Every cannabis point-of-sale software is different.
There are many different cannabis point-of-sale software systems out on the market right now. Each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages depending on the type of retail business you operate.
Your cannabis point-of-sale system is the technological foundation for your business, so this is a big decision you need to get right.
Ask yourself, are you a delivery service? Yes. Is there a chance you are using a dispensary point-of-sale software for your delivery operation? Yes. Is that a problem? Absolutely.
Cannabis delivery services have unique pain points, requiring solutions that are often missing in your typical dispensary point-of-sale system.
If you’re using a point-of-sale system that exhibits these 4 signs, it’s time to switch to a cannabis delivery point-of-sale software system.
Related: 7 Questions to Ask When Purchasing Software for Your Cannabis Delivery Service
I. Your cannabis point-of-sale lacks a METRC integration!
METRC is the chosen platform for California’s CCTT.
METRC is the State of California’s seed-to-sale, track-and-trace system. All businesses in the cannabis industry need to utilize METRC in order to track seeds, clones, individual cannabis products, and batches from the time in which they are conceived to the time in which a consumer buys them. Your point-of-sale system should automatically report to METRC. This means that partnering with a point-of-sale that lacks METRC certification and does not have the capabilities of automatically tracking batches as they enter your inventory is not maximizing the potential of your business.
Let’s be clear here—keeping a culture of compliance is everything in a regulated market. METRC integration is absolutely necessary. Without METRC integration, the State of California‘s Bureau of Cannabis Control has no way of ensuring that you are keeping track of all sales and has no way of acknowledging that your product has been laboratory tested per BCC regulations. Make sure that when you are partnering with a point-of-sale system, that METRC certification is fulfilled.
Related: A Definitive Guide to Compliance – California Dispensaries
II. Your cannabis point-of-sale is not capable of automatic delivery dispatching.
Two-communication and automated dispatch is made easy by using our Fleet App.
Delivery services are mandated per the BCC to have automated GPS location on each and every single delivery vehicle that is utilized within the business. What this means is that all drivers must be able to be tracked in real-time and the location of each driver to be recorded as deliveries are completed. That’s not only to keep you compliant, but is an accurate way to ensure that the safety of your drivers and customers is well taken care of. The cannabis industry is certainly a dangerous one considering the fact that cash is the only method of payment that is technically allowed currently.
With the lack of central banking systems available for the cannabis industry in the state of California, delivery services are forced to not only accept large amounts of cash from consumers but also carry this large amount of cash with them throughout the duration of their delivery.
Making sure that you partner with a point-of-sale system that keeps you up-to-date with your dispatch limitations and dispatch requirements could make a world of difference to the success of your cannabis delivery service.
III. Your cannabis point-of-sale lacks proper delivery inventory management – big problem!
A sleek & intuitive back-end makes inventory management a breeze!
Poor inventory management is one way to make sure that your California cannabis delivery service fails to operate at its maximum potential. Inventory management is the most important aspect of delivery service success.
Not only must you manage your inventory across your facilities, you need to manage the inventory across all of your delivery drivers! This is a recipe for disaster — if you have 10 drivers on the field and you need to manage all the inventory they carry in their driver kits simultaneously, you’re bound to make an error. (An error that can cost you tons of cash in compliance violations, by the way.)
As a cannabis delivery service, make sure the point-of-sale software you choose supports the following with regard to inventory management:
- Driver Kit Management & Templates
- The Centralized Inventory Model (Pizza Delivery Model)
- The Kit Model (Ice Cream Truck Model)
- Hybrid Model
- Splitting/Moving Packages
- Vehicle Management
- Comprehensive Inventory Reconciliation
All these tools are essential to ensure you’re accurately tracking each and every product that flows through your operation. Being able to account for all of your inventory and produce inventory reports on demand is crucial, especially when state authorities audit your business. If your existing point-of-sale is lacking these tools, you will experience bottlenecks and slower delivery times.
Related: 4 Obligations of a California Cannabis Delivery Service Inventory Manager
IV. Your cannabis point-of-sale has confusing & inaccurate sales reports!
Sales reports don’t have to complicate your California cannabis delivery service.
What’s the point of partnering with a point-of-sale system if you are not getting the mandatory analytics and necessary tools that are needed to successfully run your business in an optimal way? With this being said, it’s ultimately up to you as to which analytics and metrics are the most important to track for your California cannabis delivery service, but basic reports such as daily sales reports, tax reports, inventory & staff management, and performance reports and number of customers Serviced on a daily basis, are all examples of reports that can shift and optimize the operations of your delivery service.
Partnering with a point-of-sale system that automatically generates these reports for you at the click of a button instead of manually entering CSV data eliminates the possibility of costly errors. Make sure that your point-of-sale system can generate these reports and offer various options for illustrated reports. Such illustrations and forms of reports include, but are not limited to: bar graphs, pie charts, and bell curves. These reports should be easy to understand, aesthetically pleasing and ultimately give you any in-depth look at your day-to-day operations.
V. You can’t Geofence or create delivery zones.
What is Geofencing? Why does it matter to delivery services? Well, geofencing is being able to draw a digital zone on a map. It matters to delivery services because, with geofencing, you can create custom drawn delivery zones. This allows your drivers to be especially efficient. Implementing delivery zones makes for incredible customer experience as well. With zones, the products your customers see on your website are always available for immediate delivery.
Having the ability to produce delivery zones streamlines delivery logistics. You’ll always know who is assigned where and your point-of-sale will always know which driver to send the order to. This is a huge time saver for your business. You can expect to double your operational efficiency with the automation benefits of this kind of feature. Be sure your existing point-of-sale has this feature. Otherwise, it’s time to switch!
It’s ultimately up to you!
Choosing a point-of-sale partner to use for your California cannabis delivery service is no easy task. If you are partnered up with a delivery service point-of-sale that doesn’t include the features listed above, you might want to reconsider the method in which you are processing sales. It’s important to note that all-in-one cannabis solutions for delivery services do exist. WebJoint is one of those solutions.
Still wondering why you should switch?
Find your answers here.
