Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations Review (including HQ)

A quick reminder that sales of Microsoft Dynamics RMS and HQ to new users as well as mainstream support ends next year (2016) so please keep that in mind if you are thinking of purchasing RMS or HQ as point of sale software for your business or organization (not a wise investment at this point).

Update August 8th, 2015: Blog post and video covering all the options available for RMS users related to EMV: http://retailpospondering.blogspot.com/2015/06/options-for-microsoft-dynamics-rms-and.html

Update June 28th, 2015 - special discount and incentive from a national NCR CounterPoint Partner for RMS and HQ users: http://retailpospondering.blogspot.com/2015/06/big-discount-and-incentive-for.html

Update June 13th, 2015: A quick note that I have been receiving multiple calls and emails from Microsoft Dynamics RMS users looking to replace RMS due to the upcoming October 1st, 2015 EMV liability shift deadline as well as the "end of life" status for Dynamics RMS and HQ. I have personal experience with RMS users upgrading to NCR CounterPoint and would be happy to share - just visit my contact page for information on how to reach me. I can also put you in touch with a trusted NCR CounterPoint SQL partner.

Update January 1st, 2015:

At this point RMS and HQ users will need to pay to use a third party software applications in order to use EMV hardware and comply with the US EMV liability shift date of October 2015. Please also keep in mind that Microsoft RMS and HQ are end of life so now might be a good time to look at alternative point of sale systems like Retail Essentials or similar. 

Confused? Contact me for more information.

Update 9/23/2014:  In case you missed my other RMS related posts, Microsoft announced that mainstream support and sales of RMS to new users will end in July 2016.  The other issue of bigger concern is that Microsoft has made no announcement related to whether RMS will be updated to work with EMV hardware and the date for EMV compliance in the US is Oct. 2015.  As much as I have enjoyed working with RMS over the years, it is time for everyone to start making plans for RMS alternatives.

You can always contact me directly for more information and free advice as needed - I've already spoken with well over 400 businesses and organizations already related to what some possible options are.

I worked with the Microsoft Dynamics RMS Store Operations (RMS) software extensively over the last decade - including multiple installations of RMS HQ.  Here are my thoughts on RMS:

The Good:

• Very easy to learn and use
• Very easy to modify or use add-ons for special functions
• Stable and quick interface
• Extremely cost effective compared to other point of sale software programs
• Large user base
• Low ongoing annual costs to keep the software updated
• Easy upgrade to multi-location "HQ" interface

The OK:

• Technology is getting outdated
• Somewhat flexible hardware options
• Reporting interface can be confusing
• Touch screen interface is limited
• HQ interface technology is getting outdated and does take time to learn and use 
• Basic update was just released in Dec 2013

The Not So Good:

• Won't know until April 2014 what the future holds for the 38000+ businesses using this software
• Better communication from Microsoft
• Sales and mainstream support for RMS and HQ end in July 2016. Extended support ends on July 2021.
• Costs related to using RMS with payment gateways in order to accept chip based credit and debit cards in order to meet the October 1st, 2015 EMV Liability Shift Date in the US for card present transaction.

Summary:

The RMS/HQ has accounted for nearly 70% of all the solutions that I have provided over the last 14 years. I really like the affordability of the program, the feature set, and ease of use. However, until Microsoft provides more guidance on the future of RMS, I can not recommend the software to anyone at this point.
Visit my contact page for information on how to reach me.

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.

Software Reviews and/or Company Reviews

I've noticed that some of the most highly read pages on this blog site are post related to point of sale software reviews (it is tough to find valid reviews of any point of sale program as the reviews seem to be fake, highly favorable, or high critical - this is why I always used live copies of the different point of sale programs that I used to sell so I could see first hand the good and bad in each system).

My question to you would be whether I should also start searching for reviews of the companies actually selling, installing, and support retail point of sale solutions?  I know that I have gathered a lot of feedback on several companies over the years but I would want to most more specific review information as I come across it.

Let me know what you think on posting reviews of the companies actually selling point of sale solutions - see the blurb below for my contact information:

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.

Update 8.Feb.2014: I am in the processing of creating some posts that offer a basic review of the point of sale products that I have worked with as well as customer feedback on some companies that sell point of sale solutions. These reviews will all be posted between now and the end of Feb 2014.

Point of Sale Software Reviews

As I sort through my list of ~3800 contacts, I've had a few people contact me about getting reviews from actual users of the various point of sale programs on the market.  As I have mentioned before, I meet with retail store owners after they have started using a point of sale system and get the owners "brutally honest" feedback on the system.

Rather than upload a bunch of reviews, you can contact me at kevinantosh@gmail.com or during business hours mountain time at 208-340-5632 and I will be happy to share comments from specialty retail stores using the following point of sale software solutions:

• Cougar Mountain POS
• QuickBooks POS
• Registware
• Regit2000
• Comcash
• Retail Pro
• Clover
• NCR Silver
• Fasttrax
• NCR CounterPoint
• Microsoft POS 2007/2009
• Microsoft RMS Store Operations
• Microsoft RMS Store Operations HQ
• Various Sam4S cash registers

I also have some limited feedback on Lightspeed point of sale.

With so many contacts, I'm sure that I have met with a business similar to yours!

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.

New Review of NCR CounterPoint

Update July 19, 2015.  The information below refers to a single review and, as time as passed, many more reviews have been posted. Either businesses "love it" or "hate it".  Some of the issues related to what businesses appear to not like about NCR CounterPoint related to getting full support and training from their NCR CounterPoint SQL Partner/Dealer and not using the correct computer hardware.

It is also possible that some of the businesses overbought based on their business size and technology needs when it comes to a point of sale system.

A new review of NCR CounterPoint has been posted on softwareadvice.com.  Here are the review highlights:

• Business has been using NCR CounterPoint for 8 years
• The overall consensus is that the program is very expensive (initial purchase, support, and ongoing maintenance)
• There are unresolved functionality issues with barcode label printing and Z reports
• Overall review was 2 out of 5 stars

You can read the whole review here: http://www.softwareadvice.com/retail/radiant-systems-counterpoint-profile/

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.