Getting your repair business into a brick-and-mortar store is a highly commendable milestone. What you now need is a POS system that can help automate several of your processes so you can maintain your growth trajectory.
But, to do so, let’s understand the role of a pos system and how it can be of service to you and your repair store.
What is a POS System & Why do you need it?
A point of sale (POS) system is a combination of software and hardware that enables you to rid yourself of any work done manually. The system aims to facilitate your store’s day-to-day activities and can also cater and generate reports on the functioning of your overall business operations.
For instance, if you walk into a repair store and the cashier sitting behind the counter has no mobile repair shop software. Ask yourself, how much confidence will you have in their ability to tackle your problem as compared to a shop that has one?
Ideally, the POS system is not made to instill confidence into your customers, but an added benefit like that is not easily ignored.
You can easily find a basic POS system’s hardware in the form of a computer or a terminal. Additionally, you may witness certain hardware integrations including scanners, printers and maybe barcode readers too.
However, the story of software integrations is a bit different. The level of freedom and accessibility offered by these integrations are limitless. Hardwares can become location specific, while repair shop POS software can be cloud-based and enable you with remote access as well.
The reason why shop owners tilt towards getting a point of sale softwares is to easily track and organize their store’s operational information. It can cover everything your repair store has to offer!
There are several reasons why you should have a POS system, but one of the major reasons is that it automates your business operations.
With the integration of a mobile repair shop software, you’ll witness the difference! It makes the management of your business so smooth that you’ll be able to explore additional avenues for revenue.
Now, let’s see the types of integrations your POS system should offer when handling the following operations:
- Payments/Accounting
- Marketing – SMS/VOIP
- eCommerce/Vendors
Payments/Accounting
The process of calculating your employee’s monthly payroll can become a cumbersome task. Some use spreadsheets, while paperwork suits others. The automation process of this entire operation is like magic.
A point of sales software enables you to sit back and relax, while it works as per your set guidelines. It takes record of all your employee’s ins-and-outs, the number of tickets they’ve successfully closed and their feedback from the customers.
Payment by cash is something you can handle, but what about those customers who offer payments using other means?
Primarily, you’d definitely want a quick checkout process. To ensure this, some shop owners use Stripe to allow their customers to pay with their credit cards. While others end up using a Square terminal.
Some ingenious POS systems come with their own payment methods – case in point: RepairDesk, that offers its own payment processing integrations (RepairDesk Payments).
Managing company accounts and its offshoots are very important. In case you’re using off-the-shelf spreadsheets, Xeros or Quickbooks, you need to make sure that the POS system you’re looking to get offers the support of your frequently used software-tools.
Seamless automation is the key here. You need a point of sales software that can quickly log the information with relevant details into your software of choice.
Some POS systems also come equipped with their own accounting tools and also have the ability to generate crucial reports. These can include the number of tickets closed, their monetary figures, the overhead expenses etc.
Marketing – SMS/VOIP
The impact of marketing remains unchanged! Its importance can be witnessed world over. Similar is the case with your repair business.
Firstly, you need to let people know that you’re in business and how they can benefit from your services. Enter marketing tools.
Your point of sales software needs to offer the right marketing tool’s integrations. Some of the most used tools include Campaigner and Mailchimp.
These integrations enable you to create a communication channel between your store and its customers. There are numerous benefits of having such a medium. The most important usages are:
- Feedback & Reviews
- Sending Marketing Offers
- Updating Customers about their orders
Apart from using emails, you can also integrate SMS marketing/notification tools for these above-mentioned pointers.
Similarly, another important feature is SMS and VOIP – Voice Over Internet Protocol. This lets you establish an automatic framework to get alerts for every incoming call with call logging.
Meaning, if a frequent customer calls with their registered number, their profile of tickets/invoices and payment history will pop up.
This way you can also send out payment reminders to your customers who’ve opted for installments. Some POS systems offer inhouse integrated systems for handling recurring payments and automatic reminders.
eCommerce/Vendors
Lastly, the most crucial operation of any repair store: parts sourcing. Get yourself a repair shop POS software that allows integrations of your favorite marketplaces and vendors.
Many industry experts use Shopify and WooCoomerce to configure their store with online shopping capabilities. Make sure that your POS system comes equipped to handle these important business growth integrations.
Inventory management is a tedious task. The need to constantly monitor and maintain optimum stock levels is a full-time job. But, your POS system can handle this for you.
Two of the largest cell phone repair parts vendors are MobileSentrix and Injured Gadgets. They offer POS integrations that are a MUST NEED!
If you do get these integrations with your mobile repair shop software, you’d have successfully ensured automatic inventory management.