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Getting
Systems
Right
Starting a new food business is tough.
This guide focuses on helping you find the right
Retail Management and EPOS solution. It will also
make you aware of some of the pitfalls you are
likely to face on your journey.
WEBSITE
www.lccs.co.uk
sayhello@lccs.co.uk
CONTACT
+ 44 (0) 345 257 0829
OFFICES
Irvinestown, Co. Fermanagh. N. Ireland
Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire. England
SOCIAL
www.twitter.com/lccsltd
blog.lccs.co.uk
plus.google.com/+lakelandcomputersuk
linkedin.com/company/lakeland-computers
www.lccs.co.uk
EUREKA
Academy
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
- Leonardo Da Vinci
© Lakeland Computer Consultancy Services Ltd
Printed in United Kingdom
Tel. +44 (0) 345 257 0829
sayhello@lccs.co.uk • https://www.lccs.co.uk
Content
About Us					5
So Much To Think About 			 7
EPOS						8
Chip & Pin / Contactless			 10
Back Office Software			 12
Labelling					14
Scales						16
I.T. Infrastructure				18
Here For You					20
For the
Love
of
Food...
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
5
big deal for everyone in our business
and it's what keeps us focused on who
we are and where we're going.
We are now privileged to look after
hundreds of truly outstanding food
retailers across the United Kingdom
and Ireland; many of whom are
nationally award-winning. Weirdly
enough I still remember when some of
these started out on a simple stall in a
garage... the same, years on, are now
celebrated as being the best in the UK.
#proud for all you Twitter followers
out there!
To my knowledge, as I write this, we
remain the only business of our kind
(at least in the UK or Ireland) that
focuses entirely on this sector. No
chemists, no plumbing supplies, just
independent food retailers and we
think that gives us a unique insight
into how we can make YOUR life
easier.
I hope this guide offers you useful
insights into what to look (out) for
when choosing your systems.
Good luck on your journey; keep calm,
remember the passion that got you
here, surround yourself with good
people and all will be well.
Lakeland Computers:
Since 1997
It's a massive deal that people trust Eureka™
to look
after their livelihood and that of generations to come
When I started this business from my
mother and father's kitchen table I
never dreamt for one second that my
journey would afford me the privilege
of working with some of the most
amazing people in the food industry.
Passionate, sincere, hard working and
dedicated are just some of the words
I use to describe our customers, many
of whom have now become dear
friends and part of our Eureka™
'family'.
My background is in the crazy world
of technology first and foremost whilst
the folks we work with tend to shun
that in favour of ploughing a field
or rearing the best beef you've ever
tasted. We meet in the middle though;
as we share in our love of good food
and in our appreciation of what it took
to produce, prepare and make ready
for the table.
That said there is of course the matter
of running our respective businesses.
With the odd exception, most of our
customers have ploughed their own
money (and sometimes the bank's
money) into an enterprise to either
sustain their existing way of life or to
create something new that they can
hand on to their son(s) or daughter(s)
in years to come.
We REALLY get the responsibility that
comes with this. Real people, real
families and they've chosen us to help
steer them through. That's a seriously
"Focusing on this
sector gives us a
unique understanding
of the challenges
being faced."
Nigel Bogle, Founder & CEO
Lakeland Computers
When implementing your EPOS & Backoffice systems you should leave around 12 weeks to get
everything properly sorted. Any less and you'll run the risk of opening with half a system in place.
So you've made the decision to invest your hard earned cash into a food retail enterprise. There are so many plates spinning
that you're already getting dizzy... Location, right product mix, branding, website, staff, equipment... Gin & Tonic please!
Even for the most modest of retail empires you're going to need some sort of systems to help you keep track of what's going
on. Once you've your 'hard landscape' in place (i.e. building, refrigeration, etc.) You'll be investing a fair amount of capital
in your products and knowing where it's working and where it's possibly not is going to prove key to the health of your all
important margins and ultimately to the success of your business.
The essential elements to consider are detailed over the next few pages and are worth serious thought if you want to stand
the best chance of getting things off to a good start.
Untangle the
Spaghetti
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
7
So much to think about:
So little time!
In (very) simple terms this is the
equipment that usually sits on your
counter at the point where your
customers pay for their basket items.
There are lots of options here but a
SERIOUS word of caution: All systems
are NOT created equally and you
should take time to seek out a solution
that has your type of business very
much at the heart of its design.
Paying by card has long since been
common place in retail stores. This is
one area where you can help reduce
queueing time at the till and improve
customer experience.
At the time of writing the current limit
on contactless payments is £30 and
ApplePay and AndroidPay are fast
making in-roads. A must these days
given cash is becoming more rare.
This is very much the 'meat &
potatoes' (excuse the pun!) of the
system. Usually comes as part of an
overall solution with the tills and it is
essential that you choose a provider
that understands both your type of
business and the sort of reporting
information that is useful to those
running it.
Modular is best; You won't use all the
functionality right from the start.
EPOS TILLS CHIP & PIN / CONTACTLESS BACKOFFICE SOFTWARE
Shelf edge ticketing, veg displays,
those little stickers to put on small
batches of Mrs Miggins' homemade
strawberry jam, labels for your own
tray bakes, breads... the list goes on.
It takes more time than you might
think to get your artwork agreed and
ensure you've those all important
allergens identified and nutritional
information ready to put in the right
place to keep on the right side of the
law.
Another essential piece of kit for
any farm shop. cheesemonger, deli,
butcher, fishmonger or simply anyone
who needs to weigh 'stuff'.
** Be wary of using these as full blown
tills though unless you're a butcher
or cheesemonger. It's not what they
were primarily designed for and access
to key transactional data can be
awkward in certain cases leaving you
questioning the investment.
Get this right and you'll save yourself
a whole heap of pain! Hire someone
who knows how to install network
cabling properly and can terminate it
properly at a network switch which
is capable of handling the amount of
data being transmitted.
** Word to the wise... if you're
planning to operate a cafe or coffee
shop... keep the public WiFi on a
separate system to that of your
shop.!!!
LABELLING WEIGHING SCALES IT INFRASTRUCTURE
Getting some combination of the following elements wrong in any business will cause problems certainly but in a new
business particularly it can be a major contributor to high levels of serious anxiety and stress; all at a time when every penny
counts, where you're still trying to find your feet and at a stage when time is a luxury you simply don't have.






