1       Introduction

This document explains the basic steps in setting up a system ready for use in your business. It in no way attempts to explain all the steps or any steps in great detail. The procedures are written to minimise the time necessary to install, configure and implement POSperfect for your business. By following these you will avoid many of the traps and fast track the implementation of your POSperfect system.

POSperfect II is rich with features making it a powerful tool to manage most types of retail businesses. Learning and implementing a new system can be frustrating and time consuming. It can also be expensive if you are totally reliant on others to implement the system to achieve the result you are aiming for.

If computers and especially Point-of-Sale and Retail systems are new to you should seek assistance from your supplier both in the implementation phase and for on-going support. If you have no interest in undertaking the implementing the system yourself, then allocate the task to the person in your business most suited to the task. You as the owner or manager should still work through the planning stages of this document so your objectives are clearly defined before they start.

2       Why do you need a System?

Businesses require systems to provide information and control. A small business can achieve this to some degree without a computer system or with manual systems, if the owner or manager can dedicate endless hours to the business. The systems, procedures and policies are those engraved in the mind of the manager. That works only until the person can no longer put their life into the business.

POSperfect is a flexible system providing information and control while preserving the unique characteristics of the business. It provides a platform on which the business can grow by relieving the owner or manager of the day-to-day repetitive tasks and freeing them to concentrate on the creative aspects of the business.

Define your objectives

Plan before you act!

3       Reporting

The information you want from the system is the key to how the system must be set up.

POSperfect has a powerful reporting module designed to provide summarized management reports with the power to drill down through successive department group levels to the stock movements and transactions that make up the report.

3.1 Define your Reporting Groups

POSperfect has three types of reporting groups: Standard, Vendor, and User Defined.

3.2 Standard Product Groups

 These are hierarchical groups like Departments and Sub Departments.

You can have up to four;          Division                                                    Highest Level    

                                             Department

                                             Class

                                             Subclass                                                  Lowest Level

Example1:        Division               =         Supermarket

                        Department         =         Groceries                     

                        Class                  =         Food

                        Subclass            =         Canned Food

Example2:        Division               =         Not Used

                        Department         =         Appliances                   

                        Class                  =         Home Entertainment

                        Subclass            =         Stereo’s 

Two levels are often sufficient in which case only Department and Class should be selected.

Note:

With Standard (hierarchical) groups you cannot have two products belonging to the same lower level group, e.g. “Class” but with different higher level groups, e.g. “Department”.

3.3 Vendor

This is simply one reporting group listing all vendors. All product related reports allow selection of a vendor or range of vendors.  There is no planning required, only the entries of all vendors or suppliers in the vendor file.

3.4 User Defined Groups

This is how POSperfect handles special reporting for different types of merchandising.

A User Defined group is named for a specific purpose. You can have up to four different User Defined reporting groups. These groups (Non-hierarchical) are labelled in the “Features/Product Report groups” screen in the Setup module.

When to use User Defined Groups

You should use User Defined groups when you want to group products from different Departments and Classes into a common reporting group.

Example: You may want report on all products of a particular “Brand” like “Sony”. The “Sony” products will span several different Standard product groups like Stereo’s, TV’s, and Video Cameras. A User Defined group will allow you to define a group named “Brand” in which products of the same brand “Sony” can be grouped. The reporting systems will then automatically give you reporting by “Brand”.

There are numerous uses for User Defined groups. Some more examples;

                                    Season                                     Label   

                                    Manufacturer                             Country of Origin           

                                    Perishable Items                        Dangerous Goods         

                                    Packaging Type                         Material Type

                                    Refundable Item             Size (container size)                 

A User Defined group can have very few or many entries (records), e.g.. A Manufacturer group will have many entries, but a “Perishable Items” may only have “Perishable” and “Non Perishable” entries.

When you set up User Defined groups every SKU should be assigned to every group. For example in the “Perishable Item” group the items not relevant to this group should be assigned to “Non Perishable”. This is so the reporting systems will always balance. If you had a SKU not assigned to either Perishable or Non Perishable and ran a report, the total on that report (of all groups) would not match the total of another report run for example for all departments. This may not matter, but should be considered when designing the inventory and reporting systems.

