The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

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Why our customers love the Tower Systems chatbot

October 13, 2026
3 Min read
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When we added a chatbot to the Tower Systems help desk, we had one goal. Help retailers get answers faster, in plain language, whenever they need them.

The feedback from customers tells us it is working.

Answers outside business hours

Retailers don’t stop working when the help desk closes. Many of our customers do their admin early in the morning or late at night.

One general store owner told us:

“I have used the chatbot recently as I generally have questions outside of working hours… The response provided was succinct and provided me with step by step instructions.”

She used it to prepare for a change of ownership and to clean up her system ahead of a stocktake. Both times, she got clear, step-by-step instructions.

Plain language, at your own pace

Not everyone is confident with technology. The chatbot lets people learn at their own pace, without feeling rushed.

“I particularly like it because I am not particularly IT savvy and I can use it at my own pace.”

Another customer said:

“It answered everything I requested, and the instructions were very easy to follow. Saved me a lot of time and I was able to learn things by navigating through the system myself.”

Discovering more of the software

One of the best outcomes is that customers find features they did not know they had.

“I’m always hesitant using chatbot type technology… Your chatbot is amazing! It quickly analyses and answers in step-by-step detail how to fix whatever trouble I’m having… Tower’s chatbot has helped me discover and utilise more of the Retailer software and its capabilities than I knew existed.”

When a customer gets more from their software, they get more from their business.

Time back in a busy week

Retailers are time poor. Every minute spent searching for an answer is a minute away from customers.

“On the retail side of the house, most of us are time poor. So when we have an issue and we ask the bot, it saves so much time, effort and frustration.”

“I’ve asked it plenty of questions and only stumped it once. I love that it puts answers in a language we can understand.”

A human is still there

The chatbot does not replace our people. It works alongside them.

“Helps with almost all my enquiries and if it can’t help, will get a human to contact me. Saves me so much time spent searching the Tower website for answers.”

In one case, a customer wasn’t confident to go ahead with the chatbot’s instructions. A team member called her to help.

That is how it should work. The chatbot handles the quick questions. Our team is there for everything else.

Thank you

Thank you to every customer who has used the chatbot and shared feedback. Your comments help us keep improving.

If you are a Tower Systems customer and haven’t tried the chatbot yet, give it a go next time you have a question.

And remember, contacting a human is easy.

AU 1300 662 957 | NZ 0800 444 367 | sales@towersystems.com.au

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POS software help desk support that starts with a conversation

October 7, 2026
3 Min read
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Most of us have rung a business for help and ended up stuck in a phone menu. Press one, press three, wait. When you finally reach someone, they do not know the product and can only read from a script.

That is frustrating on a quiet day. When your shop is busy and something is not working, it is far worse.

Retail is unique. Every shop has its own way of doing things, its own suppliers and its own regulars. Retail is also human, and so much of it gets done through conversation, between staff, with suppliers and with customers at the counter.

We approach Tower Systems POS software support the same way.

There are no scripts and no hoops to jump through before you get an answer relevant to your query. You speak with someone who knows the software and can work through the problem with you.

A conversation lets the support person understand what you are trying to achieve, beyond the button you pressed. Often the real question sits behind the first one. A retailer might call about a report when what they really need is to understand why margin has dropped in one department. Good support picks that up.

Conversations help with learning, too. Many retailers use only part of what their software can do, and a helpful support call can turn up a feature that saves time every week. That rarely happens when someone is reading from a script.

Support matters most at the moments you least expect. A new staff member gets stuck on a refund on a Saturday morning, or a stock count will not reconcile. At times like these, talking with someone who understands both the software and retail can get you back to serving customers sooner.

When you are choosing POS software, give support the same attention you give the feature list. Find out how you reach support and who picks up the phone. Ask whether that person will know the software well, and whether you can talk a problem through or will be pushed through a process. The answers say a lot about how a supplier sees its customers.

Small retailers deserve support that respects their time and their knowledge of their own business. For us, that means picking up the phone and having a proper conversation.

…

To reach us, call 1300 662 957 (AU) or 0800 444 367 (NZ), or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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What’s one key thing retailers tend to forget when considering Point of Sale software that if they had considered it, it would make a big difference?

July 1, 2026
2 Min read
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Today, let’s look at one thing too many retailers do not consider when looking at POS software and it is one thing that could make the world of difference to the value they harvest from using the POS software.

What to look for when choosing POS software

Choosing a POS software company deserves more scrutiny than most retailers give it. A polished website or a free hardware deal can look attractive upfront. Neither tells you much about what happens once you are a customer.

Customer service is where it counts

When something goes wrong mid-shift, a retailer often needs to talk through a problem before they can clearly describe what they need. That kind of back-and-forth is how the real issue gets identified. A chatbot cannot do it. An email queue rarely can either.