The purchase that has caused the most headaches
has been our Epos system. I wish I'd done more
research before buying
You will have ONE budget for EPOS; spend it on the wrong system and you'll
be living with your mistake for years. Getting your finances back into the black,
once open, has got to be a priority. Cheap is rarely 'Cheerful'. - Nigel Bogle, Founder & CEO
Lakeland Computers
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
8
EPOS:
Generic or Sector Specific
?
?
?
CUSTOMER LOYALTY
Enhance that all important customer
experience with a scheme that delivers
INTELLIGENT VOUCHERS
Surprise, inform and retail clever by
offering your customers added value
PROMOTIONS
Set them up and watch the magic
happen live on the shop floor
MARKETING INTEGRATION
Simple, clear, yet hugely powerful
ways to look at buying habits
NUTRITIONAL / ALLERGENS
Know what goes into what you sell?
Let your systems take away the pain
HOSPITALITY INTEGRATION
Shop first, eat later or the other way
around. Whatever suits your style!
The answer to this is best summed
up by Ebony Harding from Harringay
Local Store, London in her interview
with Lynda Searby from Fine Food
Digest in 2016.
Ebony had purchased a solution from
EPOS Now but says, "It hasn't been
right for us..."
In our experience this story is all too
common for businesses in the food
sector starting out. To be fair it's
often a case of: "You don't know what
you don't know" and at the time of
purchase you're probably thinking...
well... it's a till... how different can
From the outset you're going to be faced with lots of choice on EPOS but where is your money
best invested? In a cheap out of the box solution or something that's more food-focused?
these things be after all? The answer
to that question in this sector is...
VERY.
When you purchase you may not use
all the EPOS 'bells and whistles' from
day one but you should ensure you at
least have the beginnings of an idea
as to the where you're headed in your
business model.
Customer loyalty schemes, Gift
Vouchers, Discount Vouchers, Timed
Promotions, Account Customers?,
Integration with marketing
campaigns, KPI analysis, Allergen &
Nutritional Information are just some
things which you'll come to rely on
and which just don't come with a
cheap out of the box solution usually.
- Ebony Harding, Harringay Local Store, London
Fine Food Digest: March 2016
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
9
BEST PRACTICES
There is no substitute for a demonstration of the solution on offer. Talk to your peers in the sector, what has their
experience been like? Visit Exhibitions. Dream of WILD SUCCESS for YOUR business and find out which system is
being used by businesses recognised for THEIR greatness. Great Businesses Use Great Systems.
• Start looking for EPOS as early as possible and get it sorted as quickly as you reasonably can. You will inevitably want to
integrate it with your POS counters and everything like electrics, broadband and networking will all revolve around this.
• Do your homework... Establish who has real credibility in the sector. Start to recognise gaps in solution offerings alongside
your requirements and the fog will begin to lift. (No dedicated hospitality module? No integration with POS?) Make sure
you have a clear vision of the experience you want to deliver to your customer and make sure your chosen system fits that
model.
• Avoid generic (off the shelf) solutions. They will inevitably be cheaper but we've rarely seen them deliver in this sector.
• Talk to, or better still join, groups like FARMA (National Farmers' Retail & Markets Association) or The Guild of Fine
Food. They have been setup to help you and aside from the social interaction and willingness amongst members to share
their experience they are a central hub for support resources, training and advice on changes in legislation affecting your
type of business.
RESOURCES
FARMA: http://www.farma.org.uk
(Milly Stokes / Michael Mack)
GUILD OF FINE FOOD: https://gff.co.uk
(John Farrand / Jilly Stitch)
RETAIL READY: https://gff.co.uk/training/retail-ready
(Jilly Stitch / Charlie Turnbull / Georgina Mason)
ACADEMY OF CHEESE: http://academyofcheese.org
(Paxton & Whitfield / Turnbulls / Quickes)
Held annually at the NEC this show is a must-visit for any
food retailer. Loads of new products and a chance to meet
the people behind the scenes and hear their story.
http://www.farmshopanddelishow.co.uk
Hosted each year in the Olympia exhibition centre this
is another show well worth visiting. The Great Taste
Awards are also held over the course of the event.
http://www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk
FARM SHOP & DELI (BIRMINGHAM) SPECIALITY FINE FOOD FAIR (LONDON)
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
10
There are a number of providers
for chip and pin payment services.
(Payment Sense, Verifone, Ingenico
and YesPay to name a few).
Service provision usually entitles you
to the pinpads or PEDs (Pin Entry
Device) as they are often referred to
alongside the business of carrying the
customer's card payment from their
account into yours via an authorising
bank.
Contract terms can vary and is directly
between you and the payment
provider; a 48-month contract is not
uncommon.
If there are issues during payment
processing then these are usually
handled by either your payment
provider directly or in conjunction
with your EPOS supplier depending
on the nature of the issue being
experienced.
Next day swap out cover is often
available for faulty PEDs and worth
consideration if you are reliant on
taking customer payments on a single
terminal without a viable alternative
should the device fail.
Note: Leave plenty of time for getting
a Merchant Number sorted from
your bank and for the completion of
your application. This can sometimes
take a number of weeks to complete
depending on your provider and needs
to be monitored to ensure you are
ready to go when you open.
The choice of payment options available to consumers today has never been greater. Customers
will increasingly expect you to offer these innovative ways to pay for goods and services. So be
prepared and get on the right side of the curve from the off.
Chip & Pin / Contactless:
Payment Options
Cheques are all but gone, cash appears
to be on its way out so what's left?
Well... credit cards certainly and with
the increased trust being placed in
mobile payments we recommend that
you spend some time thinking about
your ideal customer type.
Who are they? How much are they
likely to spend on average, given your
type of business, and how can you make
their life simpler by offering payment
methods that they will want to use
instinctively?
If your average basket spend is likely
to be on the large side (i.e. > £30) then
maybe contactless isn't appropriate just
yet but chip and pin certainly will be.
If, however, you're a coffee shop or offer
food to go then offering these payment
methods might help make the difference
from buying lunch at yours or popping
to the local Starbucks.
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
11
BEST PRACTICES
• Your preferred EPOS provider should guide you on the most appropriate provider for your business. Decide how many
terminals you think you'll need, consider the costs and get your application underway as soon as possible.
