7 Cool Things About SelbySoft's Gift Card System

There are a lot of POS systems out there.   Making a decision on which one to buy can be very tough.  Especially when it seems, at first glance,  that most POS systems have a lot of the same features.  

That's why it's important to dig deep.  Make sure that you evaluate how well the features works and not just that the sales guy says it's there.  


With that being said . . . Here are some very cool things about the Gift Card system in SelbySoft:


1)  IT'S FREE. . . Of course that is number one on the list.  Paying a monthly fee and a swipe charge just isn't cost effective for stores that that deal in small ticket items.  If you have to pay $10-$40 a month and $.10 to $.25 a swipe then the gift card system because a liability.  On top of that most gift cards will run somewhere between $.50 and a $1.20 a card.   With our gift card system, you have no fees and the cards are cost effective - think lower end of that scale.  


2) IT'S INDEPENDENT OF THE CREDIT CARD COMPANY. . .Think about that for a minute and you will start seeing why that can be a good idea.   Besides the costs mentioned above, a gift card that is operated through a credit card company will virtually guarantee that swapping from one credit card company to another is as difficult as possible.    


3) IT'S MULTI-TASKING. . . Gift card, prepaid card, customer profile card, discount card and rewards (punch) card all in one.    


4) IT'S PROMOTABLE. . . With our integrated discount system, it's incredibly easy to sell a $25 card for $20 and track it.   Better yet, you can track how well those promotions are working and duplicate success.


5) IT'S VERSATILE. . . This is where the differences really start to come out. No putting the ticket on hold, no consolidating later on. 

• Need to buy a drink and a gift card at the same time?  All in one transaction, on one ticket with one cash out.  
• Need to split a gift card into other cards? Easy.  
• Need to buy a drink and recharge your card at the same time?  Just as simple.  

6) IT'S MULTI-STORE CAPABLE. . . Have two or more locations?  We can handle it.  SelbySoft has a fully featured Corporate Reporting package that will handle the gift cards between multiple locations.  If you are franchising or licensing and need corporate gift card pooling, let us know - we even have options to cover that! 


7) DID I MENTION IT'S FREE?. . . Yep - free. 




Contact us at:
SelbySoft
Mike Spence
800-454-4434
Sales@SelbySoft.com
WWW.SelbySoft.com
8326 Woodland Ave. E
Puyallup Wa 98371

Memorial Day

Have a great and safe Memorial Day weekend!  

 SelbySoft is open on Memorial Day 

 9am to 3pm PST for sales and support

 3pm to 10pm PST for emergency support

Contact us at:
SelbySoft
Mike Spence
800-454-4434
Sales@SelbySoft.com
WWW.SelbySoft.com
8326 Woodland Ave. E
Puyallup Wa 98371

Reporting methods in SP-1

We all agree that reporting is important right?   One of the questions that we from people who are looking to purchase our SP-1 system is what are the different methods of reporting available.

Sometimes how you get reports can be as important as what you get on the reports!  

1)  Printed -  The most obvious way is to print reports to a laser printer so you can review them at any time.  There are a number of reports that can be printed to the thermal receipt printer as well.   This is great for shift closes etc. 

2) Reporting to screen - Just looking for a quick number or to review data SP-1 can provide?  Run the report to the screen!  It's a quick way to review without printing. 

3) Reporting to disk - Want to print to a file?  We handle that as well.  It's a great way to save reports and view later on.  They can be viewed in any word processor.  This is also a great way to email reporting to another partner. 

4) Dashboard - Want to review what is going on in the store?  Hit the Dashboard button!  Remember, this will give you a quick snapshot of your most important totals.

5) Export files - Want more powerful reporting?  Use the XML exports we have developed! These allow you to pull information into tools like Excel to really get in depth with the reporting. 

5) MobileDash  - Need information on the go?  MobileDash is the way to go.  This will provide hourly reporting direct to any phone that receives email.   MobileDash is affordable as well, only $10 a month or free with our Corporate Software Options. 

