For decades, printed tickets have served as a key component in the workflow of most tire shops. However, this isn’t the most efficient way to keep track of your customers and vehicles. Instead, your business would almost certainly be better off switching to a digital point-of-sale (POS) system.
But just like any other software, some digital POS systems are up to the task at hand—and some definitely aren’t.
Are you searching for point-of-sale software tire shop businesses can rely on? Here are a few features any point-of-sale software should include.
Process Customer Payment
Payment processing is one of the most basic features any POS program can offer. But while this feature certainly isn’t the flashiest thing your new software can do, there’s no denying its importance to your tire shop. A digital payment system will speed up your business’ workflow while helping your technicians save time along the way.
Still, merely offering digital payment capabilities isn’t enough for a digital POS system. Your system should also accept flexible payment options, ranging from credit and debit cards to loyalty points. Furthermore, your system needs to keep your customers safe with cutting-edge security features.
Create Quotes and Invoices
If your shop uses a paper-based workflow, you’ll have no choice but to spend time preparing your own quotes and invoices. And while preparing a single invoice or quote might not take very long, the time your team spends working on these documents will add up before you know it. Depending on how many employees you have, your techs might even have to handle these tasks occasionally—at the expense of their ability to focus on their actual jobs.
To avoid these issues, ensure your POS program of choice can generate quotes and invoices. When you can automate arduous bookkeeping tasks like these, everyone at your shop will have more time and less stress on their hands!
Collect Customer Info
No one enjoys re-entering their personal info every time they return to their usual tire shop. While this certainly isn’t the most significant inconvenience your customers have to deal with during an average day, it’s an inconvenience nonetheless. There’s no way to get around this fact when you’re using printed tickets, but digital POS systems can safely store customer data for future reference.
Automatically collecting this information isn’t just a benefit to your clients, either. Having easy access to customer contact info and other data will make it easy to plan your future marketing efforts!
Schedule Appointments
The ability to quickly and efficiently schedule appointments within your POS software is a powerful way to capture more repeat business. While your customer is at the register paying for service, your staff can schedule follow-up appointments or upcoming maintenance, like oil changes or tire rotations, right then and there. It’s fast and convenient for both your staff and your customers.
Provide a User-Friendly Interface
When you’re shopping for new tire shop software, it’s easy to overlook a program’s user interface. Ironically enough, this is one of the last things your technicians will overlook. UI design is at the heart of a program’s usability, so it pays to find software that includes intuitive menus and a logical layout.
Believe it or not, well-designed POS programs can deliver concrete benefits for your shop. The easier a program is to use, the less time it will take your team to start using it. That equates to increased efficiency among your existing staff members and shorter training time for new employees.
Integrate With Other Software
In today’s interconnected world, no piece of software exists in a vacuum. Programs interact with each other constantly, but to work together, they need to be designed with integration in mind. Because of that, your POS software should be ready to function in concert with any other programs your shop uses.
Your point-of-sale software needs to work with common types of tire shop software, including:
- Loyalty program software
- Marketing software
- Reporting software
BayIQ’s feature lineup covers all these categories and more. You can find a complete list of the POS systems our software is compatible with right here.
Provide Reporting Capabilities
It’s admirable for a tire shop to work on improving its customer service, and adding a digital point-of-sale system is an excellent way to pursue this goal. That said, you’ll need to have some method of knowing whether or not your efforts are paying off.
The best way to track your shop’s performance is by closely monitoring its reporting data. POS software with reporting capabilities will give you convenient real-time readouts with information on your business’ transactions, loyalty data, and more.
Take It To the Next Level
Technically speaking, a digital POS system isn’t a necessity for your tire shop. But with competition in the industry being as fierce as it is, any advantage you can offer will go a long way. When they can afford to invest in point-of-sale software, tire shop/auto shop owners should seriously consider this option—especially when these programs come with the features listed above.
To get the most out of your garage’s new POS system, pair it with specialized auto and tire shop software. Fortunately, BayIQ is compatible with a wide range of industry-leading point-of-sale systems. With BayIQ, you’ll be able to:
- Set up a loyalty program
- Boost your email and text marketing efforts
- Automatically solicit customer reviews
Schedule a demo today if you’d like to learn more about what BayIQ can do for your shop!