• Typically the terminals will be pole-mounted at your counter so make sure whoever is designing your counters has
factored this into their design. These things are pretty common these days; it shouldn't be a problem but worth checking.
• Some terminals require additional network ports to be provided at the counter. Ask your EPOS provider for advice on
whether this applies to you and your circumstances.
• "Haggle"... The payment providers are in a competitive market place just like you so see what you can do in respect of
keeping your contract term as low as possible to suit your own circumstances at least at the start until you get established.
• Speak to FARMA and The Guild of Fine Food. They can usually help members by providing reduced transaction processing
fees from merchant providers like Streamline and Elavon.
Offering these types of services for your customers should be an essential part of your offering in the current retail
climate.
By facilitating a faster way for customers to get through the till point you will increase satisfaction and improve
their experience; not just for those customers at the checkout at the time but fast payment keeps queues to a
minimum especially at manically busy periods like Christmas.
It's all about the experience.
RESOURCES
PAYMENT SENSE: http://www.paymentsense.co.uk
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
12
Back Office Software:
The Engine Room
STOCK CONTROL
Simply put... "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it" and this is acutely true in
the context of stock control in YOUR type of business.
Getting your margins right is absolutely key and directly linked to keeping your
business going. This is helped by keeping an eye on your costs, minimizing
unnecessary waste and ordering on the basis of real numbers and not a 'gut'
feeling.
Throw in the fact that a lot of your offering will have a shelf life and that you're
probably not going to have an empty refrigerated warehouse waiting to store tons
and tons of stock and you'll quickly reach the conclusion that you're going to need
a reliable system to help you through the madness!
FINANCIAL REPORTING & BUSINESS ANALYSIS
Up until the time when you run your first report the whole process has been about
feeding information into your system.
A good reporting module is a must; it's that simple.
It must present relevant information in a straight forward, readable way so folks
who aren't management accountants (i.e. most of us!) can make sense of what's
going on in the business.
Common reports to look out for (Z-Read Analysis, Product Performance, Gross
Margins, VAT Report, Top X Sellers, Best Customers, Promotion Analysis)
Software that's been designed with your type of business in mind means you've already got a
whole bunch of people on your team. Folks whose job description is all about making your life
easier by staying in tune with the needs of the sector, changes in legislation and bringing you the
most up to date innovations as and when your business is ready for them.
Note: The back office is very much more that just stock control and reporting but these are two of the most important
aspects. Given your size, business model and budget you may well be considering things like: Integration with your website,
links to your accounts package, marketing tools, customer account management, customer loyalty and more.
If you'd like information on these types of module just drop us a line to: sayhello@lccs.co.uk and we'll be happy to advise.
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
13
BEST PRACTICES
• Make sure you understand the difference between MARGIN and MARKUP. If unsure then speak to your accountant or
better still to a peer in the industry for advice on where you can ramp margins up and where you are going to struggle to
make much.
• Try to work with software vendors that offer 'operational' support alongside their main hardware and software offering.
N.B. This is NOT training (that should be provided by everyone) this IS usually about providing one-to-one coaching about
the best ways to achieve your goals in the context of reporting or stock management.
• Invest in a handheld terminal or at the very least rent one periodically to help with your stock takes. Don't try to stock take
when the shop is trading if you want anything remotely resembling an accurate figure!
• Spot check random products every day so managing stock is a 'rolling' thing. This way your figures are always there or
thereabouts and it is less likely to get unwieldy.
• Don't under estimate the human resources required to manage full stock control (i.e placing formal purchase orders,
processing goods in, managing discrepancies, credit notes, recording wastage, adjusting costs, monitoring margins)
- Some people don't implement full stock control at the start and do what they can given the people and time available
and grow from there. If that's where you are at then don't beat yourself up... you're in good company... do try to keep this
moving on though as soon as you can... it's worth it in the long run. Don't lose sight of the fact that there's a lot of capital
tied up in that stuff on your shelves and in your stock room.
• Go and spend some time working in an established business and see how things are done there. This type of insight is
invaluable and highly recommended.
• Ask to be put in touch with other friendly retailers willing to share the knowledge. In our experience the people in this
sector are all too happy to help providing you're not opening up just down the road from them.
• Look at implementing some sort of 'traffic-light' system to keep an eye on stock going out of date.
• If you have a cafe or coffee shop attached to your business then add value to stock that may be unsuitable for sale directly
in the shop by turning it into salads, quiche, bread pudding... your options are endless here!
Having internal stock management systems is one thing; ensuring that everyone in the business follows them can be
a challenge. One trick is to make it so easy to do things like recording wastage that your team don't have any hoops
left to jump through and it simply gets done as a matter of course.
Good systems make for happier staff and ultimately you get what you want... genuine insight into what's going on in
your business so you can adjust course as necessary.
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
14
Labelling
YOUR BRIEF
Submit your ideas /
designs along with any stipulations
about required or conditional content.
PROJECT PROPOSAL
You'll get a quote for all relevant elements and if any
recommendations have been made they will be
discussed at this stage with you.
(e.g. different adhesive given product is to be stored in a chiller)
DESIGN CONCEPT
Supplier takes the details & assesses
what is required before discussing
the particulars with the printers.
APPROVE AND ORDER
Providing you're happy then the
order is placed and delivered in
the quantity required.
Easy to overlook but vital in getting your message across; even more so now with government legislation demanding you make
customers aware of allergens and nutritional information in the products you produce and retail.
You might think labels are straight forward until you try to sort them yourself... different sizes, varnishes, pantones, cutting
plates, rotations, adhesives... are you ready for a lie down yet?
Having access to a vendor who can be your one-stop-shop for this will save you time, money and a whole heap of hassle.
Typically the process should look something like this.
TIME MANAGEMENT
As the months roll in it'll become
more apparent how little time
you have to look after all the
elements of your business
personally in any 24 hr period.
Being able to hand things like this
off to a trusted supplier will give
you peace of mind and some of
your day back!
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
15
GetYourMessageAcross
Loud&Clear..!
BARCODE LABELS
Invaluable if you're working with small
producers. You can create the labels
in advance, give them to your supplier
and have the products pre-labelled by
the time they arrive in-store.
SHELF EDGE TICKETS
Clear, effective shelf edge ticketing
is one of the first chances you get to
get your product's story across. These
should be quick to produce and be
consistent right across your shop.
