It is …
I
Yes, it’s a superpower!
Y
Thank you for shopping local for Easter 2021 …
T
We are grateful …
W
Buyer beware: comparison websites may not have compared as they claim
B
Product and service comparison websites are popular online. If you search for POS software, it is likely that an ad from a comparison website will be the top result. Indeed, depending on the time of day you search, the first three or four results will be be for comparison websites advertising POS software.
What’s wrong with advertising? Nothing, if the claims in the ad are accurate.
Based on our personal experience, comparison websites do not provide the service they suggest they offer. While online the comparison website we worked with claimed to have compared POS software in order to recommend the best, no such comparison was undertaken. Once we saw, first hand, what they were doing we ended our short relationship with them.
Does this mean all comparison websites operate this way, claiming they have compared products and services to bring you the best? No. we can only speak to what we experienced ourselves. However, that experience was enough for us to say, no thank you. We will not engage with sites that claim something they do not do.
We wish the ACCC, state based Consumer Affairs and other authorities would look into the operation of comparison websites, getting behind the scenes, looking at the contracts and understanding the evidence. we think they will find that some comparison websites are an ad platform plain and simple – claiming to compare when they in fact do no such comparison. Shoppers are duped in these situations, thinking they are being recommended the best fit, the best software … when, in fact, they are being pitched software the comparison website is paid to ‘recommend’.
We wish Google would look at this as well as they are making money from the comparison website game being played. these websites pay Google too appear ahead of natural search results. They are profiting from the game being played.
Here at Tower Systems we want our software to be installed by businesses that choose it based on their own research and active comparison with other possible solutions. We want to be authentically chosen for good business reasons and not because we paid to come up first in some fake best of the best search result online.
If you are searching for a product or service and a comparison website advertises to be a top result, our advice is beware, do your research … choose based on what you discover for yourself and not based on what a nameless and faceless website claims is the best of the best. Deep pockets for advertising doe not make a company or product the best.
Failure of leadership at Parliament House in response to report of rape
F
Failure of leadership at Parliament House in response to report of rape.
The handling of the report of rape in ministerial offices at Parliament House in Canberra in 2019 reveals a failure of responsibility and care from ministers in the government, others in leadership positions in the government and some in the press gallery.
The Prime Minister’s comments earlier this week disgusted me. Who knows what Jen might have told him if they had sons.
Now, a week on from the story surfacing, we are slowly getting more evidence that reveals how appallingly this report has been handled by the government.
The victim comes first. Care for them ought be paramount. Instead, we have had obfuscation, denial and backgrounding to journalists against the victim.
What has been on show in Canberra is dreadful leadership that disrespects victims and women more broadly. I would be ashamed if this happened in my business.
We need better from our politicians, those who work for them and journalists.
Shame on us if we let this story pass us by without speaking up.
Is Retail Express the only POS solution with the features and support you need to build a thriving multi-channel retail business?
I
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.
Melbourne in lockdown, again …
M
While Melbourne, where our business has its head office, is is lockdown again, from midnight last night, here at tower Systems it is business as usual, as it was through the last two lockdowns.
Since we serve essential businesses, we are permitted in the office. Also, with two thirds of our team members permanently working from home, decisions like this latest lockdown, impact us less.
When the latest lockdown was announced we shares support and advice with our customers, along with an offer of free supply of face masks.
So, here, it’s business as usual. We have a busy week next week with several customer-facing online meetings, a preview of our next update and some news to announce.
Covid continues to wreak its havoc more broadly in the community. we are staying safe and ensuring our community of colleagues stays safe. That said, we are grateful that almost all of our customers remain open, enjoying good business results.
Covid one year on in our POS software company
C
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.
Beware POS software comparison websites as they are unlikely to have compared the software they pitch to you
B
There are websites that claim to be software comparison websites. They claim to have done the work for you, comparing software. They offer to suggest several vetted software companies for your consideration.
In our experience it is unlikely the comparison websites will have compared the software they pitch to you.
It’s our opinion that software comparison websites are purely an ad platform for the businesses that pay to have their software pitched as worthy of consideration by prospective customers.
There is no comparison. We say this based on our own first-hand experience. Our software was not looked or assessed. They wanted money from us per lead. That was it. This makes the comparison website an ad platform plain and simple.
Online they pitch as offering a service, something of value, to the software shopper. The reality is the comparison website businesses offer a commercial service to the software companies – the software companies are their customer.
We dug deeper, presenting as a business looking for software. Sure, they pitched us to three software companies. There was little in the way of filtering. Knowing what we know from when we assessed them as a software business, they charge 3 businesses $100 each for the leads. That’s an easy $300 made for having a slick website that looks like they have done the assessment fork for you when they have not.
