Do you want to know how to use a POS system? The transition can be difficult for someone who has never used a cash register before or an experienced owner transitioning from traditional electronic logs to touchscreen ones.

With a point of sale (POS) system, it is worth investing time to learn how it works. You will be rewarded later with faster transaction speeds and better inventory management.

A POS system offers many benefits for small businesses, but the key is getting up to speed on how it works. This guide will show you precisely what you need to know on how to use a POS system.

Set Up Your POS System

The first thing you need to do is set up your POS system. 

Setting it up should be straightforward if you buy a modern POS that runs on an iPad. Please turn it on and download the system’s app from the App Store. In some cases, the app is already pre-installed on the tablet.

Before using the POS system, log in to the back-office application. This is where you will add inventory, add employees, review reports, configure tax rates, and manage your entire business. This application is usually accessed with a web browser on a laptop or desktop computer.

To get your system up and running, you will need to set up the hardware. For most businesses, this includes a cash drawer, credit card reader, receipt printer, and, if you run a retail business, a barcode scanner.

It is recommended to test transactions before opening your doors for the day. Test transactions will ensure that your hardware and software are working correctly.

Running Transactions

Once you’ve done the hard work of setting up your system and opening for business, one of the first things that will happen is a live transaction.

To use the app, you will need to enter a PIN code. This helps with data collection because it ties transactions and other information back to your account.

To run a transaction, the first step is entering ‘new sale’ and then adding an item that a customer is purchasing. Click To Tweet

There are several ways of doing this.

The fastest and easiest way is scanning the barcode with a barcode scanner. If you don’t have one, you need to look for the item using the on-screen buttons or keyboard.

Once you’ve chosen the items, there are just a few more steps. You can apply any discounts available to your customer and select their payment type before collecting money.

Common tender types include cash, credit card, debit card, and smartphone payments like Apple Pay.

When it comes to ringing up customers, make sure to search for them in the system’s database. If they are new customers, ask for their email address so that you can send them promotions and other marketing emails designed to get them back into the store.

When customers pay with their credit card or debit card, swipe it or insert it into the card reader.

Customers will hold their phone over the reader for smartphone transactions and authenticate using a fingerprint sensor or a PIN code.

Closing Your Shift

After a long day at work, it is essential to take the time to close your shift before heading home. This can be done by going through an app interface and selecting the appropriate button.

how to use a POS system in the new modern system? closing a shift requires entering the amount of cash remaining inside the cash drawer. Once this is done, an employee can complete the change.

This report will give you an overview of how much money came in and was collected from customers. If there is less than expected or more, it could be a sign that one of your employees has been stealing.

Then, you can print out an end-of-day report. It will provide information about the entire shift. It can also tell you if the amount on the drawer is under or over the expected amount. If it is short, there could be an incidence of theft.

Aside from the opening and closing amounts, the report can provide other information on the day’s activity, such as:

• Sales by tender: sales total for the day, broken down by tender type (cash, credit, etc.)
• Returns: returns total for the day broken down by tender type
• Discounts: discounts total for the day broken down by tender type.
• Drops: the amount of cash taken out of the register to be deposited in a bank or safe
• Pay ins: the amount of money added to the drawer during the day (for a change)

Final Thoughts on How to Use a POS System

When you finish printing your report, the last thing to do is clock out of the app and end your shift. So that is how to use a POS system.

POS systems are more than just a touch screen cash register; they’re the center of your business. Click To Tweet