PRODUCT / SCALE LABELS
Multi-purpose labels which you
produce in the quantitites you need
when you require. Use for labelling
cheese, charcuterie or pre-made
soups, stews, jams, chutneys and much
more.
COUNTER LABELS
Typically seen on stands or in front of
trays of produce or cheese in a serve-
over counter. Usually more surface
area is available to get your message
across (i.e. Awards, allergens, etc)
Talk to existing business owners in your
sector about their experience.
On-going support is going to be key to
making sure your scale equipment is properly
maintained and experiences can vary.
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
16
Scales:
Weighing Up The Options
Counter scales, packaging scales,
checkout scales... bathroom scales...
(only joking on that last one!) The fact
is that this is another area where you
need to be careful when spending your
money. Choose wisely; the best way
to do that is to be clear up-front on
the use(s) to which you are going to
put these pieces of equipment.
In terms of manufacturer you should
stick to the two big players, Avery
Berkel or Bizerba. There are other
options yes but in our humble opinion
you are best served with a solution
that's tried and tested in your sector
and these two are about as good as it
gets.
On a counter situation you'll need
scales to weigh and label product
before it is scanned at your till.
Labelling should have all the required
allergen info. in bold to make sure you
comply with the law and increasingly
you will need to show nutritional
information along-side this.
There are lots of options, colour
displays, customer displays and the
like. Make sure you get the basics first
then spend what your budget allows.
Make sure your computer system
is capable of updating product
information on the scale from the back
office otherwise it'll not be long before
you'll be tearing your hair out having
to do it all manually!
Also, decide if you are the type of
business that wants/needs to use the
scales for production of customer
orders. This may limit your options
and not all scales communicate this
type of data to the back office easily
for the production of invoices /
delivery notes.
Whilst scales do have the ability
to operate as tills we wouldn't
recommend you go down this route
unless you have to. i.e. You are a
butcher.
This is mainly due to the fact that
these pieces of kit have been designed
first and foremost to be fantastic
weighing machines.
They are usually behind the curve on
the other EPOS-type functionality
such as customer loyalty integration,
intelligent vouchers, complex
promotions and other things you
should be making the most use of
if you have the option. This will be
determined by your type of business
though and you may not have much
choice if space is an issue.
You usually get some basic software
with your scales to help with product
maintenance and whilst this is fine for
very simple operations you should be
looking to a seamless integration with
your chosen EPOS vendor. It is very
rare these days to find a provider that
doesn't link their systems to either
Avery Berkel or Bizerba.
Finally... don't use scales in a
hospitality environment...! It may seem
like an obvious thing to say but we've
seen folks do this more times than
we care to say and 100% of the time I
ask myself... why on earth?? They are
excellent at weighing... Stick to that.
It's a fairly sure thing to say that if you're opening a deli, cheese shop, farm shop or the like that
you are going to want to weigh 'stuff'. As with tills... there are a lot of options and they all look
very similar. You need to be clear on what exactly you are planning to use them for.
AVERY
BIZERBA
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
17
Trust Me Does
It Work..!
BEST PRACTICES
• Write down a list of all the functions you think
you'll need to use scales in your business for:
e.g.
- Weighing at counters (meat, fish, cheese, etc.);
- Weighing in-store (vegetables, cereals, etc.);
- Weighing at the point of sale (Fruit, etc.);
- Pre-packing goods;
- Customer Order fulfillment.
• Get a demo from both manufacturers to be sure of
your options and encourage a good price from each.
• Ensure your chosen scale and EPOS combination
will deliver on your requirements.
• Talk to other users of the same scale/
manufacturer. Find out about on-going support and
costs.
• Try to keep scales, slicers and weighing equipment
generally under the one manufacturer 'roof' for
compatibility and ease of support.
RESOURCES
AVERY BERKEL: http://www.averyberkel.com/en-gb
BIZERBA: http://www.bizerba.co.uk
Never EVER allow members of the public
to access the internet on the same wireless
connection as your business network.
Aside from the security risk you may find that
your tills weirdly start to slow down during
busy lunch times!! (Thanks YouTube!)
SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES
18
I.T. Infrastructure:
The Right Foundation
With everyone being a so-called IT expert these days you'll have no end of folks stepping up to
'sort' this for you. Our advice... get a dedicated IT company in to install and configure this for you;
you'll be glad you did. Your network needs to be robust and reliable; your business is going to be
depending on it all day every day after all so best get it right first time around.
In simple terms your computer
network carries information from one
part of your business to another.
This might be to facilitate: surfing
the Internet, online banking, making
sure tills work, running reports,
accounts, printing, scanning, labelling
and on... and on... and on... In short
your network IS your computer
infrastructure and it needs to work
reliably.
Usually this is achieved by network
cables (CAT 5 or 6: CAT is short for
Category) being installed by a qualified
person from various points in your
building to a network 'switch' (bit
like a junction box where all ends
meet). As a result devices are able to
communicate with one another.
You may also have wireless network
access which is handy for allowing
devices to talk to one another if
you're on the shop floor or to allow
customers to browse the net whilst in
your shop / cafe. Word to the wise
though... In the case of customers
browsing... do make sure that if you're
allowing customers to have free WiFi
in your business that this is handled
on a separate network from your
main business network otherwise you
may suffer from children trying to
download the entire Toy Story back
catalog whilst in your shop and things
will just grind to a halt.
When having a wired network installed
a common question to be asked is...
"How many network points do you
want/need?" These are the actual
sockets on the wall where you'll plug
network-enabled devices into. Our
top tip is decide where you want them
located, how many you need to install
and install more than you need by
about half as many again at least.
They are fairly cheap to install and it is
always advisable to make sure you've
plenty of spare capacity for all those
tills, credit card machines and printers
you'll collect over the years.
You should also invest in a separate
computer or small server to run your
tills from and let it be dedicated to
that purpose.
It's an added luxury yes but it means
your tills will run without issue and
you'll not have to fight for disk space
when a manager comes back from
holidays and decides to upload all
their holiday snaps onto your work
machines!
Networking
Golden Rule #1
Hire an expert
[Or be prepared for
headaches!]
Whether you're just starting out or changing things around for the better we hope this guide has
been of help to you.
There's a lot of subject matter to cover and whilst we've covered the essentials here you may still have more questions.
