We make Bike shop repairs management software.
Repairs management software for bike shops that repair bikes
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Aussie made POS software for local small business retailers
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Our POS software helps local retailers hire and retain employees
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Finding employees is a challenge for many businesses in 2022. It is especially tough for local retailers.
Our Tower Systems POS software helps local retailers hire and retain employees, and here;’s a short video on how we do this:
Of course, there is more to this than we cover in the short video.
The key, however, is how much people enjoy their job. By providing learning opportunities, structure and certainty, our POS software can help employees in local retail businesses love their jobs more.
The structure offered within the Tower Systems POS software helps retail employees spend less time on mundane tasks and more time nothings that benefit the business, and through this, themselves. It also helps them help customers, and everyone loves that!
Loving your job starts with being good at it and being good at a job in retail starts with having good software to use to enable you to serve the business and its customer well. There is where the 4 points covered in the video play.
Tower Systems offers access to a knowledge base, a live, searchable, online documentation resource. Each article is training, writing in plain English, offering dot point step by step advice on how to do things, and why. It its perfect training for anyone wanting to learn how to use our POS software.
Our POS software is elegant, enjoyable, efficient and of current design. All of this matters as retail employees can be sure they are using something up to date, something relevant, and learning skills that will be transferable either within the retail business or in another retail business where they move.
We back up our training with one on one training opportunities for anyone keen to go further. This training is tailored to specific business needs. We are grateful to have served many of our customers with this personal training.
We also offer group training, which is recorded for people to access wherever and whenever they wish.
We know that the better retail employees understand a business and the tools it uses, the more valuable they feel and value is central to enjoyment … and retention in a business.
These are just some of the ways Tower Systems helps.
Surfs up
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Small business retail advice: How a local small retail business can compete with a big business
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When it comes to retail, there are two types of businesses: the big guys and the small shops. The big guys have more resources, which gives them a competitive edge. However, this doesn’t mean that small shops can’t compete with them. In fact, there are several things that small shops can do to level the playing field. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the strategies that small shops can use to compete with big retail businesses.
One of the most important things that small shops can do to compete with big retail businesses is to provide a unique customer experience. Big retail businesses are often focused on volume and efficiency, which can lead to a impersonal customer experience. Small shops, on the other hand, have the opportunity to create a more personal and intimate customer experience. This can be a major differentiating factor for small shops.
A good customer experience flows from structure in the business, workflow structure, which is often guided by POS software. Here at Tower Systems we offer specialty retail business POS software that helps guide workflow, and through this the customer experience … with consistency, certainty and efficiency.
Another way that small shops can compete with big retail businesses is by being more nimble and responsive to customer needs. Big retail businesses often have cumbersome bureaucracy that slows down their ability to respond to customer demand. Small shops, on the other hand, are often able to be more agile and adapt to customer needs more quickly. This can give small shops a significant competitive advantage.
In our POS software, special customer orders are a breeze.
Finally, small shops can also compete with big retail businesses by offering products and services that the big guys don’t. Because they have less resources, big retail businesses often have to be very selective about the products and services they offer. This means that they often don’t offer products and services that cater to niche markets. Small shops, on the other hand, have the opportunity to fill this void and provide products and services that the big guys don’t.
Knowing what sells with what, knowing stock turn, knowing about sell-outs, spotting trends early … these are all ways smart POS software can help local small business retailers stay ahead of bigger businesses.
By using these strategies, small shops can level the playing field and compete with big retail businesses. So if you’re a small shop owner, don’t be discouraged. There are plenty of ways you can compete with the big guys.
POS software TitlePage integration helps book retailers
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Shine, shine, shine!
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Small business retail advice: how to find happiness in owning your retail business
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As a retail business owner, it is important to find ways to be happy and fulfilled in your work. As the leader of the business, how you feel sets the tone for the business. Working on your happiness is important.
While it can be challenging at times, there are many things you can do to create a happy and successful retail business. It starts with planning.
Here are some tips for how to be a happy retail business owner:
1. Find your niche
One of the best ways to be happy as a retail business owner is to find your niche. When you know what kind of products or services you want to sell, it will be much easier to build a successful business. Not only will you be more passionate about your work, but you will also attract customers who are interested in what you have to offer. It’s important your shop is a place you like.
