The POS Software Blog
News from Tower Systems about locally made POS software for specialty local retailers.
We celebrated Halloween week today at our head office with a decent serving of donuts, including these four boxes and a couple more. It was a tasty treat. We let our customers know on our private Facebook page – in case help desk calls became hyper. hehe. The photo is from that Facebook post.
What a tasty treat!
Facts matter in business. Provable facts, on which you can base business decisions. Too often we see POS software companies make claims without specific facts or that are plain wrong.
A company claiming they are the biggest in a marketplace should be considered with suspicion if a competitor says they have a specific number of customers. One is providing a specific number while the other is making a broad claim. The former, under consumer law, respects obligation while the latter could be claimed as puffery and therefore allow them to get away with it.
Facts do matter in business, especially small business, they end of the marketplace for retailers in which tower systems focusses.
Here, we eschew broad claims. We’d prefer to be specific. For example, we wrote recently that we have 29 firearms dealers using our software. At the time of writing that number was accurate. By the time, you are reading this it is bound to be more because even then we had sales that were yet to be installed. I mention this as a competitor, who makes a broad non-specific claim, seeks to use our honesty to say they have more without being specific.
We see this as a problem for the competitor as their generalisation reflects a flexibility with the facts, maybe dishonesty even. This is a problem as it makes it hard for small business retailers. People like the blood glossy claim if it sounds better. However, the accurate claim with the real number matters.
In many years in this business of POS software for small business retailers, we have come to see the competitors who make the bold and regular marketing claims about having more customers or being the biggest or being the first, they are the ones we believe less.
What really matters is that you verify claims, that you check for evidence and satisfy yourself that you have been told the truth as truth matters in business and in life. If someone lies to get your business then how will they behave toward you once they have your business. Facts matter. That is what we believe and that is what we live by, here at Tower Systems.
POS software refers to Point of Sale software, software that is used in a business to transact sales, track stock, reorder, manage payments and more.
The challenge is that Point of Sale software is very different between software companies. They each use the POS software term to mean different things.
Many POS software companies selling in Australia are not selling Australian software. Some provide access without paying any tax in Australia. If making a shop local or shop small business pitch is important in your business then the source of your POS software may matter to you.
Tower Systems is an Australian started, owned and operated POS software company. We make what we sell. It is fresh yet regularly evolving to meet evolving business needs.
To help you be competitive, we are competitive.
Our POS software is already being used in more than 3,000 retail businesses. We manage far more than the sales process. From the back office to the counter to9 trade show floors to home, our POS software is accessible and serving your business needs. In a variety of retail channels too.
What we do is personal. When you choose our software, we come to you to install the software. Face to face, in your business. While we can install our Point of Sale software and train you over the phone, we think the personal touch is more important as it is how we can make sure you are learning what you need to learn to get the most from the software.
Using our POS software, you can easily manage your stock from within the software. You do not have to export the data to excel to be manipulated and then re-imported. No, with our POS software you can make the changes in the software, easily and with confidence. This is a differentiating point.
There are other ways we help too such an Xero, MYOB and Quicken integration, scales integration, support for TYRO broadband EFTPOS as well as the major banks. We support multiple loyalty platforms and more as we make sure you can access the tools necessary to leverage the best benefits possible from your technology investment.
When it comes to choosing POS software for your business, start with being sure of what you want. You are the customer, your needs come ahead of everything else. If the software does not meet your needs, look elsewhere.
We are often asked in a sales situation how our software compares to other POS software being considered.
The best people to ask this question are those who have used other POS software and have switched. We have plenty of customers who are experienced and able to answer this question for you.
Our sales team are asked to not comment on competitor products, to not offer comparisons as they have no personal experience from which to respond to such a query.
We welcome the opportunity to show our software in the desk next to any other software you. We are serious about this. We think it is valuable to compare functions that are important to you, between systems. Doing this with software next to each other, checking for yourself, allows you to make the comparison, it allows you to make the choice that is right for you, rather than being told by someone who wants to sell you their software that they are better than other POS software you are considering.
This approach of comparing for yourself, in personal, in your own business, gives you control. It respects you and shows that the decision is by you and about your business.
