Tips to Getting Staff Onboard with New POS Systems

POS systems play an integral role in most retail and hospitality businesses. Beyond processing sales, the latest systems are capable of managing inventory, gathering data, and overseeing marketing efforts.

The POS software market cap is expected to almost double by 2028. This growth will see a lot of businesses implementing POS systems for the first time or upgrading existing software.

Getting staff up to speed with a new POS system can be a major challenge for business owners. However, POS training is a necessary undertaking for new recruits and current employees alike.

Once you’ve settled on the right POS system for your business, here are 5 key tips to ensure a smooth transition for your staff.

1.   Introduce the System

Before you get your staff set up with their new POS devices, you need to first talk through why your business has made the investment.

Start by explaining what POS actually is, and the role it will serve in your business. For example, if you’re in the hospitality sector, it could be to improve communication between front and back-of-house staff. A small retail business may just want to optimise payment at the tills.

Crucially, you should describe the advantages of the new POS system. Yes, it’s likely to boost turnover, but try instead to explain how it will benefit your employees personally. For instance, it may save certain warehouse staff from having to carry out tedious stock takes.

Highlighting the positive role of POS will get everyone willing to learn.

2.   Provide Hands-on Training

Many POS providers offer virtual training sessions as part of the package, but only first-hand experience will enable your staff to feel confident using the new system.

Once supervisors have given a demonstration, let your staff loose on the new POS hardware. Get them to process an order or look up specific stock on the inventory. Experiential learning makes it easier for your employees to commit training to memory.

Observations of staff working with POS systems for the first time outside of training are a good way to iron out mistakes and provide feedback. For example, have a supervisor sit for half an hour with a checkout worker using new POS hardware.

3.   Specialise Training

POS systems have a variety of purposes. Your customer-facing staff will be using POS differently to employees working in the warehouse. For this reason, you need to segment staff into separate groups and provide personalised POS training.

Consider the specific software integrations used by different departments. For instance, customer service staff will need to be familiar with payment processing software. HR should be well acquainted with data storage and employee monitoring software.

The hardware used across your business may also vary. Mobile POS systems are becoming increasingly popular in retail and hospitality environments. The training for these devices differs from that of fixed POS terminals. Whatever hardware staff use, they need to feel comfortable.

4.   Troubleshooting Plan

Unfortunately, POS systems aren’t flawless. Like most technology, they’re liable to errors, and staff should know what to do in this scenario.

During training, flag up the most common problems that arise with your POS system. These could include system crashes, reporting issues, voided items or unrecognised payment methods.

It’s crucial that your employees are aware of how to respond to these problems without the aid of senior staff. This helps to reduce any potential inconvenience to the customer.

5.   Ask for Feedback

Always seek to refine your POS training based on feedback from staff members.

A short questionnaire distributed upon completion of the training is a great way to go about this. Some of the questions may include:

• Do you feel confident using the POS system?
• What is the biggest challenge in using the POS system?
• How can the POS training be improved?

Also, lines of communication should always be open in case anyone encounters a POS-related issue in future.

Summary

Implementing a new POS system isn’t as daunting as it seems. Nowadays, these systems are very user-friendly, too. With these 5 tips, the transition will be seamless.

Get in touch today for free quotes on the latest POS systems!