If that is the case we're happy to advise; if you have queries on other things like customer loyalty schemes, gift vouchers,
customer marketing, website integration, discount vouchers or anything frankly in relation to systems in your business then
we'd love to hear from you and see if we can't lend a helping hand or free advice.
Good luck with everything; we wish you all the very best for now and into the foreseeable future.
From All @ Lakeland Computers
We're
Here for You
SUPPORT
www.lccs.co.uk
sayhello@lccs.co.uk
CONTACT
+ 44 (0) 345 257 0829
(twitter) @lccsltd
ADDRESS
Co. Fermanagh, N.Ireland
Nottinghamshire, England

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EPOS Solution For Retailers - Untangle the Spaghetti - Lakeland Computers

  • 1. Getting Systems Right Starting a new food business is tough. This guide focuses on helping you find the right Retail Management and EPOS solution. It will also make you aware of some of the pitfalls you are likely to face on your journey. WEBSITE www.lccs.co.uk sayhello@lccs.co.uk CONTACT + 44 (0) 345 257 0829 OFFICES Irvinestown, Co. Fermanagh. N. Ireland Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire. England SOCIAL www.twitter.com/lccsltd blog.lccs.co.uk plus.google.com/+lakelandcomputersuk linkedin.com/company/lakeland-computers www.lccs.co.uk EUREKA Academy
  • 2. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" - Leonardo Da Vinci © Lakeland Computer Consultancy Services Ltd Printed in United Kingdom Tel. +44 (0) 345 257 0829 sayhello@lccs.co.uk • https://www.lccs.co.uk
  • 3. Content About Us 5 So Much To Think About 7 EPOS 8 Chip & Pin / Contactless 10 Back Office Software 12 Labelling 14 Scales 16 I.T. Infrastructure 18 Here For You 20
  • 5. SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 5 big deal for everyone in our business and it's what keeps us focused on who we are and where we're going. We are now privileged to look after hundreds of truly outstanding food retailers across the United Kingdom and Ireland; many of whom are nationally award-winning. Weirdly enough I still remember when some of these started out on a simple stall in a garage... the same, years on, are now celebrated as being the best in the UK. #proud for all you Twitter followers out there! To my knowledge, as I write this, we remain the only business of our kind (at least in the UK or Ireland) that focuses entirely on this sector. No chemists, no plumbing supplies, just independent food retailers and we think that gives us a unique insight into how we can make YOUR life easier. I hope this guide offers you useful insights into what to look (out) for when choosing your systems. Good luck on your journey; keep calm, remember the passion that got you here, surround yourself with good people and all will be well. Lakeland Computers: Since 1997 It's a massive deal that people trust Eureka™ to look after their livelihood and that of generations to come When I started this business from my mother and father's kitchen table I never dreamt for one second that my journey would afford me the privilege of working with some of the most amazing people in the food industry. Passionate, sincere, hard working and dedicated are just some of the words I use to describe our customers, many of whom have now become dear friends and part of our Eureka™ 'family'. My background is in the crazy world of technology first and foremost whilst the folks we work with tend to shun that in favour of ploughing a field or rearing the best beef you've ever tasted. We meet in the middle though; as we share in our love of good food and in our appreciation of what it took to produce, prepare and make ready for the table. That said there is of course the matter of running our respective businesses. With the odd exception, most of our customers have ploughed their own money (and sometimes the bank's money) into an enterprise to either sustain their existing way of life or to create something new that they can hand on to their son(s) or daughter(s) in years to come. We REALLY get the responsibility that comes with this. Real people, real families and they've chosen us to help steer them through. That's a seriously "Focusing on this sector gives us a unique understanding of the challenges being faced." Nigel Bogle, Founder & CEO Lakeland Computers
  • 6. When implementing your EPOS & Backoffice systems you should leave around 12 weeks to get everything properly sorted. Any less and you'll run the risk of opening with half a system in place. So you've made the decision to invest your hard earned cash into a food retail enterprise. There are so many plates spinning that you're already getting dizzy... Location, right product mix, branding, website, staff, equipment... Gin & Tonic please! Even for the most modest of retail empires you're going to need some sort of systems to help you keep track of what's going on. Once you've your 'hard landscape' in place (i.e. building, refrigeration, etc.) You'll be investing a fair amount of capital in your products and knowing where it's working and where it's possibly not is going to prove key to the health of your all important margins and ultimately to the success of your business. The essential elements to consider are detailed over the next few pages and are worth serious thought if you want to stand the best chance of getting things off to a good start. Untangle the Spaghetti
  • 7. SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 7 So much to think about: So little time! In (very) simple terms this is the equipment that usually sits on your counter at the point where your customers pay for their basket items. There are lots of options here but a SERIOUS word of caution: All systems are NOT created equally and you should take time to seek out a solution that has your type of business very much at the heart of its design. Paying by card has long since been common place in retail stores. This is one area where you can help reduce queueing time at the till and improve customer experience. At the time of writing the current limit on contactless payments is £30 and ApplePay and AndroidPay are fast making in-roads. A must these days given cash is becoming more rare. This is very much the 'meat & potatoes' (excuse the pun!) of the system. Usually comes as part of an overall solution with the tills and it is essential that you choose a provider that understands both your type of business and the sort of reporting information that is useful to those running it. Modular is best; You won't use all the functionality right from the start. EPOS TILLS CHIP & PIN / CONTACTLESS BACKOFFICE SOFTWARE Shelf edge ticketing, veg displays, those little stickers to put on small batches of Mrs Miggins' homemade strawberry jam, labels for your own tray bakes, breads... the list goes on. It takes more time than you might think to get your artwork agreed and ensure you've those all important allergens identified and nutritional information ready to put in the right place to keep on the right side of the law. Another essential piece of kit for any farm shop. cheesemonger, deli, butcher, fishmonger or simply anyone who needs to weigh 'stuff'. ** Be wary of using these as full blown tills though unless you're a butcher or cheesemonger. It's not what they were primarily designed for and access to key transactional data can be awkward in certain cases leaving you questioning the investment. Get this right and you'll save yourself a whole heap of pain! Hire someone who knows how to install network cabling properly and can terminate it properly at a network switch which is capable of handling the amount of data being transmitted. ** Word to the wise... if you're planning to operate a cafe or coffee shop... keep the public WiFi on a separate system to that of your shop.!!! LABELLING WEIGHING SCALES IT INFRASTRUCTURE Getting some combination of the following elements wrong in any business will cause problems certainly but in a new business particularly it can be a major contributor to high levels of serious anxiety and stress; all at a time when every penny counts, where you're still trying to find your feet and at a stage when time is a luxury you simply don't have.
