NCR CounterPoint Review

Continuing on with my reviews of the various point of sale programs that I personally worked with, some thoughts related to NCR CounterPoint.

I have worked with about 30 businesses using the NCR CounterPoint solution as well as spent time in Alpharetta GA meeting with the folks at NCR.  I have a full functioning copy of NCR CounterPoint that I use for custom demo's, workshops, and at trade shows/expos.

The Good:

• Great touch screen interface for museums and retail businesses that have items that can't be barcoded
• Very advanced solution when it comes to having integrated email marketing, online shopping cart, and running on a smartphone/tablet
• Users of the software can submit suggestions for adding new features to the software
• Software is very customizable

The OK:

• Not the most responsive software in terms of overall speed if using features like customer tracking, pop-up product images, etc.
• Limited hardware options
• Requires a lot of training and patience to learn and use
• Multi-location capabilities are already built into the software

Needs Improvement:

• Complicated pricing structure (this may depend on which NCR CounterPoint partner or dealer you are working with)
• somewhat confusing ongoing monthly and annual costs to keep the software updated and use all the add-ons

Summary:

For retail stores with 1 to 300 locations, high technology needs, and annual gross sales of at least $800,000/location - NCR CounterPoint is a great solution.  NCR CounterPoint is also a great solution for museums with multiple museum specific functions.  There are also special versions of NCR CounterPoint designed for thrift shops/stores like Goodwill as well as hosted versions of CounterPoint to reduce IT expenses.

Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.

QuickBooks Point of Sale Software Review

I have noticed nearly triple the activity on my site recently so it appears that lots of folks are searching for point of sale systems. Some of the most popular posts are the software review posts so I am starting a series of software review posts based on the point of sale software programs that I have actually used.  These reviews will just hit the highlights as an in depth demo would better serve as a more detailed analysis of each point of sale software program.

Today I will hit the positives and negatives of the QuickBook Point of Sale software:

The Positives:

• Easiest point of sale program to learn and use 
• Strong interface to QuickBooks Accounting
• Handles the common functions like inventory and customer tracking
• Offers some basic loyalty, gift, and barcode label printing options
• Easy to train on

The Negatives:

• Limited hardware/peripheral compatibility (and Intuit tends to change what devices work with the software)
• Slow to open/start
• Limited add-on options (ie. online shopping cart interface or mobile app)
• Based on early 2000's database technology
• Constant advertising from Intuit for other products and services like payroll processing
• Must use Intuit for merchant services - no options (which means you are locked in to Intuit no matter what happens with your credit and debit card processing rates).

Summary:

I like the QuickBooks Point of Sale for the programs ease of use but have come across too many users paying much higher merchant services fee's through Intuit to recommend QuickBooks Point of Sale in most situations.

Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.

Undercover Boss Hudson Group Episode Point of Sale Problems

The latest episode of Undercover Boss featured Joe DiDomizio, CEO of Hudson Group going undercover at stores and facilities within the Hudson Group organization. I know that I have shopped at their stores in various airports in the US. Since this was another episode that showed possible issues with the point of sale system used within the store, I thought that I should point out some tips and tricks learned from the show.

From what I could see, the point of sale system used in the stores appeared to be slightly older - possibly much older as the inventory transfer software almost looked to be DOS or UNIX (or AS-70/400) based.  Hopefully the company will invest in a new point of sale system which will increase revenues through better efficiencies. My contact information appears at the bottom of each post in case I can help with any further questions related to point of sale solutions for multi-location retail stores.

• The water bottle not scanning or not being in the point of sale system: tough to know if this was because of a cheap barcode scanner (the barcode scanners looked to be decent quality MetroLogic laser barcode scanners), the water bottle UPC not being in the system, or just a "made for reality TV" moment.
• Have an open-ended/open price/prompt for price plu/sku in the point of sale system would allow you to still sell the item and then add the item to the point of sale system when there is not a long line of customers (versus writing down the UPC while customers wait).
• If the issue is because the scanner won't scan a small or curved UPC barcode, then it is very easy to set up the item as a menu item on a touch screen or to print out a more easily scanned version of the UPS barcode and keep it by the register for quick scanning.
• Tossing away receipts when a customer doesn't need a copy. This is a complete waste of paper and time. Just about every multi-location point of sale system today offers a setting that allows for how many receipts are printed as well as an "print on demand" option for when a customer wants a copy of his/her receipt.
• Transferring items between locations. In the show they had to move several books between two different locations. A very cumbersome procedure was involved with multiple steps in the software needed for each book to transfer the book from one stores inventory to the inventory for a different store.  This is completely unrealistic with todays multi-location point of sale systems. The systems that I have sold, installed, and supported allow you to create a transfer order using either a handheld computer/table or a barcode scanner. the whole process is much easier that what was shown on the show and, again, means that the Hudson Group is likely using an outdated point of sale solution.

The lesson here is that point of sale systems are investments that do need to be updated or replaced on a regular bases. It also pays to invest in the correct hardware that can handle all the different needs of your business. Finally, annuals reviews of the point of sale system should be done to ensure that the system is updated and not missing any important features or functions.

Are you in the US and in need of no cost retail point of sale advice? I'm happy to help and can be reached on my cell at 208-340-5632 (mountain time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com.