The Tower Systems small business POS software helps cut paperwork
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We are proud of our fishing shop software
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Small business retailers need to take care with the choice of a cloud backup service
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Choosing a cloud backup service takes care. As with any business service, you have businesses out there claiming to offer a service that they do not actually offer.
We suggest you take care to find the right service, a professional service, one that provides your business with the care and backup you seek for your specific type of business.
The cloud backup service offered by Tower Systems to its small business retailer customers is best practice, offering the ultimate in protection for our customers.
The features of the service include:
- Whole of PC backup. This is crucial.
- Local copy storage.
- Cloud based storage in a secure independent server farm location.
- Speedy recovery back to a selected data.
- Certainty over the management of the processes.
- No user triggered backup activity required.
While there are free cloud based backup services, when it comes to protecting your business data a free service is most likely not the best.
Your business data needs to be treated with the respect it deserves.
Best practice POS software for newsagents helps businesses grow
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The most valuable growth being achieved by small business newsagents today is in product categories that have not been traditional for newsagents.
While traditional categories such as papers, magazines and stationery can be found in retail newsagency businesses, they are not financially rewarding as they once were. This leads newsagents to question the investment they make in these categories of diminishing returns.
Tower Systems offers newsagents solutions in these old categories as well as the growing in value new product categories.
This focus by us as the newsagency software company serving close to 1,800 newsagents using our newsagency software is at the core of what we do for small business newsagents.
Hundreds of newsagents have switched their software to Tower Systems. We can connect you with reference sites who will speak to the commercially valuable difference between our software and what you use today.
Here are our commitments, our promises, to you:
- We will not leave the newsagency channel. With more than 1,750 newsagent customers today we are here for you.
- We will fight for you. Beyond our software, outside of support, we will help with supplier issues, business strategy and other challenges you confront.
- No locked-in support. Taking support coverage is optional. We never block access to your software if you choose to not take support coverage.
- Fast support. Most calls are handled when you call. If not, we call back fast.
- Easy management access. The leadership team of Tower Systems is available if you need them. We take customer service seriously and personally.
- Updates when you choose. You are in control of when you load updates.
- You are listened to. We offer the only transparent, user driven, software enhancement suggestion service. All our customers are listened to.
- Regular user meetings. Around the country, in city and regional locations – we offer free face to face training and networking through the year.
- Free training. Long after you install our software you have access to free personal training to refresh knowledge or provide training on new facilities.
- More integrations. Our direct links to Xero, Magento, Shopify and more mean you have more direct link options to help you grow your business.
- Business management insights. We can look at your business performance data and provide a personal analysis of what we see
- The Tower AdvantageTM. Our professional and friendly help from training to support to business advice. We are not your average software company.
- Owner access. Our owner, Mark Fletcher, is easily accessible: 0418 321 338.
You can purchase our software, lease it or even rent it by the month. You choose the path most appropriate to your needs. We make doing business easy.
Tower Systems has more newsagents using its software than all other newsagency software programs combined.
Helping small business retailers understand the best trading hours
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Our advice to small business retailers when it comes to the best training hours too open is to consider carefully the evidence available, for your specific business.
When was the last time you assessed sales by time and particularly at sales revenue at the start of the day and at the end of the day?
It could be that you are opening your small business retail shop too early or too late or that you are closing too early or too late.
What does your data show?
Use your POS software to assess sales at the fringe of the day for, say, the last six months. Look overall and then for each day of the week. Good software should allow you to do this level of reporting. Work out the slew revenue per hour, apply your overall gross profit percentage and then deduct the hourly cost of being open.
If, for example, your average revenue is $30 for an hour at the start of the day and you have staff working this time and they don’t have much else to do those days and you have, say, GP of 32%, your GP is $9.60. Once you pay wages for the hour you are losing money. If the customers are not regulars it could be that you are better off closing.
If, on the other hand, your sales are $100 or more in the first hour, it could be that opening earlier could win even more business.
Only you can make the assessment of what is right for your business.
Our advice today is look at your data and make sure you are open the right hours for the best possible financial outcome for your retail business.
Inspiring retail display
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We love this window display that we saw recently overseas. The colouring of the small logs makes he display pop.
Saturday support helps small business retailers
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For years our POS software company serving small business retailers has offered office based support on Saturdays, 7:30am to 3pm.
This is a service in addition to our mobile after hours support.
Customers love the service as it can provide a more detailed level of service than a mobile service. We know they love it because they use it, often to ask about things they did not have time to get to through the week.
Office based Saturday support that is based in Australia by people who know our software well is a differentiator for Tower Systems.
POS software Xero link helps small business retailers drive sales
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newsXpress Southland is a card, gift and collectibles shop in the sprawling Westfield Southland shopping centre in south east Melbourne.
With rent increasing faster than foot traffic to the 300+ store shopping centre, the manager of the business needed to connect with shoppers outside.
Online was the obvious choice but time was limited. The goal was to find a solution that enabled the business to get online without any additional management or accounting time involved.
Xero POS software partner Tower Systems provided an integrated Point of Sale solution for in-store and well as online. This seamless link, coupled with complete xero integration, provided the time-saving solution the business was looking for.
“In the first six month, online revenue passed A$75,000”, commented the Manager of the store. “This is a direct bottom line benefit for the business as there is no additional labour cost and no capital expenditure.”
