Frequently Asked QuestionsMore than anything else, when making the decision to change to a new business management software, you want to know that the software is going to work; more importantly, that it is going to do everything that your current software does, the things your current software doesn't do but you wish it did, and maybe a few things that you haven't thought about yet. • You want to know that the software will work with all your current equipment - barcode scanners, computers, touch-screen monitors. HardwarePOS Software by Windward is a proven solution that will do all these things and more. Read through the frequently asked questions below, or download and print the HardwarePOS Frequently Asked Questions Brochure for you and your management team to discuss. We know you will find the value in HardwarePOS.
DOES WINDWARD HardwarePOS HANDLE BARCODES?YES Windward HardwarePOS fully supports bar codes. When you scan an item with the bar code scanner, it immediately adds it to a new line on the invoice and assumes a quantity of one. The cursor is the left on the quantity field so you can quickly and easily change the quantity if, for example, the customer purchased 5 of the same items. Of course, there is nothing stopping you from scanning in the same item 5 times. (Unless you need that - some stores do) A bar code is simply a part number. When you scan an item, it looks up the item in the database to get the description and current price. In *most* cases, the retail price is not stored on the bar code itself, but there are exceptions for some industries. Because the price is stored in the computer, you must ensure that it is kept up to date to match the sticker prices displayed on the shelves. We strongly recommend the Metrologic brand of scanners, but any scanner that supports pre-amble characters and uses a keyboard wedge will work with Windward HardwarePOS. The scanners come in different shapes and sizes, from handhelds, small balls called Orbits, or flat bed scanners such as you see the grocery stores. Windward supports all these types. If some of your items do not have bar codes, HardwarePOS can print labels using a Bar Code Label Printer during the adding of stock procedure. We can recommend the Eltron brand of bar code printers because the same setup will work across their line of devices, making it easy for you to setup your labels. Bar Codes can also be used with battery-operated hand-held data collection devices so that you can count the inventory in the store or warehouse and then update the computer with the actual quantities found in stock. WHAT CREDIT CARD PROCESSING IS AVAILABLE TO ME?
If you are located in another country, please email or phone us to find out more information. WILL IT OPEN THE CASH DRAWER?YES HardwarePOS will open your cash drawer. When an invoice is completed and is being printed, Windward System Five can send the codes to open the cash drawer. In most cases, the cash drawer will be hooked up to your receipt printer, but there are other methods of connecting the cash drawers to the computer. Receipt Printer method. The printer is connected to the computer using the normal printer cables. The cash drawer is connected with a piece of wire to the receipt printer. When a special code is sent to the printer, an electrical pulse is sent to the cash drawer to open the drawer. It's important to buy a printer and cash drawer that are compatible with each other. Parallel Port method. The cash drawer is connected to the computer using a parallel cable, and the receipt printer is connected to the back of the cash drawer with another parallel cable. The cash drawer needs it's own power supply and then monitors the codes being sent from the computer to the printer. If it "sees" the opening codes, it opens the drawer. The printers are very versatile, but more expensive. Printer Card method. A special card is placed inside the computer and the cash drawer is connected to this card with a small cable. This card can be programmed to "look at" any of the standard printer ports, and if it "sees" the opening codes, it sends an electrical pulse to the cash drawer to open it up. Some cash drawers require a complex set of codes to be sent, and these can be entered in the Configuration and Setup Module. However, most cash drawers just use character 7, or the bell character, to open the drawer. HOW DOES IT INTERFACE WITH THE GENERAL LEDGER?HardwarePOS is a fully integrated system including a full General Ledger, Journal Entries and Reports. When you post an invoice at point of sale, the transactions are transferred automatically to the General Ledger without the need to run any end of day batch processes. The bookkeeper will have full and secure control over the ledger, based on the password security setup. And mistakes are incredibly easy to correct with HardwarePOS. IS IT REAL TIME OR BATCH POSTING?Transactions are posted in real time, or immediately, with HardwarePOS. When you've entered a sale, the inventory is immediately reduced from stock, the customer balance is increased, and the taxes due are updated in the General Ledger. If you make a mistake and correct it, the changes are also made immediately. HardwarePOS will print a detailed audit report at the end of the day showing all new entries and corrections made. If a clerk voids or changes an invoice, you'll know about it. IF I SCREW UP, IS IT EASY TO FIX?If you make a mistake with HardwarePOS, you can easily edit the entry and correct the mistake. For example, if you remove an item from the invoice because the customer changed their mind, you can delete the line, and the inventory will be returned to stock. If you have the security level, you can even correct an invoice after it has been printed and posted. For example, if a customer notices a mistake before leaving the store, you can recall the invoice, fix it, and reprint it. HardwarePOS will print a detailed audit report at the end of the day showing all new entries and corrections made. If a clerk voids or changes an invoice, you'll know about it. HOW DO I SELL A GROUP OF ITEMS WITH ONE KEYSTROKE?HardwarePOS has a strong Kit System, also known as Assemblies or Bill of Materials. It can handle Dynamic Kits to remove all the raw materials as the kit is placed on the invoice, or Static Kits to remove the raw materials when the kits are manufactured and put in stock. There are also several options available on how to display the kit on the invoice and how to price the kit. Examples: * Print the Item Number but NOT the Items that make up the