The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

News from Tower Systems about locally made POS software for specialty local retailers.

CategoryCustomer Service

Customer service matters when choosing small business POS software

September 26, 2018
2 Min read
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Customer service is a critical factor when choosing POS software for amy independent or small retail business.

That sounds like a motherhood statement so we can understand if you say Duh!

We agree 100%.  Our focus is on delivering the level of customer service we would expect ourselves. To us, it needs to be personal, professional, human, knowledgable, engaged and relevant.

These are the principles of the POS software customer service here at Tower Systems. This is what we train our help desk and other teams in when we meet to work on what we do and how we do it. We see these pri cripples as being differentiating for us.

In a practical sense, our customers see how we operate through:

  1. A human based phone system. there is no automated phone system requiring you to press a bunch of buttons.
  2. An unmoderated and transparent Facebook page where customers can open discussions with us or other customers on any topic.
  3. Regular face to face regional use meetings where we meet with our customers to listen, learn and train.
  4. Unlimited free training long after the POS software is installed.
  5. Easy 24/7 access to an awesome knowledge base where our customers can learn and provide feedback ion the knowledge shared.
  6. An escalation process. We make mistakes inn our help desk processes. We’re human. We offer a structured process for responding to these, to address them and provide rectification. We seek to learn from mistakes, and not repeat them.
  7. Leadership team access. Contacting anyone from the leadership group within Tower Systems is easy. Our customers have our contact numbers and email addresses. We make sure we are accessible.
  8. Knowing us. When you are in contact with someone at Tower Systems you know their name, their real name. You know the person and can be sure they are the person who will follow up.

When you are looking at POS software companies, see if they are similar. We think these eight, and other, personal touch points that we offer here at Tower Systems are differentiating and empowering for our small business retail customers. We think what we do in providing personal and reliable service to our customers matters as much as the awesome POS software itself.

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How small business retailers guide POS software development

September 25, 2018
2 Min read
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Here at Tower Systems for years now we have offered small business retailers a transparent process through which they can suggest POS software enhancements and vote on these and other suggestions.

Our Software Ideas website page was launched to ur customers years ago to provide them power when it comes to change requests. They get to outline what they want, in their own words.

We review each suggestion to determine if it is technically possible.

Then, any of our customers gets to vote on each change suggestion.

From this list we select enhancements to include in software u0dates. Every update delivers enhancements customers want from the simple to the complex. These enhancements are provided to our customers for no additional charge beyond the optional annual software support fee.

The software enhances et suggestion process we have created was unique many years ago when we launched it and it remains unique today in the small business POS software community. While other POS software companies take on customer suggestions, they usually do not show customers all the suggestions in detail and allow them to vote on any suggestions.

Our software is stronger for having this process, we are a better company for it.

Customers are thrilled to see enhancements they have suggested delivered in the software. We are thrilled for our customers, to be able to deliver for them in this way, to provide them something close to a bespoke POS software experience.

It is very powerful delivering services like this, impactful and empowering as we give our customers the opportunity to set the agenda and the tools through which they can do this, It is awesome and we are proud to have maintained the service for so long.

We are especially excited when a customer makes a suggestion for a change, requesting something be added to the software … which is already there. Its a special moment to say there it is, already, today. What you want to to do for you is there. It demonstrates to us a training and coaching opportunity, which we dive into without cost to our customers.

Our Software Ideas facility remains groundbreaking in POS software circles. It is a differentiating platform for our customers.

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Why you can’t trust POS software Google reviews

September 24, 2018
4 Min read
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Google reviews can hide the truth of POS software support as people can write them for malicious reasons. Take this Google review by Ashley tester posted to our Google page:

I have been using Tower Systems “Retailer” POS system for about 2 years now and if i was able to go back in time i would never had bought it. The system offers plenty of potential but is incredibly buggy with quite a bit of stuff missing from the program. I have had multiple things go wrong with the program and the customer service attitude with it is “we’re working on it” with no communication on progress of fixing the issues. As we speak i am still waiting on a bug fix that currently has my website looking quite messy as product that has been sold from my POS in store is not displaying correctly on my E commerce website. This issue was brought to their attention a week ago, i phoned again 2 days ago and have still heard nothing. I was originally told it was a day to fix the issue. Many more examples like this have happened over the past two years. I would STRONGLY recommend not buying this product. There are better options out there but i am too invested in the software, not only with the initial 11k outlay but the hundreds of hours of data entry that i have done now.

Here is the response from our Managing Director, Mark Fletcher.

