You can tell a lot about QuickBooks Point of Sale Basic and QuickBooks Point of Sale Pro just from their names. Basic is for new, small, or simple retail environments. Pro, by contrast, is for larger, more established or growing stores. Despite that distinction, it’s easy to be unclear which solution is right for your store, now and into the future. Before selecting one or the other, you should compare the key differences between these two solutions:
Recording Sales
In spite of its name, Basic offers the key features of a POS software. It can scan barcodes, process credit cards, and run one-click sales reports. Pro does all these same things and it allows you to more directly manage the details. For instance, you have the ability to track employee hours, sales commissions, and track work orders and sales orders. Pro also lets you customize things like receipts and price tags. This allows you to understand, how much oversight and flexibility you need at the register to identify the better solution.
Tracking Customers
Basic gives you impressive tools for storing customer data and extracting customer insights. You can even generate customized customer letters thanks to an integration with Microsoft Word. Pro makes customer engagement even easier thanks to a feature that automatically captures “ship-to” addresses to keep your fulfillment efforts organized. It also includes a module for setting up your own rewards program. Both solutions aid with customer engagement, but Pro is a little better for cultivating long-time loyalty.
Managing Inventory
The Basic solution takes the heavy-lifting out of inventory management. It automatically tracks your inventory as you sell and receive items while also helping you manage vendor relationships. Those two features alone eliminate the worst kinds of inventory problems. Pro makes inventory management almost effortless thanks to a long list of additional features. It will track serial numbers, layaways, and items with multiple vendors or UPC codes. It also includes pictures of inventory items and a tool for shipping and tracking packages. What may be the best feature, however, is the ability to automatically generate purchase orders when inventory reaches pre-set levels. You should think about the size/complexity of your inventory and the kinds of problems it has experienced to determine what tools your store needs most.
Getting Started
It could not be easier to get up and running with QuickBooks Point of Sale Basic. Just answer a few questions and the core functionality is ready to go. Built-in tutorials teach you everything else, along with an extensive practice file to make you a master user. Items from Microsoft Exel are automatically imported to save you tons of manual entry. The sale screen is also streamlined and straightforward so you can begin immediately and accurately ringing up sales. Pro is just as easy to get set up with, plus it includes a price management tool. Updating prices and adding discounts across the entire store takes just a few entries. No matter what solution you choose, expect it to work wonderfully on day one.
Still wondering which option to choose? The QuickBooks experts at POS Warehouse are here to help. Contact our team for information and insights.
