How To Use POS Machine Step By Step Guide? You’ve seen them in stores, maybe even installed them in your own business, but the question remains: how do you use a cash register machine?
First, there is no such thing as a “POS machine”. Instead, the term is sometimes used to refer to a card terminal or point of sale (POS) system, perhaps even the POS interface where you enter the sale.
The term “POS machine” is based on the assumption that there is a device that represents an entire cash register. The truth is that modern cash registers are made up of various hardware and software components, such as:
- Computer monitor or tablet screen
- Epos software (electronic point of sale)
- Card machine
- Checkout
- Receipt printer
- Barcode scanner
- Old style pos machine
It’s the closest thing to an all-in-one POS machine – but it’s outdated because it’s not connected to EPOS or a card terminal.
How To Use POS Machine Step By Step Guide?
If you’re a growing business, chances are you already have a POS machine installed or want to integrate one. Therefore, here is a step-by-step guide to using a POS machine so that you can start using this tool to the fullest.
But first, let’s see what a POS machine consists of.
A POS machine or terminal is a combination of software and hardware. The host system can be any digital device with the EPOS software installed. This can be a computer, a laptop, or a tablet. The EPOS software is connected to a cloud-based server via the Internet. So you also need a stable internet connection.
Some of the other hardware needed are on how to use pos machine:
- Card machine
- Checkout
- Receipt printer
- Barcode scanner
- Credit card terminal
- Barcode scanner
- Receipt printer
- Checkout
Now that we have established the requirements, here is the step-by-step guide to using this system.
Software configuration for how to use pos machine:
The first thing you need to do is configure your software.
Log in to EPOS with your credentials. Set up your account by entering your business information such as name, location, number of points of sale, etc. Most POS software has simple interfaces with interactive guides to help you through the process.
Once your account is set up, it’s time to upload your products or services. Most POS software allows you to create a .CSV file to facilitate. If you don’t have one. CSV file you can manually enter all your products. Some information you need to fill in are:
Product name, SKU, product variant, product description, product category, cost price, sales price, supplier name, quantity, etc.
You can now set up multiple accounts or user profiles for your store with multiple EPOS logins. You can add administrators, managers, cashiers, or others who will operate the POS system. You can configure user permission levels based on their roles.
Hardware Configuration For How To Use POS Machine
Your hardware configuration will depend on the hardware you need for your business. Consult your POS provider for the exact steps to install your hardware. General steps include:
- Turn your hardware on/off
- Connect to your internet
- Link with your pos software
- Payment settings
You may need to configure your software to recognize payment types. Consult your payment provider to set it up efficiently.
Your POS is ready to use
Once the payment hardware is connected to the software, it is ready to receive payments. Follow the steps below when a customer wants to purchase a product:
- Log in to EPOS.
- Scan the product barcode or select it on the screen
- Scan the card in the card reader to start the payment
- Ask the customer to approve the purchase with their PIN code
- Print a receipt and give it to the customer.
If you are more proficient with the POS machine, you can manage your employees, add loyalty programs, add marketing automation software, and more.
Let’s assume that using a POS machine refers to processing a sale. The two largest payment methods today are cash and credit or debit cards. Let’s see how to do this.
How To accept a card payment?
There are generally two ways to accept cards at an ATM: through manual entry or automatically through a linked system. Both require some sort of card reader: a standalone terminal for manual entry or an integrated terminal for an attached system. Regardless of the terminal type, it must connect to the Internet via a cable telephone line, Wi-Fi, or via an integrated SIM card.
POS screen where you register the customer’s items before processing payment at the ticket machine.
A standalone payment terminal is independent of the cash register software or cash register where you register transactions. There is no communication between a standalone terminal and the rest of your POS system. This means that when you book items to sell on the cashier screen or at the register, you must enter the total amount on the card machine keypad. The terminal connects with the card issuer, commercial bank, and others to approve the transaction. Once approved, it will print a receipt if it has a built-in printer, or as a beep or message on your display to inform you that the payment has been approved.
An integrated terminal is connected to the EPOS software so that when you enter products on the cash register screen and choose card payment, the central software sends the transaction amount to the card terminal. The ticket machine usually lights up and automatically displays the payment total, prompting the customer to pay (or add a tip if this setting is enabled). You don’t have to manually enter anything in the terminal this way. Similar to stand-alone terminals, the integrated machine processes payment over the telephone line or the Internet, printing a receipt as appropriate.
How To Accept a cash payment
Current EPOS systems often have a touchscreen monitor with a visual interface for entering the products sold and the payment amount provided. When you accept cash, you usually enter the amount specified by the customer in cash, and the POS software calculates how much change to return to the customer. At this point, you need to place the cash received in the till and collect the due coins and bills from the till to return to the customer so that the amount paid is correct.
When not in use, the cash drawer must be securely closed to prevent theft. In current EPOS systems, it is usually integrated into the main software of the computer or tablet, so it opens automatically as soon as you enter the amount paid in cash on the cashier screen. If not integrated, you may need to open the cash drawer manually.
A cash drawer should have coins and bills organized so that it is easy to quickly collect the correct change for a customer.
End-of-day tasks with a POS machine
At the end of each trading day, you usually need to run a “Z report” that shows all your daily totals broken down into payment methods, e.g. cash, card, check, and gift card totals.
With a ticket machine, you will probably need to run a Z report on the terminal to compare ticket sales to totals in the EPOS system. The Point of Sale General Z report can be run from the cashier screen, mobile device, or computer where you can log into the EPOS system to view the sale.
With the buttons on the terminal, you can confirm sales amounts, but also navigate through a menu with settings and actions, such as creating a Z-report.
If you have a standalone terminal, you can compare the Z terminal report with the EPOS Z report to see if the card totals are the same. If they do not match, it could mean that a card payment was not entered into the EPOS system or that a payment in the EPOS system was incorrectly stated as a card payment when it was made in cash or by some other means.
If you accept cash, you also need to count the float (cash in the cash drawer), subtract the float amount at the start of the trading day, and then have the total cash receipts for the day. Compare this to the Z report’s cash total, and if it’s the same, it means you returned the correct amount of change to customers that day.
If it is below or above the Z report total, it counts as a misstatement that must be reported in your accounting.
Either way, it is a business requirement to record all sales in some sort of accounting system. Current EPOS systems usually do this for you, as long as you have entered all transactions into the POS software, including card, cash, and any other type of payment.
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