POS software companies will usually reject your request to compare their software with others in the desk in your shop. We have heard myriad excuses. In our opinion none are reasonable. Most we hear are about them wanting control over their sales proces.
Here at Tower Systems, we respect the choice is yours to make, the process is one you must control. We know we can’t be right for everyone. This is why we are happy to be compared, so you are in control, so you make the decision that is right for you, based on the software and not based on some slick pitch that denies you the opportunity for easy comparison.
How does Tower Systems compare to other POS software? See for yourself. In your own time. Where and when you want. In a way that suites your specific business. We have nothing to hide and respect that this is your choice to make.
To POS software companies that will not engage in such comparison we ask: what is it you are afraid of? What is it you are hiding? If you want happy customers, agreeing to a functional comparison in-store and in person has to be the best way.
With the many POS software options out in the marketplace, we think there is value in considering what is different about small business needs compared to the needs of bigger businesses such as franchises and groups with more than, say, 25 stores.
We have a vested interest in this consideration in that here at Tower Systems we only work with independent small business retailers. Our most common customers have one or two stores. We have some customers with close to 20 stores. While we serve members of groups with between 50 and 300 stores in a group, each of those stores is locally owned.
The distinction matters in that in our model, all businesses matter, everyone is equal.
In a POS software company with big customers, they will be of more value to the company than the small business customers. Take a business where 20% of their revenue comes from one customer. That customer is naturally heard more than a customer that accounts for less than 1% of revenue.
Our focus on independent small business retailers ensures fairness, focus and service for these important local and small businesses.
Small business retailers also like local service, personal service and service attuned to their business needs. They like to deal with real people, though conversation.
Small business retailers don’t like impersonal contact, distance contact only by email, learning only by remote contact.
POS software companies serving larger retail networks drive their businesses for efficiency. This usually means more self service and less personal human contact. While some may like this, it is not the common small business way, it is not how local businesses see themselves in their local communities.
Being focussed on small business retailers strengthens our approach to serving these types of businesses, it focusses our attention and resources in a way that is consistent for our entire user community, and we think that is a good and fair thing.
If personal service matters to you in your small retail business, take this into account when choosing POS software, consider in when assessing the POS software companies you consider supplying you.
Tower systems is a vertical market POS software company. We always have been, since the company began. It is what we do, well.
A vertical market POS software company is one that focusses on a marketplace, deeply, vertically if you will.
When we say that we have software for a specific marketplace like jewellers, garden centres, toy shops, produce stores, bike shops, fishing and outdoors shops, firearms dealers, produce stores, newsagents and adult shops, it means that we have software that is highly tailored to serve the needs of each of these marketplaces.
Our software serves not only the retailers, it also serves the suppliers to the retailers as we see building a closer and more valuable relationship between the two parties as important to what we do.
The vertical market software emerged in the 1980s as personal computers were released and desktop software became available for small businesses including small business retailer.
This is when Tower systems began. We were at the beginning, with vertical market software fort several retail niches. We have stayed true to our mission of offering specialty retail focussed software for specialty retailers. This focus has served us well. We think it has served out customers well too as our software for each marketplace in which we serve has evolved in its specialisation.
We release three major software updates each year. Each update takes us further into each marketplace in which we serve with our POS software. Each update makes our POS software more vertically, deeply, integrated with the specialty retailers we serve.
This is what vertical market POS software is about, specialisation … specialisation that evolves as the needs of the marketplace evolve. It is about staying on a path, moving forward, serving the specialty needs of the retailers in each marketplace niche.
While there are generic POS software solutions out there, a specialty POS software package for your specific retail niche will be far more valuable, far more tuned to the needs of your business.
However, make sure the claim of specialisation is more than the claim, make sure it is real and deep. You can tell this by looking at the software, by ensuring for yourself that claimed specialisation is really there.
Good vertical market POS software will serve a specialty retail business well, for many years.
We are proud to share this advice…
We don’t want to sell, rent or lease our POS software to a business for which it is not a good fit.
Don’t get us wrong, we do want business. However, we don’t see the point in making a sale for the sake of a sale. As a small privately owned company, our guiding principles are different to larger businesses with multiple shareholders. Where their focus is profit first, our focus is service.