“We could not have done this without the xero link as that enabled us to effectively open a second outlet without what in the past was additional accounting or bookkeeping cost.”
As the business has become more familiar with the Tower Systems and xero solutions it has evolved the online offering to be more comp0etitive against big retailers in the online space. This has seen click and collect and online LayBy launched.
It is with online LayBy where the business has benefited from the xero integration in that the shopper is able to pay over time, interest free, and the retailer is paid immediately. There is no additional accounting or bookkeeping work involved as the data flows from the website to the POS to xero without being touched by human hands.
A shopper adds items to their shopping cart, they select online LayBy, provide basic instant credit check data and fine the application approved or otherwise in seconds. The retailer is paid less a small handling fee with the finance company taking full responsibility for collecting payment.
With click and collect, the payment is handled online. This works best as to commits the shopper and turns the in-store visit to an easy collection. Experience has shown this is what shoppers prefer rather than having to worry about payment in-store. It also means one person can purchased while another can collect, with appropriate secure authority.
Doing this, flowing data from shopper through to xero in this way eliminates mistakes that can be made when data is re-keyed. It also saves considerable time and this is a tangible business benefit.
“Control and transparency of data at each step in the line is key for our business because like any small business every cent of margin is important” commented the store manager. “The solution needed to be easy and neat for us and for our customers. Xero was a key part of achieving this.”
In addition to the xero integration, Tower Systems POS software integrates with Shopify, magento and WooCommerce – the three leading e-commerce platforms in the world. The web development team at Tower has enhanced these to offer a multi-store solution whereby independent retailers can trade under a single branded website rather than needing their own website.
“The xero integration is the back-office piece where real labour costs are reduced”, commented Gavin Williams, Tower Systems COO. “We only sell to independent small business retailers in selected retail niches such as bike shops, jewellers and garden centres. Having the xero integration is vital as they are all competing with big business and every saving, no matter how small, is loved.”
Tower Systems is an Australian based POS software company currently serving in excess of 3,500 small and independent business retailers. The company can be explo9red at www.towersystems.com.au.
The easy way to compare small business POS software companies
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Small business retailers can be bamboozled by claims made by POS software companies. Here is a guaranteed way to find the best POS software company for you in a comparison:
- Ask the companies you are interested in to visit your shop, to show you live and in person how their software handles questions you have about it.
- Speak with the owner of the POS software company. Ask them why your business matters. Ask them for details of retailers like you they have using their software.
- Get login access to their customer knowledge base. Look at th resources they provide.
- Look at their business blogs, compare the content and professionalism.
- Compare the written quotes. Ensure everything you require is included.
- Ask if software support coverage is mandatory. Get their answer in writing, from a director of the company.
- Ask for a total cost of ownership projection for three, four and five years.
These six points alone will offer a complete comparison outside of the software itself. It will force some companies to confront topics they would rather avoid.
Advice for small business retailers on how and why own run LayBys in retail
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Offering Lay-by services is essential if you want to grow sales revenue in almost any time of business.
Big businesses usually have strong LayBy offerings. It takes commitment and discipline. Once the processes are in place, staff trained and your system setup, it can run like clockwork.
Lay-Bys provide shoppers an opportunity to purchase today what they are unable to fully pay for today.
Key to your success with Lay-bys is having a streamlined and consistent process for processing Lay-bys, storying lay-by product, collecting payment and tracking customers.
One mistake with managing Lay-bys can be expensive.
Use software in your business to track Lay-bys. Do not do it manually. Of course, we recommend the Tower Systems POS software – it has LayBy facilities ready to go.
Use the software to capture the sale, record customer details, document your terms and conditions, record the deposit, track payments, chase late payments and finalise the sale. Again, to not attempt to do this manually.
Be complete in what you record. Only Lay-by stock for which you have records in your software, always enter full customer details such a full name, complete address and an ID number such as a driver’s licence number.
If you are not complete in your records keeping at some point this will cost you money.
In your software set your deposit requirements, payment requirements and other Lay-by terms. This provides a foundation of consistency for you and your employees.
IMPORTANT: Before you begin, familiarise yourself with LayBy regulation as set by the ACCC: https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/contracts-agreements/lay-by-agreements
Also, check the website of your state Consumer Affairs office to familiarise yourself with local requirements. Information there will help you determine your own terms.
Meeting regulatory requirements is vital. For example, if someone cancels a LayBy you must refund their payments less a termination fee. You can set this fee and advise as part of your terms and conditions.
Our practical advice guides you through key rules and steps to success with Lay-bys.
- WHAT TO LAY-BY. Set a minimum item and or purchase value. We’d suggest $80.00.
- DATA REQUIRED. Always ensure you are satisfied you know who your customer is. Require proof of ID from a driver’s licence or similar legal ID document.
- 20% of the total GST inclusive purchase price.
- Only Lay-by to people 18 and over.
- Lay-bys should run for between eight and twelve weeks. You could run for longer pre Christmas to get early toy sales.
- PAYMENT CYCLE. Require payments to be made weekly or fortnightly.
- PAYMENT METHOD. Accept any payment form you choose.
- Do not allow someone to take home a single item from a group of items on Lay-by together in one purchase. It’s all or nothing.
- Have a LayBy termination policy you are comfortable with. We suggest a 20% termination fee. Alternatively, set a dollar amount to reflect the work. Also, consider setting the LayBy to auto terminate if it extends beyond a period of time you nominate. Note that you could equally choose to have no cancellation given that Lay-by product may not be able to easily re-sold.