  • 8.       The purchase that has caused the most headaches has been our Epos system. I wish I'd done more research before buying You will have ONE budget for EPOS; spend it on the wrong system and you'll be living with your mistake for years. Getting your finances back into the black, once open, has got to be a priority. Cheap is rarely 'Cheerful'. - Nigel Bogle, Founder & CEO Lakeland Computers SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 8 EPOS: Generic or Sector Specific ? ? ? CUSTOMER LOYALTY Enhance that all important customer experience with a scheme that delivers INTELLIGENT VOUCHERS Surprise, inform and retail clever by offering your customers added value PROMOTIONS Set them up and watch the magic happen live on the shop floor MARKETING INTEGRATION Simple, clear, yet hugely powerful ways to look at buying habits NUTRITIONAL / ALLERGENS Know what goes into what you sell? Let your systems take away the pain HOSPITALITY INTEGRATION Shop first, eat later or the other way around. Whatever suits your style! The answer to this is best summed up by Ebony Harding from Harringay Local Store, London in her interview with Lynda Searby from Fine Food Digest in 2016. Ebony had purchased a solution from EPOS Now but says, "It hasn't been right for us..." In our experience this story is all too common for businesses in the food sector starting out. To be fair it's often a case of: "You don't know what you don't know" and at the time of purchase you're probably thinking... well... it's a till... how different can From the outset you're going to be faced with lots of choice on EPOS but where is your money best invested? In a cheap out of the box solution or something that's more food-focused? these things be after all? The answer to that question in this sector is... VERY. When you purchase you may not use all the EPOS 'bells and whistles' from day one but you should ensure you at least have the beginnings of an idea as to the where you're headed in your business model. Customer loyalty schemes, Gift Vouchers, Discount Vouchers, Timed Promotions, Account Customers?, Integration with marketing campaigns, KPI analysis, Allergen & Nutritional Information are just some things which you'll come to rely on and which just don't come with a cheap out of the box solution usually. - Ebony Harding, Harringay Local Store, London Fine Food Digest: March 2016
  • 9. SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 9 BEST PRACTICES There is no substitute for a demonstration of the solution on offer. Talk to your peers in the sector, what has their experience been like? Visit Exhibitions. Dream of WILD SUCCESS for YOUR business and find out which system is being used by businesses recognised for THEIR greatness. Great Businesses Use Great Systems. • Start looking for EPOS as early as possible and get it sorted as quickly as you reasonably can. You will inevitably want to integrate it with your POS counters and everything like electrics, broadband and networking will all revolve around this. • Do your homework... Establish who has real credibility in the sector. Start to recognise gaps in solution offerings alongside your requirements and the fog will begin to lift. (No dedicated hospitality module? No integration with POS?) Make sure you have a clear vision of the experience you want to deliver to your customer and make sure your chosen system fits that model. • Avoid generic (off the shelf) solutions. They will inevitably be cheaper but we've rarely seen them deliver in this sector. • Talk to, or better still join, groups like FARMA (National Farmers' Retail & Markets Association) or The Guild of Fine Food. They have been setup to help you and aside from the social interaction and willingness amongst members to share their experience they are a central hub for support resources, training and advice on changes in legislation affecting your type of business. RESOURCES FARMA: http://www.farma.org.uk (Milly Stokes / Michael Mack) GUILD OF FINE FOOD: https://gff.co.uk (John Farrand / Jilly Stitch) RETAIL READY: https://gff.co.uk/training/retail-ready (Jilly Stitch / Charlie Turnbull / Georgina Mason) ACADEMY OF CHEESE: http://academyofcheese.org (Paxton & Whitfield / Turnbulls / Quickes) Held annually at the NEC this show is a must-visit for any food retailer. Loads of new products and a chance to meet the people behind the scenes and hear their story. http://www.farmshopanddelishow.co.uk Hosted each year in the Olympia exhibition centre this is another show well worth visiting. The Great Taste Awards are also held over the course of the event. http://www.specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk FARM SHOP & DELI (BIRMINGHAM) SPECIALITY FINE FOOD FAIR (LONDON)
  • 10. SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 10 There are a number of providers for chip and pin payment services. (Payment Sense, Verifone, Ingenico and YesPay to name a few). Service provision usually entitles you to the pinpads or PEDs (Pin Entry Device) as they are often referred to alongside the business of carrying the customer's card payment from their account into yours via an authorising bank. Contract terms can vary and is directly between you and the payment provider; a 48-month contract is not uncommon. If there are issues during payment processing then these are usually handled by either your payment provider directly or in conjunction with your EPOS supplier depending on the nature of the issue being experienced. Next day swap out cover is often available for faulty PEDs and worth consideration if you are reliant on taking customer payments on a single terminal without a viable alternative should the device fail. Note: Leave plenty of time for getting a Merchant Number sorted from your bank and for the completion of your application. This can sometimes take a number of weeks to complete depending on your provider and needs to be monitored to ensure you are ready to go when you open. The choice of payment options available to consumers today has never been greater. Customers will increasingly expect you to offer these innovative ways to pay for goods and services. So be prepared and get on the right side of the curve from the off. Chip & Pin / Contactless: Payment Options Cheques are all but gone, cash appears to be on its way out so what's left? Well... credit cards certainly and with the increased trust being placed in mobile payments we recommend that you spend some time thinking about your ideal customer type. Who are they? How much are they likely to spend on average, given your type of business, and how can you make their life simpler by offering payment methods that they will want to use instinctively? If your average basket spend is likely to be on the large side (i.e. > £30) then maybe contactless isn't appropriate just yet but chip and pin certainly will be. If, however, you're a coffee shop or offer food to go then offering these payment methods might help make the difference from buying lunch at yours or popping to the local Starbucks.
