Five Easy Upgrades to Make Your Register Faster
By: POSGuys - 11/13/2017

With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, we thought we'd put out a list of five easy upgrades that can be added to older cash registers to help make them faster are more efficient.

<h2><b>#5</b> - <em>Replace impact printers with fast thermal printers</em></h2>

Thermal printers are affordable, quiet, and incredibly quick. Besides those obvious benefits, there are a few lesser-known reasons to upgrade your impact printer to a thermal one. Thermal printers can print a sharp barcode for use with returns or promotional coupons. Thermal printers also tend to use thinner paper which results in the receipt paper lasting longer. <a href="https://youtu.be/3mPdkKfdV2M?t=39s" title="Watch an impact printer as compared to a thermal printer on YouTube.">See the difference in our video at 00:39.</a>

<em><b>Recommended Thermal Printer</b> - <a href="/receipt-pos-printer_12/POSGuys-com-White-Printer_2460/" title="Thermal printers"> POSGuys White Printer</a></em>

<h2><b>#4</b> - <em>Add a customer display</em></h2>

There is a benefit to using a pole display that often goes overlooked. Real-time pricing displayed helps customers identify problems before checking their receipt on the way out. Rather than go through the refund process to fix a mistake, the cashier can simply catch and fix errors before tendering the transaction. This speeds up the line and results in a happier customer. No one wants to wait in line, check out, get to the car, drop off their bags, notice the price discrepancy and then wait in line all over again just to get a price that they should have gotten the first time they checked out. <a href="https://youtu.be/3mPdkKfdV2M?t=1m56s">See a two-line VFD pole display in action.</a>

<em><b>Recommended Pole Display</b> - <a href="/pole-display_43/POS-X-Xp8200_832/" target="pole display"> POS-X Xp8200</a></em>
<h2><b>#3</b> - <em>Upgrade to a touchscreen monitor or computer</em></h2>

Speed up employee training by removing the need to memorize function keys or quick commands. A  touch screen monitor also has the added benefit of eliminating clutter from your checkout by allowing you to remove the keyboard and mouse.<a href="https://youtu.be/3mPdkKfdV2M?t=2m47s">Why upgrade to a touchscreen at 2:47. </a>

<em><b>Recommended Touch Screen Monitor</b> - <a href="/monitor_34/POS-X-ION-Fit_2397/" title="touch screen monitor"> POS-X Ion Fit</a></em>

<h2><b>#2</b> - <em>Print barcode labels</em></h2>

Hand entering products is time-consuming and opens you up to accidental pricing errors. Print your barcodes in advance to speed up check out and try adding the price to the product label. If the price is printed on the product then customers won't need to ask sales staff how much a product costs.  A label can also include sizes and special features so that customers can locate some information without assistance. <a href="https://youtu.be/3mPdkKfdV2M?t=3m41s" title="YouTube - Why print labels with prices on them.">Jump to #2 in the video on YouTube.</a>

<em><b>Recommended Barcode Printer</b> - <a href="/barcode-printer_1/Zebra-ZD-410_2493/" title="ZD410"> Zebra ZD410</a></em>
<h2><b>#1</b> - <em>Upgrade to a 2D barcode scanner</em></h2>

If you are using a laser barcode scanner this is a perfect way to upgrade your cash register. Imagers allow you to scan without spending time lining up the barcode and they are more aggressive in their scanning. What do we mean by aggressive? An aggressive barcode scanner will be more likely to read badly mangled barcodes or barcodes with lines drawn on the code. Additionally, imagers scan barcodes from mobile device screens which means you can start sending out emails with promo code barcodes and other barcode-based mobile coupons. <a href="https://youtu.be/3mPdkKfdV2M?t=5m16s">Our number one tip, upgrade your barcode scanner 5:16.</a>

<em><b>Recommended Scanner</b> - <a href="https://posguys.com/barcode-reader-scanner_3/Zebra-DS2208_2548/">Zebra DS2208</a></em>

Implement one or all of the five tips we suggest and watch your lines move! If you're not sure which one will make the most difference for your business just give us a call at 800.903.6571 or email sales@POSGuys.com. We support what we sell!

<h3>Video Transcript:</h3>

Hi, Travis from POSGuys.com,

Today we want to go over 5 tips to increase your register speed and get customers through your line faster. These are simple upgrades that you can do to an older register to help improve check out speed and make things go a bit quicker.

So, the first thing you are going to look at is the [printer][1] setup. If you have an older, impact printer, one of the best things you can do is upgrade to a newer, thermal printer. Thermal printers are available in very, very high speeds or they are available in slightly slower but more budget-friendly ones.
 
The [POSGuys white printer][2] is available for under $150.

When you look at the print speed side by side. I'll print on the impact first. So, not only is it slow, but it's also quite loud and the receipts aren't that great looking. And, if you compare it to the thermal printer, you can see that it's much quieter and it also prints a much nicer looking receipt.

One other feature of it is that thermal printers can print barcodes. So, the bottom of the receipt has that barcode printed. If you have to do a return or exchange, or any kind of work with the receipt, then you have a barcode that you can scan, rather than trying to type in the numbers for the previous invoice.

So, it's a good way to speed up. You have faster print speeds, and barcode printing. Additionally, [thermal paper][3] usually comes in a little more paper per roll. It's sightly thinner and can be rolled a bit tighter. So you will do less paper changes overall than using an impact receipt printer.

The next tip for speeding up your point of sale system and your checkout process is to employ a [pole display][4]. This is one of the accessories that a lot of people omit. It's not necessary for your point of sale transactions, but  it is a good way to save some time on it. The reason being, is that, when you are checking someone out, if they have any questions about what they are purchasing, or the price, then it automatically comes up on the display.