My name is Mark Fletcher, I am the owner of Tower Systems. My mobile number is 0418 321 338. My email is mark@towersystems.com.au. What sucks about Google reviews is there is no vetting and no right of reply to a specific review. The review by Ashley Tester is false and misleading. Ashley had an issue with our software that was resolved the day it was reported to the help desk. 100% resolved. However, that is not my core point here. At Tower we have a structured documented and promoted escalation process, because people do sometimes make mistakes. At no time did Ashley tester use our escalation process. Ashley Tester complained here without our knowledge, in an effort to harm our business, and based on false and misleading information. Many people work at our POS software company. They rely on the company for income and professional development. As the owner, I will not abide an unwarranted attack that, by extension, seeks to attack those we serve.

As mark is connected with the page, Google would not publish the response.

Everything published in the Tower response is verifiable by our CRM data records. The claim made by Ashley tester is false and misleading, as he would have known at the time of publishing.

There is another review at the page by a Ryan Farrow:

Overcharge for their product and services, owners are aggressive and unhelpful, and will charge for every single feature that comes standard with most products. System is often down for extended periods with most features essentially in Beta and not working as intended. Staff are uneducated in their own product and charge a premium for lacklustre support.

Ryan is not a customer of Tower Systems and never has been. Ryan is a web developer. he developed a website for a Tower client. Rather than follow our published advice for connecting the website to our POS software, Ryan demanded it be done how he wanted.

As with any engineering where you build a bridge to connect two sides of a river, there are professional processes to follow to ensure the bridge meets in the middle. Ryan did not see it this way.

We can’t change the reviews. What we can do is point to our current 3,500+ customers, our years in business and our transparent engagement. We established a private Facebook page for our customers where they can ask anything any time, where they can provide feedback and do so without moderation by us. This level of customer driven transparency reflects on our commitment. neither Ryan nor Ashley Tester used this customer forum. Instead, they sought to hurt us publicly.

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POS software user meetings keep us in touch with small business retail

August 27, 2018
2 Min read
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In then last week the leadership team of our company have met face to face with owners of retail businesses using our specialty POS software in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra.

This is the first week of a tour around the country, meeting  with customers, sharing insights, listening to business challenges and exploring who we can better help each other.

Being face to face, with the right people in front of each other, decision makers, listeners who can make a difference, is what customer service from POS software is all about in our view. This is us being true to our word, honouring our commitment, delivering on our promises.

Anyone can say they will host user meetings. It is hard work, expensive and time consuming. Here at Tower Systems we want to live truth to our words every day,. It is why we are in the middle of this national face to face user meeting and listening tour.

While these sessions are a wonderful opportunity to share training and business management experience, they also provide us with valuable feedback and business insights that we can leverage to deliver better outcomes for our customers. There is doubt the sessions make us a better POS software company, especially in service of small business retailers.

We are grateful to the independent retailers using our POS software who have joined us in this latest series and to those who will join us on the online version of the events where we will connect with businesses that might otherwise not be able to reach the major city locations in the current tour.

Small business POS software is about personal service, like small business retail. Lose contact with your customers and you lose the soul of your business. This is why we make ourselves as available as we do, it is why we are so accessible in the marketplace, at these sessions in capital cities and major regional centres.

Tower Systems is proud to serve only small business retailers in niche retail channels, growing stronger and more valuable retail businesses. We are grateful for customer support every day.

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How we help small business retailers love their POS software

July 11, 2018
2 Min read
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Tower Systems helps thousands of small business retailers with awesome software and even better customer service. This is service that goes beyond what is usual. It is a terrific point of difference that has evolved through years, decades, of service.

Beyond our personal one on one help desk services, here are other services we offer to retailers who use our POS software.

  1. Free group training workshops. Every week. Each offers plenty of Q&A time. Click here to book.
  2. Free one on one training. After your system is installed and you are trained, request more one on on training. Book: bookings@towersystems.com.au.
  3. Free business performance analysis. We offer a fresh eyes review of your business as revealed in your data.
  4. Free theft check. We look in places retailers tend to not look, seeking our possible theft indicating behaviour.
  5. Xero integration. Save time. Cut mistakes. Click here for details.
  6. Cloud backup. Never do an end of day backup again.
  7. Webstore integration. To Magento, Shopify or WooCommerce. best practice. saves time. Increases revenue. Click here for details.
  8. Smart loyalty. Facilities that increase basket depth and bring shoppers back sooner. Click here for details.
  9. Local focus. Through our software pitch local knowledge and experience in ways that set your business apart and make you a local champion.
  10. Stock review. Our software can tell you what is dead stock, making it easier for you to quit this.

