Many businesses and restaurants are evolving with the digital era and are now incorporating modernized solutions to process payments. Instead of using traditional cash register systems, there has been an increasing demand for iPads, tablets, smartphones, and cloud-based POS systems. Although the majority of your employees may be familiar with these new POS systems, there may be some employees, especially older generations, who may not be as accustomed to using them.

 

Here are five important features to consider as you train your employees on your modernized POS system: 

 

1. Form a Training Strategy
Be sure and create a training strategy on how you will execute all the different aspects of educating employees on the POS system(s). Doing so will allow both you and your employees to have a better understanding of the areas they will be trained on and what features they are expected to learn. Some important topics to cover could include the following:

 

  • Basic Information – Turning the equipment On/Off, how to navigate the POS system, etc.
  • Costs – How to accept a variety of payments such as cash, card, check, EMV, mobile wallets, and other alternative payments.
  • Directory – Where to find specific products, menus, etc.
  • Various Issues – How to process coupons, refunds, loyalty cards, etc. 

 

2. Teach Troubleshooting Techniques
There will be times where the POS system experiences issues, due to human error or a system malfunction. It is vital that you as a merchant make sure your staff knows how to handle such issues, if they arise, especially if you are not there. Some areas that could possibly come up with troubleshooting could be a system crash, how to void payments, or how to restart the POS system if it freezes up. 

 

3. Let Employees Test the POS System
Reading a manual or listening to you speak on how to handle the equipment isn’t adequate training. Make sure your staff is able to get hands on experience with testing the POS system themselves. Another great training tool is to encourage staff members to practice payment transactions with each other such as processing a payment, a refund, or managing through a software error. Allowing your staff to play around with the POS system and get acquainted with it will give them not only more confidence, but also a better experience in the long run. 

 

4. Apply Modular Training 
Since not every employee can get away from their duties all at once, it would be best to utilize modular training – offering flexible and short segments of training instead of long and mundane sessions. 

 

“Because of scheduling and the cost of including staff not scheduled when the training occurs, it may be helpful to have training that is modular and can fit into 1-hour segments, as opposed to having training that requires long periods of time,” said Hank Boyer, President & CEO, Boyer Management Group. 

 

5. Offer Continuous Education
Once your staff is comfortable with your POS system, it would be wise to pair them up with another experienced colleague in case they have any questions or concerns that may arise the first few days of operating it. After they get the hang of the POS system, you should continue to monitor your staff and also allow room for continuous education in case any software/system updates arrive for the POS system that would require additional training. 

 

Making sure your staff knows how to use your POS system is crucial so that your business stays effective and can meet the needs of your customers. Merchants should have a training strategy that outlines how they will execute all the aspects of operating a POS system in addition to going over troubleshooting issues. Likewise, letting your staff get hands on experience and training in smaller sessions will lead to higher confidence and improved customer experiences at the point of sale. Following all of the above steps coupled with continuous education will lead your business to continued success.