So, as you add the items on, they can see what adds to the order and they can also see how much it costs. So, it kinda removes having to go back and look item by item and tell them how much it costs. Additionally, if they are writing checks, it's a lot easier to write the check when they can see the total amount and you don't have to keep reading off the total of the order.

One other way to speed up checkout, and this is especially true if you hire seasonal help that might not be familiar with your point of sale system, is to get a [touchscreen monitor][5] because people tend to know how to touch things. So, rather than having to learn all the shortcut keys for using a keybeard, knowing that, like, F1 does returns, F3 does an item lookup, they can just touch the screen.

So, for example, you have an invoice going here and they need to pay, all they have to do is hit "cash" if they are getting cash and then you can check them out. They can put in dollar amount. If it's a $50 bill, then they can just type in $50.

So, it definitely speeds things up by using the touchscreen. It is one of the more expensive upgrades. If you already have a desktop computer then you can add just a [touchscreen monitor][6]. If you want to do a nice upgrade where it takes up less space, then [all-in-one computers][7] with built-in touch screens are available as well.

Our final two tips have to do with barcode printing and using barcodes with your point of sale system. If you don't have barcodes on all your items then that is the best thing that you can do to speed up your checkout process. Having to look up items manually or put in prices creates a lot of human error into the equation. It also just slows it down having to hand calculate and put things into the point of sale system.

So, putting labels is pretty easy. Using the integrated [Barcode Express module][8] in [Cash Register Express][9], you can print out a bunch of labels pretty quickly, and these labels have a barcode, the name of the item, and the price on it.

So, that's helpful for a couple different ways. One is that it eliminates having to do some price look ups. If the price is just right on the product then you don't have to have people bring things up, "hey how much is this", then look it up and then they either change their mind or want to get something else. It's just a lot quicker if they don't have to do any kind of price look ups.

It also has the description of the item on it, so if there are any questions on what size it is and whatnot, then you can print it right on the label. So, it helps check things out. So, having custom labels on products is a really quick and easy way to expedite your checkout process.

It's not that expensive to do. This is a basic 2 inch printer from [Zebra][10]. There are bigger sizes and faster printers available, but your basic budget printer is going to be in the $200 - $300 range.

Our #1 tip for speeding up checkout is to upgrade your barcode scanner. So, a lot of businesses have a basic laser barcode scanner, like this one. This is a [POS-X laser scanner][11]. So, it's a singe line mode, and if you have the barcode perfectly lined up, then it tends to work great. However, if you don't quite know where the barcode is, or it's a big item, getting it lined up might be hard. So, like this label that put on crooked, and so it's not able to pick it up and then I have to twist my hand and scan. So, overall it's not that bad, but it does take time and you have to be a little more precise.

If you compare that to a 2D imager, like the [DS2208][12], then you don't have to line it up anymore. As soon as you see the barcode, it's just placing it near it and it will scan. In addition, to being able to scan at all angles, it also reads damaged barcodes better, poorly printed barcodes better, and it can also read off screens.

So, if you are going to be doing any kind of mobile couponing. If you are sending emails out to your client base and they are going to come in and, instead of printing off the coupon, they just brought their phone, you can scan that coupon right off the phone, rather than having to type in the number of the coupon by hand. So this can definitely speed up your checkout process.

One other option is a hands-free, [omni-directional scanner][13]. This is the laser verity. They are available both in an imager or a laser, but this also doesn't require orientation. You just hold the barcode near the scanner and it'll pick it up. So, also a good option, if you kid of want to hold the products and not necessarily hold the scanner.

So, upgrading your scanner is definitely a good way to speed up your checkout process.

So, those were our five tips for upgrading your register and increasing your checkout speed. The printer upgrades, the scanner upgrades are all pretty affordable and they are really easy to do. So, it's just a matter of buying the equipment and adding to to your point of sale system.

The touchscreen upgrade is a little more expensive. The touch displays though, are really nice and they are built for tough, retail environments. They are a little bit different than your normal, consumer-grade touchscreens, where the bases are very solid. They don't wobble at all. So, they're really made to be touched. A lot of them have IP seals so, if they get a little moisture or dust on them they are not going to break.

So, overall, definitely take a look at upgrading your register. A lot of times, you can just do a technology upgrade and prevent having to increase your staff or other, more expensive upgrades to your business.

For more information, or to purchase any of the products, please give us a call at 855-POSGUYS or visit our website at POSGuys.com.

Thanks

[1]: https://posguys.com/receipt-pos-printer_12/
  [2]: https://posguys.com/receipt-pos-printer_12/POSGuys-com-White-Printer_2460/
  [3]: https://posguys.com/receipt-pos-printer_12/Thermal-Paper_267/
  [4]: https://posguys.com/pole-display_43/
  [5]: https://posguys.com/monitor_34/
  [6]: https://posguys.com/monitor_34/
  [7]: https://posguys.com/pos-computer_42/
  [8]: https://posguys.com/Accessories/PCA-BCE-LIC_1117852
  [9]: https://posguys.com/point-of-sale-software_35/PC-America-Cash-Register-Express_1047/
  [10]: https://posguys.com/barcode-printer_1/
  [11]: https://posguys.com/barcode-reader-scanner_3/POS-X-EVO-Laser_1281/
  [12]: https://posguys.com/barcode-reader-scanner_3/Zebra-DS2208_2548/
  [13]: https://posguys.com/omni-barcode-scanner_54/

Five Easy Upgrades to Make Your Register Faster By: POSGuys - 11/13/2017

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Five Easy Upgrades to Make Your Register Faster
By: POSGuys - 11/13/2017