- Decide what you would consider a breach. This has to be something you stand by. We suggest two missed payments without reasonable excuse or rectification. On breach, cancel and charge the cancellation fee.
- We suggest a no-exchange policy.
- When a customer Lay-bys, print two dockets – one for them to take immediately and one to be placed with the goods. Have your customer sign both copies, accepting your terms and conditions.
- Set aside a clean and secure storage location for Lay-bys in your business where locations are coded for easy finding. Place Lay-by goods into a single clear plastic bag per transaction for clean and safekeeping. Staple to this a copy of the Lay-by docket. Let your customers see you do this so there is no doubt when it comes time to collect the products.
- Have one person responsible for Lay-bys to ensure product care, track payments and contact customers.
- TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Enter these into your software so they are included on every Lay-by docket. Points 2 through 11 above are a good example of what to include in your terms and conditions.
- COMPLETE PAPERWORK. To not over complicate things, rely on your software’s Lay-by docket as your complete paperwork / contract. Get that right and Lay-by management will be easier.
These rules and steps may feel complex. They are necessary for the small number of times something goes wrong and you need to rely on them to help you deal with a situation.
Happy Lay-bys.
POS software Shopify link helps small business high street retailers sell online
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Tower Systems offers direct integration between its small business POS software and Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce, as well as a generic link that retailers with web stores in other platforms can use.
The Tower Systems platform specific links have been developed to the standards of Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce. We have taken great care to ensure that we link as they intend, sharing the right data for a seamless connection between the physical store POS software and the o line store experience.
This drives shopper confidence and saves retailers time. It helps drive revenue too.
As operators of retail businesses as well as online businesses, Tower Systems is well placed to provide a whole of business physical store and online =store solution that is integrated, safe, easy and shopper outcome focussed.
Each link is different. Here is information abut the Tower Systems POS software Shopify link:
What is Shopify?
Shopify is one of the easiest ways to setup and run an ecommerce store. We think it provides you with the ideal place to create you first website and gain experience in the world of ecommerce. You have complete control over the look and feel of your online store and can instant access fantastic look themes to reflect the personality of your business. For more information visit www.shopify.com.au.
What is the Retailer to Shopify Link?
The Tower Systems Retailer POS software to Shopify Link uses the Tower Advantage Link platform to allow Retailer to connect directly to your Shopify store. The Tower Advantage Link platform is a subscription-based service that acts as an intermediary between Retailer and the Shopify API.
How does the link work?
The link works by using the TALink platform platform to connect to the shopify API and synchronise your data.
Stock. Retailer is your master stock database. You flag what stock items you want to appear on your shopify store. Descriptions and extended descriptions are added as your titles and descriptions in Shopify. Newly flagged products are automatically added and if you edit items in Retailer you have field level control over how these are handled in Shopify.
Department and Categories. Your Retailer Departments and Categories become collections in Shopify. You can have a chose of either Department level collections or category level, but not both. If you choose to synchronise either a department or category, your existing structure will be mirrored and managed in Shopify automatically. If, however, you decide not link your Department and Categories in Shopify, you can allocate collections manually to products once they are added.
Classifications. Shopify does not have a mechanism to manage classifications.
Prices and Quantity On Hand. You have control over your webstore pricing from within the Retailer Stock Screen. Bulk updates of the webstore prices can be performed in Stock Manager. Once new prices are set, your web store is updated automatically.
Quantity on hand is also managed automatically, when your sell or arrive an item into stock these adjustments are sent directly to Shopify. If the quantity on hand of an items drops to 0, the item is marked as out of stock in Shopify.
Images. The images you set against stock items in Retailer are automatically uploaded to your website. If images change, then old one is removed and the new one is added. You can upload as many images as you like per stock item.
Customers. Customers that purchase off your webstore are added as customers in your Retailer database, allowing you to track what they buy and market to them if you desire. Existing customers with an email address will also be added to your web store to facilitate easy sales if you choose.
Sales. Sales are downloaded on a periodic basis and imported into Retailer. They are imported into our Customer Invoice Maintenance facility allowing you to place orders and print invoices if needed. Once sales are imported it reduces your quantity on hand so you maintain accurate stock control. Sales can be allocated to a specific location or merged to you main sales data, giving you excellent control over how you report on your webstore sales.
I don’t have a website but want one. Can Tower help?
Yes! We are expert in POS software and web store development and deployment.
Awesome free POS software training for small business retailers
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Here at Tower Systems we are grateful to the small business retailers and those who work in small business retail who support and engage with the weekly free live online training workshops we run.
Thank you!
We love sharing insights. Better still, we love your questions and feedback as they provide fertile ground for enhancements to our POS software and to the services we provide.
Here are free POS software training opportunities for the rest of this month:
How a small discount voucher from our POS software led to a $1,500 purchase
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I want to share with you a true story of what happened recently in one of my own shops – yes, I own this POS software co as well as retail shops. It is a story of how a small everyday purchase led to something bigger and how this happened as a result of fundamental changes in how the business is run.
This story could happen in any retail business – city, country, large, small, shopping mall, high street. I make that point so you do not dismiss the story and think it could not happen in your business. The elements of the story work together in any size business. In writing about it here I’m not getting you to do anything other than to consider that you could achieve the same in your business.