Service to us is providing a product that is a good fit and that delivers appreciated value over the long term. This is achieved by providing fit for purpose software, backing it with personal training and support and enhancing it through an on-going software development process that is guided by user engagement and feedback.
One reason we want to personally demonstrate our POS software to retailers in the specialty marketplaces in which we serve is so that we can be sure for ourselves that our software is a good fit. We are on the record of advising sales prospects that we are not a good fit. Yes, we do this, respectfully and with an explanation of why we think so.
We have been in business for a long time and plan to be here for a long time. Doing right by sales prospects is part of this. We know a quick sale today just to get the sale whether it is a good fit for the client or not is not conducive to good long term business.
So, yes, we may say our software is not a good fit for your business.
It could be you have need we do not address today. Therefore, we are keen for you to be open and complete in outlining your needs.
It could be that you are a big business. While we do have big business clients, our absolute preference is to serve small retail businesses.
It could be that your business is outside out area of specialisation. While we have plenty of customers outside our marketplaces of specialisation, each has been certain our software is a good fit for them.; We love that they have made this choice, without pressure.
It could be that you want a deal we are unwilling to agree to. We don’t sell on price for we know that in business today you do get what you pay for. For us to deliver quality and evolving software and services we need fair compensation. The price we offer is our best price. We treat all sales prospects equally.
It could be that you want a specific change to the software. We plan our development many months out. We usually cannot drop commitments to customers to get a quick sale. While we welcome and seek out customer initiated enhancement requests, we do so in a structured way that works with our long-term development schedule.
It is important to us that our software and our company are good fits for any business taking on our software. To achieve this, our sales approach is personal, transparent and focussed on the long term.
We think a software choice decision is too important to a business to seek without doing appropriate homework.
In years working with small and independent retail businesses, the team at Tower Systems has learnt plenty including the indicators of in which retail businesses theft is more likely to occur.
We have leveraged our experience with small business retailers who use our smart POS software to help these and other b businesses reduce the impact of theft – shopper theft and employee theft.
Our experience is that theft is more likely to occur in businesses where stock is not managed properly.
By not managed properly we mean where:
Our advice on reducing the cost of employee theft and customer theft is simple – follow our advice, manage your stock and without a doubt the cost of theft in your retail business will be lower than it would have been.
If you think the cost of managing stock is too great, think about the cost of $25,000, $50,000 or even $250,000 in theft. Yes, we see this all too often in retail businesses – where stock is not managed.
Managing your stock = less theft and less theft = increases product and increased profit = you get more when you sell your business.
Tower Systems offers comprehensive theft mitigation services to small business retailers. We use our knowledge and experience to help retailers, to make it easier for them to understand any given situation and take steps to protect against theft. This is a free project from us, pro-bono help for small business retailers as part of the Tower Systems community care service.
Inventory is the best indicator of a problem. We leverage this data. We help retailers see and understand the challenges and we provide knowledge and tools that benefit retailers no matter what type of business they operate. This is another Tower Advantage, something we are proud to offer.
Crypto locker attacks, malware attacks, cyber attacks, call them what you want, they are hurting small business retailers. Their impact is serious, expensive and stressful. They are becoming more sophisticated and this increases the harm to small business retailers.
Tower Systems offers its POS software a safe, secure and proven cloud backup service for its small business customers. It offers through this multiple layers of protection, making recovery easier and faster than is often the case with a single layer approach to data backup.
The best way to any business, especially any small business, to be prepared for an attack, beyond firewall and other force-field protection is to have easy and fast access to up to date backup data, of whole of systems backup data.
The Tower Systems cloud backup service is safe, secure, offsite and on site and updated regularly as each day transacts.
Were developed the service in response to the call from ur small business retailer customers who were keen for protection beyond the old approach to backups. They wanted something that was seamless, fast and always on. This is where our service and our installation and monitoring support ensure that the appropriate coverage is in place, protecting small business retailers.
Our cloud backup service for small business retailers has professional redundancy built in. We will not provide details here as to do so could compromise the security.
