When you are looking for a point of sale program for you business, you will probably be looking at what the software can do.  Each vendor offers different products and not every one of those products may be right for you.  The features within each program and software package will vary to some degree as well as have some similarities.  There are some basic functions that all of the software packages will have, but often it is the subtle differences that will make the difference.

First off, lets look at the basic features of a point of sale program.  These features should be relevant to any point of sale system for any customer, product based business.  As a dry cleaner, you are providing a service, which can be marketed as a product to sell.  A POS system should be able to track your customers.  Tracking customers is not only for easy labeling of clothing, it is used for marketing, projections, etc.  You can also use your customer list for promotions and referral programs to your business.  By following your customer base you can target your advertising and marketing plans to the types of customers you already have.  Another great feature of this is that you can look at customer history as well, both for your own records and if the customer wants to see their own transaction history as well.  Some of the other basic functions of a pos system should include a quick sale option.  This option is often used in cases where the customer is in a hurry, or comes in to buy a quick, small product, or you may have a line up and want to process your sales as quick as possible. Having the option to bypass customer name data, and quickly processing a sale is beneficial in today’s fast passed market.  Many people just don’t have the patience for it, and/or do not want to give you their personal information, they just want to give you their money, so make it easy for them to do so.

Other basic features also include bar code reader support, product tracking and inventory support.  Having your computer track all your inventory automatically by accounting for usage of materials, retail sales and incoming stock and supplies.  You can get a good view of your store in an easy to see way.  You can also setup reminders to order supplies and products if your inventory runs below a set level.  This will help you maintain your stock and never run out of essential items.  Using the barcode feature helps as you scan in your incoming stock and as it leaves the store through sales or regular product usage.

Any point of sale system should include at least most of the basic features.  As well as the standard sales part ( which is a given ).  If you opt for a basic program, you will want to make sure that you can customize it to your business.  This customization may or may not come with a fee as well.  Be sure that you research the costs and work required to make the software look and act like you want it to.

I personally do not think that going with a basic POS system for a dry cleaners is the way to go. I find that it is manageable at first, it is usually easy to setup, input your customer information and you can process sales and dry cleaning tickets ( maybe ).  The ticketing systems are what make the point of sale systems work in a dry cleaners, so make sure that you include the ticketing as part of the basic requirements.

Now, when it comes to specific features required for a Dry Cleaning business, there are a few features that I think are essential to running the business.  Both to help with future growth and ease of management.  Ticket printers are essential in a dry cleaning business because you need to label garments as they come in and be able to track that garment throughout the cleaning cycle.  So, rather then having to manually label each and every item, you can have the point of sale system generate your ticket automatically.  This should generate the appropriate tickets for the number of items, as well as a customer receipt for pickup or delivery verification.

Another great feature of the customized and specific dry cleaner software packages are the barcode and ticket scanners.  You need to be able to quickly identify any garment within your production facility and by using a barcode scanner ( wireless is handy ), you are better able to track those items.  You can also track the garments and bring up the customer invoice automatically by simply scanning the garment.  In the end, it is about speed and how fast you can produce and serve your customer.  In the customers mind, this is seen as efficient and good customer service if you can provide what they want quickly.

I also find that a touch screen system is essential. The cost is minimal these days compared to what it used to be 10 years ago.  So , the added cost might be worth it.  Having a nicely laid out computer screen that you can simply touch to do the functions you want is a lot faster and easier then trying to fumble around on a keyboard and mouse.  This is only made better if your screens and system setup are tailored to your business needs and functions.  So, making the most of the system setup and design will help you in the future and as you run your business.

As I have mentioned in my previous post about what you should know before buying a point of sale program, you need to look at the vendor as well and what they offer.  The vendor themselves need to be accessible, supportive and provide the training and advise as you need it.

In the end, the software features themselves should include the following.

* Customizable Setup and screens
* Customer database and tracking
* Drop off and Pickup order screens
* Caller ID / Customer identification
* Ticket printing and scanning
* Marketing and Customer reports
* Inventory and Sales tracking
* Touch screen function
* Hardware independence
* Quick Sale or Fast Ticket feature

Beyond the software, your vendor should be able to provide at least most of the following to you as a customers.

* Free support period
* Additional support by contract or incident based
* Training
* Software and Hardware guarantees as appropriate