DOES SPEEDYPOS HANDLE BARCODES?
YES SpeedyPOS™ fully supports bar codes. When you scan an item with the bar code scanner, it immediately adds it to a new line on the invoice and assumes a quantity of one. The cursor is the left on the quantity field so you can quickly and easily change the quantity if, for example, the customer purchased 5 of the same items. Of course, there is nothing stopping you from scanning in the same item 5 times. (Unless you need that - some stores do)
A bar code is simply a part number. When you scan an item, it looks up the item in the database to get the description and current price. In *most* cases, the retail price is not stored on the bar code itself, but there are exceptions for some industries. Because the price is stored in the computer, you must ensure that it is kept up to date to match the sticker prices displayed on the shelves.
If some of your items do not have bar codes, SpeedyPOS can print labels using a Bar Code Label Printer during the adding of stock procedure. We can recommend the Eltron brand of bar code printers because the same setup will work across their line of devices, making it easy for you to setup your labels.
WHY SHOULD I BUY SPEEDYPOS™OVER ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE SUCH AS QUICKBOOKS™?
Accounting Software is great if you only want to computerize the Accounting in your business. SpeedyPOS™ includes a full Accounting Package, but is integrated with powerful Point-of-Sale, Inventory Control, Customer Relationship Management, E-commerce and E-mail Marketing capabilities. An integrated point of sale system cuts down your workload by ensuring that you only have to enter your information once and it is placed everywhere it needs to be. Staff can create an invoice without knowing anything about accounting or inventory control, yet the invoice they enter automatically updates those sections of the entire system.
SpeedyPOS™ is extremely easy to use. It is Windows based, so if you know how to use a browser to surf the internet, you have most of the skills to find your way around our software.
WHAT CREDIT CARD PROCESSING IS AVAILABLE TO ME?
Depending on what country you are in, there are different options available to you for credit card processing. Mercury Payment Systems handles credit card processing in both Canada and the United States.
If you are located in another country, please email or phone us to find out more information.
WILL IT OPEN THE CASH DRAWER?
YES SpeedyPOS™ will open your cash drawer.
When an invoice is completed and is being printed, SpeedyPOS can send the codes to open the cash drawer. In most cases, the cash drawer will be hooked up to your receipt printer, but there are other methods of connecting the cash drawers to the computer.
Receipt Printer method. The printer is connected to the computer using the normal printer cables. The cash drawer is connected with a piece of wire to the receipt printer. When a special code is sent to the printer, an electrical pulse is sent to the cash drawer to open the drawer. It's important to buy a printer and cash drawer that are compatible with each other.
Parallel Port method. The cash drawer is connected to the computer using a parallel cable, and the receipt printer is connected to the back of the cash drawer with another parallel cable. The cash drawer needs it's own power supply and then monitors the codes being sent from the computer to the printer. If it "sees" the opening codes, it opens the drawer. The printers are very versatile, but more expensive.
Printer Card method. A special card is placed inside the computer and the cash drawer is connected to this card with a small cable. This card can be programmed to "look at" any of the standard printer ports, and if it "sees" the opening codes, it sends an electrical pulse to the cash drawer to open it up.
Some cash drawers require a complex set of codes to be sent, and these can be entered in the Configuration and Setup Module. However, most cash drawers just use character 7, or the bell character, to open the drawer.
HOW DOES IT INTERFACE WITH THE GENERAL LEDGER?
SpeedyPOS™ is a fully integrated system including a full General Ledger, Journal Entries and Reports. When you post an invoice at point of sale, the transactions are transferred automatically to the General Ledger without the need to run any end of day batch processes.
The bookkeeper will have full and secure control over the ledger, based on the password security setup. And mistakes are incredibly easy to correct with SpeedyPOS™.
IS IT REAL TIME OR BATCH POSTING?
Transactions are posted in real time, or immediately, with SpeedyPOS™. When you've entered a sale, the inventory is immediately reduced from stock, the customer balance is increased, and the taxes due are updated in the General Ledger. If you make a mistake and correct it, the changes are also made immediately.
SpeedyPOS™ will print a detailed audit report at the end of the day showing all new entries and corrections made. If a clerk voids or changes an invoice, you'll know about it.
IF I MAKE A MISTAKE, IS IT EASY TO FIX?
If you make a mistake with SpeedyPOS™, you can easily edit the entry and correct the mistake. For example, if you remove an item from the invoice because the customer changed their mind, you can delete the line, and the inventory will be returned to stock.
If you have the security level, you can even correct an invoice after it has been printed and posted. For example, if a customer notices a mistake before leaving the store, you can recall the invoice, fix it, and reprint it.
SpeedyPOS™ will print a detailed audit report at the end of the day showing all new entries and corrections made. If a clerk voids or changes an invoice, you'll know about it.
CAN I PULL UP CUSTOMER HISTORIES FOR WARRANTY PURPOSES?
You can quickly check a customer's history by viewing the customer record and bringing up a list of invoices on file, and even viewing the details on each invoice.
If you are in the middle of an invoice, you can call up the customer, view the history, and then return to the invoice where you left off. This is handy if a customer needs to purchase an accessory for an item previously purchased, such as fax paper for a fax machine where you need to know what model they have.