There have been instances recently where after a crypto lock attack on a client we have had them up and running, fully restored, within the hour.
This is what professional backup looks like. It is insurance for getting over the attack quickly and professionally. Without a hefty price tag.
The Safe Backup service is a cloud-based incremental backup service to help you store your valuable data more efficiently and with greater security. Using the specialist backup software created by Storagecraft, our service allows you to perform live backups of your entire MAIN computer to your in-store NAS. These backups are then uploaded to the internet so you have a second copy stored securely in the cloud for hassle-free, total backup security with no further need for USB sticks.
We monitor the backups. This is bonus coverage beyond the notifications on your local computer about backup status.
The peace of mind is valuable and appreciated by small business retailers. It frees them to focus on other requirements, other parts of their business.
Cloud back is, in our view, the only safe backup for small business retailers. It is what we recommend. It is what we use ourselves in our own retail businesses.
The Tower Systems POS software actively helps small business retailers to reduce the time it takes to comply with government requirements.
We do this in a range of ways. We also enhance our engagement with this as government regulations change. By evolving our software offering, we ensure we help businesses leverage time-saving opportunities.
Preparing the BAS, Business Activity Statement, is easier and faster thanks to easy access to accurate data collected and managed by our POS software This is a key time saving. It also helps reduce stress by ensuring the provision of data that is accessible and useful to business owners.
Managing accurate business performance tracking through the profit and loss statement and the balance sheet is facilitated through automatic data flow between the POS software and Xero, MYOB or Quicken. Indeed, the accounting software links we provide in our POS software make it easier for small business retailers to undertake more accounting work in-store, reduce accounting fees and facilitate more accurate accounting records.
So, time saved, mistakes cut, errors voided, accurate data curated and managed – all through there work we do for small business retailers in 0ur POS software – these are real benefits for small business retail.
We see businesses put in our POS software, connect it to xero and cut bookkeeping costs. This can save a business thousands of dollars a year without any additional spend within the business beyond the low cost of POS software and attendant support services.
This is good business that we are proud to deliver for the small business retailers we serve through our smart POS software.
Saving time takes careful thought and planning on the software design end. As retailers ourselves, doing this time saving work in our own retail businesses, we know what is needed first hand. Having a CPA in our office, working with us enables us to be knowledgable for an accounting perspective too. These two things – being a retailer and having in-house accounting capabilities – ensure that we prove a proven and practical solution to our small business retail customers.
This is another bankable Tower Systems advantage for small business retailers.
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:
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.
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.
The authorised and government approved integration of scales with the Tower Systems POS software enables us to deliver a beautiful solution to small business and independent retailers in many situations.
Through the integration, our POS software talks with the scales, reducing the opportunity for data entry mistakes, making the sales process faster and delivering business outcomes that enable small business retailers to benefit.
Delivered years ago and maintained since, our POS software scale integration is a fine solution for retailers that sell products by weight: candy stores, pet stores, produce businesses, garden centres, butchers, supermarkets and more. We can connect scales to the POS and enable sales by weight. It is easy and fast.
We have structured advice and support for connecting scales to the POS software.
Any retail business selling products by weight can rely on our scales integration for fast and accurate selling at the counter or anywhere in this business.
Although there are alternatives to selling by weight such as splitting and pre-packing stock and double-typing prices at the counter, these methods waste keystrokes and time while increasing the risk of avoidable data entry mistakes that can impact a business bottom line.
The scanner / scales tool that we recommend is connected to our POS software provides a range of solutions / benefits:
We work with each of our customers to deliver a solution tailored through settings and other opportunities to serve the needs of the business. Our experience o=ver the years from POS software scales integration has enabled us to provide a flexible and valued solution to our customers in this area.
Scales integration is another way our small business focussed POS software company serves businesses well, providing solutions that enable local family-owned small business retailers to compete against big businesses.
The most effective ways small business retailers can compete with big businesses and online is through efficient operation, accurate data and customer service touch-points that add appreciated value.
Tower Systems only sells its POS software to small business retailers. We help our customers achieve efficient operation, accurate data and customer service touch-points that add appreciated value. we do this every day in many different ways, tailored to the business niches we serve.
