AN AI CHATBOT FOR LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS RETAILERS: 24/7 HELP
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No script, just a person who knows retail
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Who picks up the phone when you call the POS software help desk?
When you call the Tower Systems help desk, a person answers. They are in Australia or New Zealand. They don’t read from a script.
It could be Mitch, Minh, Roy, James, Tash, Travis, Simon, Paul, Michael or someone else on the team. Real people with real names, not an anonymous avatar or a generic email address. Real people delivering real support. Retail is personal, after all.
W’ve built software for independent retailers since 1981. In that time we’ve watched plenty of software companies move support offshore, add phone trees and hand staff a flowchart. We understand why. It’s cheaper.
It is also worse for the retailer on the other end of the line. So we haven’t done it.
Why scripts let retailers down
A script works when every problem looks the same. Retail problems rarely do.
Think about a Saturday morning. There’s a queue at the counter. A barcode won’t scan, or a supplier invoice has landed with the wrong pricing. You don’t want to be asked whether you’ve restarted your computer. You want someone who listens, works out what’s actually going on and helps you fix it.
Scripted support makes you prove you’ve done steps one to five before anyone will think about step six. That costs you time. Time at the counter costs you sales.
It also costs trust. Most retailers can tell within a minute whether the person on the line understands their business.
What you get from a person who can think
Our help desk team knows our software well. They also know the businesses we serve: newsagents, gift shops, garden centres, jewellers, farm supply businesses and more. They know what a lotto reconciliation looks like or how a layby works, because they talk to retailers about these things every day.
Without a script, they can do the obvious thing. Ask a question that fits your situation. Skip the steps that don’t apply. Notice when a small fault points to a bigger one. Follow up when they said they would.
Being local helps too. Our team works in your time zone and knows Australian and New Zealand trading conditions. Support is available six days a week, with after-hours help for urgent system-down problems.
I think this is the part people don’t see in a software demonstration. Features matter. But the day something goes wrong, the person who answers matters more.
Where AI helps, and where it hands over
We use AI too. Our help desk chatbot has been running for more than three years. Customers tell us it saves them time on quick questions, and that it answers in plain language.
It is there for the simple things, at any hour. It is not a wall between you and a person. When a problem needs judgement, experience or a conversation, you can reach a human on our team.
We chose that balance on purpose. The chatbot takes care of the quick questions, so our team has more time for the calls that need them.
A question to ask any software company
If you are comparing retail software, call each company’s help desk before you sign. See who answers. See whether they listen or read.
Then call ours.
Australia: 1300 662 957
New Zealand: 0800 444 367
Email: sales@towersystems.com.au
Contacting a human is easy.
Personal Service Matters in Retail. It Should Matter in Your Software Company Too.
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Good retailers know the value of personal service. They live it, deliver it, every day.
A customer walks in looking for a gift. You ask a few questions. Who’s it for? What do they like? What’s the budget? You show them a couple of options, they think it over, and you go back and forth until they find the right thing. That conversation is often the reason they come back.
Running a retail business is personal in the same way. Every shop is different. The owner, the staff, the location, the shoppers and the product mix all shape how the business works. Plenty of retailers and retail staff understand this.
At Tower Systems, we understand it too.
Training is personal
Our training is delivered by people, not videos you’re left to work through on your own. It’s tailored to your business and the way you trade.
A newsagent with a busy card department needs different help to a garden centre preparing for spring. A new owner taking over a shop needs different help to a long-time customer adding a new category. We start by understanding what you need, then train to that.
Our help desk is personal
When you contact our help desk, you can talk to a person. It starts with a conversation. We listen, ask questions and work through the problem with you until it’s sorted.
We’re a vertical market software company. We build POS software for specific retail channels and work only with independent retailers in Australia and New Zealand. That means the people helping you understand how shops like yours actually work.
Compare us on service, not just software
If you’re considering a change of POS software, compare our personal approach with any other software company on your list.
The tech stack is one thing to compare. Features matter, and we’re proud of ours. But software is useless without the level of service you need to get value from it. The best system in the world won’t help if you can’t get someone on the phone when your shop is busy and something isn’t working.
Ask each company you’re considering a few simple questions. Can I talk to a person when I need help? Will my training suit my business? Do your staff understand my type of shop?
We’re happy to be judged on our answers.
Talk to us
AU: 1300 662 957
NZ: 0800 444 367
Email: sales@towersystems.com.au
Contacting a human is easy.
Why our customers love the Tower Systems chatbot
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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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