  • 11. SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 11 BEST PRACTICES • Your preferred EPOS provider should guide you on the most appropriate provider for your business. Decide how many terminals you think you'll need, consider the costs and get your application underway as soon as possible. • Typically the terminals will be pole-mounted at your counter so make sure whoever is designing your counters has factored this into their design. These things are pretty common these days; it shouldn't be a problem but worth checking. • Some terminals require additional network ports to be provided at the counter. Ask your EPOS provider for advice on whether this applies to you and your circumstances. • "Haggle"... The payment providers are in a competitive market place just like you so see what you can do in respect of keeping your contract term as low as possible to suit your own circumstances at least at the start until you get established. • Speak to FARMA and The Guild of Fine Food. They can usually help members by providing reduced transaction processing fees from merchant providers like Streamline and Elavon. Offering these types of services for your customers should be an essential part of your offering in the current retail climate. By facilitating a faster way for customers to get through the till point you will increase satisfaction and improve their experience; not just for those customers at the checkout at the time but fast payment keeps queues to a minimum especially at manically busy periods like Christmas. It's all about the experience. RESOURCES PAYMENT SENSE: http://www.paymentsense.co.uk
  • 12. SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 12 Back Office Software: The Engine Room STOCK CONTROL Simply put... "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it" and this is acutely true in the context of stock control in YOUR type of business. Getting your margins right is absolutely key and directly linked to keeping your business going. This is helped by keeping an eye on your costs, minimizing unnecessary waste and ordering on the basis of real numbers and not a 'gut' feeling. Throw in the fact that a lot of your offering will have a shelf life and that you're probably not going to have an empty refrigerated warehouse waiting to store tons and tons of stock and you'll quickly reach the conclusion that you're going to need a reliable system to help you through the madness! FINANCIAL REPORTING & BUSINESS ANALYSIS Up until the time when you run your first report the whole process has been about feeding information into your system. A good reporting module is a must; it's that simple. It must present relevant information in a straight forward, readable way so folks who aren't management accountants (i.e. most of us!) can make sense of what's going on in the business. Common reports to look out for (Z-Read Analysis, Product Performance, Gross Margins, VAT Report, Top X Sellers, Best Customers, Promotion Analysis) Software that's been designed with your type of business in mind means you've already got a whole bunch of people on your team. Folks whose job description is all about making your life easier by staying in tune with the needs of the sector, changes in legislation and bringing you the most up to date innovations as and when your business is ready for them. Note: The back office is very much more that just stock control and reporting but these are two of the most important aspects. Given your size, business model and budget you may well be considering things like: Integration with your website, links to your accounts package, marketing tools, customer account management, customer loyalty and more. If you'd like information on these types of module just drop us a line to: sayhello@lccs.co.uk and we'll be happy to advise.
  • 13. SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 13 BEST PRACTICES • Make sure you understand the difference between MARGIN and MARKUP. If unsure then speak to your accountant or better still to a peer in the industry for advice on where you can ramp margins up and where you are going to struggle to make much. • Try to work with software vendors that offer 'operational' support alongside their main hardware and software offering. N.B. This is NOT training (that should be provided by everyone) this IS usually about providing one-to-one coaching about the best ways to achieve your goals in the context of reporting or stock management. • Invest in a handheld terminal or at the very least rent one periodically to help with your stock takes. Don't try to stock take when the shop is trading if you want anything remotely resembling an accurate figure! • Spot check random products every day so managing stock is a 'rolling' thing. This way your figures are always there or thereabouts and it is less likely to get unwieldy. • Don't under estimate the human resources required to manage full stock control (i.e placing formal purchase orders, processing goods in, managing discrepancies, credit notes, recording wastage, adjusting costs, monitoring margins) - Some people don't implement full stock control at the start and do what they can given the people and time available and grow from there. If that's where you are at then don't beat yourself up... you're in good company... do try to keep this moving on though as soon as you can... it's worth it in the long run. Don't lose sight of the fact that there's a lot of capital tied up in that stuff on your shelves and in your stock room. • Go and spend some time working in an established business and see how things are done there. This type of insight is invaluable and highly recommended. • Ask to be put in touch with other friendly retailers willing to share the knowledge. In our experience the people in this sector are all too happy to help providing you're not opening up just down the road from them. • Look at implementing some sort of 'traffic-light' system to keep an eye on stock going out of date. • If you have a cafe or coffee shop attached to your business then add value to stock that may be unsuitable for sale directly in the shop by turning it into salads, quiche, bread pudding... your options are endless here! Having internal stock management systems is one thing; ensuring that everyone in the business follows them can be a challenge. One trick is to make it so easy to do things like recording wastage that your team don't have any hoops left to jump through and it simply gets done as a matter of course. Good systems make for happier staff and ultimately you get what you want... genuine insight into what's going on in your business so you can adjust course as necessary.
  • 14. SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 14 Labelling YOUR BRIEF Submit your ideas / designs along with any stipulations about required or conditional content. PROJECT PROPOSAL You'll get a quote for all relevant elements and if any recommendations have been made they will be discussed at this stage with you. (e.g. different adhesive given product is to be stored in a chiller) DESIGN CONCEPT Supplier takes the details & assesses what is required before discussing the particulars with the printers. APPROVE AND ORDER Providing you're happy then the order is placed and delivered in the quantity required. Easy to overlook but vital in getting your message across; even more so now with government legislation demanding you make customers aware of allergens and nutritional information in the products you produce and retail. You might think labels are straight forward until you try to sort them yourself... different sizes, varnishes, pantones, cutting plates, rotations, adhesives... are you ready for a lie down yet? Having access to a vendor who can be your one-stop-shop for this will save you time, money and a whole heap of hassle. Typically the process should look something like this. TIME MANAGEMENT As the months roll in it'll become more apparent how little time you have to look after all the elements of your business personally in any 24 hr period. Being able to hand things like this off to a trusted supplier will give you peace of mind and some of your day back!