Our advice, based on our experience is do not use a comparison website to consider software.
It’s worse than this though and here’s why …
Having considered a comparison website, trying them for a couple of weeks and then saying no thanks, they started paying Google for our business name as an ad keyword. You search for us and their ad comes up. They then contacted us and said he you should do business with us because we have leads for you. These are leads they got by paying Google money to run ads when people type Tower Systems into Google.
Our company lists first in the natural results. The software comparison company and several other similar companies come up ahead us, with ads.
Software comparison website ads claim to offer quotes from leading companies, trusted companies, the most reliable companies. How can they make these claims when they have not themselves assessed the companies? They cannot.
One company claims we compare all the big brands and more. No, they do not.
One company claims that by using them they can provide access to 20-40% saving. No, they cannot as they do not negotiate on price.
One company claims that they let you compare the best-suited products. No, they do not. They don’t look at the software. They have no experience to make an assessment as to what is best.
The only service the comparison website businesses offer from our experience and research is to advertise on Google and provide their partner software companies with leads if a query falls into an area directly or vaguely covered by the software company.
Buyer beware. Comparison websites we have looked at do not compare. They act as a front for ad dollars, being paid for leads they give to partner software companies, that may not offer the best software in their field.
More retailers engaged in cashless welfare card trial backed by the Australian government
M
Tower Systems has been engaged in the cashless welfare card project since its inception. We have done this in service of the small business retailers in our POS software community who serve customers locally who are likely to need to use the federal government backed card.
We have met all the required technical design and software development standards, passed proof of concept and rolled out access to retailers who have been early adopters.
Our focus has been on the service of our retail business owner customers, offering them support for a federal government backed payment platform that they think will be of value in their local communities. We have seen this through the proof of concept and trial phases of the project. Indeed, it has been fascinating to be actively involved through these early phases.
This is our approach on most integration opportunities – provide our POS software community customers the connections they want so they can make decisions themselves as to what they use.
Our work on the federal government cashless card project has been long-term, confidential and technically fascinating as we have brought to local independent small business retailers facilities that enable them to compete with much bigger, national often, businesses that are offering access to the card through their systems.
Interestingly, our work on this project has opened other opportunities of value for our retailer community members.
Since we make our own POS software, we have the ability to engage with projects like this at a code level. We are not reliant on other parties to do the work, we do it ourselves.
Tower Systems has developed myriad integrations with external platforms for retailers, groups of retailers and specific retail channels. Each integration is approached in a fresh way, based on the retailer needs, understanding the needs of other parties and working through how best to deliver on the needs expressed through the thorough research process.
As a local POS software company that focusses only on the needs of local small business retailers, we are grateful for every opportunity that supports the commercial viability of these local retail businesses as they are the lifeblood of local communities.
Tower Systems helps more small business retailers tap into government grants
T
With more grants available for digital innovation, business efficiency and business transformation as local communities evolve from Covid challenges, Tower Systems has been on the forefront of advice for small business retailers as to grants available.
Already this year we have shared information on a range of new financial grant initiatives that serves small and independent retail businesses that are the heart of our local POS software community.
In 2020, Tower Systems provided its customers with a list of financial grant opportunities from federal, state and local governments. We have continued this service into 2021, helping our small business retailer community to tap into Covid related recovery grants where applicable.
Of the current grants available, there are several that fit with what we do and through this we can hell our customers to apply and make the most of the government grant opportunities.
The work we do in this space is without expectation, it is part of mates helping mates, the personal service that we provide at Tower Systems to our community of small business retailers, to our mates.
In addition to helping small business retailers tap into government support grants, we offered in 2020 a range of direct action benefits from our own kit. We have continued with this type of practical and bunnies nourishing support in 2021.
Our goal is to help small business retailers run more successful, more enjoyable and more valuable retail businesses. We do this through our POS software, our support, our business advice and more.
Helping businesses in these ways through the pandemic is core to our company’s DNA, core to us as people who work here. We know that a stronger small business retail sector the stronger our company. So, for sure there is a commercial benefit for us. However, it is the emotional benefit of helping another that pays off. It makes us feel good, feel like we are making an appreciated contribution. That matters to us.
We keep an eye on state and federal government grant opportunities, Ovid and non Covid related, so that we can help our retail customers to embrace any that may be appropriate to their situation.
Grateful to have helped small business retailers with Covid contact tracing initiative
G
Weeks before state governments released their own contact tracing apps for registering people in a shop or some other location, Tower Systems released a free and secure QR code based solution.
Many small business retailers embraced our free solution. It provided them with an immediate solution that they could show to their customers and thereby demonstrate safe protocols in place, which were key to maintaining shopper traffic.
Being nimble like this is important in small business, especially in businesses that serve small businesses.