3.5 Products not relevant to product groups

Often “User Defined”, “Standard” and “Vendor” reporting groups are irrelevant for some products. It is therefore good practice within each reporting group (Department, Class, Vendor, User Defined) to have an “Unknown” or “Miscellaneous” entry so that products which are not relevant to a known group can be located and a report run for that group will give a correct and balanced total.

3.6 !! Importance of  deciding correct Groupings !!

The importance of planning groups cannot be overemphasised. It is very difficult to change Groups after a system is ‘up and running’. Database tables must be altered and all interconnections to various reports are thrown awry. In some cases the system will not be able to change, e.g.. altering SKU from Size/Colour to Non-sized. New data may be added, e.g.. new size, easily, but existing data relationships must be kept intact. To effect some changes it is easier to renew the system and reload ALL the data.

 

4       Product Structure

(Define the Product structure you require)

4.1 The SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)

Inventory control is usually a fundamental requirement of a Retail Management System. POSperfect manages inventory through the Point-of-Sale module for customer or “front door” transactions, and through the Inventory module for supplier or “back door” transactions including inter-branch transfers and stock taking facilities

The key element for inventory control is the SKU (Stock Keeping Unit). Most product reporting functions are based on the SKU. The SKU is normally an internal product code used by the retailer within their business. It can also be a Vendors product code.

4.2 Product Setup Options

4.2.1 SKU only         Products bought and sold by the same product code

4.2.2 SKU/Barcode   Products sold by barcode. Barcode item is the SKU.

This is used where the unit of sale is typically the SKU, but the SKU also has a barcode linked directly to the SKU. This is typically for products like giftware, white ware and electronics but also many others. This does not work for grocery and liquor items where the product sold (Barcode/PLU) may be a different package unit than the SKU.

To use this SKU/Barcode method the “Barcode” feature must be enabled in the POSperfect Setup module “Features” screen.

 

4.2.3 SKU/PLU         Products sold by SKU or PLU (Price Look Up) or Barcode

This is used where an item may be sold by differing package units as often in occurs in food, grocery and liquor retailing. If merchandise is sold by a unit quantity that may be different from the SKU unit, then the SKU/PLU feature should be set on. Often a SKU will have a number of PLU’s linked to the SKU for the varying units of sale and special pricing and description of each package type.

Example: A product may be wholesaled in 10 Litre units, but retailed in 10, 4, 2, 1, 0.5 and 0.25 units. The 10L would have a SKU with an associated barcode and all the other quantities would have their own barcode linked to the SKU.

          10L  SKU =”AL1000”                 barcode =”947884211”

4L                                            barcode =”947884212”

2L                                            barcode =”947884213”

1L                                            barcode =”947884214”

To use this method the “SKU/PLU” feature must be enabled in the POSperfect Setup Features screen.

 

4.2.4 SKU Size/Colour Barcode

POSperfect provides powerful features for managing size/coloured stock items as are typically found in fashion and footwear. Where a single style code is used to purchase or sell products of different sizes, then the POSperfect Size/Colour feature should be selected.

The Size/Colour feature provides inventory control using a one or two-dimensional matrix for each SKU (Style). While each product needs only one SKU code, the system will provide stock and sales information down to individual sizes and colours. Typically each active size and colour will have a barcode. When this barcode is scanned the system automatically assigns the correct size and colour information to the SKU.

Example: An overcoat with a style named ”Manhattan” may be sold in several different colours and several different sizes.

Manhattan
	6	6+	7	7+	8	8+	9	9+	10
Black		2			10		10	8
Navy			4	6	12		10		4
Red		2		4		2
Green			4	6		5

Each stock intersection on the above matrix can be tracked through the one SKU on “Manhattan”

The system can use either the manufacturers barcodes assigned to a Style/Size/Colour, or it can automatically generate its own (internal) barcode to represent the Style/Size/Colour. This is often the most efficient method because no entry of barcodes is required. The system can generate barcodes for products being received or stock on-hand.

4.3 Barcode and Label Printing

The system provides label printing. There is a Label format module in the Setup programme “Printout/Barcode Printouts/Format” folder. If you select the “Laser Barcode Setup” tab you can format your own labels.

Note:    Setting up Labels is a specialized task requiring skill, time and patience. Unless you have all these you should have your POSperfect supplier do this work.

