Holiday season is a big time for retailers, and your POS systems need to be ready. Here are four things you should work on going into holiday retail:
- Security
Security is going to be big this season as cyber criminals prep for another wave of malware attacks. Do everything you can to protect your systems. Switch to two-step authentication, update anti-malware and anti-virus programs, change passwords and consider upgrading to accept more secure payment options like Apple Pay and Chip-and-Pin. You should also train employees on what card skimmers look like and how to react if they see one. - Training
The holidays are a big time for hiring new employees, but in the rush of holiday preparations, training can fall to the wayside. It’s your job to make sure this doesn’t happen. The best POS hardware is intuitive and easy to learn, but throwing someone on a register without training will just get you in trouble. The employee will get anxious and flustered and customers will think your workers are incompetent. Prepare your employees for the holiday, even if they’re just temporary or seasonal workers. If you simply don’t have the time or budget to support training sessions, consider pairing new employees with experienced ones or keeping seasonal hires off the registers. - Updates
Retail POS systems can fall out of date as fast as any other form of technology, and your customer will notice how far you are behind the other guys if you don’t take steps to update your systems. Contact your POS provider to make sure your systems are up-to-date, and stop putting off any routine tune-ups or updates you’ve needed for a while. The last thing you want is a full system crash while you have lines to the door. - Additional POS Terminals
The holidays bring a lot of traffic, so it’s never a bad idea to have extra POS hardware that you can activate during peak days and times. Many stores install POS hardware on rolling tables that can turn any space into an extra checkout, and some stores have POS stations they only use in winter. Mobile POS hardware can also be a great way to reduce lines.