You may accomplish much more with the aid of a contemporary point-of-service (POS) system than simply taking orders and handling payments. You must learn how to operate your POS correctly if you want to get the most out of it.

Installing an app on your iPad and connecting it to a card reader is all it takes to use a POS system if you operate a small business. The POS could be a little trickier to use for larger firms with more complicated hardware and software requirements.

How to Accept Cash Payments

The touchscreen monitor in most modern EPOS systems has a visual interface for inputting the items sold and the amount of the payment. When you take cash, you typically enter the amount the client gives you in cash. The POS software then figures out how much change is owed to the consumer. In order to make sure the client has paid the exact amount, you should now deposit the collected cash in the cash drawer and retrieve the overdue coins and notes to return to the customer.

The cash drawer needs to be sealed tightly when not in use in order to deter theft. In today’s EPOS systems, it often opens instantly when you enter the paid cash amount on the till screen since it is typically connected with the main computer or tablet software. Depending on whether it is integrated or not, you might need to manually open the cash drawer.

How to Accept Card Payments

At a till point, cards can often be accepted in one of two ways: manually through a linked-up system, or automatically. Both require a card reader of some kind, whether it be a separate terminal for manual entry or an integrated terminal for a networked system. Regardless of the terminal’s design, it must connect to the internet either by a built-in SIM card, WiFi, or a phone line using a cable.

Unlike a cash register or point-of-sale system, a standalone card terminal does not require either to process payments. A solo terminal and the other components of your POS system are not in communication with one another. In other words, after adding up the things to sale on the till screen or cash register, you must input the whole amount on the card machine keypad.

Once the connection has been made, the terminal will request approval of the transaction from the merchant bank, card issuer, and others. Once accepted, it will either confirm with a beep or message on its display indicating the payment was successful, or if it has an internal printer, it will print out a receipt.

How To Use POS Hardware

All the physical components of your POS system are referred to as POS hardware. Hardware may be utilized in a variety of ways to expand the usage of your point of sale, including printing receipts and holding cash. Despite the fact that most organizations would benefit from hardware components, each one has somewhat distinct requirements. In light of this, it’s crucial to take the specific needs of your company into account before buying and installing hardware equipment. The following is a list of the primary POS hardware categories that are offered, along with usage instructions.

  • Touch screen monitor: You must install or run POS software on your touch screen terminal before connecting it to other hardware components, regardless of whether you want to utilize a dedicated POS terminal, a tablet, or a smartphone.
  • Card readers: To use a card reader, you must input the right amount into the terminal, hit Enter, and then take the customer’s payment. A receipt that may be used as evidence of purchase will thereafter be typically produced by card readers.
  • Receipt Printers: Before using your receipt printer, you must load it from the machine’s top with a roll of paper. Once it is connected to the rest of your POS system, simply hit the “start” button, and receipts should start to appear immediately.
  • Barcode scanners: To scan a product, all you need to do is hold the handheld scanning wand up to the desired barcode and direct the red LED light at it. The system ought to record the barcode as soon as it has been correctly scanned.