Log in
We’ve all been there before, standing in a long, slow-moving line waiting to buy tickets at the door of a school event or purchase popcorn at the game. There has to be a faster, more efficient way to pay for things, right? Turns out, there is!
Simplifying selling for your organization is much easier than you think, especially when you have the right tools. A point of sale system, or a POS, does the work of streamlining your operations and improving your customer’s experience.
Once you integrate a point of sale system into your PTA, PTO, or booster club, you’ll be able to use its power to save time and reduce the stress of managing your organization.
A point of sale system is a single platform you can use to manage:
There are different types of systems for point of sale that offer specific pros and cons, so make sure you’re clear on where and how you’ll be using it and what you need it to do.
Traditional point of sale systems are made for on-premise use and require installation on a computer or server. They’re typically on the pricier side and are limiting if you want to take payments outside of a single, stationary location.
Cloud-based point of sale systems provide much more flexibility than traditional ones, because they can be used on any device with an internet connection. Generally they’re less expensive to get up and running, however because of their dependence on the internet, they can be unreliable.
Finally, there are mobile point of sale systems which are often best for school groups like PTAs, PTOs, and booster clubs because of their ability to be used anywhere. Mobile point of sale systems usually run on tablets or smartphones while offering the same features as traditional and cloud-based systems.
They’re highly portable which makes them perfect for use at concession stands, fundraising events, and school stores. Plus, mobile systems are inexpensive to use.
Using a point of sale system to integrate everything from sales to financials helps streamline your organization’s operations, reduce errors around revenue and inventory, and improve efficiency.
Plus, the real-time data a point of sale system provides can help you make faster, more informed decisions that benefit your customers and your organization.
PTAs, PTOs, and booster clubs that use a point of sale system can keep customers happier with faster checkouts and multiple options for payment methods, not to mention smoother event management with the ability to scan tickets.
That’s especially important everywhere from busy concession stands and football games to school coffee shops.
There are a few important features you should look for in a point of sale system that will make your life easier:
Think about all the ways your customers want to make a purchase. There’s credit and debit cards, mobile payments (tap to pay), contactless transactions, and cash purchases. Look for a point of sale system that accepts all types of payments to make purchases easy for your customers.
If the system you use for point of sale doesn’t have real-time inventory tracking, you’re likely to stock out and oversell, disappointing your customers. Make sure your POS works with your inventory management so you can keep all your customers happy.
When your customers make a purchase, your point of sale system should be able to capture their information and automatically add them to your customer database or update their profile.
You can save yourself a ton of stress when it comes to managing your events if your mobile point of sale system works with your ticketing platform. Not only will you be able to sell tickets onsite at your event, but you can also scan tickets at the event entry to get people in the door fast.
You’ll probably have a lot of different volunteers using your mobile point of sale system for all your different school programs and events throughout the year, so having a POS that is easy to learn is an absolute must.
When you make selling easy, everyone benefits. It’s faster for your customers to purchase, it’s simpler for you to track inventory and order fulfillment, and it’s more streamlined and organized for your treasurer to reconcile your organization’s financials.
.png)