What was a stress-inducing announcement from a government about a requirement became an I can do that moment because of our rapid deployment of our QR code solution.
We have ensured the security of contact data collected, not used or accessed it ourselves and ensured the removal of data as per privacy requirements.
Helping small business retailers in situations like this is another ay we can show our local relevance.
A free thank you for shopping local video
A
Click here to download this free video from us for appreciating those who shop local.
Helping small business retailers through the latest Covid challenge
H
With Covid continuing to impact communities in New South Wales and Victoria this week, we have reminded our POS software customers of the Covid impact support services available from us. This is a package of opportunities at no and low cost through which our retail partners can mitigate their situation.
Launched in March 2020, our small business retailer Covid response package was a hit. It has been a joy to see how customers have used the free training, free software and other benefits they tapped.
We are grateful to have been able to make a contribution.
Now, here we are in the early days of 2021 and in some communities the challenges are more intense than last year. This is why we have reminded our customers that our Covid support package remains available.
Small business retail is vital to local communities and those living in them. Helping small business retail is another way we can help local communities.
If you know a small business retailer facing challenges in the latest Covid situation, see if what we offer could help. We will do what we can.
It feels like we are holding our breath
I
It feels like we are all holding our breath, wondering if 2021 will repeat 2020, as we wait to hear the numbers of the day.
The number will be what they are. What we do know is that we can do out bit to stop them growing. That’s why we are cleaning, sanitising and wearing masks … for you, and for us.
The rapid closing of borders was a surprise, yet understandable. However, it feeds into anxiety some feel.
We will do everything possible to provide for you a safe and happy place to shop, so 2021 is more like you hoped.
We are optimistic. Living in Victoria, we have been here before. We know what Victorians can do, what all Australians can do. It’s simple really … wear a mask, wash your hands, keep your distance, discover some delicious new recipes, enjoy jigsaws and talk more on the phone.
Together, we can show this shadow of 2020 that it’s not welcome in 2021.
When 2020 began
W
When 2020 began, we were in the dark about what was coming for us, for all of us. We had our resolutions, plans and hopes. We had our cherished dreams.
We were unprepared for how 2020 would play out.
The hopes and dreams we started the year with were soon forgotten as the pandemic took over the news, our businesses, our home life and our focus.
2020 sure has been a year.
Looking back, we see heartbreaking human loss and economic challenges, which, sadly for too many, continue today.
Looking back, we also see many wonderful achievements.
There are the big pieces like the 1,000s of scientists working together to create vaccines in record time, people and businesses fundamentally changing how they work and politicians, for a moment, setting aside traditional differences to actually do good.
There is the good news of whole communities working together to ensure people remain safe and to get the numbers down.
In small business, where we spend much of our time, we have seen wonderful acts of kindness, extraordinary local shopper support, greater resilience and deeper community connections. It has been a joy to hear stories of locals consciously shopping locally and genuinely being interested in product sourcing.
We have all learnt so much about ourselves this year, what we can do, the differences we can make, new friends we can serve.
As the sun sets on 2020, we are grateful for this year, for the opportunity to be part of it and to be here, at the end, stronger and grateful for what 2021 will offer.
Happy New Year. May your 2021 be healthy, happy and filled with gratitude.
We are grateful…
W
We are grateful
W
We are grateful…
W
Grateful
G
We are grateful…
W
Small business retail advice: handling community group donation requests
S
This article is another in our series of advice for small business retailers. The advice comes from ur experiences helping small business retailers with POS software and from years of running our own shops, places where we learn retail ourselves from inside out.
Advice for small business retailers on dealing with donation requests from local charities and community groups.
Requests from schools, charities and other community for donations can be a challenge for any size business. If you do not take a structured approach to this you will find yourself giving away plenty for little or no return.
Requests are often loaded with guilt. People can be passive aggressive in their approach. Often, people requesting help leverage pester power. It can be hard to say no. There are too many stories of retailers giving a gift as a prize, receiving the Thank You poster and achieving no benefit for the business.
Our advice is to manage your philanthropy as you would any business activity.
THE PRIZE / GIFT
Decide the amount in cash or product value or both that you are prepared to donate in a full year, calendar year or financial year.
Our recommendation is you give away cash, but in the form of a voucher to spend in your business. This ensures that value of the gift or prize is greater than the cost of it to your business.
The best mechanism for giving away cash or an amount to spend in-store is to do it by way of a gift voucher. Use your software to manage this as any manual approach is dangerous and time-consuming.
YOUR PITCH, NOT THEIRS
Get on the front foot and write to local community groups outlining that you budget a year in advance. Seek their submissions. With this advice sheet we have included the text of a suggested letter. Please read the letter as it outlines the approach we suggest and why. It is important you communicate this with all community groups.