At its core, this is a story about shopper loyalty, especially shopper loyalty in a retail situation where between 25% and 30% of shoppers visiting the business are not local and therefore not likely to engage with the old-school points-based loyalty program.
A customer passing the shop noticed our greeting card range and stepped into make a purchase because of a specific need. They purchased two cards. On their receipt was a voucher for almost $2.00. As they are not usually in the shopping centre they looked around for something in which to spend the $2.00.
This is the key: the customer came in to make a quick destination purchase. The type of purchase where we did not matter. They were on the way to the car park and happened to pass buy our shop. Point 1: location is in our favour. The stepped in because they saw our greeting cards. Point 2: the floor placement of cards was key in getting them in the shop.
Having made the purchase, the customer then noticed, for the first time, what else we sold – because of the $2.00 discount voucher on their receipt. Point 3: we got them to look around and see what else we sold.
The customer did a 180 degree turn and saw a locked glass cabinet of beautiful collectible bears. This was in the right place at the right time as they had been looking for a gift for a child. Money was not an issue. They wanted something to last a lifetime. They purchased a $500.00 bear.
This purchase would not have been made had they not been given the $2.00 voucher on their receipt. The voucher is what got them to notice what else we sold.
Fast forward several weeks and this customer who said they don’t usually come to the shopping centre was back for another $500.00 purchase. Now, several more weeks later, the customer has another $500.00 order placed.
I can directly trace more than $1,500.00 in sales back to the $2.00 voucher.
The software produced the voucher based on rules I established. The initial staff member serving the customer made a brief professional pitch highlighting the voucher. These are both important factors as they are at the core of a structured consistent approach to what has become the most lucrative loyalty program I have seen in my 30+ years involved in retail as a retailer myself and working with retailers in many different channels.
While most times vouchers are handed out they are not redeemed, they are redeemed enough to make them worthwhile. They are redeemed for good margin product as they get people looking at the shop for the first time and discovering items to purchase they were not in our four walls to consider.
The discount vouchers are disruptive. People respond in unpredictable ways.
Best of all, the discount vouchers are profitable.
For this story to work in a newsagency you need to have the right products, placed strategically in-store. Your staff need to make the right pitch. Plus, you need to be attracting people who don’t know and probably don’t care what shop they are in.
If you have read this post and thought it does not relate to you, that you could not do this in your business I say you are wrong. I am certain the approach I have shared with you could work in any newsagency in any situation. I urge you to not hold your business back.
Free marketing resources for small business retailers
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Tower Systems has added to free marketing resources for small business retailers. New digital art is being loaded to our website for small business retailers to download and print and to load into digital marketing platforms.
This latest collateral from our in-house creative team is themed to provide retailers more options for pitching their businesses.
We are grateful to the encouraging feedback from small business retailers – customers and not – who are using the facilities we have created and made available through our website. This feedback is what has encouraged us to do even more.
Tower Systems provides access to these free marketing resources without asking for any details – making the resources genuinely free.
Aussie produce software ideal for produce and stockfeed businesses
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The produce business software from Tower Systems is proving to be ideal for product businesses, stockfeed businesses and related businesses.
Developed in close consultation with produce retailers in regional and rural Australia, the software has facilities targeting niche needs in these specialty retail businesses.
Facilities include selling by weight, handling freight calculations, having special orders, tracking customer accounts and providing appropriate product warnings as required for the sale of certain chemicals.
The software does not stop still. It continues to be evolved, based on feedback and advice from product and stockfeed businesses owners who use it.
Consistent stock files, electronic invoices, easier business-to-business comparison and more targeted business development assistance are just some of the benefits you can expect from a more consistent solution.
At a store level, here are some of the benefits you can expect from using the Tower Systems software in your business:
- Easy handling of multiple price levels for items. This is very flexible and ideal for what we often see in produce businesses.
- Easy handling of multiple sale pack sizes (or volumes) per product.
- Managing loyalty based on pack purchases over time.
- Easy performance reporting comparing trading periods, supplier performance and other key business performance metrics.
- Fast, accurate selling including easy handling of large and book items.
- Easy connection to Xero, MYOB or quick books.
- Easy connection to a website if you have one.
- Easy management of customer accounts.
- Tracking of stock movement.
- Handling of customer loyalty – points and discounts.
- Easy reordering based on sales.
- Security over business data.
- Security over business settings blocking changes you do not want made.
- Peace of mind thanks to consistent processes established through the software for managing stock, customers and other aspects of the business.
What makes us different is how we engage. We go beyond what is traditional software company.
- We are local. We are a 100% Australian owned software company, based in Hawthorn Victoria. When you contact us, a human responds. We don’t use automate phone systems. Our help desk team members don’t follow a rigid script. Small business thrives on human interaction, we do too.
- We welcome working with your suppliers to create data links that save you and them time, data links that improve data accuracy, data links that feed more accurate business reports.
- We provide business insights based on data cultivated through the software – to business owners who ask. This is a free service.
- Our help desk provides context for advice. Rather than the turn it off and turn it on advice, our help desk team members explain the why, why from a business perspective the advice they are providing matters.
- Our software updates contain enhancements suggested and voted on by customers. You can have a direct say in the evolution of the software.
- Our communication is in plain English. While we are a company of IT geeks, when talking with customers we keep it simple. We won’t scare you.
Using POS software to cut employee theft in small business retail
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Theft is retail can be expensive, particularly employee theft. Tower systems has a structured and proven approach for dealing with employee theft in retail businesses where the Tower Systems POS software is used.