Our software support coverage is comprehensive. Our Tower AdvantageTM software support coverage includes:

  1. Help desk support in the use of our software.
  2. After hours support for urgent problems relating to our software.
  3. Free one on one training in our software each year.
  4. Software updates.
  5. Access to our online knowledge base – with more than 600 articles.
  6. Access to our online training video library – with more than 130 videos.
  7. Access to our live weekly online training workshops.
  8. Access to checked by Tower supplier stock files.

We are not your average POS software company. Our user experience is nurtured through respect and professional contact every day, beyond the usual Monday to Friday work day. We’re here to help is the motto we live and work every day.

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Local POS software support important for small business retailers

June 19, 2018
1 Min read
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I am amazed that I can call and speak to someone in Australia, someone who understands me and my type of business. You have no idea how relieved I feel.

This is a note from a customer who switched to our small business POS software from a cloud based POS program that was not supported in Australia. Their business is in Australia. It is a business in one of the specialty retail channels we serve.

I am surprised at the specialist facilities in the software. They fit what I need well. I should have gone with you guys first.

We love customer feedback and that our specialty software is loved by specialty retailers in the retail channels in which we serve.

  1. Our software is specialist for a range of different retail channels.
  2. Our support is locally based.
  3. Our phones are answered by humans.
  4. Our help is accessible 24/7.
  5. Our assistance goes beyond our software.

We are grateful to the 3,500+ retailers we serve.

What a great way to celebrate Friday, celebrating our customers.

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Data security advice for small business retailers using POS software

June 18, 2018
2 Min read
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2018 is not even half over and already it has seen considerable attacks on computers and on websites. Each attack reinforces the need for all businesses, including small businesses, to have appropriate security and backup measured in place to protect business data.

Appropriate backup means:

  1. Backup every day, without fail, without having too spend time for we know that time backups can take can make backups be ignored or forgotten.
  2. On-site backup.
  3. Plus, off-site backup.
  4. Easy access for recovery.
  5. Protection in a facility away from the business not only of all data but all software to facilitate swift recovery.
  6. Managed costs.
  7. Secure access to backed up data.
  8. maintaining backup services at the cutting edge.
  9. Appropriate security for backed up data.

Our advice is that you use a cloud backup service, like the Tower Backup service we offer. It works in the background, backing up without you having to do a backup. If your business is attacked, getting back to a clean and safe place is easy. Any reputable backup service should be able to offer similar to you.

Please do not put this off. Get protection for your business and your business data. You don’t want to be the person who does this after you have been attacked.

At the very least, backup every day, onto a USB stick for that day. While this is an old-school approach, it is better than nothing at all.

But let’s be clear, cloud backup is our recommendation. Our service provides you with a local backup and an offsite backup, in the cloud. This gives you two backups, excellent protection. We monitor the backups to ensure they are working. If we find an issue, we proactively call you. This is rare from a cloud backup service provider.

Here at Tower Systems we take data security seriously. We provide best-pracie advice. Our customers are welcome to use our service or another, our recommendation, however, is that they do something – to be protected.

Too often small business retailers think about data security after they have been affected. Hence this advice here and in our weekly emails and elsewhere in our touch points with customers.

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The support card makes POS software support easy

June 2, 2018
1 Min read
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FOR OUR CUSTOMERS. In case you have misplaced it, here is the most recent support card mailed to all Tower Systems customers. If you use our POS software, and we hope you do, please let your staff know about this. You can call our office Monday through Saturday.

This support card makes our POS software help desk support accessible. It has our office numbers and NZ toll free n umber. Plus our after hours numbers. It is all about making customer service accessible and certain.

After-hours numbers are for urgent after-hours issues such as a system being down. If you would like us to post you a support card to put on the wall next to your phone, please email us and we will gladly do this. Email support@towersystems.com.au.

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What makes for the best POS software for small business retail?

May 21, 2018
2 Min read
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It is not our place to say our software is the best POS software for small business retailers. We could not know, just as any other POS software company could not know if their software is the best.

In fact, not one could know if a POS software package is the best unless they have tried all others. And, no one has.

Our role is to create the best software we can, for each of the specialty retail marketplaces we serve.

Thanks to serving 3,500 small businesses we have a big community on which to draw to be able to do what we do. their insights guide us as we continue to evolve our software. What our software offers in terms of functionality and experience is a testament to our user community.

But it is not just about the POS software. It is about the support and the business management assistance provided by retail experts in the POS software company as being able to leverage the software for valuable outcomes is a key here.

It is about relationships too, working with suppliers and other patties to integrate with the retail businesses, seamlessly, through the software, for speed, accuracy and genuine business value. In fact, a good supplier relationship can add real bottom line benefits to small business retailers. Leveraging this through technology is efficient and valuable.

