Many retailers agree that the water testing station can be a bit like the local bar where customers sit and have a conversation with the bartender — in this case, the water care specialist. Chatting with customers while testing pool and spa water gives employees time to get to know the customer and their needs. In addition, your employees have an opportunity to share their chemical expertise with the client, building customer confidence and loyalty. But your water testing station employees need time to talk. The way to gain that time is to integrate your pool water testing software with your POS business software, so staff doesn’t spend unnecessary time doing double database entry.

In fact, many specialty retailers report that the time saved by eliminating double data entry helps them immediately generate higher profits on chemicals because they have more time to spend educating the client on why the chemicals are needed. Giving your staff the ability to share their chemical knowledge with the client differentiates your business from competitors like mass merchandisers. This ultimately allows you to charge more and profit more when selling water treatment products, even products available through other sales channels.

Additionally, pool and spa retailers are taking advantage of the programmable print-outs from pool water testing software to help recommend products to customers — which is especially helpful during the busy summer months. Savvy retailers take these reports to a higher level by adding a ‘related items’ feature that prompts staff to ask the customer if they wish to purchase items that go along with the items they are already purchasing. Integrating the pool water testing software into the POS business software streamlines the process further to see sales trends and help management purchase more efficiently, which improves customer service. Embracing these time-saving tools gives staff more time to spend with the client to fully meet their needs.

By streamlining the experience at the pool water testing station, employees also have additional time to talk to customers about how the backyard is used and more opportunities to up-sell products and services. By removing the time previously used for double data entry, employees gain valuable face-time with customers — especially now that COVID restrictions are lifting. Specialty retailers immediately gain a competitive advantage over big-box or online retailers with personal interactions, giving them an invaluable customer loyalty boost.

With stiff competition from online retailers, brick-and-mortar pool and spa stores must compete on service and the total shopping experience. Pool water testing software integrated into your POS business software removes the need for staff to interrupt lab technicians who are taking care of customers. By adding a live mobile application, staff can use mobile tablets and smartphones to access previous test results and other information anywhere on the retail floor. Offering customers readily accessible information at any terminal or screen in the store improves customer service and builds incredible 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 strip 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 by implementing mobile shopping and check-out in your pool and spa store in addition to your POS registers for a shopping experience that flows seamlessly.