Lightspeed Point of Sale Pains

Over the last 4 years, I've had the opportunity to meet with several retailers that use Lightspeed point of sale. From time to time, there have been a few concerns about Lightspeed but nothing major. That has changed over the last few months to the point where Lightspeed users have been contacting me about replacing Lightspeed with another point of sale system. The main issues with Lightspeed appear to be (based on what retailers have communicated to me):

• Entire system goes down for around an hour every 1-2 months during normal retail business hours
• No option for a customer price/pole display (which some states/cities require)
• Peripherals need frequent replacement - not designed for retail stores with high customer traffic (eg: liquor stores or convenience stores)
• *new* - had a Lightspeed user that I met with in person who explained how the inventory quantity on hands are not accurate whenever they initiate a transfer between the main warehouse and a store.

I want to stress that this information only comes from a handful of Lightspeed users but I wanted to pass along in case any other Lightspeed users might have feedback that they would like to share. As I meet with these retailers, I will pass along additional details as they become available.  You can reach me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com as needed

Still Using Microsoft RMS Version 1.X? Things You Should Know

There are still a multiple stores in the US using version 1.2 or 1.3 of the Microsoft RMS point of sale software (also under the Store Operations name) so I wanted to pass along a checklist of reasons why you may want to consider an upgrade to RMS version 2.02 or even version 3 under the new Retail Management Hero name.

1. Support for version 1.2 and 1.3 ended some time ago per this page on the Microsoft website: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle?p1=10339&forceorigin=esmc
2. If you are still using a software key/dongle, you can not obtain a replacement (and those devices are sensitive to just about anything - especially static electricity). If the key/dongle fails, you will lose access to the POS module in RMS.
3. There are known device issues with Windows 10 - especially when it comes to receipt printers and barcode printers.
4. You are not PCI compliant 

The good news is that you can upgrade to version 2.02 of RMS and obtain a more traditional software key or you can upgrade to the new Retail Management Hero software as well. As costs vary depending on what hardware you have and whether you have stayed current on your RMS software maintenance, please contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com for more information. A good ballpark starting price is $940 to cover the lapsed maintenance and issue a new single lane license key for version 2.02 of RMS.

Windows 10 SHA-1 and SHA-2 Issues

Update 10/4/2016: Heartland has provided an alternate payment portal which resolves this issue. Do contact them directly if Heartland has not already provided you with the updated information. Your Microsoft Dynamics RMS Partner may also be able to assist with the required changes. Contact me at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com if you do not have an RMS Partner.

A special thanks to a couple of stores that called me to explain the resolution to this issue and confirmed that things are working correctly again - very much appreciated.

Also of note, detailed resolution information will be made available soon on RITE's website: http://www.rite.us/Support/MicrosoftRMSSupport/RMSTutorials/DoesMicrosoftDynamicsRMSSupportSHA2.aspx

Update 9/27/2016: Working on testing a possible resolution - will provide more details once they are made available to me.

Update 9/21/2016: thanks to those of you who contacted me directly thanking me for posting about this issue!  I will update this post as applicable but, so far, the only response from Heartland has been a blanket "we are working on a resolution and will advise" response as well as what I can only describe as a single Heartland Rep displaying the biggest act of un-professionalism that I have ever seen in my 18+ years of working with point of sale systems (they have managed to tarnish my sentiment towards Heartland but thankfully I have other Heartland Reps that I work with in person who are happy to help restore my positive sentiment towards Heartland).

Original Post:
Just when everything appeared to be sorted out related to the new SHA-2 security requirement, a recent Windows 10 update has caused some new problems.

Because of this Windows 10 update, error messages may appear in the Microsoft RMS point of sale software in specific situations as noted below:

• Point of Sale Software: Microsoft RMS
• Operating System: Windows 10 with September 2016 update installed
• Website for credit card processing is not SHA-2 compliant
• Merchant Services Company: Heartland

Other Notes:

• At this point, the issue is specific to Heartland as Mercury and TSYS appear to be functioning normally
• Heartland does not have any information on when they expect the issue to be resolved
• This shows how unexpected issues can crop up with anything related to technology so please use this as a reminder to have a point of sale partner/vendor/VAR that you can rely on for ongoing support after your point of sale system is up and running

As this may prevent you from being able to fully tender credit and debit card transactions, the following options are available:

• Roll back to previous Windows 10 build
• Disable new updates to Windows 10 until the issue is tested as resolved
• You may be able to process credit and debit card transactions manually but note that you will be paying a much higher percent for "hand keying" a credit or debit card transaction (easily 4% to 4.5%)
• Consider using Card Defender for Microsoft RMS which allows full EMV/Chip card processing within RMS as well as NFC payments like Apple Pay and Google Wallet. Card Defender is unique in not charging any additional per transaction fees as well as being processor agnostic (Heartland, First Data and TSYS).  More information on Card Defender can be found at http://retailpospondering.blogspot.com/p/card-defender-emv-for-rms.html and http://www.payconfident.com/

Do contact me with any questions at 208-340-5632 or kevinantosh@gmail.com

Barcode Scanner Issues on the Shopper's World Undercover Boss Episode

I think this is the 3rd or 4th time that the TV Show Undercover Boss on CBS has shown an episode that included some sort of issue with a point of sale system.

In the Shoppers World episode, one of the segments included problems with a barcode scanner not being able to scan the barcode tags and labels used in the store as well as problems with a handheld device used to check for markdowns.

The handheld device problems was attributed to WiFi issues which does point out that having business class routers and other business class IT equipment in your store is essential in order for the devices to work correctly. Given the size of the Shoppers World stores, they would likely benefit from having 2-3 hand held devices per store as well as having hot swap equipment in case a device needs repairs. In most cases, these types of devices can be moved from store to store with minimal programming.

The barcode scanning issue at the check out lane was a bit tougher to figure out as there are a lot of of variables related to barcode label/tag size and how the barcode scanners are programmed. I'm sure the issue has already been resolved at Shoppers World (or was just a made for reality TV moment) but the take away is to always work with your point of sale partner/vendor to make sure that the barcode scanners can be programmed to handle the sizes and types of labels and tags used in your business as well as the volume of transactions.

Some things to check on specific to labels, tags, barcode scanners, and the label/tag printers:

• Sizes of media being used
• Format being used
• Label/Tag printing being used (DPI, Thermal Transfer, Direct Thermal, etc)
• Size in mils of the barcode itself
• Type of barcode scanner: Laser, CCD, Single Line, Omni-Directional, Auto-sense, Trigger, near/far scanning, etc

Point being, make sure that you are getting them correct equipment for your business - while you may save $300 by going with a low cost barcode scanner, how much will you end up losing in employee errors and longer transaction times (and fewer repeat customers) by requiring manual entry of the product code if the barcode scanner can't scan the barcode?

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 (I am on Mountain Time) or via email at kevinantosh@gmail.com. There is also a contact form to the right that can be used to reach me.