On the page after the letter is a suggested notice for use in-store when you are asked for donations.
HOW TO PICK GROUPS TO SUPPORT
Focus on community groups that support you. That is, groups with members who support you. The more they support you the better you are able to support the community.
Be prepared to ask where people shop for the items you sell in your business. Ask if they will change in return for your support.
Asking these questions underscores to you the importance of approaching the decision as a business decision.
Be thoughtful and deliberate. Support the groups that support you. This is important as it helps you stay within a budget.
LET YOUR SHOPPERS CHOOSE
If you run discount vouchers and if customers say they don’t want the voucher, invite them to contribute the voucher to a local group – one of three you setup for in the business. Every month, two months or three months, tote up the vouchers and give the group a parentage of the total voucher value ‘voted’ for them.
This idea could be in addition to any giving program you run in the business. It offers a daily reminder of your commitment to local giving.
Grill’d burgers for years ran a program kind of like this where each shopper is given a bottle cap, which they place in a tub to vote on a group to receive a cash donation for the month. The process of groups submitting to be considered is onerous.
REWARD ENGAGEMENT
In addition to any direct gift, consider an offer whereby anyone who is a member of the group who shops with you accrues an amount you donate to the group. You could manage this through your software. It could be you offer a discount to the shopper as well as accruing a value for the group.
This type of program could also be in addition to your core giving program as the value here is driven by sales – hopefully, incremental sales.
EDUCATE GROUPS ABOUT GOOD ENGAGEMENT
Here are things groups you support can do to help your business. You should ask them to do these things:
- Tell members to buy from you.
- Write about your business on their Facebook page.
- Distribute flyers of your offers.
- Have you speak at a meeting.
WRITE ABOUT YOUR ENGAGEMENT
Once you have a decision on which groups you will support, write about this in your newsletter and on Facebook. Not just once but multiple times. Invite them to provide you with content to publish too. Talk about their good works.
Ask them to write about you too.
Your giving must serve your heart and serve your business. Going about it in a structured way will ensure you meet your objectives.
Here is suggested text for a notice about giving by the business:
OUR POLICY ON HANDLING COMMUNITY GROUP DONATIONS.
We receive requests to support local community groups and charities regularly. As a small family business with loans, rent, wages and other costs, we cannot say yes to everyone. We wish we could but we cannot.
To help us better connect with and serve the groups we do support, we now decide at the start of the financial year the groups we will support over the next year. The selection process is based on written submissions from groups.
Our decision to select the groups we support at the start of the year means we cannot take on additional donation requests through the year.
We hope you understand and respect this.
Please consider applying in advance of the start of the next financial year.
But all is not lost…
If your group can bring in new customers to our business to purchase items they want we may have another way we can help. Ask us for details.
Thank you and we wish you all the best in your community group.
We support the newsXpress creative writing competition
W
We 100% support the newsXpress creative writing competition and encourage all writers in Australia to consider entering.
Buyer beware: hidden costs can make POS software expensive
B
That cheap POS system you might be considering m ay not be as cheap as you think by the time you add the four or five optional facilities that, with our Tower Systems POS software, are included in our everyday transparent price.
Too often right now we are seeing POS software offers, especially from businesses based outside of Australia, where the price quoted and the initial price signed for is not the price you pay foe what you want to do.
The pitch is appealing, hey start here for this price, sure it is cheap wbut it is a perfect place to start.
Soon, though, yonce you try and do what is core to your business, you need extra modules that cost more and, soon, you are paying more than the other software you decided against because it was too expensive. But, since you have invested time in your data, you don’t switch. Then, a year down the track, prices go up and there is something else that is an add-on cost and by then you are paying 50% more than the then price of the other POS software product you decided against because it was too expensive.
Buyer beware, take your time, get all the facts, ensure you understand the full cost, the total cost and the trajectory of the costs and then compare this across POS software packages.
Cheap POS software is not cheap. What may appear to be cheap POS software today will, for sure, be found to not be cheap at some point down the track. We hear this often.
We urge people to shop around, to look at other software, to compare functionality and to compare price. However, this has to be done based on the facts and not marketing spin. It has to be done thoroughly so that you as the customer are not let down. Only the facts matter.
This is why we say, don’t rush into a free trial because, that’s how they get you. They want you to become time and data invested and thereby less likely to actually look around what is genuinely best for your business.
Cheap POS software is like any cheap product, they have either cut corners, paid less for professional work than is the market rate or included less in the product. Its;s business 101. Sure, there is cheap POS software out there, it is not, in our experience, good for most retail.
Buyer beware. The hidden costs of POS software can make cheap POS software look expensive.
Recent Comments