Friday, March 1, 2013

Preventive Maintenance and Tune Ups

Just like a car, preventive maintenance and regular tune ups are an essential, and low cost way, to extend the life of your point of sale system. Items to consider...

Preventive Maintenance (mostly daily)
  • Staying current on your software maintenance so you always have the latest version of your point of sale software
  • Running regular anti-virus and malware scans
  • Backing up your point of sale software daily (yes - daily!)
  • Keeping your computer updated
  • Cleaning your equipment
  • Using a high quality surge suppressor or battery back-up to help prevent damage from power fluctuations or power outages
  • Following correct opening and closing proceedures
  • Using the correct methods within the software for menu changes or inactivating inventory items that are no longer being sold
Regular Tune Ups (every 3 - 5 years)

  • Replacing or updating computer hardware that shows signs of slowing down
  • Cleaning, archiving, or compacting the point of sale database (makes the point of sale software run more efficient/quicker)
  • Replace older peripherals that are showing signs of age
  • Review areas where you may want additional training on advanced functions within your point of sale system
  • Review available options or add-ons for your system (like an online shopping cart, frequent diner or preferred customer program)
  • Spend 20 minutes with your point of sale partner just going over your experiences with the system - its amazing what a conversation can uncover.
Costs

Preventive maintenance generally has little to no cost other than time. Getting a tune up (or system refresh) can run  $200+ - it just depends on what your system needs.  The main outcome is to extend the life of your point of sale system and increase the effectiveness of how you use the system.

You can always contact me if you have questions.




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