The Tower POS software has tools for reducing the opportunity for theft. Better still, the software has hidden tools for tracking theft, tools that provide evidence police and prosecutors have used to successfully deal with theft situations.
It is the secret and secure facilities where our software provides retail business owners the evidence necessary to achieve successful resolution, as we have found in many employee theft situations where our help has been called upon.
Discovering theft by an employee can be debilitating and destabilising. To help you through this, Tower Systems provides advice and support on what to do once you discover employee theft. The goal is to offer straightforward steps to help you get through as it is on the other side of this where you can find the opportunity to move on from the feeling of violation that often accompanies employee theft in small business.
In addition to being a support, we provide practical advice an help for use our our POS software to reduce the opportunity for employee theft and shopper theft.
Follow this advice on how to use our specialist retail software to hamper opportunities for theft and bolster the certainty of detecting it before it’s too late:
- Employ stock control for high volume items. Enter new stock as it comes in, scan all sales and only reorder based on what the software says. Perform a stock take regularly each month. High volume item stock discrepancies are an indicator of theft.
- Scan everything you sell. Do not use department tracking only – your data needs to be granular to prevent employees taking advantage of loose stock on hand quantities. Not scanning individual stock items is unfortunately an invitation to dishonest employees.
- Use the software-based end of shift procedure and have a zero-tolerance policy on cash balance discrepancies. Reconcile banking to your computer software at end of shift. We have seen businesses failing to do this: one was being skimmed regularly of $200 a day.
- Do spot cash balancing. Unexpected checks can uncover surprises. One business owner needing to perform banking during the day uncovered a $350 discrepancy that lead to the discovery of systematic theft.
- Mix up your roster. Sometimes people work together to steal. One retailer found a family friend senior and their teenage daughter stealing consistently.
- Check your audit Log. Look at cancelled sales, deleted sales and items deleted from a sale. Leaving a cash drawer open from the previous sale, scanning items, taking the cash and cancelling the sale is the most common process used by employees to accrue cash they then take from you. Our software tracks cancelled sales and what was in them. This can be matched with video footage.
- Check GP by department. If GP is falling outside what you expect, always research further.
- Publish a theft policy. Put this on a noticeboard in the back room. Get staff to read it and sign up to it. At the bottom of this page is a sample theft policy.
- Keep the store counter area clean. A better organised counter reduces the opportunity for theft. Reducing nooks and crannies makes detection of any cash hoarding easier.
- Have a “no employee bags” at the counter policy. This makes it harder for dishonest employees to hide stolen cash.
- Beware employees who carry folded paper or small notepads. These can be used for them to keep track of how much cash is in the register that is theirs – i.e. not rung up in the software.
- Beware of calculators and mobile phones at the counter. Employees can use these devices to track how much cash could be stolen prior to balancing for the day – cash from sales not processed.
- Do not let employees sell to themselves. If an employee wants to purchase something ensure they purchase it from the customer’s side of the counter.
- Be professional in your management of the business. The more professional your approach they less likely your employees will steal as they will see the risk of being caught as high. Do not take cash handling lightly; if you respect your business procedures your staff are more likely to too. Never take cash from the till for your own personal use, i.e. to buy lunch.
- Advise all job applicants that you will require their permission for a police check. From the outset this indicates that you take your business seriously. In many situations applicants who have been asked for permission to do a police check advise they have found a job elsewhere.
These steps work. They are based on decades of helping small business retailers to reduce and manage employee theft.
Repairs software helps small business jewellers, bike retailers, fishing shops and more
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Using the repairs software from Tower Systems, a business is able to manage repairs to better serve the needs of the business and the customer.
The Tower repairs software is directly integrated with the Tower POS software. Retailers in a range of specialty retail niches like our repairs software. These include jewellers, bike shops, fishing and outdoors shops, firearms shops, garden centres and other more niche specialty retail businesses.
The repairs software continues to evolve thanks to suggestions from our customers. We love hearing how people use the software for it is from this we learn of ways to make it even better.
Today, the repairs software is used to:
- Track repairs from the moment they are lodged with customers.
- Manage parts used.
- Manage labour.
- Account for all costs.
- Track outside service providers.
- Bill customers.
- Notify customers when an item is ready to be collectors.
- Track past repairs.
- Provide awareness of the workflow in a workshop at an y point in time such that the business can better manage this important and business differentiating activity.
Repairs management software is flexible, serving a range of needs outside managing the actual repairs themselves. The flexibility in the software enables it to be used in different businesses for different purposes – from job management, to workshop management and traditional repairs management.
That the repairs software is POS software integrated makes for a beautiful solution for retailers.
Good repairs services can help a local business win local sales. Whereas products can be available in multiple retail outlets, making price the comparison, repairs services are unique to each business. Through the Tower Systems repairs management software retailers can play to their local strengths and pitch their repairs services as differentiating and locally valuable.
We love helping small business retailers grow their repairs service.
The POS software connected repairs management software from Tower Systems continues to evolve, ensuring it is a solution for today and tomorrow, thereby helping small business retailers to evolve their repairs services too.
Tower Systems develops software for: gift shops, jewellers, bike shops, toy shops, fishing/outdoors businesses, garden centres/nurseries, pet shops, produce stores, firearms businesses and newsagents. We serve customers in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and several other countries.
