with your customers. We are thrilled with the response.
It was great to catch up with retailers using our specialist POS software in Auckland earlier this week. These meetings along with our other recent user meetings help keep us close to our customers, provide feedback on our plans and open other opportunities for us to explore as our customers take us into their confidence.
Being close to your customers is vital to any POS software company today and the best way to do this is through face to face contact between the decision makers.
Even though our head office is in Melbourne and it is a public holiday for the race that stops a nation, we are open today for support calls. All our usual numbers are operating.
While much of Australia is go-slow mode today being the day before the Melbourne Cup, we are here and at it, providing a full deck of services and working in the background on software enhancements and developments.
Tower Systems has a structured approach to helping new owners of small businesses are e our POS software is in use. From admin to the help desk to management, we welcome new owners into our community with free assistance and support, to help them settle into their use of the software smoothly and efficiently.
With retail businesses changing hands at a considerable pace, we have found that a structured process brings certainty to the new small business owners, helping them to settle in sooner and helping them to benefit from our POS software.
Our new owner training and support is another difference from Tower Systems that serves small business retailers. Our approach demonstrates a commitment to certainty and structure that delivers practical business outcomes. We are thrilled to be in a position to commit resources to this work and grateful to our new owner customers for their support.
Taking over a retail business can be challenging with many different parties wanting you to immediately understand their engagement with the business. Our role is to help facilitate efficiency so time is available for these other parties, to ensure technology is not a burden.
For us, the new owner engagement starts with this brief welcome video, which then leads to free training.
Recent Comments