6) Corporate Reporting Options - Want information from anywhere?  Our corporate reporting options automatically transmit all of your sales information to a central location automatically every day. This is a great way to manage multiple locations.  Check with us for the cost. 

Contact us at:
SelbySoft
Mike Spence
800-454-4434
Sales@SelbySoft.com
WWW.SelbySoft.com
8326 Woodland Ave. E
Puyallup Wa 98371

foursquare and facebook places

Using social media for your business?   What about location based specials?


Both Facebook and Foursquare now allow, for free, a location based deal or special that your customers can see.  This allows your store to effectively market to your customers through their phones.  Did I mention it's free?  


The concept is this:
A customer "checks in" with either Facebook Places or Foursquare on their mobile phone while in or near your store location.  They are then presented with a deal or special that you are offering.  

SelbySoft's Facebook Deal

One of the most fascinating thoughts on this system is that because it is location based on the phone, your special will show up even if the person is not in your store.  This effectively works as simple advertising for your store as well as a special.


Specials can be setup as show this and get a drink or discount, based on number of check ins, number of people at the location etc.  


More information about Facebook deals at:  http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=18365


More information on Foursquare specials at: https://foursquare.com/business/


So, what does this have to do with SelbySoft and our SP-1 POS?  We come in after the fact .  . . once that deal or special is being redeemed, make sure you track it in SP-1.  That way you know if it is working! 




Contact us at:
SelbySoft
Mike Spence
800-454-4434
Sales@SelbySoft.com
WWW.SelbySoft.com
8326 Woodland Ave. E
Puyallup Wa 98371

9 Steps to reduce theft with technology

Theft is an ugly subject but it's one that we all have to address.   If you are in the food and beverage industry, then you know some people steal. 

Let's tackle five ways to help reduce (or at least find out about) theft.  Be warned - some of these require SP-1!

1)  Cameras - Common sense here, theft usually occurs when no one is watching.   A good camera system can help reduce the opportunity to steal.  They can also have the positive impact of providing much needed security for your staff and even your customers.  If you want to take it to the next step, look into integrating into SP-1 so the transaction detail shows up on the camera system. 

2)  Require a receipt - Put it on a sign in front of the register or SP-1 that states you should be offered a receipt from the employee on every purchase.  This works as a safeguard to ensure the transactions (especially cash) are being entered into the register / SP-1. 

3)  Pole display or Order Confirmation - This is the next level after requiring a receipt.  A traditional pole display will show your customer a description of the product with the price.  A more attractive way is to use an Order Confirmation monitor.  Theft is reduced through the fact that the customer expects to see their total on the screen.  That helps eliminate orders being pocketed.  Another bonus with the SP-1 Order Confirmation monitor is that up-selling is accomplished easily and you can promote product or events.  

4)  Require a make or barista ticket - This is a great method for restaurants or anyone with a kitchen.  Require a printed kitchen ticket for every item made.  This helps eliminate employees handing out product without ringing it in.  If the kitchen does not have the slip, they don't make it.  SP-1 will handle the printing to make your staff more efficient as well as cut theft. 

5)  Load the drawer - Here is a very low tech way to see check honesty.  Throw an extra $20 bill in the drawer at the beginning of a shift.  If the employee reports that they are $20 over at the end of the shift, then chances are you have some level of trust.  If the employee comes out even on the drawer count, then they took the $20.  

6) Multiple cash drawers - For those of you with multiple fingers in the drawer the toughest issue is what to do if the drawer is short.  Who do you blame?  If you have SP-1, use multiple cash drawers.  SP-1 allows you to setup up to five cash drawers per station.  This allows you to assign a specific employee to each drawer and still have cash accountability. 

7) Fingerprint ID - Don't forget about time theft!  Some statistics show that up to 25% of all employee theft is time and wage theft!   A fingerprint id eliminates the ability to clock a friend in. 

8) Get rid of the punch card - Paper punches are an open invitation to theft of product.  Employees will double punch for friends on a regular basis.  Move to an electronic gift & loyalty and get far more value as well as a more secure system.   Ours is free so chances are you will cut some costs there as well. 