 

5       Customer Management and Customer Pricing

5.1 Customer Management Features

POSperfect provides the following customer related features;

Customer database and purchase history

Layby management system

Accounts Receivable system

Customer Loyalty module (points based system)

Customer Types (Groups) with pricing / discounting by group

Customer Quotations, Orders & Deliveries

Customer Discount Matrix (advanced customer-pricing feature)

These features are easily selected through the Setup module after the software is installed or in the features selection screen during installation.

5.2 Customer Types

Before entering customers into the system you must define your customer groups or “Types” so that customer reporting meets your requirements. Customer Types can be labelled through the Setup module  “Customer/Customer Types”. Each Customer Type can be linked to a Price Level so those customers can receive special pricing by product.

Example:          Customer Type 1 =        ”Retail”

                        Customer Type 2 =        ”Trade”

                        Customer Type 3 =        ”Staff”

                        Customer Type 4 =        ”Duty Free”

5.3 Price Levels

Each Product (SKU and/or PLU) has up to 6 prices allowed. The price levels can be labelled through the Setup module “Sales/Pricing/Price Levels” screen.

As each product is added to the database, the pricing for each level should be entered, although the System Maintenance module “Product Information/Price Change” allows prices to be globally assigned to price levels for ranges of products based on various criteria such as “Cost Plus” or “Retail Less” factors.

 

6       Get Familiar with POSperfect

6.1 Installation

Install the software taking care to select the reporting groups and features you require. These can be altered later but selecting the correct levels will allow you to get a better understanding of the system using the demonstration data.

It is best to install the system first as the “Master Terminal for a Single Terminal Store”. Other terminals can be added later.

You can always re-install the software by removing the entire POSperfect application through the Windows “Add/Remove Program” function and installing it again.

6.2 Basic Sales

Learn the basics of the sales module. You can select products and customers using the “F3”and “F5”search functions. By simply pressing “ENTER” in the search screens the system will show all products or all customers in the demonstration data.

6.3 Reporting Module

Learn how to use the Reporting module. Spend time on all aspects (all options) in the Profit and Inventory reports until you are completely conversant with these reports. Learn how to use the “Drill Down” features so you can drill down to the audit trail of an SKU.

6.4 Inventory Module

Learn how to order and receive stock from a Vendor in the Inventory module. After you have received some stock go to the Inventory report and check the report for the stock you have received into the system.

6.5 Maintenance Module

Learn how to add and maintain products and prices through the “Maintenance” module;

 

6.5.1 Add:    Departments

                        Classes

                        Vendors

                        SKU’s                           (and Barcodes and PLU’s where necessary)

                        Size/Colour Charts         (if necessary, Footwear and Fashion)

6.5.2            Learn how to globally change prices. Using the “Product Information/Price Change” feature in the Maintenance Module, set the prices for another price level for all products based on cost or current retail.

6.5.3  Add Operators/Cashiers in the Maintenance Module.

  6.5.4      Set up “Dates” or fiscal periods in the Maintenance Module. “Dates” are used by some of the sales reports so reports can be matched against your accounting periods. This is particularly useful where your accounting periods are not calendar month

6.6 Setup Module

The Setup module provides an extensive number of soft set-ups to tailor the system to your requirements. You will likely need help for some functions but initially you should quickly scan through all the folders and tabs in this module to get an understanding of the available options.

Important. In the Setup module there is a “License & Registration” folder. In this screen there is a “Start Trial Mode”. Pressing this then clicking “F2 Save” will lift all restrictions off the system so you can enter unlimited products and customers into your database. However DO NOT then click on “Register” in this screen. You have 30 days to register the product and this should only be done once you have set your system up with;

Store Name

Location

Number of Terminals

Selected Features

Once you register the system you will not be able to add features or change the store details.

 

7       Clearing out the Demonstration data

Once you are familiar with the system operation using the demonstration data, this can be cleared so you can start entering your own data.

To clear the demonstration data do the following;

            Go to Command Centre “System Menu”.

            Select POS Maintenance and  log in.

            Go to the “Special” menu in the top right corner of the screen.      

            Select “Clear Data Set”. This will clear out the demonstration data.

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