Tower Systems regional meetings a hit with small business retailers
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Too often POS software companies hide from customers, offering little in the way of face to face engagement.
Tower Systems is different. We actively participate in trade shows, group conferences and more. Plus we host our own sessions around the country – l capital city and regional centre face to face sessions were our POS software customers can meet with us, learn more about our software and provide feedback.
Over the last two weeks we have run sessions in Tamworth, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns.
Its was terrific to see so many customers as well as many prospective customers there. We had a terrific time exploring the new software, the new web strategies and plenty more in the open forums and discussions that followed.
We are an engaged POS software company. We believe in the value of personal contact supporting personal service.
Easy management of loyalty cards for small business retailers
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Track shopper loyalty cards with ease using the Tower Systems POS software. Even something simple like th coffee card approach where each purchase receives a stamp or clip and at a certain milestone a free item, coffee or similar.
The retail loyalty software in the Tower Systems software handles this basic type of loyalty offer easily. You can eliminate the cards and each purchase is tracked, helping shoppers maximise rewards and thereby driving loyalty.
Better still, shoppers can have multiple loyalty cards in the one business – without the need to ever have the physical card. This works a treat for families where they collect multiple specialist items from a business. They can work and shop together for their benefit and for the benefit of the business.
Yes and even better still, the small business retailer can track and manage they, they can adjust settings, watch shopper engagement and leverage the loyalty opportunities of the benefit of the business.
Shoppers who like the idea of carrying their own card can continue to do this. The retailer has their records and the shopper has peace of mind of a care with a stamp or clip. Both parties have their needs and desires satisfied.
This is a good whole of business loyalty solution. It is ideal for small business retailers. Perfect for driving shopper engagement. Working in with suppliers too who offer retailers rebates for levels of shopper engagement. In the Tower Systems software retailers have access to a level of reporting necessary to serve the needs of these engaged suppliers.
This ability to run a coffee card type of loyalty is one of a broad range of loyalty solutions in the Tower Systems software. The facilities are strong, comprehensive and integrated – meaning small business retailers can use one, another or a mix of several to create the type of loyalty offer that will work best in their local situation.
Shopper loyalty programs are loved by shoppers and vital to small business retailers. They are a perfect way to different a business from a big business competitor. Tower Systems s offers the software. Better still, we offer business advice and guidance to lev rage the tools for maximum benefit.
Brilliant marketing tip from a dentist
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Yes, a dentist. We love this marketing that we saw in Sydney recently.
How to connect your POS software to your website
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Connecting your high street retail business POS software to a website is straightforward if you are connected with software businesses that understand the importance and value of such a connection.
Tower Systems offers POS software to webstore direct connections for Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce – directly between its software and each of these e-commerce platforms. We have used the development APIs for each of the platforms to create three separate links.
For retailers using a lesser known webstore platform, we have a generic link that also works well to sync transaction and inventory data across two technology platforms.
The best link is tight, accurate and driving online and in-store business. We can demonstrate the value of this through many store connected websites we have crated for single businesses as well as for group businesses. We can shop the value of implementing online LayBy, click and collect, carious payment options, handling freight, handling customer special orders and handling preorders for highly sought after lines.
All of these things and plenty more have been addressed in the POS software webstore integrations that we have delivered to our small business friends.
As a POS software developer with a terrific team of web developers we are well positioned to provide a complete one-stop solution for in-store and online. This ensures small businesses are not lost in a battle between two software companies that point at each other as the cause of any issue. Providing both the website and the POS software there is one go-to place, one way to make the relationship work, one business responsible.
The Tower web team is also skilled at SEO and SEM services that help raise the website rankings in key search engines, ensuring the site is found ahead of others.
But best of all, Tower Systems provides professional advice and guidance to small business retailers keen to build their online presence. Our commitment is honest transparent advice on which any small business retailer can rely.
The Tower Systems web development team is Australian based, working out of the company’s head office in Hawthorn. This is important as many web development businesses are overseas. While you might have a locally based contact person development too often is done overseas, leading to challenges with delivery and usefulness.
Go to our website to find out more about our POS software webs store integrations.
Small business retailers ready for EOFY
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Wow! What a build up it has been form small business retailers using our software. They are ready for the end of the financial year thanks to an extraordinary roster of free live group training, free one on one training and easy access to videos and online training documents.
No matter how, when and where our customers wanted to access EOFY training they have been able to.
Many years ago we committed to running weekly live online accessible training, using a the world-class WebEx platform. We continue to run these weekly training sessions, years later. But this year the weekly sessions were not enough. Some weeks we did five sessions, as so many of our customers wanted to learn more about the amazing new and easy stock take tools in our software.
We love providing training and we love that our customers engage with it. Indeed, we are grateful to our customers for their engagement.
This financial year, many more small business retailers thanks to the free training we have provided access to.
And the training continues. next week we have a terrific interactive and live session on reordering. We can help retailers cut mistakes through a faster and more accurate reordering process that can significantly improve the bottom-line performance of the business. Like all our training workshops, access is free.
Training opportunities cities never stop at Tower Systems.
Our approach to training is actions speak louder than words. While it is easy for any POS software company to announce they will offer training, it is another thing entirely to deliver.
6 Benefits of Web Connected POS Software
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6 Benefits of Web Connected POS Software
Brick-and-mortar stores are gradually becoming outdated means of product retailing.
Can you recall the last time you got in your car and physically drove to a store instead of easily clicking the checkout button online?
