Do I need an EPOS system for a small business?
Not every small business needs an EPOS system, but many outgrow a standalone card machine sooner than they expect. Here’s how to tell which camp you’re in.
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An EPOS (electronic point of sale) system is your till: it records what you sell, tracks stock, manages tables or staff and gives you reporting. A card machine takes the payment. Lots of businesses start with just a card machine, and that’s fine. The question is when the extra admin starts costing you more than an EPOS would.
You probably don’t need EPOS yet if…
- You sell a small number of simple items or services
- One or two people take all the payments
- You don’t need to track stock closely
- Your end-of-day reconciliation takes minutes
You probably do need EPOS if…
- You manage stock and need to know what’s selling
- You run tables, tabs or orders that go to a kitchen
- Several staff take payments and you want to see who sold what
- You have more than one till or site
- You’re typing amounts into the card machine and making mistakes
Why integration matters
If you do use EPOS, connect it to your card machines. The amount goes straight from the till to the machine, so there’s no keying, no mistakes and faster cashing up. Dojo integrates with 450+ EPOS systems, and Dojo Pocket goes further: staff take the order at the table, it goes straight to the kitchen, and the customer pays on the same device.
“There’s features that I didn’t even know existed, which we use on a daily basis now.”
Sam Livesey, Director, Livesey’s Butchers, Preston Market
Start simple, grow later
You don’t have to decide everything on day one. Start with the right card machines for how you trade, and add or connect an EPOS when you need it. I’ll check your EPOS is compatible before you switch anything.
Questions
Not sure what you need?
Tell me how you trade and I’ll recommend the simplest setup that works.