2. Focus on customer service
Another key to happiness as a retail business owner is to focus on providing excellent customer service. When your customers are happy, you will be happy. Make sure you are always friendly and helpful, and go above and beyond to meet your customers’ needs. Good customer service comes from structure, like what we offer in our POS software.
3. Create a positive work environment
Another way to be happy as a retail business owner is to create a positive work environment. This means having a clean and organised store, providing fair wages and benefits to employees, and treating everyone with respect. When you have a positive work environment, it will be easier to attract and retain great employees, which will only improve your business.
4. Have realistic expectations
It is important to have realistic expectations when you are a retail business owner. This means understanding that there will be ups and downs and that you won’t always make a profit. If you can accept that, it will be much easier to handle the challenges that come your way. Setting achievable small goals and tracking progress is a start.
5. Take time for yourself
Don’t forget to take time for yourself. As a retail business owner, it is easy to get caught up in work and forget to take care of yourself. Make sure you schedule some time each week to do things you enjoy, such as reading, going for walks, or spending time with friends and family. When you take care of yourself, you will be better able to take care of your business.
By following these tips, you can find happiness as a retail business owner. When you are happy and fulfilled in your work, it will be much easier to build a successful business. Focus on finding your niche, providing excellent customer service, creating a positive work environment, and taking time for yourself. With these things in mind, you can be well on your way to a happy and successful retail business.
Re-casting the POS software co. office to the permanent work from home hybrid model
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It’s been a flurry of activity in the Tower Systems head office over the last two weeks as we made some long overdue moves.
When Covid kicked off in March 2020, most of our team members moved to work from home. A small core remained at the office as we were classed as essential and some of what we do needed to be done in the office. That core group all preferred to work from the office.
Since March 2020, we’ve left it up to those working from home to decide where they work. We are grateful to have colleagues who demonstrate every day that giving them choice is good for the business, and good for them.
Now, in July 2022, we have made changes to the office to reflect the now permanent arrangements. We have created new work spaces, four new and fully equipped hot desk spaces, a new shared resource space as well as a new studio and space for collaboration.
We have also introduced more soundproofed settings to make the now normal flow of Zoom, WebEx and teams video meetings more enjoyable for all.
We have also been able to create some relaxation spaces, although we may have paid too much for some things.
It doesn’t make sense to maintain a ton of offices for people who much prefer to work from home and are happier as a result thanks to the commute time saved.
We are thankful to be able to maintain enough space for whole of team meetings in the office by being creative in how we configure our situation.
The changes we have made are similar to plenty of office based businesses, and in these changes are opportunities for local retailers. More people are working from where they live, meaning the Covid migration that benefited local high street retail is continuing, and we like that as local retailers are our customers. We love the they have opportunities to be strong through these changes.
We smile at the regular flow of stories from city based businesses wanting people to come back to the offices. We don’t think there’s any going back. This really is the new normal.
Small business retail advice: how to promote your shop to the local community
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If you own a retail shop, it’s important to let the local community know that you exist! Here are some tips on how to promote your shop to the people who live near you:
– Make sure your shop is visible from the street. Put up signs and make sure the storefront is clean and inviting. This may seem obvious. Our advice is, take a moment – go outside your shop, walk along the street and see what others see. Are you noticed? Dopes your shop look inviting? Is it clear what you offer?
– Get involved in local events and charity drives. This is a great way to meet potential customers and show them that you’re invested in the community. Being part of the community is a great way to reach the community.
– Sponsor a local sports team or another local organisation. This will get your name out there and make people more likely to support your business. Better still, sponsor a team you have a good personal connection with.
– Offer discounts or coupons to locals. This is a great way to attract new customers and show people that you appreciate their business. Using our specialty retail POS software you can connect with locals and community groups in a range of ways – raising funds for them, supporting their members, while at the same time benefiting your own business.
– Hold events at your shop. This is a great way to get people in the door and show them what you have to offer. make the events fun, enticing and community-focussed. get known as the fun shop where people gather.
By following these tips, you’ll be sure to promote your retail shop to the local community in no time! But … these tips are barely a start. There are so many other ways you can promote your local retail business your local community, including plenty of ways in our Tower Systems POS software that you can do this with easy and for success.
Tower Systems makes specialty retail POS software for local businesses like pet shops, jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, toy shops, gift shops, music shops, sewing shops, fishing shops, firearms dealers, and more. Local software for local retailers.
