10 Steps in a Point of Sale System Refresh

Are you considering a Point Of Sale System Refresh?  Whether it’s a full refresh, server refresh or systems infrastructure upgrade, there are a lot of factors to consider. By following a few simple steps you can reduce your risk and increase your reward. Some of these may seem obvious to retailers, but you might be surprised what can be overlooked when planning a project of this scale.

1. Customer Experience – You have most likely already investigated and determined that the refresh will be improving upon the customer experience. New systems are increasingly user-friendly and feature larger typography and vibrant graphics. Some systems also allow you to move remotely throughout the store to capture payment, a strategy that can break up lines and boost customer satisfaction. 

2. Advance Communication – Enough cannot be said about communicating the details of the system refresh with your employees in advance and throughout the project to keep all parties apprised of status and benchmarks. Lack of communication, whether perceived or real, can kill a project.

3. Project Manager –Designate one project manager who has the availability to oversee installation and communicate both with the store employees and the installation specialists.  This individual is put in place to make sure tasks are assigned and closed and communicate both progress and setbacks. 

4. Tax Benefits – Investigate the current tax laws. There may be tax benefits to performing a full Point of Sale refresh. Make certain to check on both hardware and software upgrades, as benefits can vary.

5. Equipment Disposal – Investigate whether your existing equipment can be traded in for discount against the new purchase. If not, can it be sold to help offset the costs of the new products?  If there doesn’t appear to be any savings to be had, then consider how you intend to dispose of the equipment. You may want to consider donation, recycling for parts, or total destruction. Proper disposal of equipment is just as important as its initial deployment.  You will want to partner with an organization that provides Certificate of Disposal in compliance with EPA regulations.

6. Site Surveys – Identify, in advance, potential issues at the sight with networking (both hard line and wireless), electrical, lay-out, etc. as well as other areas with the new equipment being installed.

7. Test, test, and then test again – It’s important that the testing occur in the lab as well as the production environment. You will want to designate a percentage of each store footprint to test the new environment in each unique situation and isolate the problems before the main project deploys.

8. Retrofit IT Infrastructure – Before the refresh occurs at a specific site, make certain that all aspects of the replacement technology have been explored and are prepared to go at the “flip of a switch”, as it will need to happen just about that quickly. Have you considered power requirements, glare, space requirements, etc.? 

9. Stagger the Stores – It’s best to have a percentage of your stores roll each night, based on the time zone of their location. That way the onsite personnel can get their work done earlier and have time to fix any issues at a specific site. As you work from the east coast to the west coast the process will improve for each night of installs. 

10. Post-Transition Support – Make certain you have taken into account that the stores may need a little assistance in the days right after an upgrade. Regardless of the amount of time spent in advance, there will be stores that need a little extra help after the fact.  Upon successful completion, make certain to communicate the results and how well the project went. Acknowledge those organizations and divisions that helped in making it a success.