Essential Features Your Point of Sale Pool Software Should Have
When choosing the best point of sale pool software to use, retailers agree that the goals are to keep the lines moving, create a seamless purchasing process, and increase sales along the way. This means that your point of sale pool software should be fully integrated with your water testing systems and your vendors, plus offer built-in sales tools to increase profits on every transaction. By combining powerful integrations and sales tools with mobile live retail and service solutions, your point of sale software will have everything you need for a smooth selling season.
Point of Sale Pool Software Feature #1: Water Testing Software Integration
Your water testing station offers an incredible opportunity to get to know your clients, their pools and spas, develop relationships, build customer loyalty, and sell more products and services. Imagine generating more revenue because you have increased productivity and profitability by streamlining daily pool and spa service operations. On the other hand, suppose you are leaving money on the table because your software systems aren’t integrated or because only part of your business is automated with separate manual systems that don’t provide up-to-the-minute information. In that case, it’s time for you to think about the number of revenue opportunities you are missing.
Having a point-of-sale software fully integrated with your water testing software will keep your staff from spending unnecessary time doing double database entry. Removing the need to do redundant typing allows employees to spend time speaking with customers while their water is tested. RB Retail & Service software integrates seamlessly with the leading industry water analysis software systems with Waterlink, BioGuard Alex Pro, and more.
In fact, many specialty retailers report that eliminating double data entry helps them immediately sell more chemicals because being able to sell chemicals at higher prices requires time to educate and discuss water treatment at the water testing station. Giving employees more time to educate customers helps retailers distinguish themselves from mass merchandisers. This ultimately allows retailers to charge more and profit more when selling water treatment products. Taking the time to guide the customer through available options is another way you and your staff will set your retail store apart as an expert supplier of pools and spas.
Integrating water testing software into the point of sale pool software streamlines the process further to see sales trends and help management purchase more efficiently, all of which improves customer service. Embracing these time-saving tools gives staff the time to provide improved customer service.
Point of Sale Pool Software Feature #2: Integration with Vendors
Another invaluable point of sale pool software feature is a ‘vendor integration’ feature that integrates your inventory system with your vendor suppliers. Specific pool and spa business software programs offer complete, pre-programmed inventory control systems that communicate inventory levels in real-time using vendor integrations. These pool industry integrations allow pool and spa businesses to check vendor orders, status, and available inventory before placing orders. There is no better way to provide outstanding customer service and stay ahead of competitors than to have your business software fully integrated with pool and spa vendors and suppliers.
A vendor integration feature allows users to electronically submit purchase orders from your software directly to distributors and manufacturers. This way, they can electronically review orders, backorders, and accounts payable line items to streamline communications between your company, suppliers, and customers. Another aspect of vendor integration is mass importing all new inventory items and mass updating costs on all existing inventory items. Software integration with vendors improves inventory accuracy, efficiency, and your ability to provide outstanding customer service. RB Retail and Service integrates seamlessly with PoolCorp, Carecraft, Horizon, Baystate, Quickbooks online, UAG, and more.
Point of Sale Pool Software Feature #3: Mobile Live Retail
Another indispensable point-of-sale feature in today’s competitive market is the mobile live POS feature that allows staff to use mobile tablets and smartphones to access all the information in your POS system information from anywhere on the retail floor. Being able to help a customer with readily accessible information on a mobile terminal or on any screen in the store improves customer service and builds an incredible amount of customer loyalty.
Retailers can also provide better and faster service to customers with the retail “line buster” feature or work the floor with inventory look-ups and instant access to customer history and profiles. Use a tablet, integrated magnetic stripe reader, or pocket barcode scanner to complete sales transactions, process credit cards, and email receipts. Capitalize on this popular trend that many shoppers have grown to expect and implement mobile shopping and check out in your pool and spa store in addition to your POS registers for a shopping experience that flows seamlessly.
Point of Sale Pool Software Feature #4: Online Bill Pay
An online bill pay feature is necessary for today’s point of sale pool software to ensure the most optimal cash flow. With an online bill pay feature, online sales and service invoices become part of a reliable billing process to make it easier and more convenient for customers to pay for their goods and services. As a result, pool and spa retailers and service companies are investing in online bill pay systems that allow them to send invoices via email and eliminate the cost of envelopes, stamps, labels, paper, and printer ink. This feature can also reduce labor costs by eliminating the time it takes to bill and collect payments. Additionally, by providing an electronic payment option, you offer the convenience of paying online or from mobile devices — perfect for streamlined, touch-free business transactions.
RB Software Offers These Features and More
Implementing a new point of sale pool and spa software system can help reduce or eliminate stressors curbing business development or your ability to handle another busy summer. In addition, a new point of sale pool software can improve efficiency and accuracy and save company expenses in the long run. Many programs can manage all business processes from sales to purchasing. Be sure to look for features in a point of sale pool solution that allow you to integrate with your water testing software and vendors and offer a mobile component with online bill pay. You will enjoy a less stressful, more productive, and more profitable season with these four key features.
