It’s the new year and you’re looking for a way to trim the fat in your business and increase your revenue. What’s the easiest way you could possibly accomplish this?
Look no further than your checkout counter! Forrester Consulting polled 1000 grocery shoppers to gauge their satisfaction levels while shopping. Guess what they voted the most annoying aspect of the shopping experience? Yep, long checkout lines.
Check out customers faster and you’ll service a higher number of customers per day. Service more customers and you’ll instantly grow your revenue. But HOW do you improve your checkout speed – and at NO cost to your business? Let’s take a look.
It All Comes Down to Hiring
Mistake #1 – Many merchants believe they can hire anyone to run their front counter. After all, where else do you stick the new employees who are learning the ropes, right?
But the front counter is where money is exchanged. It’s where your business completes transactions and services the customer face-to-face. If anything, running the front counter – commonly called the point-of-sale – is the MOST important role you could entrust to an employee.
Step 1 is to hire competent, alert, friendly, thorough individuals to run your front desk. Teach them about all your offerings – your promotions, your merchandise, your package deals, etc. – and show them how to correctly scan and/or enter those offerings into your POS system.
How does your business improve from hiring the right people to run checkout?
- Faster checkouts, more revenue
- More satisfied customers (lower waiting times in line, friendlier service at checkout)
- Quicker checkout issue resolution (one person never holds up the line for too long)
Use Signage to Inform Your Customers
We’ve seen it happen time and time again: a customer gets ready to pay for something with their credit card…only to realize that the store is cash-only. They’re left to fish dollar bills out of their wallet to pay, or they just don’t pay at all. Lost time and lost revenue.
One subtle trick to avoid line slowdowns is to post signage that lists your accepted payment methods. At minimum, post signage outside your store and at the front desk. This is a great way to eliminate those awkward, time-consuming situations at checkout that slow the line down.
Of course, the better alternative here is to accept as many forms of payment as possible, and that’s only possible if your POS system is advanced enough. Click here to learn more about the POS systems we offer our merchants.
Invest in Multiple POS Systems and/or EMV Terminals
Think stores like Target. You go to check out. There are 15 aisles open at all times, so customers never have to wait too long to pay for their items.
Of course, that’s not too realistic for most small businesses, but IF it’s within your budget, investing in an extra POS system or EMV terminal is not a bad idea. Not only will you check customers out faster, but you’ll also have a backup terminal on-hand in case your primary one stops working.
While it’s nice to have a backup, it’s not a necessity; most POS systems have long lifespans if taken care of. If you can manage with one, you should stick with one.
Can’t afford multiple POS systems? Try purchasing a dual screen model instead! These POS systems include a screen that allows the customer to complete transactions themselves, saving you time you’d otherwise spend manually punching in their info.
Still Don’t Think It Matters?
Checkout waiting times matter. Make your customers wait long enough and they won’t want to come back to your business, nor will they recommend you to any of their friends. Your duty is clear: invest in the right employees and the right technology to breeze through checkout, win over new customers, and earn your business more revenue.
Quantum can help you do just that – and cut costs in other areas of your business. Click here to learn more about the pricing programs and POS technology we offer our merchants.