WHAT HAPPENS AT MONTH END?
SpeedyPOS™ will warn you that you are starting a new month, and all the new sales will then be posted into that month right away. You can start the new month immediately, even if you have not reconciled your accounts and printed your statements.
SpeedyPOS™ has a clear advantage over its competitors by being able to work in many months at the same time without having to shut down your business. This includes entries made at point of sale as well as for accounts payable and journal entries.
When you are finally ready to print your month end reports, the system will accurately print the report for the end of the month, ignoring all new entries for the current month. This gives you an accurate report as to the condition of your business as of that date.
DO I HAVE TO FINISH THE YEAR BEFORE STARTING THE NEXT?
SpeedyPOS™ will warn you that you are starting a new year, but you can keep right on posting into the new year even though you have not completed the year end.
SpeedyPOS™ has a clear advantage over its competitors by being able to work in many months, or even years, at the same time without having to shut down your business. This includes entries made at point of sale as well as for accounts payable and journal entries.
When you are finally ready to print your year end reports, the system will accurately print the report for the end of the year or month, ignoring all new entries for the subsequent months. This gives you an accurate report as to the condition of your business as of that date.
IF THE CUSTOMER HAS A CREDIT, WILL IT SHOW UP ON THE STATEMENT?
YES. That should be a no-brainer, but many of our competitors do not show the customer credits on the statements, causing a lot of grief and problems.
For example, if a customer makes a purchase for $100 and returns an item for a credit of $20, the end of month statement should show a balance owing of the difference, or $80. Many systems will send a statement asking the customer to pay the full $100. MicroBiz and General Store are two examples, but there are many more.
SpeedyPOS™ statements are the easiest to read of all systems available. And this is important, because if a statement is easy to read, the customer will understand it and pay faster.
CAN IT HANDLE MY ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AND PRINT STATEMENTS?
Accounts Receivable are easily handled with SpeedyPOS™. At point of sale, the invoice can be paid by Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Check, Debit/Eftpos, or charged to the customer's account.
You can then easily view a customer's outstanding balance at any time, or receive a customer's payment on their account. You can even quickly bring up a list of all the outstanding invoices and the amounts on each if a customer needs more details.
At the end of the month, the system will print a clear, concise statement for the customer that will clearly show the balance forward, payments received, invoices, and new balance due. In addition, a list of all outstanding invoices will also be printed.
All standard reports such as Aged Balances, Inventory Purchased by a Customer, Customer Reports, Mailing Lists, Monthly Statements, Overdue Balance Interest Calculations, and Special Orders etc. are included.
Lookup Words can be attached to any customer or group of customers, making concise reports possible.
CAN IT HANDLE MY ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND PRINT CHEQUES?
SpeedyPOS™ will allow you to enter your accounts payable bills as they arrive and post them into the correct month. This will allow you to keep your books up-to-date and never have to wait with entering the new month's bills.
The system will generate several useful reports, including an Aged A/P Report and List of Payments Required by a Given Date. Checks can be printed on either a dot matrix printer or on a laser printer.
Many special features exist, such as being able to automatically spread the required payments for a bill over several months.
CAN IT HANDLE THE GENERAL LEDGER AND SHOW ME THE BOTTOM LINE?
SpeedyPOS™ will track all the general ledger transactions from invoicing, accounts payable, and journal entries, and allow you to print all your financial reports, including a balance sheet and profit and loss statement.
In fact, the system comes with a ledger report writer so you can build your own ledger reports in addition to all the reports that are included with the system.
Detailed journals are kept for every ledger number, so you can easily track all the transactions that affected a given account number, including date, invoice or bill number, customer or supplier, description, and the debit or credit amount. This information is available for many years, until you purge the system.
DOES SPEEDYPOS™ HAVE A COMPLETE ACCOUNTING SYSTEM?
Yes SpeedyPOS™ is a complete system so you will not have to work within another application.
WHAT HAPPENS IF MY BUSINESS EXPANDS AND OUTGROWS SPEEDYPOS™?
With SpeedyPOS™ you can have up to 10 users in one store location. If you expand beyond this and need additional users, features, store locations; we have an upgrade path planned for you. Windward System Five™ is Windward Software's enterprise solution. You will find it operates very similar to SpeedyPOS™ but has increased functionality and can handle multiple locations and users. The great thing about moving up to Windward System Five™ from SpeedyPOS™ is that you won't have to learn a whole new system, just the new features that you decide to use. Visit www.wws5.com for more information.
WHAT IS THE PRICE OF THE SOFTWARE?
Pricing on SpeedyPOS™ is based on the number of concurrent users on the software. Our base single user version bundle of including 1 year of support and training, training video DVD, the first year of updates, e-commerce hosting, a speedy start manual is $985.00 US. However prices vary on the number of users that you require. Don't hesitate to call if you have any questions or would like specific pricing.
WHAT ARE THE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR SPEEDYPOS™?
Faster is better, but at a minimum is a Pentium III 350 MHz or faster, with 256 Mbs of Ram. 500 MB of available hard drive space. These machines can run Windows 2000 or XP, but we recommend Windows 2000 Professional, XP Professional, Vista Professional and 7 Professional as the best operating systems for SpeedyPOS™.
