As a leader in Point Of Sale Technology, we take pride in the products and services we offer to our customers. We believe our products represent the best in the industry and we insure our staff are fully trained and certified on there set up and operation. We also take the security of our customers systems, networks, and data as well as our own, very seriously. Our staff is not only versed on current data security requirements but we also proactively attempt to educate our customers and insure that their systems remain secure as computer hackers become more savvy.
Recently there has been press coverage surrounding an incident involving credit card theft in a few restaurants in Louisiana Who use the Aloha System. A law suit has been filed alleging that The Local Aloha dealer and Radiant Systems are responsible for these Restaurants falling victim to credit card theft. The Theft took place when criminal hackers loaded malicious software on the system which captured data prior to it entering the Aloha software. This incident took place 2 years ago and does not involve Cardinal Business Equipment or any of our customers.
Recently Radiant released the following statements in response to the allegations
• Radiant’s POS software was not compromised during these incidents.
• Radiant’s products were among the first POS technologies to be validated against VISA’s initial set of data security requirements in 2005. Since the inception of these requirements, Radiant has continuously maintained payment industry validation (now called PA DSS) when releasing our software.
• There are twelve requirements for a business to achieve compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Radiant helps support compliance with these requirements by developing secure payment applications.
• In addition to meeting payment industry standards, Radiant has invested in product innovations, resulting in our customers having the best arsenal in the industry to fight criminals intent on stealing personal credit card information.
Credit Card theft is becoming a malicious industry as criminals all over the world attempt to hack computer systems and steal active credit card numbers. Credit card company's along with the industry are creating and implementing strict policies and procedures to insure credit card numbers remain safe. These practices rely in part on everyone involved from Banks to Credit Card companies to POS Vender's to Retailers all the way down to consumers. Radiant, Aloha Software, and Cardinal are committed to keep technology as secure as possible.
Retailers also have responsibilities to insure there customers are safe. To learn more about Data security and CISP Compliancy we encourage our customers to contact our Professional services representatives who can help you maintain a secure system. For more information on Aloha Data security visit the Radiant Web Site at www.radiantsystems.com/datasecurity
Together we can work to insure a secure environment for our retail customers.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Using Social Sites to Market your Business
Social media sites are becoming a new popular way of advertising and promoting business. With the advancement of social sites like twitter and Facebook a new generation of savvy marketing guru’s are reinventing how entrepreneurs promote and market there products and services to reach a dedicated primed and educated customer who no longer relies on the old standard media for information. Smart businesses are tapping into to this social media phenomenon at an enormous rate and those that aren't looking at this as a viable marketing option may be putting their future business at risk.
When it comes to social marketing, imagination is key. All one really needs is a to be somewhat computer literate and have a pretty good handle on using social sites. The trick to making them work as marketing tools is to have a marketing plan which includes the who, why, and what of your marketing direction
Who do you want to market too?
Why do you want to market to them through this media?
What do want to market to this attentive market place
First you must know your target market. If you want to market to 45+ year old males who work for UPS, this is not your media. However if you want to market to the 20 to 30 something population, then this IS your media. Or better yet if you want to hit the 13 to 19 year old crowd, this is definitely your media. For this reason social marketing is becoming very successful in restaurants, clubs, the arts, music, anything college related, even clothing retailers, book stores, and specialty shops are finding a niche in this cyber web of marketing. But don’t count out the gen x and baby boomers. They are slowly coming on board to the facebook site though research shows their use of Twitter in minimal.
The marketing strategy in general is not any different then any other “ find a new customer and keep them interested in doing business with you” the difference is that technology takes this basic marketing strategy and uses all the newest tools of cyberspace to capture the customer and take them on a interesting cyber journey right into your offerings
Example 1: the rock band Foo Fighters recently invited there twitter audience to a on-line concert by simply posting a link on twitter that went out to there 31000 followers. The link led them to the bands facebook page where the band was broadcasting a live performance from a studio. The only audience were the invited fans watching on their computers. The band played several well-known songs while fans twittered the band their thoughts, comments and requests. In between songs the band would read and display the tweets from the audience making the whole experience very personal. So what’s the point you ask?
