What Is a POS System? Then it is time to dive into what QuickBooks has to offer so you know what you are getting yourself into.
- QuickBooks provides POS Systems that is locally-installed. This requires maintenance of hardware from your end.
- QuickBooks can be used by businesses of various sizes. It has different packages through which small, medium and large-sized businesses can use it.
- You can use QuickBooks POS system for retail. Restaurants, businesses that sell goods in bulk, and grocery stores will not find QuickBooks ideal.
- There are three packages you can choose from:
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- QuickBooks Basic: You can get this for $1200 and you get the following features: vendor management, EMV capable, tracking of inventory, the addition of discounts, along with gift cards.
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- QuickBooks Pro: This package is available at $1700 which gives you the features in the Basic plan along with loyalty program, employee data management, and offer layaway.
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- QuickBooks Multi-Store: This plan has features from Pro plan and gives you the ability to operate your store at various locations. This package costs $1900. You get the additional features of tracking packages, reporting, shipping, inventory and managing multiple stores.
- QuickBooks POS software is easy to use especially for a Windows user. A section on the left has all the tasks that you would normally use and this makes usage extremely easy.
- When it comes to credit card processing, you need to open an account with Intuit Payment Solutions. There are three different rates depending on what you choose.
- The reminders are useful pieces of information that you can use from QuickBooks. For example, it will let you know about low inventory that you need to stock etc.
- The software by QuickBooks works on Windows computers only. You can easily use this software on machines that have Microsoft Vista installed or later versions.
- You have to purchase peripheral hardware from Intuit if you want the customer support from them. The only exception is Started Edit.
- You have to pay for customer support; $299.95 per year. If you don’t opt for the support, you have forums to get help from. The other option is the ISP program from Intuit.
- There is an easy rewards program that is built in the QuickBooks POS software. This allows you to apply rewards easily when you are making a sale.
How QuickBooks Fares
QuickBooks POS software is easy to use and many customers have claimed that it is fairly easy to train employees. Customization might be necessary for you and this is another aspect where QuickBooks wins. There are many options through which you can customize and this allows a variety of startups to use QuickBooks. QuickBooks software has the ability to effortlessly integrate with other software by Intuit. One of the other benefits of QuickBooks is that you can track inventory when you are operating from many places which makes tracking easy and convenient.
Unfortunately, the list of the negatives overpowers the positives when it comes to QuickBooks. Firstly, QuickBooks offers limited features that a strict no to many businesses. This includes features that are not up to the par for inventory and reporting. Inventory and the reports are extremely important for any store and if these are not good enough then it is not acceptable. Many people have had problems when it comes to the QuickBooks’ software updates. Especially with regards to updates on the newer systems pose a lot of problems.
QuickBooks POS software has the tendency to freeze/hang a lot which is actually a huge problem. Either the system just stops working altogether or it slows down to an extent when you cannot work properly anymore. The Intuit Payment Solutions has been quite a problem as well. There have been hidden fees, problems related to contracts, and freezing of accounts which has caused problems for many customers. The customer service is not worth it, which just adds to the list of woes when using QuickBooks.
The Final Verdict
POS software has come a long way but QuickBooks POS has not reached that level of progress just yet. This is why QuickBooks cannot complete with new cloud-based POS which are provided by its competitors. If you have been using QuickBooks for quite some time and are reluctant to move on, then perhaps QuickBooks is for you at least for the next few years. But if you want to stay ahead, then looking for a new Point of Sale is the best option available. You can try Shopify POS which is geared to provide the latest POS features and to ensure you stay ahead always with zero hassles. Shopify offers e-commerce and POS solutions that are in line with today’s market expectations, starting from excellent customer support, something they are known for.