More live POS software demonstrations in our own shop
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We are grateful to have our own shops where retailers can see our POS software running.
Friday last week we had another couple through one of our shops. They loved getting behind the counter and seeing and using the PS+OS software first hand.
This is a real point of difference not only for us to walk in the shoes of our customers but for people to get up close in a live retail situation with our software.
We are so grateful to have the retail resources available.
How to motivate retail employees in a local small business shop
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One of the most common challenges that small retail business owners face is employee motivation. It can be difficult to keep your team members engaged and enthusiastic, especially if they are dealing with bored customers or challenging tasks. However, motivated employees are essential for a successful business, so it’s important to find ways to keep them inspired. Here are a few tips to help you motivate your employees in a small retail business:
- Encourage employee input and ownership: Make sure that your employees feel like they are part of the team and that their opinions are valued. Encourage them to take ownership of their work and give them the opportunity to contribute to decision-making.
- Create a positive work environment: A positive work environment is essential for employee motivation. Make sure that your workplace is clean, comfortable, and organized. Encourage open communication and positive reinforcement.
- Offer incentives: Offering incentives is a great way to motivate employees. Consider offering rewards for meeting sales goals, completing tasks, or providing excellent customer service.
- Provide training and development opportunities: Employees who feel like they are learning and growing are more likely to be motivated. Offer training and development opportunities to help your employees reach their full potential.
- Show appreciation: Showing appreciation is a simple but effective way to motivate employees. Take the time to thank your team members for their hard work and dedication. Let them know that you appreciate their efforts.
Most important, however, is how you motivate yourself. Retail; business owners are the leaders, they set the exam able, the tone and the pace of the business. Motivation can be picked up from watching them, working with them. Â So we say the most important advice is to work on motivating yourself, so you can be an encouragement for others.
By following these tips, you can create a motivated and productive team in your small retail business.
Tower Systems can help local small business retailers motivate staff by providing software that encourages efficiency and facilitates day to day enjoyment working in the business. This is software that helps the business provide good customer service, which in itself is motivating.
Garden centres help people grow delicious food, and reduce the challenge of produce shortages
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We are grateful to help garden centres with our garden centre POS software.
Tips for a good POS software help desk experience
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Calling a POS software help desk, or any help desk for that matter, can be a challenging experience. It’s important to know that no two help desks are the same.
We have put together some tips for a good help desk experience. These are designed to be useful in any situation:L
- Make sure you’re prepared before calling – have your account number and password ready.
- Be polite and respectful to the help desk representative, even if you’re frustrated. be sure to tell them who you are.
- Explain the problem as clearly as possible, and be patient while they try to help you. Don’t interrupt once they start responding to what you have said.
- Thank the representative for their time once the problem has been resolved.
- If the problem can’t be fixed over the phone, ask for instructions on how to proceed.
- Follow up with a thank-you email after the issue has been resolved.
- Consider leaving a review of your experience.
- If the call was not satisfactory, let the company know, so they can guide improvement.
- Oh, and if you are at the counter in the shop, don’t expect them to hold while you serve customers.
Good customer service relies on good engagement from both sides. Customers need to be able to articulate their needs clearly, and customer service representatives need to be patient and attentive listeners.
Furthermore, both parties need to be respectful of each other’s time.
One of the most frustrating things about poor customer service is feeling like the representative is rushing you off the phone or not taking your concerns seriously. On the other hand, representatives should be efficient in order to minimize wait times for customers. In short, successful customer service engagements require effective communication and a mutual commitment to courtesy and respect.
Every day here at Tower Systems we interact with our customers, mainly on the phone. We are grateful for the opportunity to help. It all begins with listening, which is followed by providing advice that we expect will help. Often, the help we offer is from existing content we have that has been tested. We prefer to offer a proven solutions from that everyone wins.
POS software company transparency
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A few weeks ago we hosted another Zoom meeting for our POS software customers, which we recorded as the majority of customers from your 3,000+ strong community will access the video rather than be with us live. We shared the video and it;’s been a hit. Here now, for others to see, is POS software company transparency in action as we show a brand new software facility, take questions and feedback on it, and engaged in an open Q&A.
The update to which we refer is out, and getting plenty of love, for which we are grateful.
How does the Tower Systems POS software compare to to OnSwim jeweller software?
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From the outset – we can’t answer this question. We don’t use the OnSwim jeweller software. We’ve never used it. What we do know is our POS software for Jewellers.