We take it further than this. We are retailers too, owning and operating several physicals and a bunch of consumer-facing websites. We do this for the experience, k so we can play and experiment, and provide our customers with a deeper and more valuable experience.

We think these things, the user community, years on business, marketplace specialisation, supplier integration, and being retailers ourselves provide a complete and valuable experience. Were think it is a valuable suite of experiences like this that make then Tower Systems POS software relationship valuable for our customers.

We love what we do here at Tower systems. We love our software and the service of small business retailers. we only sell to small businesses, this keeps us focussed and in the moment with these most important of businesses in any economy.

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Major software update released for small business retailers

May 16, 2018
1 Min read
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Tower Systems is thrilled to announce the commercial release of a major software update that is packed with valuable software enhancements, some of which will help small business retailers to find new opportunities.

Every one of our customers can choose when they install the update. They can do this with the full and complete knowledge of what is in the update. No surprises. No unexpected changes. They are 100% in control. We think this is important.

Fyll documentation of what is in the update has been released along with training and management advice. All accessible 24/7, so our customers go into this with will and focus.

This is how we do business: transparency, clear communication, with our customers in control.

It is a Tower Systems difference.

Included in the information pack on the update is videos we have shot in house explaining some of the new facilities, how they work and the commercial leverage they offer.

While our customers engage with the latest update, we are well into working on the next release. Good software constantly evolves.

We are grateful to our customers for their engagement and feedback.

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Free small business retailer POS software training for May

May 2, 2018
2 Min read
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We are thrilled to have a terrific suite of free (live) online training sessions in May for small business retailers using our POS software.

Each session is free to any of our customers. Each includes plenty of time for questions, on the topic covered or other topics.

Here are the May sessions:

  1. 02 May. How to compete with big retailers.
  2. 09 May. How to handle non EDI invoices to keep stock accurate.
  3. 16 May. Events: Take a look at this new facility, learn how to use it to bring shoppers back into your business.
  4. 23 May.  Stocktaking for EOFY.
  5. 30 May. Getting ready for EOFY.

Customers can book through our training portal.

We run  online training sessions each week across a wide range of subjects. These are an excellent way for you and your staff to learn in detail about specific areas of the software.

We also offer free one on one training sessions that are business specific and private between us and the business. There is no limit to how many training sessions any customer engages with.

To participate in an online group meeting all you need access to is a computer with a broadband internet connection and a phone to receive a call so you can hear the audio. Each session runs for approximately 45-60 minutes depending on questions.

The face to face meetings are yearly in capital cities and regional centres across Australia. These are in addition to our weekly online live sessions. We also attend more than twelve industry trade shows offering face-to-face meeting opportunities with users.

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POS software help desk support on Saturdays

April 21, 2018
1 Min read
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In addition to excellent after hours coverage by mobile phone, Tower Systems today, and for many years past, offers office based help desk support. This is based in our Hawthorn office, in Melbourne.

The Saturday support is full service, practical and engaged.

We are proud to continue to offer this service in support of our 3,500+ small business customers.

We’re open for business.

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Easter break

March 30, 2018
1 Min read
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While our offices are closed for Easter, our after hours support crew are on standby for urgent issues. In the meantime, Happy Easter all…

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Another POS software integration to help small business retailers

March 29, 2018
1 Min read
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We are thrilled to have just passed acceptance testing for another major integration between our POS software and a very significant service provider in Australia.

This is a new integration for us and them. We are in a small pool of first to market POS software companies.

More will be announced after easter when their corporate marketing campaign kicks into gear.

We are thrilled to be innovating for our small business retail customers in a part of their business that is ripe for enhancement.

#WatchThisSpace

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How our POS software company helps small business retailers compete

March 27, 2018
2 Min read
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Owning and running a small or independent retail business can be lonely and challenging. Especially in this marketplace where big businesses have extraordinary tech tools they can deploy to make it look like their services are more human and personal than they really are.

Here at Tower Systems we help small and independent retailers in a range of specialty retail niches compete thanks to services beyond our POS software.

  1. We help or customers better understand the direction of their businesses through data analysis.
  2. We provide free small business marketing resources.
  3. We provide free social media content they can use to restate the value of small business locally and economically.
  4. We listen, often on topics far removed from our software.
  5. We provide free training, long after the software is first installed.
  6. We reduce operational friction between suppliers and retailers through engagement with suppliers on behalf of our retail customers.
  7. We provide access to a wide range of shopper loyalty options.
  8. We provide access to a successful basket-building strategy for businesses that see shoppers once or infrequently.
  9. We provide business context for software actions. Too often software company people say do this or that without explaining the business context.
  10. We walk in small business retail shoes. We own and run independent small business shops to provide personal experience that we then leverage for the benefit of our customers.