9)   MobileDash / Audit Tracking - One of the features that we offer through our SP-1 POS is the ability to have a full audit trail on what happened.  If an employee reduces a ticket after the fact (assuming they have security to do so), the audit tracking is updated and, if you are using MobileDash, an alert to your smart phone showing that the ticket was reduced.  This is a fantastic way to stay on top of employees that are voiding items or tickets. 

There you have it, a couple ways to help get a handle on what may be going on in your location.  If you have any other ideas, be sure to comment and let us know!  

Contact us at:
SelbySoft
Mike Spence
800-454-4434
Sales@SelbySoft.com
WWW.SelbySoft.com
8326 Woodland Ave. E
Puyallup Wa 98371

7 Crazy Gift Card Promotions

Gift cards are a big part of the Coffee and Restaurant industry.  The marketing and promotional ideas are virtually endless


So, I thought it would be fun to share 7 or so different, and sometimes unusual, gift card promotions with you:


1)  Buy a card, get a drink (or appetizer etc).   This is a fun promotion that helps provide instantaneous gratification.  The idea is that when a customer buys a gift card of sufficient value, they get something free.  Usually 10% is the standard discount to consider.  So, buy a $35 gift card and get a free coffee!  Buy a $50 gift card and get a free order of bread sticks.  It can be a great way to introduce a new product at the same time you increase gift card sales. 


2)  On a similar track. . . Buy a card and get a $5 card (or $5 off the gift card).  This is a pretty popular promotion and works very well if you find customers are buying primarily as a gift card.  Think about it. . . It puts a gift card in two peoples hands! 


3)  Accept a competitors card as a trade in.  This works specifically with Starbucks.  The thought is that you will take certain types of Starbucks gift cards and issue one of your own with equal value.  It sounds a little crazy but what can make it work is that there are multiple sites that will pay you a percent of the total value for that Starbucks card.   Plastic Jungle is a site that allows you to do this with cards that are over $25.   When I checked, they were offering $41 for a $50 Starbucks card. 


4)  Sell big!  Everyone should have at least one huge value gift card offer.  $200 gets you $220 or some variation.   Jack Groot of the Midwest Barista School tells a wonderful story on LinkedIn about selling $1,200 gift cards for $1,000 each to finance a piece of equipment.  

5) Use gift cards instead of employee discounts.  Instead of a 50% discount, pre-load a gift card for each employee every pay period.  The employee can then use this for any purchase in the store.   Let them buy their girl/boy friend a drink, purchase a muffin for their Mom etc.  Instead of tempting them with using their discount.


6)  Hand them out!  Pre-load a number of gift cards with a small amount and pass them around. Use them as business cards and start promoting your brand.   


7)  Promote through non-profits and community events.  Selling a gift card at a discounted price to schools and church's allows you to promote your store, help the community and have your customers introduce new people to your product and brand.  


Have an 8th?  Comment and let us know! 




Contact us at:
SelbySoft
Mike Spence
800-454-4434
Sales@SelbySoft.com
WWW.SelbySoft.com
8326 Woodland Ave. E
Puyallup Wa 98371

Twitter & Facebook

How many of you are using Twitter and Facebook to communicate with your customers? 

Hopefully, all of you!  Why?  Because it's effective and free.  The only cost is in your time and while that is incredibly valuable, this is one area it's worth spending it. 

Aside from a great way to communicate with customers and promote your business, these social media tools have a way to help increase your speed of service through SP-1 with our new WebOrder Interface.   

With this, you can have a simplified Twitter and Facebook order system that allows your customers to place an order on Twitter & Facebook!  

This order is then directly transmitted to SP-1 for your staff to finish.  It's a great way to increase your speed of service with your customers!

Don't hesitate to call us for more information. 










Contact us at:
SelbySoft
Mike Spence
800-454-4434
Sales@SelbySoft.com
WWW.SelbySoft.com
8326 Woodland Ave. E
Puyallup Wa 98371