When investing in any new software for your business, the goal isn’t simply to install the tool, but to ensure staff members can use it with confidence. This is especially true of solutions that your entire team relies on all day, every day, such as point of sale (POS) software.
An inefficient POS system rollout can cost a business more than the new tool’s subscription fee. It can lead to checkout delays, frustrated employees, and lost revenue during peak hours. You may even need to invest in additional training and change management services, which will only increase the cost of your software implementation.
In this guide, we’ll discuss how you can more effectively train your staff members on how to use your new POS software. By following these tips, you’ll be able to confidently get current staff up and running with your new solution and easily onboard future employees.
Start by Teaching the Basics
When you want to teach a child math, you don’t start with algebra. Rather, you begin with fundamentals like addition and subtraction. The same principle applies to software training.
Instead of overwhelming employees with instructions on how to handle every feature at once, start by explaining the most fundamental workflows they need to use your solution successfully. Once they have a good grasp of the basics, they can learn more advanced features and configurations.
Some essential, high-frequency POS tasks you should teach employees from the get-go include:
- Processing a standard sale with multiple payment types.
- Handling a basic return or exchange.
- Applying common discounts or promotional codes.
- Managing receipting, including physical printing and digital receipts.
- Opening and closing the register drawer for cash purchases.
Depending on the type of business you run, you may need to teach additional everyday POS skills. For instance, let’s say you operate a nonprofit thrift store. You might ask customers to round up their purchase to the nearest dollar as an additional donation to your mission, a feature ThriftCart recommends looking out for in a thrift store POS system. In that case, you’ll want to train employees on how to use this feature and how to approach add-on donations with customers.
Teaching the basic skills needed to use POS software effectively before anything else ensures that your employees always know how to keep your business running, even if they don’t yet understand higher-level features like analytics and reporting.
Utilize a Dedicated Sandbox Environment
Although knowledge is more easily shared through manuals, video tutorials, or e-learning modules, there’s no replacement for hands-on practice with your POS system. However, when staff members are unfamiliar with their software, they may make errors that are complex or time-consuming to fix. The best option is to provide them with a way to interact with your POS interface in a risk-free setting.
Create a dedicated sandbox environment where staff members can:
- Run mock transactions.
- Practice multi-item returns for cash or store credit.
- Simulate error corrections and void specific items.
- Role-play difficult customer interactions while using the interface.
This is also a great space to help employees go beyond the basics and fully develop their knowledge and understanding of your system. For instance, you can use your sandbox environment to train on inventory management features, including checking current inventory levels and ordering new stock.
Or maybe your staff could practice suspending and resuming transactions, processing complex split payments across multiple payment methods, and executing manual price overrides for damaged goods.
Identify and Empower Internal Lead Adopters
Most stores won’t have managers available at every terminal to assist employees with their questions. Instead, identify staff members who perform well during training and empower them to assist other employees with questions or who are otherwise struggling.
These lead adopters can serve as your first line of defense for troubleshooting or peer support, greatly reducing the workload for managers and leadership. Plus, other employees may feel more comfortable asking their coworkers questions than asking managers, improving skills across your team.
You can further empower your lead adopters by inviting them to receive advanced training early. This practice further broadens their knowledge and enables them to assist with a wider range of questions and actions about your POS system. It also helps these employees to develop a stronger sense of ownership over business operations, further engaging them in their work.
Double the Donation recommends incorporating some form of recognition into this advanced training to ensure that your lead adopters feel appreciated for their work and the higher level of responsibility they’ve been tasked with. For instance, once you’ve reached a month or two after software implementation, you can treat your lead adopters to dinner as a thank-you.
Create Modular Quick-Reference Assets
Even with comprehensive training, staff will inevitably forget specific steps during busy shifts. However, the traditional training manual is too cumbersome for the checkout counter, and it may seem unprofessional to customers if they have to wait for an employee to thumb through instructions until they find the right one.
Instead, managers should provide modular quick-reference assets, such as:
- One-page laminated cheat sheets for the most common workflows.
- QR codes on hardware that lead to short tutorial videos.
- Screenshots with clear arrows for complex navigation steps.
For example, at a massage business, you might include the following information in these assets:
- Cheat sheet: Quick steps for checking out, locating massage memberships, deducting the day’s service from a gift card, and applying any discounts or promotions.
- QR codes: How to pull up intake forms and waivers for clients to sign before their appointment, and how to re-pair card readers if they lose connection with the main POS tablet.
- Screenshots: Procedures for updating intake status, applying a no-show or late fee, adding premium items or additional purchases to the service total.
The greatest value that these assets bring is reducing the cognitive load on your team. Staff members find a lot of reassurance knowing that even if they forget something, it’s not the end of the world. That way, they can focus more of their energy on providing excellent customer service and less on stressing over their next step.
Establish a Post-Launch Feedback Loop
Training is an ongoing process that extends beyond implementation. Even after your existing staff members are confident in your new POS system, they may run into new issues over time. To ensure that you address all issues and challenges staff are facing with your POS system, create a post-launch feedback loop that includes these steps:
- Conduct a 10-day post-launch survey with the team.
- Monitor void and error logs for recurring patterns.
- Ask lead adopters to identify the top frequently asked questions.
- Schedule a “lessons learned” session one month after implementation.
This process ensures that employees feel heard and helps leadership and managers discover issues that they may not have been aware of. Having a feedback loop like this creates a shared commitment to making your POS system work for everyone, which is the key to maximizing long-term software ROI.
Any software implementation requires proper training and change management. With these tips, you can more effectively train and manage your staff as you implement your new POS system, ensuring that you hit the ground running with your new solution. When all employees understand how to use your new POS solution, you’ll create better customer experiences through a stronger, more confident team.