  • 15. SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 15 GetYourMessageAcross Loud&Clear..! BARCODE LABELS Invaluable if you're working with small producers. You can create the labels in advance, give them to your supplier and have the products pre-labelled by the time they arrive in-store. SHELF EDGE TICKETS Clear, effective shelf edge ticketing is one of the first chances you get to get your product's story across. These should be quick to produce and be consistent right across your shop. PRODUCT / SCALE LABELS Multi-purpose labels which you produce in the quantitites you need when you require. Use for labelling cheese, charcuterie or pre-made soups, stews, jams, chutneys and much more. COUNTER LABELS Typically seen on stands or in front of trays of produce or cheese in a serve- over counter. Usually more surface area is available to get your message across (i.e. Awards, allergens, etc)
  • 16. Talk to existing business owners in your sector about their experience. On-going support is going to be key to making sure your scale equipment is properly maintained and experiences can vary. SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 16 Scales: Weighing Up The Options Counter scales, packaging scales, checkout scales... bathroom scales... (only joking on that last one!) The fact is that this is another area where you need to be careful when spending your money. Choose wisely; the best way to do that is to be clear up-front on the use(s) to which you are going to put these pieces of equipment. In terms of manufacturer you should stick to the two big players, Avery Berkel or Bizerba. There are other options yes but in our humble opinion you are best served with a solution that's tried and tested in your sector and these two are about as good as it gets. On a counter situation you'll need scales to weigh and label product before it is scanned at your till. Labelling should have all the required allergen info. in bold to make sure you comply with the law and increasingly you will need to show nutritional information along-side this. There are lots of options, colour displays, customer displays and the like. Make sure you get the basics first then spend what your budget allows. Make sure your computer system is capable of updating product information on the scale from the back office otherwise it'll not be long before you'll be tearing your hair out having to do it all manually! Also, decide if you are the type of business that wants/needs to use the scales for production of customer orders. This may limit your options and not all scales communicate this type of data to the back office easily for the production of invoices / delivery notes. Whilst scales do have the ability to operate as tills we wouldn't recommend you go down this route unless you have to. i.e. You are a butcher. This is mainly due to the fact that these pieces of kit have been designed first and foremost to be fantastic weighing machines. They are usually behind the curve on the other EPOS-type functionality such as customer loyalty integration, intelligent vouchers, complex promotions and other things you should be making the most use of if you have the option. This will be determined by your type of business though and you may not have much choice if space is an issue. You usually get some basic software with your scales to help with product maintenance and whilst this is fine for very simple operations you should be looking to a seamless integration with your chosen EPOS vendor. It is very rare these days to find a provider that doesn't link their systems to either Avery Berkel or Bizerba. Finally... don't use scales in a hospitality environment...! It may seem like an obvious thing to say but we've seen folks do this more times than we care to say and 100% of the time I ask myself... why on earth?? They are excellent at weighing... Stick to that. It's a fairly sure thing to say that if you're opening a deli, cheese shop, farm shop or the like that you are going to want to weigh 'stuff'. As with tills... there are a lot of options and they all look very similar. You need to be clear on what exactly you are planning to use them for.
  • 17. AVERY BIZERBA SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 17 Trust Me Does It Work..! BEST PRACTICES • Write down a list of all the functions you think you'll need to use scales in your business for: e.g. - Weighing at counters (meat, fish, cheese, etc.); - Weighing in-store (vegetables, cereals, etc.); - Weighing at the point of sale (Fruit, etc.); - Pre-packing goods; - Customer Order fulfillment. • Get a demo from both manufacturers to be sure of your options and encourage a good price from each. • Ensure your chosen scale and EPOS combination will deliver on your requirements. • Talk to other users of the same scale/ manufacturer. Find out about on-going support and costs. • Try to keep scales, slicers and weighing equipment generally under the one manufacturer 'roof' for compatibility and ease of support. RESOURCES AVERY BERKEL: http://www.averyberkel.com/en-gb BIZERBA: http://www.bizerba.co.uk
  • 18. Never EVER allow members of the public to access the internet on the same wireless connection as your business network. Aside from the security risk you may find that your tills weirdly start to slow down during busy lunch times!! (Thanks YouTube!) SYSTEMS GUIDE FOR NEW FOOD BUSINESSES 18 I.T. Infrastructure: The Right Foundation With everyone being a so-called IT expert these days you'll have no end of folks stepping up to 'sort' this for you. Our advice... get a dedicated IT company in to install and configure this for you; you'll be glad you did. Your network needs to be robust and reliable; your business is going to be depending on it all day every day after all so best get it right first time around. In simple terms your computer network carries information from one part of your business to another. This might be to facilitate: surfing the Internet, online banking, making sure tills work, running reports, accounts, printing, scanning, labelling and on... and on... and on... In short your network IS your computer infrastructure and it needs to work reliably. Usually this is achieved by network cables (CAT 5 or 6: CAT is short for Category) being installed by a qualified person from various points in your building to a network 'switch' (bit like a junction box where all ends meet). As a result devices are able to communicate with one another. You may also have wireless network access which is handy for allowing devices to talk to one another if you're on the shop floor or to allow customers to browse the net whilst in your shop / cafe. Word to the wise though... In the case of customers browsing... do make sure that if you're allowing customers to have free WiFi in your business that this is handled on a separate network from your main business network otherwise you may suffer from children trying to download the entire Toy Story back catalog whilst in your shop and things will just grind to a halt. When having a wired network installed a common question to be asked is... "How many network points do you want/need?" These are the actual sockets on the wall where you'll plug network-enabled devices into. Our top tip is decide where you want them located, how many you need to install and install more than you need by about half as many again at least. They are fairly cheap to install and it is always advisable to make sure you've plenty of spare capacity for all those tills, credit card machines and printers you'll collect over the years. You should also invest in a separate computer or small server to run your tills from and let it be dedicated to that purpose. It's an added luxury yes but it means your tills will run without issue and you'll not have to fight for disk space when a manager comes back from holidays and decides to upload all their holiday snaps onto your work machines!
  • 19. Networking Golden Rule #1 Hire an expert [Or be prepared for headaches!]
  • 20. Whether you're just starting out or changing things around for the better we hope this guide has been of help to you. There's a lot of subject matter to cover and whilst we've covered the essentials here you may still have more questions. If that is the case we're happy to advise; if you have queries on other things like customer loyalty schemes, gift vouchers, customer marketing, website integration, discount vouchers or anything frankly in relation to systems in your business then we'd love to hear from you and see if we can't lend a helping hand or free advice. Good luck with everything; we wish you all the very best for now and into the foreseeable future. From All @ Lakeland Computers We're Here for You
  • 21. SUPPORT www.lccs.co.uk sayhello@lccs.co.uk CONTACT + 44 (0) 345 257 0829 (twitter) @lccsltd ADDRESS Co. Fermanagh, N.Ireland Nottinghamshire, England