Making online sales has become a customer’s number one source of shopping these days. Stores are turning to the Internet to make the bulk of their sales, too.
The digital age is crushing retail giants across the country. Something needs to change so they can prosper like they once before.
The importance of web based POS (point of sale) software is on the rise in 2017. Retailers are at risk, and now more than ever you need to know the benefits of web based POS software.
Luckily we will go into detail about it in this post. Need help understanding the software? Our e-commerce workshop offers online workshops that can help you take your business to the next level.
First, let’s make sure you understand what exactly a POS system is. POS stands for “Point Of Sale”. It refers to the act of completing a transaction between a customer and a retailer. Whenever you make a sale in a store, there is a point of sale that is conducted.
Instead of going up to a cash register to make a physical payment, a web based POS eliminates that step. Or, as is the case with Tower, it integrated online and offline- in a physical store as well as online.
Large businesses and small businesses alike are investing in software which allows them to give their customers easy online power.
So, does your independent small business need to invest in POS software? Let us explain the top 6 benefits to web based POS:
6. Better Customer Management
A sales employee will know what types of products a specific customer wants to buy from the business via web based POS.
The sales associate can find what items the customer has liked before, and he or she can use this information to its full advantage. Understanding a customer’s unique preferences will drive more sales to the business. Our video on how to grow your sales includes information from some of our POS software experts at Tower Systems.
For example, say you own a few beauty stores. By simply using the right web based POS software you are able to look up a customer’s sales at any location in no time at all. A comprehensive customer list is created through the POS software.
Knowing this information speeds up the selling process so an employee can talk to a customer. By understanding what brands the customer already buys, the associate can help them find more products from the same brand that they are looking for.
- Another positive result that installing a web based POS will have simpler customer interactions. No longer does your customer need to wait in long lines to buy a new lipstick. Your happy customer will have the chance to purchase your online products from the comfort of her bedroom by swiping on her mobile device! This also promotes additional sales if the customer is pleased with her purchase.
- Sales associates can also make sales promotions to make customers shop online. Sending out coupons and discount codes to use specifically online will most definitely attract higher sales.
- Coupons will allow customers to stay updated on what new merchandise is now in stock. Staying social with customers also builds better customer relationship management, which in turn promotes both successful and organic sales growth.
- Using tools like a web based POS system improves the lives of your sale associates and it will also improve customer satisfaction. The ability to access a customer’s recent transactions in your store will drop the problems with making exchanges or returns. Having this information stored in the database will make the employee to quickly find the customer’s transaction history.
- The returned items are listed into the database and will be present in the customer’s history. This point of sale further develops an understanding of who the customer is.
- Happy, loyal customers will enjoy the fact that you use their time wisely.
5. Less Paperwork With POS and web integrated POS
Using point of sale software can virtually cut the need for any paperwork. Having access to your online business has never been simpler than with the integration of powerful this type of software. This software can keep track of all of your small business needs, from daily invoices to customer purchases.
Calculating sales from your independent small business can become a hard task for everyday business. Save both time and energy by investing in special POS software that can analyze your inventory and sales faster than you could on your own.
Digital copies of your accounting information will also help you keep track of your finances. Instead of logging daily totals on paper, you can store all of your data on your web based system.
You can also track information from different store locations by adding invoices from each place into one central location.
This process that online software has will reduce stress and encourage you to focus on other areas of your business, such as marketing.
4. Know More About How Your Business Runs
POS software can know more about your business than you do in a matter of seconds. Gathering daily totals and figuring out what specific items sold on a particular day can be a task that the software is capable of completing.
You will also know when stock is running low, as this is another great function of having web based POS software installed.
This information is valuable to your small business so you know what to repurchase. Managing your sales trends can be beneficial so your loyal customers return again and again.
The POS software will also direct you on the right path to send in reorders for the highest selling products. Focusing your attention on the items that sell the most will boost sales and let you better understand how your company operates on a daily basis.
Who doesn’t want to sell what products sell versus which ones aren’t? You, the business owner, are now able to watch the process that it takes to track your account information.
What does having more real-time information mean for YOUR business?
- Faster and more efficient inventory checks at the click of a button.
- Both owners and the management team are able to keep up with what inventory is selling and what isn’t.
- Owners and managers can find out if certain employees are performing at their best during the day.
- The team can test out new selling techniques and see if they work in real-time by tracking the results via POS software.
- There is less waste. Products that sell quickly are repurchased while the ones that are not selling can be reduced at a lower price and not repurchased.
3. Cutting Costs Everywhere You Can
A standard POS system will run you anywhere from $3,000 to $50,000 annually. Yes, this number appears large because you factor in licensing fees and updates that stores face on a regular basis.
I will detail how the benefits of using a web based POS outweigh the costs of a non web connected POS system:
- A web connected POS system is usually a monthly investment that does not include any extra hidden fees in comparison to a traditional system.
- Total payment for the web based POS system can average $1,200 to $10,000 per year.
- The website that will give you will the web based POS system may also include informative and easy to follow training. It will lower your initial cost when it comes to installing the online POS software for your business.
- A POS system also uses an Internet connection to run. The Internet is great at being a less expensive alternative in comparison to traditional POS systems that need employees to manage a business.
- Having a web based system in place will cut the cost of paying for a lease to have a physical location that your customers need to visit in order to make a sale. Having an online way for your customers to make a sale will drive sales and will save you money when it comes to leasing a pricey storefront.