Some POS providers have removed phone contact entirely. For retailers who think better in a conversation, that creates friction — and it tends to show up as wasted time rather than anything that appears on a quote.

Tower Systems keeps the line open

Clients can reach Tower Systems by phone, email, or chatbot. Contact details for the leadership team go to every customer from the start, so there is a clear path for anything that needs more than a standard reply. Call us and see for yourself how easy it is to speak with someone.

Before signing, ask the basics

Is the support team local? Do they know standard retail terminology? Do they work in the same time zone? A scripted offshore call centre and a direct conversation are not the same thing, and the gap becomes obvious the first time something urgent needs fixing. Personal service matters when it comes to helping retailers since retail is personal after all.

Support is part of the cost

A POS system that is difficult to get help with ends up costing more than it looked on paper. Retail runs on relationships, and the relationship with a software provider is one a business relies on most when things are not going well.

Tower Systems has supported independent retailers across Australia for decades. Visit towersystems.com.au to find out more.

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Free POS software training from Tower Systems. Still free, still regular.

June 29, 2026
2 Min read
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Most POS software companies sell you the software and leave you to work it out. Tower Systems doesn’t. We run free training for our customers, on a regular schedule, and we have done for years.

Training long after you have started using POS software is valuable. We know and this is why we continue to offer free training to our customers.

This isn’t a one-off or a sweetener to close a sale. It’s an ongoing part of being a Tower Systems customer. Sessions run often enough that you can pick the topic you need, when you need it, rather than waiting for an annual roadshow.

The part people value most is the Q&A. You’re not watching a recording. There’s a real person running the session, and you can ask your own question about your own shop and get an answer on the spot. That’s rare. A lot of companies charge for it, or don’t offer it at all.

The training suits everyone. New staff finding their feet on the counter. Owners who want to use a part of the software they’ve never touched. People who’ve used Tower for years and want to sharpen up on the features added since they last looked.

Here’s what’s coming up.

  • Getting more from your sales reporting
  • Stock control that actually saves you money
  • Running a stocktake without closing the doors
  • Managing repairs and the jobs that come with them
  • Tracking the KPIs that tell you how the shop is really going
  • Loyalty and customer marketing built into your POS
  • New features you may have missed in recent updates

Topics rotate, so if the one you want isn’t listed this round, it’ll come around again. You can also tell us what you’d like covered. A lot of our sessions started life as a customer request.

It costs you nothing. It’s there because retailers who understand their software run better businesses, and that’s good for everyone. The shops that get the most out of Tower are almost always the ones that turn up to a session or two a year.

Click here to see the full list of sessions.

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Choosing POS Software? Why Relying on a Single Review Site Can Mislead Your Business

May 25, 2026
2 Min read
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The stakes are high when an independent retailer chooses POS software. Get it right and your operations run smoothly. Get it wrong and you’re dealing with administrative headaches for months.

Most retailers start with online reviews — fair enough. But if Trustpilot is your only stop, you may be getting a distorted picture.

The Paid-Tier Problem

Trustpilot runs on a freemium model. Software companies can pay for tools that tilt the playing field.

They can’t buy positive reviews or delete negative ones outright. But paying subscribers get automated systems that invite recent buyers to review — constantly. That steady drip of fresh 5-star ratings buries older complaints before most people notice them. Businesses can also flag negative reviews as unverified, pulling them offline while an “investigation” runs its course.

If a software company has thousands of glowing reviews but almost no detailed commentary, that’s a managed profile. Not an honest record.

Where to Look Instead

Google Reviews are harder to game. They’re tied to local business listings, not corporate accounts. Check how a software company responds to its negative Google reviews. Do they fix the problem? Ignore it? The response from a software company is more revealing than any star rating.

Reddit is worth your time. It’s one of the few places where tech marketing has little grip. Search for subreddits covering small business, retail, or your specific niche — newsagencies, gift shops, toy stores. Retailers post raw feedback about software crashes, hidden fees, and how long it actually takes to get someone on the phone.

Private Facebook groups and industry forums are useful too. Ask directly. Most retailers are happy to share what works and what doesn’t.

Read the Reviews Differently

Don’t focus on the top-line score. Filter for 2, 3, and 4-star reviews — that’s usually where the useful detail sits.

Look at support complaints across multiple platforms. Bugs happen with any software. What matters is whether the company fixes them. Repeated complaints about slow or unhelpful support, appearing independently across different sites, is a pattern worth taking seriously.

Prioritise reviews from long-term users. Someone who installed the software last Tuesday has nothing useful to tell you. Someone who has run their business on it for two years does.

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