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Call Sales: +1 (833) 437-3835
Michael Sien | April 7, 2021 |
In this blog post, Revel Mid-Market Sales Executive Michael Sien dives into the importance of factoring ease into your point of sale search. As a Revel sales executive, Michael is passionate about selling solutions that empower operators rather than slow them down.
When in search of a new point of sale (POS) platform for your business, you’re likely in the market for a platform that’s easy to use.
Today, ease of use encompasses much more than the simplicity of order input for POS transactions. The POS is the heart of a business, and has levers to manage just about everything (if you let it)—including administration, reporting, off-premises solution management (like delivery and online orders), and beyond.
With the proliferation of digital commerce, operators are in search of technology partners offering a holistic platform. They want their POS to be able to power the entire digital consumer journey while simultaneously taking advantage of the resulting data in real-time. Ease of use is too simplistic; today’s platforms must offer “the ease of everything.”
In our quick-changing world, businesses seek technology partners rooted in flexibility, giving operators the chance to implement solutions that are as simple and effective as possible. According to Fred Morgan, owner and partner at Fired Pie, Revel’s ease of use factors into almost every component of their operations.
“Revel has saved me 10 to 15 hours a week, from making menu changes to accounting. The installation time and training with Revel is simple and fast,” he explains. “I’d absolutely recommend Revel to other businesses—it’s convenient, easy, and reliable.”
But don’t just take Fred’s word for it. Let’s dive deeper into this concept of “ease of everything.”
If you’ve already selected a POS platform or are currently vetting options, various account executives have likely tried to win you over with the word “free”—including free upfront costs on hardware, software, and services. And while “free” certainly has an appealing ring to it, this familiar adage rings true: “You get what you pay for.”
Even "free" comes with a cost, which becomes clearer in the details of any merchant agreement. For example, many POS platforms offer freebies upfront, but mandate a payment processor knowing they’ll make their profits off high processing fees later. They may not make money upfront, but they’ll heavily profit from your future sales at the expense of your own margins.
With a clear, upfront pricing structure in place, you can quickly understand what your POS investment includes and the benefits it delivers.
Another critical piece of the decision-making process when considering a new POS platform is determining what it will take to implement, deploy and train your team on your new solution.
That’s where it’s important to consider factors like professional services teams, which help with local implementation and configuration, POS training, and ongoing account management. The level of service should be entirely up to the operator, depending on the level of setup assistance, training, and continued support they need.
Professional services are the ideal solution for clients looking to ensure long-term success, and are just one piece of putting the “ease of everything” into practice.
Once you’re up-and-running with your new POS platform, it’s critical to ensure you’re getting the most out of your POS. The right provider will consistently help you unlock the full potential of your solution. Revel Concierge Services (RCS) helps you do just that—it relieves the burden of POS management and platform optimization from restaurant and retail operators while complementing existing account management services. By outsourcing your administration needs, you’ll be able to focus on doing what you do best: running your business.
Of equal importance is a POS platform that helps keep your business running without disruption. Look for features like “Always On Mode” with cloud solutions so you can rest assured that transactions can continue even if your Internet signal goes down.
Secure payment integrations are another key area to consider. Devices and payment processors that are EMV-compliant and offer point-to-point encryption (P2PE) are essential in protecting your transactions and the consumer data you collect at the point of sale.
As for another Revel exclusive offering, in 2020 our team proudly announced Revel Guard XT, a mobile device management (MDM) solution which allows for complete and proactive monitoring and support for device health in a store or chain of stores. Once enabled, store device performance can be tracked, upgraded, and supported remotely. The result is lower operational costs, faster resolution times for support calls, and fewer operational interruptions.
Multi-unit chains require a platform that is both nimble and responsive. Whether you’re considering the addition of mission-critical offerings to respond to a global pandemic, or you simply want to utilize an industry-leading partner integration, solutions offering an open API make it easy to access an even broader range of functionality.
Bring your own integrations, or leverage your POS provider’s network of integration partners. Either way, the “ease of everything” factors in again here. Whatever your integrations, you want a platform that makes it easy and quick to enhance and expand your operational abilities. Prioritize a platform that helps you maximize your environment even as your operations scale.
Your business rarely slows down, and neither should your POS support team. Look for a team that’s available when you need them to be, which is likely 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You want a support team that is always available to help you resolve issues, get answers to time-sensitive questions, and explain more about a feature or functionality.
As a Revel sales executive, I admit I’m a bit biased when it comes to the right POS platform for growing businesses. With that said, here’s my shameless plug: Revel is the leading cloud-based enterprise POS platform. It is grounded in building scalable technology that enables clients to focus on their growing businesses, not on dissecting a complex solution. When and if you find yourself evaluating POS providers, consider platforms—like Revel—that offer this concept of “the ease of everything.”
Interested in learning more about Revel’s easy-to-use POS platform? Request a free demo today!
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