Computerised Cash Registers: Why Are They Important?

Using computerised cash registers during a soft opening is a game changer.

Not only does having one help you process the customer orders quicker, but it also helps increase the accuracy of your cashiers, keeps the lines to your cashier from building up, and improves the overall experience of your customers and staff during the soft opening.

Read this guide to learn more about why computerised cash registers are important to your business performance (including how they fare with EPOS systems).

Table of contents

• What are computerised cash registers
• Benefits of computerised cash registers
• Cash register apps
• Computerised cash register vs EPOS

First, what are computerised cash registers?

Electronic or computerised cash registers are machines for efficiently checking out items in your store.

They assist you in tracking your sales, reducing register errors, compiling inventory information, keeping cash, handing in change to customers, and more.

Computerised cash tills usually come with a barcode reader, receipt printer, a keypad, and a cash drawer. Being digital, they also have double-sided screens.

While computerised cash registers can function independently, they often form part of an entire EPOS software (if you’re wondering what EPOS is, we’ll get to that in the last sections).

Benefits of computerised cash registers

Following are the advantages of using computerised POS cash registers for your business:

Rapid checkouts

Old cash registers (traditional and manually operated POS cash registers) used to be practical for shops until they got thousands of orders and couldn’t catch up with them, leaving behind their inventory tracking and other tasks.

In contrast, computerised cash tills simplify and hasten your checkout stage and related administrative processes — giving you more time for other important duties.

They can swiftly compute the total sales figures of every transaction and give your sales clerks the exact change they need to hand your customers.

They can also provide receipts detailing the transaction, including relevant details such as the transaction date and time, sales clerk’s ID name and number, refund policy, and even promotions.

When you have a soft opening, uber-busy day, or a newly hired sales clerk, you’ll be thankful for this advantageous attribute.

Heightened accuracy

Another benefit of using a computerised cash register is high accuracy.

Because its internal system instantly records each transaction, it’s easier now to compare sales figures with the money in the drawer and pinpoint any discrepancies at the end of your workday.

Computerised cash registers tell your sales clerks how much to charge your customers and give as change. They can also void transactions and apply discounts and sales offers.

All these functions reduce human error and audit reporting inaccuracies and practically streamline your transactional processes.

Cash security

Computerised POS cash registers can securely keep your cash in your drawer because they have robust locking systems.

Their drawers automatically lock and only allow access to authorized users logging in with the correct passwords. Conversely, old cash registers are protected only with key locks and, therefore, less secure.

Computerised cash tills also keep your money out of public view, reducing any temptation for embezzlement and outside theft in the store.

Plus, the machines log the time, date, and sales clerk using the register — so you have a proper electronic trail should incidents happen.

However, supervisory sales employees can use override codes or passkeys to access the cash drawer for customer refunds and other valid instances.

Additionally, cash registers process transactions locally and do not send private customer information online. This minimizes security breaches occurring on the web.

Variety in payment mode choices

Computerised cash registers allow you to widen and diversify your customers’ options for their payment methods.

Through these machines, you can buy integrated credit card readers, accept immediate debit and credit card payments, and process them safely through PIN reading mechanisms.

Besides cash, electronic cash tills even let you receive loyalty cards, vouchers, cheques, and other payment modes.

Cash register apps

Business owners can also install cash register software applications on their mobile devices to replace their old cash tills and complement their electronic registers.

Examples of cash register apps available in Android are:

• Cash Register
• Cash Register Express Lite
• Bonrix Cash Register POS
• Bitcoin Cash Register

If you’re looking to use a cash register app, look for these attributes:

• Payment flexibility. Get apps that can accept debit and credit card payments and mobile methods, such as PayPal, Android Pay, Apple Pay, PayMaya, Bitcoin, etc.

• User experience/user-intuitive design. Prioritize apps that are visually clean and appealing and simple to use for your staff.

• Integrated reporting. The cash register app should have built-in integrated reporting functions for managing inventory and employees, monitoring sales, including analytics.

• Support. Your chosen app should assist you when you have questions or need help with using it.

• Third-party app integrations. Additional tools for your credit card readers, barcode scanners, receipt printers, accounting software, etc. should have minimal configurations.

• Offline mode. The cash register app should allow you to operate offline and synchronize all data once the internet connection returns.

• Cost. Check if your selected application suits your budget. Is it always free? Does it offer freemium versions and have in-app purchases revealing more advanced capabilities, etc?

Computerised cash register vs EPOS

When reading about computerised cash registers, you’ve likely encountered discussions on what EPOS is and why an EPOS purchase (even used EPOS equipment) is better for your business.

Essentially, computerised cash registers only tell you how many sales you’re making. But an EPOS software can offer more insights on the best-selling and low-stock items, best-performing employees, etc.

So what is EPOS? An EPOS system is a combination of software and hardware intended to streamline your sales tracking, payment processing, and other tasks.

Compared with computerised cash registers, EPOS software works with much greater holistic accuracy, security, and efficiency — not to mention less error-prone.

This is especially crucial in bustling operations and other important activities (e.g., soft opening) when things should run smoothly and you have to make zero to few mistakes only.

EPOS systems can even accommodate and integrate marketing functionalities into your strategies, unlike electronic cash tills.

An EPOS purchase is typically preferable over buying a computerised cash register alone to manage your orders and sales.

If your current budget’s a bit tight, you can buy used EPOS equipment (as long as you’re the first to the second user, depending on the duration).

Ensure your supplier is trustworthy and have them demonstrate the functionality of all parts before paying for your used EPOS equipment.

Bottomline

If your daily business operations require boatloads of manual, time-consuming processes, then you need to use computerised cash registers. At the very least, having one helps you process your orders quickly, which then gives your staff more bandwidth to do other tasks.

Also, consider an EPOS purchase to make your operations far more integrated and hyper-efficient.

With your computerised cash register, especially when linked with your EPOS software, you can deliver reliable services and a seamless customer experience, leading to more revenue and patronage.