2. Store Your Data Safely
Instead of making your employees track your daily sales totals, customers, and invoices by hand, you can put each of these tasks in your software.
Your data is backed up on a server that is secure and will not crash like regular computers can. Security is a top priority for all businesses alike, and we take that into consideration when thinking about the pros to a web based POS system.
Theft prevention is important to consider when you own a business. Thieves are unable to take your money if you store your information on the POS system because everything is secured online.
Having your information online is better than storing cash in a cash drawer.
With more customers comes more information that needs to be properly stored. Archive this information using the web based system that can hold a large capacity.
1. 24/7 Management
80% of small business owners use their mobile devices to update and manage their businesses on a daily basis. Phones are a business owner’s best means of communication, and 55% of SBOs use their phones to schedule appointments or talk to customers.
Owning a business is a 24/7 matter, and not utilizing your cell phone means shutting off your prime connection to your business. Having a web based POS system in place will connect you to your employees and customers.
You can even check in on your business from your home.
An on-the-go lifestyle is how most people live in 2017, and you can’t stay behind the fast moving times. You can also easily log into your account because it relies on an Internet connection to work.
- You need to be able to pay for reorders on popular items, track where your inventory is going, and connect to your customers by hearing their feedback. All you need is an Internet connection to process many of these tasks from anywhere in the world.
- Make sure your business is constantly up to date by investing in a system that is web based because that is where the world is headed.
In Summary
As technology continues to expand, we at Tower Systems want to share our knowledge of web connected POS systems with you so you can grow your business the right way.
Running a successful business is now a daily task, so finding tools to improve your day to day life will ease your mind when it comes to making quick sales.
We offer you the best retail solutions for your independently owned and operated small business. Even though there are more to cover, these are the 6 best benefits to using an online POS system.
It’s important to know that understanding who your customer is can be simple with our web based technology.
Tower Systems has training programs that are built for even the most technology inept business owners.
You can easily learn how to run the POS software by participating in online group sessions that will train you to understand how the web based POS works.
Our specialty POS software will be the best addition to your business that you can buy to improve your small business sales. To learn more about our services, you can Contact Us for customer support.
If you need any help, we also have after hours support. Our e-mail is: support@towersystems.com.au if you also need immediate action.
Let us help you become one of our 3,500+ independent business owners who run stores across Australia today.
Tower Systems offers small business retailers help with the Petya malware attack
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We published to our small business POS software customers today reminder advice on the best steps to follow to protect the business against impact from malware. This is especially relevant today because of the overnight Petya attack in the UK and elsewhere, including in Australia.
Being early with consistent professional advice helps our small business customers protect their businesses.
Here is best practice advice on which any computer user can rely:
MALWARE WARNING.
A new malware attack on computers is sweeping the world. It has hit the UK government, big businesses (shutting down the Cadbury factory in Tasmania) and small businesses. Please protect your business. Here is our advice.
- Tell all who use your computers to not open any emails that look suspicious in any way.
- Do not click on any links unless you are 100% sure.
- Do not open attachments unless you are 100% sure.
- Make sure you have the latest Windows update running on every computer.
- Never connect a computer to your network unless you are sure it is clean.
- Advise all employees of these requirements.
The easiest way to recover is if you use a professional cloud backup.
Why retailers love the loyalty software in the small business POS software from Tower Systems
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Shopper loyalty software needs to drive sales. If it does not do this then it fails the business and is of questionable value.
The only stat that matters in any assessment of loyalty facilities in any POS software is the incremental business delivered by using the loyalty facilities.
This is where the loyalty software facilities from Tower Systems come into their own. Offering a broad range of loyalty solutions, small business retailers can choose the approach that works best for them, included a blend of multiple approaches.
Most retail businesses using our specialist retail software love its points-based loyalty program that looks and feels as professional as the supermarkets’ programs. However, our software’s Discount Voucher facilities deliver even better results.
Discount vouchers are a very different approach to loyalty. They offer immediate rewards. They help shoppers spend more this visit. This is vital in businesses that see shoppers once, in tourist and similar locations. They genuinely change shopper behaviour in that visit to the business.
One of our own retail businesses reported growth of 10% in the three months. Much of the success comes down to smart use of Discount Vouchers.
Discount Vouchers don’t need a card – they print on sales receipts and offer an amount customers can spend right away. Our experience and the experience of hundreds of our customers is that Discount Vouchers drive faster and deeper engagement with the business – making a shopping visit more valuable right away.
- You name the voucher anything you like and can change this at any time.
- You set the rules on how the value of the voucher is calculated.
- You set the rules on what the voucher can be redeemed for.
- You set the rules on expiry dates.
Male shoppers are more likely to spend the voucher immediately and many customers use the voucher to purchase items more expensive than the items in the initial purchase made. Customers see the voucher as cash, often commenting that they like the direct approach better than a points-based system. They like the transparency and simplicity.
In our own retail experience, which sees us competing against major retailers in a Westfield shopping centre, several shoppers have stated they prefer Discount Vouchers over the rewards programs of our competitors.
We are confident that Tower Systems’ Discount Voucher facilities can help you:
- Get customers spending more in a visit.
- Bring existing customers back sooner.
- Attract new shoppers to your business.
- Drive impulse purchases at the sales counter.
Here is a video from us about Discount Vouchers:
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