We;’re not 100% sure but we think, based on our research, that our POS software for jewellers is the only Australian made and Australian supported software for jewellers. This makes it a perfect fir for jewellers who themselves spruce Australian made and shop local. You can’t get any more local for jeweller software than our Tower Systems software for jewellers.
There are differences in how retail jeweller businesses operate in Australia compared to, say, in the United States or Europe. Being made here in Australia, our POS software for jewellers serves Australian needs for sure. That our support is local, live in the local Aussie time zones, makes accessing customer service easier too for jewellers and their staff members.
But it’s the software that really matters here as it is the software that must serve the needs of each user retail business. Our jeweller POS software is made for jewellers.
Here are some of the benefits of the Tower Systems jeweller business POS software:
- Jeweller specific stock management, including stone details.
- Family event tracking.
- Jeweller repairs management services.
- Club pricing: Helps you attract community group members.
- BOGO: Increase sales with buy this and get that bundling.
- Warranty: Track details and leverage this for customer service.
- Sell anywhere: Using our Retailer RoamTM sell anywhere app.
- Seasonal reordering: Reorder inventory based on seasonal sales.
Using this software for jewellers, you have access to:
- Loyalty facilities through which you can differentiate your business, like seriously … shoppers respond to the levers you can pull, and your business benefits.
- Sell online, easily. Our Shopify integration is seamless, official and easy to use and manage.You can pass images and data to the website. Sales come back into the Tower software.
- Special orders: tools that enable you to sell in advance of having physical stock to sell.
- Repair facilities through which you can track and manage in-house and offsite repairs.
- Colour / size / style: smart and efficient inventory tracking.
- Event marketing through which you can create contact lists of customers based on anniversary, birthday and other life event dates.
The $199.00 a month software rental can be cancelled at any time. There is no annual payment, no lock-in.
We provide a structured and personalised on-boarding process designed for jewellers, which is paid for separately. This provides data conversion, one-on-one training, setup guidance and priority support as you settle in.
Local retail business advice: being unique attracts shoppers no matter how small your shop
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In his 1960 book, Reality in Advertising, Rosser Reeves, a respected US advertising executive, introduced the world to the concept of the Unique Selling Proposition, USP for short.
Reeves defined USP in an advertising context:
- Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer: buy this product and you will get this benefit.
- The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot or does not
- The proposition must be so strong that it changes consumer behaviour.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the concept of a unique selling proposition evolved from being essential to advertising to being essential in business. Finding your business USP was considered mission critical to businesses, retailers especially. Businesses drifted however and forgot about the importance of a USP.
Jack Trout told us just a few years ago that it was as relevant today. In 2000, he said that a Unique Selling Proposition was mission critical in business in his aptly titled book Differentiate or Die.
Differentiate of Die. There is no doubt about the call to action in the title, no doubt about the consequences of inaction.
Yet many retailers, for the most part, have remained still in the face of an onslaught of competition.
Retail is tough, especially small business retail, local retail, indie retail. The differences between competitors are fewer – there is a lot of follow the leader / innovator. Retailers are surrounded by competition and it grows by the day. Yet many have copied others, and not done anything to stand out.
Smart retailers are re-acquainting themselves with the writings of Reeves and Trout and leaning about the mission critical imperative of having a Unique Selling Proposition.
Differentiation could be service, products or location or a combination of these. Differentiation will most likely not be price as anyone can match this easily. Price is, after all, the last line of defense in any business battle. That said, there are some major price-focused success stories – Walmart for example. It is rare in an independent retail situation.
To develop your USP, engage with your employees and other stakeholders. Take your time. Determine what you and your business stand for. Following open and honest discussion and debate, the USP around which everyone in the business can willingly congregate will emerge.
A good USP will not require an advertising campaign to communicate. It will become obvious through actions and decisions. By living the USP in every facet of the business you soon become seen as unique by shoppers and this can drive excellent word of mouth and success for the business.
While differentiation in retail is more important today than ever thanks to today’s economic conditions, the approach to the challenge is the same as in the 1960s.
Our Tower Systems POS software offers opportunities to be unique, easy and quick ways through which any retail business can present as being unique. We help retailers stand out, be noticed, be remembered, and be more successful.
Easy serial number tracking in POS software
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Local high street retail continues to benefit from people working locally
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Just about all local high street retailers will tell you trade is good, even if the face or a returned wave of covid infections.