In these ways and plenty more we serve our customers in practical and valuable ways.

We believe in small business for the economic benefit of any country. This is why we only sell to small business customers, to help them to more effectively and successfully compete against big businesses.

Small business retail can compete through the engaged use of the smart tools in our POS software. This is where our deeper and more personal training and support plays a vital role in delivering to our customers not only knowledge but also vital encouragement and support to achieve this and plenty more.

Check us out, see for yourselves. Visit www.towersystems.com.au and ask us how we can help your type of retail business. We’d love to show you the Tower advantage.

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If you are not happy with your POS software you can switch

March 13, 2018
2 Min read
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Switching POS software is easy. If it is not easy then the POS software company you are with is probably offering poor software or poor service – backed by a strategy that makes switching hard as a mechanism of protecting their business.

If switching from your POS software is hard then you have even more reason to switch.

Good POS software companies with good service and good software make it easy to switch, as part of their commitment to being the best at what they do.

Here at Tower Systems we want you to stay with us because you like our software and enjoy the customer service experience. We do not want you to stay because we have a technical lock on you. That is false economy in your view.

Customer service in small business matters, especially in business to business situations, such as we are in offering and supporting specialty retail POS software as we do here at Tower Systems.

For us, the best pressure we can apply to ourselves to provide a good customer service experience is to make it easy for you to switch software. This puts you at the hear of what we do. It keeps us 100% customer focussed as we don’t want you to switch. This is why we continually improve our software and professionally manage the customer service resources – to provide you the best outcome possible, to deliver on the promises we make in ur sales process to you.

We have seen POS software companies that lock people in, make it hard to extract data. The customers hate it and it costs them plenty. In the end it hurts the POS software company because small business retailers talk to each other about their experiences and how they feel blackmailed into sticking with software they do not like.

Tower Systems is an Australian POS software company serving specialty retailers in a range of market channels. We only sell to independent retailers, delivering beautiful software backed by awesome customer service. We serve more than 3,500 small business retailers with software that is regularly and professionally updated.

We are grateful to our user community for their support and guidance.

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POS software help desk support starts with a conversation

March 12, 2018
1 Min read
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When a small business retailer calls our POS software help desk the call is answered by a human in our Hawthorn Victoria help desk. What following is a conversation, an unscripted conversation, in plain English.

All this matters.

We know people have computerised phone systems that want you to push this button or that button. It’s frustrating. We don’t like it and that is why we do not have it here.

We know Aussie small business retailers don’t like calling a local business only to be pushed to an offshore call centre. We don’t like it. We prefer to hire locally for customer service.

We know small business retailers can be frustrated when a help desk staffer pushes them through a script that is rigid – this is what happens when you call your ISP. 100% frustrating! We don’t like and that is why we do not do it here.

Support calls start with a conversation. You get to describe your query in your own words. We work with you to understand the query and the provide an answer, explanation or resolution.

Customer service matters. We try hard, every day.

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Free training for small business POS software customers

February 14, 2018
2 Min read
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Australian POS software company Tower Systems offers unlimited personal, one or one, training for small business retailers using its software.

Months after the system is installed, customers can contact the Tower team and request more training and it is scheduled. The training is tailored to the specific needs of each business. It can be structured or simply follow a Q&A approach. The customer is always in control.

By not limiting training, Tower Systems gives customers complete control over how well they know the software and through this the benefits they leverage from use of the software.

This personal one-on-one training is delivered by someone from within the company, someone Australian based, someone with excellent product knowledge. Yes, the company takes the provision of additional training seriously because we know the benefits for our customers and for us.

Access to training is something small business retailers should assess when they compare POS software companies. They should look at the training, engage with us and add an assessment of this to their assessment of the appropriateness of the software and the software company as partners for their business.

In addition to the free personal training provided by Tower Systems, the company also hosts weekly group training workshops as well as other training opportunities.

On top of the personal training and group training workshops, the company also provides access to written and video training materials. These can be accessed 24/7, online, through our customer service portal, a comprehensive suite of facilities that help small business retailers learn at their own pace and to the needs of their specific businesses.

Training is important. We think too many POS software companies promote but do not deliver. Here at Tower we deliver because we are retailers too, owning shops where our software is used. This experience in retail helps us provide better service more attuned to users rather than the POS software company.

So, look at our POS software training, check it out, use it as a point of reference when considering the POS software for your business. We’re here to help. Were take our motto seriously, every day.

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