Well the band also played several new songs from there recently released CD which the crowd had never heard before and probably never would again, unless 1. They go buy the CD or 2. Attend the next concert
Ingenious no? My guess is the band sold about 20,000 CD’s with this 1-hour marketing ploy. No expensive printing. No travel, no hotel rooms, no dependence on radio. Just one on one direct, personal marketing, right to the heart of their most dedicated customers
Example 2: A fast food chain in town with 14 locations used the media in a very different way to promote their restaurants. They twittered their followers and offered them a free gift card if they followed the posted link. The link pointed them to their Facebook page, which had another link that would email them the printable gift card voucher. It also offered other discounts if they became a fan of the page. The customer could print the voucher and present it at the restaurant, which would issue the card. The restaurant reported that customers totaling 60% of their Twitter following presented a voucher, and the customers who used the card also got a coupon for their next visit. The restaurant reported the 80% of those coupons have been used so far and 30 % of the customer’s added value to those cards after receiving it. This is a huge success in bringing in customers based on the little cost associated, and the customer receives a very personal experience to boot. The restaurant was able to bring customers to their locations and also entice them to become a fan of their Facebook, which will give them even more marketing possibilities in the future.
What ever the marketing initiative, social marketing is here to stay. The sooner businesses tap into this new and fresh media frenzy, the sooner they can wreak the rewards
When it comes to social marketing, imagination is key. All one really needs is a to be somewhat computer literate and have a pretty good handle on using social sites. The trick to making them work as marketing tools is to have a marketing plan which includes the who, why, and what of your marketing direction
Who do you want to market too?
Why do you want to market to them through this media?
What do want to market to this attentive market place
First you must know your target market. If you want to market to 45+ year old males who work for UPS, this is not your media. However if you want to market to the 20 to 30 something population, then this IS your media. Or better yet if you want to hit the 13 to 19 year old crowd, this is definitely your media. For this reason social marketing is becoming very successful in restaurants, clubs, the arts, music, anything college related, even clothing retailers, book stores, and specialty shops are finding a niche in this cyber web of marketing. But don’t count out the gen x and baby boomers. They are slowly coming on board to the facebook site though research shows their use of Twitter in minimal.
The marketing strategy in general is not any different then any other “ find a new customer and keep them interested in doing business with you” the difference is that technology takes this basic marketing strategy and uses all the newest tools of cyberspace to capture the customer and take them on a interesting cyber journey right into your offerings
Example 1: the rock band Foo Fighters recently invited there twitter audience to a on-line concert by simply posting a link on twitter that went out to there 31000 followers. The link led them to the bands facebook page where the band was broadcasting a live performance from a studio. The only audience were the invited fans watching on their computers. The band played several well-known songs while fans twittered the band their thoughts, comments and requests. In between songs the band would read and display the tweets from the audience making the whole experience very personal. So what’s the point you ask?
Well the band also played several new songs from there recently released CD which the crowd had never heard before and probably never would again, unless 1. They go buy the CD or 2. Attend the next concert
Ingenious no? My guess is the band sold about 20,000 CD’s with this 1-hour marketing ploy. No expensive printing. No travel, no hotel rooms, no dependence on radio. Just one on one direct, personal marketing, right to the heart of their most dedicated customers
Example 2: A fast food chain in town with 14 locations used the media in a very different way to promote their restaurants. They twittered their followers and offered them a free gift card if they followed the posted link. The link pointed them to their Facebook page, which had another link that would email them the printable gift card voucher. It also offered other discounts if they became a fan of the page. The customer could print the voucher and present it at the restaurant, which would issue the card. The restaurant reported that customers totaling 60% of their Twitter following presented a voucher, and the customers who used the card also got a coupon for their next visit. The restaurant reported the 80% of those coupons have been used so far and 30 % of the customer’s added value to those cards after receiving it. This is a huge success in bringing in customers based on the little cost associated, and the customer receives a very personal experience to boot. The restaurant was able to bring customers to their locations and also entice them to become a fan of their Facebook, which will give them even more marketing possibilities in the future.
What ever the marketing initiative, social marketing is here to stay. The sooner businesses tap into this new and fresh media frenzy, the sooner they can wreak the rewards
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Payroll Deduction – Gaining Popularity in Corporate Cafeteria’s
Submitted by Steve Petty (Retail Project Manager)
A new form of payment is gaining popularity and sweeping the corporate world. An employee working in a corporate environment can take advantage of charging a meal in the cafeteria, or a prescription in the pharmacy or even a gift in the gift shop simply by swiping their Employee Badge at the POS.
Many employers have decided to offer charging at the POS with their Employee Badge Card, commonly known as Payroll Deduction. Many employees find that it’s a way of managing their expenditures at work, while others simply like the ease and simplicity of being able to charge vs. carrying money.
Food Service Vendors report an increase of revenue of 10% to 15% wherever the process is implemented. The ease of being able to satisfy one’s hunger simply by swiping a card is a temptation too strong to resist. In a very prestigious way, an employer is providing a benefit of “borrowing until payday”. While this helps the employee, the employer definitely reaps the sales increase because of the extended generosity.