Kit * Print the Individual Items in the kit, but NOT the Kit Number * Print the Kit Number on the Invoice, and the Items on the Pick Slip Copy With Kit Options, you can sell one item and have the system place many items onto the invoice for you. HardwarePOS will support Multiple Choice Dynamic Exploding Kits, which can be used when building or manufacturing goods to customer specifications, such as a computer system with customer-selected options. CAN I PULL UP CUSTOMER HISTORIES FOR WARRANTY PURPOSES?You can quickly check a customer's history by viewing the customer record and bringing up a list of invoices on file, and even viewing the details on each invoice. If you are in the middle of an invoice, you can call up the customer, view the history, and then return to the invoice where you left off. This is handy if a customer needs to purchase an accessory for an item previously purchased, such as fax paper for a fax machine where you need to know what model they have. WHAT HAPPENS AT MONTH END?HardwarePOS will warn you that you are starting a new month, and all the new sales will then be posted into that month right away. You can start the new month immediately, even if you have not reconciled your accounts and printed your statements. HardwarePOS has a clear advantage over its competitors by being able to work in many months at the same time without having to shut down your business. This includes entries made at point of sale as well as for accounts payable and journal entries. When you are finally ready to print your month end reports, the system will accurately print the report for the end of the month, ignoring all new entries for the current month. This gives you an accurate report as to the condition of your business as of that date. DO I HAVE TO FINISH THE YEAR BEFORE STARTING THE NEXT?HardwarePOS will warn you that you are starting a new year, but you can keep right on posting into the new year even though you have not completed the year end. HardwarePOS has a clear advantage over its competitors by being able to work in many months, or even years, at the same time without having to shut down your business. This includes entries made at point of sale as well as for accounts payable and journal entries. When you are finally ready to print your year end reports, the system will accurately print the report for the end of the year or month, ignoring all new entries for the subsequent months. This gives you an accurate report as to the condition of your business as of that date. IF THE CUSTOMER HAS A CREDIT, WILL IT SHOW UP ON THE STATEMENT?YES. That should be a no-brainer, but many of our competitors do not show the customer credits on the statements, causing a lot of grief and problems. For example, if a customer makes a purchase for $100 and returns an item for a credit of $20, the end of month statement should show a balance owing of the difference, or $80. Many systems will send a statement asking the customer to pay the full $100. MicroBiz and General Store are two examples, but there are many more. HardwarePOS statements are the easiest to read of all systems available. And this is important, because if a statement is easy to read, the customer will understand it and pay faster. CAN IT HANDLE MY ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE AND PRINT STATEMENTS?Accounts Receivable are easily handled with HardwarePOS. At point of sale, the invoice can be paid by Cash, Visa, Mastercard, Cheque, Eftpos, or charged to the customer's account. You can then easily view a customer's outstanding balance at any time, or receive a customer's payment on their account. You can even quickly bring up a list of all the outstanding invoices and the amounts on each if a customer needs more details. At the end of the month, the system will print a clear, concise statement for the customer that will clearly show the balance forward, payments received, invoices, and new balance due. In addition, a list of all outstanding invoices will also be printed. All standard reports such as Aged Balances, Inventory Purchased by a Customer, Customer Reports, Mailing Lists, Monthly Statements, Overdue Balance Interest Calculations, Special Orders etc. are included. Lookup Words can be attached to any customer or group of customers, making concise reports possible. CAN IT HANDLE MY ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND PRINT CHEQUES?HardwarePOS will allow you to enter your accounts payable bills as they arrive and post them into the correct month. This will allow you to keep your books up-to-date and never have to wait with entering the new month's bills. The system will generate several useful reports, including an Aged A/P Report and List of Payments Required by a Given Date. Cheques can be printed on either a dot matrix printer or on a laser printer. Many special features exist, such as being able to automatically spread the required payments for a bill over several months. CAN IT HANDLE THE GENERAL LEDGER AND SHOW ME THE BOTTOM LINE?HardwarePOS will track all the general ledger transactions from invoicing, accounts payable, and journal entries, and allow you to print all your financial reports, including a balance sheet and profit and loss statement. In fact, the system comes with a ledger report writer so you can build your own ledger reports in addition to all the reports that are included with the system. Detailed journals are kept for every ledger number, so you can easily track all the transactions that affected a given account number, including date, invoice or bill number, customer or supplier, description, and the debit or credit amount. This information is available for many years, until you purge the system. DOES HardwarePOS HAVE COMPLETE ACCOUNTING SYSTEM?Yes HardwarePOS is a complete system so you will not have to work within another application. WHAT IS THE PRICE OF THE SOFTWARE?
WHAT ARE THE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR WINDWARD SYSTEMS?
Windward software solutions can operate in both a peer to peer (not requiring a server) and client/server configurations. The server machine itself should be a Pentinum III 500 Mhz or faster with 512 Mbs of Ram and 4 gigs of hard drive space or more. Most important, the server must be of server quality instead of just a low end work station. This does not mean you need to spend a lot of money, but if you buy a discount machine to use as a server, you might run into problems. It's worth spending a little extra on the server as it will be the heart of the whole computer system. Workstations |
