Technological advancements for point-of-sale (POS) systems are making it easier than ever to run a business in today’s highly competitive world. For many businesses, there is simply no going back to traditional sale terminals, which are a rare sight in retail shops. This is because POS systems are becoming increasingly efficient and can do everything from processing credit cards using chip & pin devices, to transmitting sales data to other terminals that a business is using. Now, many POS systems come with in-built Customer Relationship Management (CRM) features. These features allow retail owners to create sales reports, input customer information, update customer database in the cloud, enhance customer experience, and perform many other functions. Below are ways in which POS systems help in CRM.
Quick Capture of Customer Information
POS systems with in-built CRM functionality make the collection of customer information quick and easy. Instead of employees inputting customer information, these POS applications collect, export, and save the data recorded during a transaction automatically. This data can include details such as the name of customers, their email addresses, their billing and shipping addresses, and money spent on shopping at a given business. CRM-enabled POS systems save businesses time and money that would otherwise be spent entering this data by hand.
Improved Customer Experience
A good way of increasing sales is by paying attention to what customers want so as to enhance their shopping experience. Not only do CRM-enabled POS systems speed up the time it takes to pay for goods at the transaction point, they also collect and keep track of customer preferences and buying histories. Specific details such as personal tastes, aversions, and allergies of regular customers are collected and transmitted to CRM solutions in real time. This information enables business owners to offer personalized services to individuals or customer groups, thereby enhancing their shopping experience and keeping them coming back for more.
Synchronization with Other Departments
CRM-enable POS systems allow for the sharing and distribution of information among staff members of different departments. This information remains stored on a single platform, which is accessible to specific employees and updates made in real time. Authorized staff member are therefore able to access customer information or any other sales data in a quick and easy manner from any department.
Going After Loyal Customers
All businesses have different categories of customers. There are those who shop frequently and have a great impact on sales, those who are likely to return, and those who are not worth going after. CRM software can help retail owners determine those 3 categories of customers thereby allowing them to employ marketing tactics, which will attract loyal customers, as well as buyers who are likely to return. Such marketing tactics can include shopping reward systems and gift card functionality built into POS systems.
A good CRM system is becoming the ultimate solution for surviving in today’s competitive business world. POS systems with in-built CRM functionality are able to process various tasks that are vital for managing customer relationships. These POS systems come in a variety of choices giving business owners the freedom of choosing one that matches their specific needs.
Birk Macgregor loves to share useful tips and insight gained from running his own retail shop. He also writes for I-POS.co.uk, a website that offers intelligent mobile POS software for people in the retail and hospitality industry.