We believe in small businesses, their importance to local communities and their broader economic value.
Through our software, our personal in-store training, 24/7 human and locally based help desk service, regional user meetings, weekly online workshops and other touch-points we help small business retailers beyond what is usual for POS software companies.
Our company motto is we’re here to help. We take this seriously. Everyday, out motto challenges us to help our customers in ways they do not expect, ways beyond the software itself.
Founded in 1981, Tower Systems has evolved as technology has evolved. The software we sell today is generations away from where we started. We are proud to have served some of our customers for decades.
More than 3,500 specialty small business retailers in Australia and New Zealand use our specialty POS software.
To us, a specialty retailer is one that offers services unique to the channel, services that define the business. We embed in our software for each retail channel facilities that serve needs unique to that channel. We take pride in doing this and enhancing these channel-specific facilities as the needs evolve.
PERSONAL SERVICE MATTERS.
The Tower training is personal, one-on-one. It is delivered in-store, by someone with extensive retail experience.
The help desk help desk is based in Hawthorn victoria. When people call, the call is answered by a human and not a computerised phone system. We believe in personal service.
The company also offers free online training workshops where retailers can learn more and talk to each other about how they use the software.
Every customer has access to free one-on-one training year after year.
There are also user meetings around the country where people can meet the management and technical team in an open group setting for more free training and free assistance.
At our POS software company we serve a diverse mix of customers with joy and pride…
The POS software from Tower Systems is valuable for indie small business retailers as it provides tools through which these businesses can compete, grow and become more valuable.
This is POS software with a proven track record, heritage and value embedded for small business retailers in a range of specialty retail channels. Software already used by thousands of small business retailers. Software technically rich and functionally smooth – ready for enjoyment at all levels of any independent retail business.
Retailers love our POS software and the support that backs the use of the POS software because of our accessibility, focus on small business, commitment to channel specialisation and the regular updating of our POS software. Each year our skill set improves and with this our ability to serve niche retail businesses.
While Tower Systems offers POS services for all retailers, our core business is the provision of specialist software packages for gift shops, newsagents, jewellers, pet shops, garden centres, firearms shops, adult shops, bike shops and toy shops. We are the leading Australian company supporting these markets and our software is directly developed for their unique needs.
Tower Systems understands these needs because it owns and manages its own thriving retail businesses. Our staff have retail experience and our software is informed by what happens in real world business – not from what happens behind a desk.
The company’s strong management infrastructure champions the small business, independent culture of Tower Systems.
Here are practical ways we help small business retailers in and beyond our POS software:
Software enhanced by user suggestion and direction.
Tower Systems is accessible to every one of our customers. We stand by our promises and deliver not only in terms of software but also in terms of training and advice. For us, it is personal. It is why every customer has easy access to the leadership team of the company, why every customer can self escalate any issue they want right through to the ownership of the company if there need arises.
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.
The shop local movement has a good profile. Locals do tend to prefer to shop local. Retailers need to actively and consistently leverage this through a regular reminder but such a reminder is hollow unless you offer local benefits such as community engagement, hiring locally and sourcing locally made products. Actively engaging in the business through locally focussed decisions helps any retailer bring power and strength to their calls for people to shop local.
This is our advice today – if you pitch shop local, live in in your shop every day and show you yourselves believe in it. Our POS software can help.
Tower Systems helps retailers actively pitch and live the shop local mantra through its POS software and through the business support the company provides in its training and on its website.
Our Christmas ornaments website is enjoying excellent sales success early in the Christmas season. Offering the wonderful and limited edition Hallmark Keepsakes range. The MyOrnaments website is a hit with Australian shoppers, pulling excellent sales and queries.
This is another of our POS software connected websites, bring online revenue to local high street retail businesses. Finding new traffic and leveraging commercially valuable results.
Tower Systems is proud to be offering web and in-store solutions to independent small business retailers in a beautiful win win.
Specialty Christmas ornaments are sought after, especially those dated to a year and available in limited quantities, as these are. We are grateful for the opportunity through this website to showcase ur web development and POS software integration tools and to do so in a visually appealing and easy to shop site.
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