The Payroll Deduction Transaction uses an employee’s payroll badge as the medium to prove authorization by capturing the Employee ID Number from the badge. Back Office Software compiles transactions using the Employee ID Number to insure accuracy and electronically communicates with the payroll software eliminating the possibility of hand keyed mistakes.
The payroll deduction process does not charge interest like a credit card; nor does it charge late fees. The payroll badge does not have a limit like a gift card. The payroll badge does not need to be re-charged like a cash card. If you are an employee in good standing, you are self policing because your paycheck will reflect only what you earned against what you spent. However, if there are abuses by certain individuals, charge limits can be set to their profiles.
The payroll deduction transaction keeps cashier drawer totals balancing better due to less cash handling and because it’s hard to steal from a drawer full of charge slips.
This type of system is currently being used in many hospital cafeterias throughout the country. Other entities within the hospitals such as gift shops and pharmacies and coffee shops are also using the system. Additionally, it’s making its way into many corporate environments that have a small window of time to process the lunch hour; the speed of the transaction with the Payroll Badge Card is excellent for this criteria. There is no delay in authorizing payment with a Payroll Badge Card.
We are also starting to see a lot of special uses for this type of system like tracking complementary lunches given to training employees. In some cases we are limiting certain items that are allowed to be complementary. There are other sites that require a lock out of one meal per mealtime. (I.e. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Regardless of the reason, Payroll Deduction is slowly becoming a standard mode of payment within cafeterias across the country and is winning the kudos of the Employers, Employees, and Food Service Vendors.
A new form of payment is gaining popularity and sweeping the corporate world. An employee working in a corporate environment can take advantage of charging a meal in the cafeteria, or a prescription in the pharmacy or even a gift in the gift shop simply by swiping their Employee Badge at the POS.
Many employers have decided to offer charging at the POS with their Employee Badge Card, commonly known as Payroll Deduction. Many employees find that it’s a way of managing their expenditures at work, while others simply like the ease and simplicity of being able to charge vs. carrying money.
Food Service Vendors report an increase of revenue of 10% to 15% wherever the process is implemented. The ease of being able to satisfy one’s hunger simply by swiping a card is a temptation too strong to resist. In a very prestigious way, an employer is providing a benefit of “borrowing until payday”. While this helps the employee, the employer definitely reaps the sales increase because of the extended generosity.
The Payroll Deduction Transaction uses an employee’s payroll badge as the medium to prove authorization by capturing the Employee ID Number from the badge. Back Office Software compiles transactions using the Employee ID Number to insure accuracy and electronically communicates with the payroll software eliminating the possibility of hand keyed mistakes.
The payroll deduction process does not charge interest like a credit card; nor does it charge late fees. The payroll badge does not have a limit like a gift card. The payroll badge does not need to be re-charged like a cash card. If you are an employee in good standing, you are self policing because your paycheck will reflect only what you earned against what you spent. However, if there are abuses by certain individuals, charge limits can be set to their profiles.
The payroll deduction transaction keeps cashier drawer totals balancing better due to less cash handling and because it’s hard to steal from a drawer full of charge slips.
This type of system is currently being used in many hospital cafeterias throughout the country. Other entities within the hospitals such as gift shops and pharmacies and coffee shops are also using the system. Additionally, it’s making its way into many corporate environments that have a small window of time to process the lunch hour; the speed of the transaction with the Payroll Badge Card is excellent for this criteria. There is no delay in authorizing payment with a Payroll Badge Card.
We are also starting to see a lot of special uses for this type of system like tracking complementary lunches given to training employees. In some cases we are limiting certain items that are allowed to be complementary. There are other sites that require a lock out of one meal per mealtime. (I.e. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Regardless of the reason, Payroll Deduction is slowly becoming a standard mode of payment within cafeterias across the country and is winning the kudos of the Employers, Employees, and Food Service Vendors.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
We have Come Along Way since the Abacass
The other day I was explaining to a new associate the history of technology in the retail environment. I was explaining how and why Cash Registers evolved from basically adding machines to theft prevention devices and how electronics revolutionized everything into we what we now call point of sale. Suddenly I noticed a little glaze in the eyes of the recipient and I realized that although my history lesson was factual, it was no longer relevant. WOW! Who would of thought!
You see in today's world, Technology is not a new piece of science, Its a fact of life. In his mind all he's ever known is technology and any thing prior was prehistoric. Today's modern cash registers are complex, integrated computer networks that have entrenched themselves into every aspect of the business and retail world. In fact those businesses that have embraced technology have taken a bold path of no return.