High street retail is strong because shoppers are concerned abut big shopping centres. They prefer the easier local high street situation for shopping. We hear from shoppers that they feel this situation is safer for them. So, in a comparison of a shopping mall visit versus a high street retail visit, for plenty of shoppers the preference will be the high street visit.
The other reason local high street retail is strong is because plenty who shifted to work from home at the start of Covid have not returned to the city, to big offices. People are loving working from home, living and working locally … and, local retailers are loving serving them, helping out with new needs of this now more regional office based workforce.
We are not part of the camp calling for workers to return to the office. For our customers and even for our own business we support people working where they are able, where they are happiest. This is good for local communities, and especially good for local high street retail.
Of course, our views are selfish in that the vast majority of our Tower Systems POS software customers and local high street retailers. Jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, toy shops, pet shops, games shops, sewing shops, fishing shops, charity shops, music shops, produce businesses, newsagents, camping shops, firearms dealers, convenience shops … and more.
These local shops benefit from shoppers preferencing local high street retail over a shopping mall or shopping during a lunch break from office work in the city.
Plenty of local retailers have adjusted their businesses to better serve these new opportunities that emerged from Covid and while some saw the shift as temporary, engaged retailers have planned for the permanent shift of some from city based work to suburban and regional work. The benefit for the local community of this shift is considerable as local retailers will spend more of what they make locally than a shopping mall big business or than a city based business.
What we are seeing in Australia, and globally, is a reset of how, where and when we work and having a front seat to this shift, this change, is a wonderful opportunity not only as an observer, but as a participant.
See our POS software running live in one of our shops
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One of the benefits of us owning and running retail shops is that we can offer a live and behind the counter demonstration of our POS software.
Retailers considering our Tower Systems POS software can get in behind the counter, watch transactions, and even do transactions so that they get up close and personal with the software in a live situation. Better still, they can talk to our store managers and team members on a retailer to retailer level and ask any questions.
Typically, these visits happen without sales people there, offering a more authentic opportunity to see this POS software live.
We also have customer who watch from the customer side of the counter, to see how that plays out, the workflow and efficiency.
Some retailers like to look in the back room and see any back office management using our POS software – where stock bay be arrived into the business,s stock scanned out to be returned to suppliers or other more office related work undertaken.
Having shops available for retailers to visit is a unique situation. We are not aware of any other Australian POS software company that has this resource – shops they own and run where their POS software can be seen, used and observed first-hand.
POS software démonstrations are good and can show off the detail of how the software works. It is in-store where you get to see real life situations, how the software can help with queries, actually save time, genuinely cut mistakes and more. It is in smooth workflow in specialty retail settings that the Tower Systems POS software shines and we think our ownership of retail businesses is a factor on the tuning of our software to a level that it is easily seen as valuable.
We have more retailers going through our softens for personal in-store demonstrations and hands-on use this week. It’s all organised through our sales team: sales@towersystems.com.au or 1300 662 957.
We do have retailers who just turn up at one of our shops and look and while there is no barrier to this, it’s more respectful of our retail team members if we schedule the visit as in the shops we put the needs of our retail customers and our retail team members ahead of everything else.
So, come see awesome locally made and supported POS software live in one of our shops, serve some of our customers and see whether it suits your own business.
Let’s get real: dealing with theft in local retail businesses
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Work from home is here to stay, and we like that our POS software company
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We are grateful for the opportunity to be interviewed for this ABC TV news story about working from home through Covid.
Here at Tower Systems, and our other business, newsXpress, we offer our team members the choice of where to work. There is no pressure on them returning to work, to the office. We will support them where they want to work.
We filmed so much more for the ABC story. We appreciate their interest in our approach to business.
Sunday hugs
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POS software for local sewing shops that helps them help lovers of sewing
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What an awesome, Aussie made, Father’s Day card
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What a perfect Father’s Day card for a cyclist dad this Father’s Day. Even better, it’s Aussie made just like our software for bike shops and our software for card, gift shops and newsagencies where this awesome Father’s Day card is for sale.
We are grateful to also have this card from Aussie company Henderson Greetings in our own shops, as part of our Father’s Day card range.
Aussie made does matter to Aussie shoppers.
Tower Systems is a proud Aussie POS software company serving local Aussie retailers with specialty retail POS software.
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