Did you know that just last week on June 30 we had Leap Second Day? Since this system was implemented in 1972, 26 leap seconds have been inserted in order to keep the time of day as close to the mean solar time as possible. That sounds great, but that one second didn’t do much to help me catch up on my workload, how about you?

One of my favorite sayings and something I strive to do is to work smarter, not harder. I’ve read a small stack of self-help books, articles, and attended seminars all with the purpose of “not counting my moments but making my moments count.” The problem is that once the last page is read or I walk out the door, I forget the actual steps to making my life run better.

With that said, let’s leave the clichés behind and talk about what really can help with your time management skills: current POS software. Here are practical, applicable ways that just incorporating the right point of sale software system can help you to save time, money and stress from your day to day workload.

1. Inventory Control – One of the biggest tasks that probably eats up a large majority of your time is your inventory. After all, you have to manage your product in accordance with daily sales and with re-ordering in mind. However, retail POS software can help you to not only track your products, but easily adjust prices, print out tags, calculate discounts, and perform bulk operations like import and export your data. Moreover, you can group products by color or size, organize into bundles, or split into units depending on your business needs.

When I was young, I used to help my mom sell jewelry at various conferences or at jewelry parties in her friends’ homes. We would hand write a code number in a binder for every piece of jewelry, rewrite that number on a tag and attach it to each piece, and when it sold we would copy that number onto a carbon copy sales form. The following day we would check off the inventory in the binder, add up the sales, and determine the profit. Whew! As you can imagine that took a looooooong time! Nowadays, you just have to input the item in your POS system, scan it when you sell it, print out a receipt, and then view your sales report with the click of a button whenever you want it.

2. Convenience of Add ons – I love all the apps that are on my smartphone. In just five minutes I can view my credit card account, check to see if there is any traffic on the way home, and scan my e-mail just in case there is something important I need to respond to. Everything I need is in one place… and that is exactly what a great POS software system can do for you! You can save time by having your bank account, QuickBooks, loyalty program data, appointments, and employee scheduling and performance analytics all in sync with your POS software. You don’t have to open and close tabs or input data multiple times since all of these functions work together.

3. Managing your online store – Most of your potential customers are going to find you through the Internet. According to online marketing expert Mary Weinstein, 80% of the online population has used the Internet to make a purchase. Consequently, by the end of 2015 it is projected that e-commerce will grow by 19% totaling more than $1.4 trillion!

However, managing an online store and being your webmaster takes time that you probably don’t have. With modern POS systems, you can integrate your online store with your brick and mortar store to eliminate confusion and maintain accurate inventory counts. In addition, you can create a beautiful web store with your POS software to ensure that the feel and look of your virtual business aligns with your physical stores.

4. Easy to use – Learning a new point of sale software system and training your staff to use a new it takes time. The problem is, this article is about how you don’t have time! But here’s the good news – modern POS software is designed to be user friendly. With short videos, step-by-step instructions, and a readily available support staff, there are many resources available to help you to transition from your old POS system or start a brand new one seamlessly.

Sometimes time is our most valuable commodity that has the highest demand. You can find out more about how retail POS system can help here. Inventory management, designing your online store, maximizing add ons, and great customer service are all part of what makes Vend the top POS software for retailers. You’ll be surprised at how much time you really can save with the right tools!