The simplification and automation that today's technology adds to the business world cannot be out done except with more technology. So Once a business embarks on a path utilizing technology they will never go back, they will always move forward. Technology will become the new way of doing business. and the entrepreneur who sees the benefit's will begin to look for other ways that technology can improve daily operations. They will view the old way of doing business as archaic and irrelevant to the future. Just as my student did. However most small business fail to look at technology this way. They treat it as a expensive necessity instead of a long term investment into the future.
When considering the use of technology in a business it is crucial to make a long term plan and budget. Having a set goal and Researching is the most important thing a business owner can do before committing to purchasing any form of technology. The wrong purchase can be economically painful and in some cases fatal to the survival of the business however the right purchase with a tactical and affordable goal can can be the catalyst to success and growth.
It all Comes back to Return on investment ROI. Don't just buy a computer. Buy a back office that will improve your accounting and tell you if your making money. Buy a system that will help control your inventory and lower your food or inventory cost. Buy a solution with a Point of Sale and insure accuracy and improve your staffs through put. Take a look at all the new gadgets that will enhance the customers experience. This is a "I Want it Now" society so your POS should deliver finger tip information and availability, immediate receipts, fast credit processing, it should take the leg and pencil work out of everything you do, and most importantly, be EASY TO USE. It should compile information about your customers and have the ability to offer incentives for there return and be able to identify them when they do return and suggest a reward. It should be able to grow with your business and your vision and with the advancement of new technology. this means an open system. that is a system running on an open platform or operating system. Does all this cost more? Yes . But the return is ten fold.
Last but not least computers don't run themselves. you will need some portion of your staff dedicated to running your system so budget accordingly. consider it a necessity and part of the overall cost. Its all in the planning
In closing let me say that it is those hard challenges in business that you overcome that bring you to the next level.
If you always do what you always did you will always get what you always got.
we live in a technological world that is limited only by our lack of imagination. Let technology work for you and your business.
You see in today's world, Technology is not a new piece of science, Its a fact of life. In his mind all he's ever known is technology and any thing prior was prehistoric. Today's modern cash registers are complex, integrated computer networks that have entrenched themselves into every aspect of the business and retail world. In fact those businesses that have embraced technology have taken a bold path of no return.
The simplification and automation that today's technology adds to the business world cannot be out done except with more technology. So Once a business embarks on a path utilizing technology they will never go back, they will always move forward. Technology will become the new way of doing business. and the entrepreneur who sees the benefit's will begin to look for other ways that technology can improve daily operations. They will view the old way of doing business as archaic and irrelevant to the future. Just as my student did. However most small business fail to look at technology this way. They treat it as a expensive necessity instead of a long term investment into the future.
When considering the use of technology in a business it is crucial to make a long term plan and budget. Having a set goal and Researching is the most important thing a business owner can do before committing to purchasing any form of technology. The wrong purchase can be economically painful and in some cases fatal to the survival of the business however the right purchase with a tactical and affordable goal can can be the catalyst to success and growth.
It all Comes back to Return on investment ROI. Don't just buy a computer. Buy a back office that will improve your accounting and tell you if your making money. Buy a system that will help control your inventory and lower your food or inventory cost. Buy a solution with a Point of Sale and insure accuracy and improve your staffs through put. Take a look at all the new gadgets that will enhance the customers experience. This is a "I Want it Now" society so your POS should deliver finger tip information and availability, immediate receipts, fast credit processing, it should take the leg and pencil work out of everything you do, and most importantly, be EASY TO USE. It should compile information about your customers and have the ability to offer incentives for there return and be able to identify them when they do return and suggest a reward. It should be able to grow with your business and your vision and with the advancement of new technology. this means an open system. that is a system running on an open platform or operating system. Does all this cost more? Yes . But the return is ten fold.
Last but not least computers don't run themselves. you will need some portion of your staff dedicated to running your system so budget accordingly. consider it a necessity and part of the overall cost. Its all in the planning
In closing let me say that it is those hard challenges in business that you overcome that bring you to the next level.
If you always do what you always did you will always get what you always got.
we live in a technological world that is limited only by our lack of imagination. Let technology work for you and your business.
Welcome
This blog offers its readers interesting and educational information relating to technology and its influence on the Point of Sale industry. Within it you will find a wealth of facts, opinions and perspectives from leaders in the industry as well as suppliers and end users of this technology. We encourage lively, open discussion and hope you feel free to leave a comment and share your thoughts and opinions as well.
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