Your Cannabis Delivery Software Eases Your Operations
If you own a delivery service, you need to protect your investment by adhering to the set of guidelines provided by the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC). One way of doing this is by selecting an adequate cannabis delivery software system that gives owners the ability to manage inventory in real time, track sales, and ensure that delivery drivers are located in an efficient manner.
In an industry where cash is (forcibly) king, POS systems can accurately keep a count on the amount of revenue being brought into your cannabis delivery service while holding management and drivers accountable. What’s more is that POS systems aid in streamlining the amount of manual work, resulting in a decreased probability in compliance violations. This gives you, as a delivery owner, the ability to focus on what’s important—sustaining cash flow and building solid relationships with your customers. Delivery drivers stay on the road longer while freeing up your time to enforce relationships with brands and potential customers.
With over 15 different POS companies offering cannabis software, choosing a single POS can be difficult, but it is important. Here’s 7 crucial questions to ask when shopping around for a POS to ensure you choose the best software for your cannabis business.
How is the cannabis delivery software keeping you compliant?
Is the cannabis delivery software METRC certified?
There’s no faster way to receive fines, have your license suspended, or completely lose your right to operate than by avoiding the important task of staying compliant with METRC. One aspect of staying compliant is fulfilling the mandatory METRC-integration. The POS system you choose must be capable of sending live reports for inventory adjustments, reconciliation, and your sales to keep you in good legal standing.
METRC is the state-mandated track-and-trace system that all business owners must report to. POS systems that don’t integrate with METRC should not be on your radar. One mistake with METRC reporting can land you in hot water with the BCC, threatening your business.
Without POS, manual reporting is time-consuming and can invite countless errors. Inventory management eases the pressure of maintaining your stock rooms. With pre-packaged cannabis goods adhering to new package and labeling regulations, it’s especially important to keep your packages in order. Packages left behind in stock rooms can negatively affect your overall income and skew inventory adjustments. Batches that stay in your inventory are potential money-makers being wasted and product that might be in demand; keep track of it with an automated POS.
Data doesn’t lie. Avoid inventory adjustment fines by choosing a POS system that automates reporting and provides you with the necessary reports. These include, but are not limited to: 14-day inventory reconciliation, sales breakdowns, and customer info reports. Think about it! No more CSV files for sales reports, customer data, or inventory.
Related: 3 Reasons Cannabis Delivery Services Fail to Retain Customers
Can you automatically dispatch deliveries?
What about tracking driver inventory with cannabis delivery software?
Maintaining a live ledger of the driver’s kit in real-time is not only a BCC regulation, but is an essential way of streamlining operations. What’s more is that your point-of-sale partner should be able to automatically dispatch orders to drivers as they are placed, resulting in no orders being missed and overall sales increasing on a day-to-day basis.
Delivery dispatch is also one aspect of the new-era cannabis industry that allows for convenience to take a front and center seat as things develop. Companies like Tookan enable businesses and consumers to have real-time communication with drivers while providing a platform that allows for deliveries to be tracked on-the-fly. This is an increase in safety while reinforcing that cannabis is moving in a legitimate direction. The result is cannabis delivery that looks and feels like a legitimate transaction while putting a consumer’s mind at ease!
Be sure to cover all aspects of your delivery service by choosing a POS that provides automated delivery dispatch and a live inventory ledger.
What do you do with my business and patient data?
You’re not marketing to my customers, are you?
Your data is a collection of years’ worth of accumulated reports and transactions. It’s valuable; not just to you, but also to your point-of-sale partner. It needs to be protected. Partnering with a POS that doesn’t utilize your data to their own advantage by marketing to your customers is incredibly important. Your data can be used to redirect marketing from POS systems and in-turn, cause your business to suffer by converting your customers to one of their own.
POS systems that stay under the radar, respect your data, and help you utilize it to your advantage are the easy no-brainer winners of the bunch. Be sure that your data is being kept within your business.
Storing your data isn’t only important for METRC reporting and integration, but also for sake of your own business records. Data storage comes down to 2 categories: cloud-based and local storage.
Cloud-based storage provides a virtual way of storing your records. Capable of being accessed from just about any internet-activated device, storing your files on a cloud offers a convenient method that gives you unlimited possibilities of access. Security for your delivery service files is another method of protecting your overall investment. Cloud-based storage is centralized on a virtual server which is hosted by external companies that make adding reports easy. Convenience takes a new approach by decreasing the amount of physical hardware needed to ensure the safety of your records.
The second method of saving data to consider when buying a POS is by using a standard, physical hard drive. Although not as convenient as being able to access your information from any location, physical hard drives allow for worries surrounding the volatility of virtual technology to dissipate. Being able to plug in your hard drive directly to your POS allows for physical storage and transfer of files to take place.
What is onboarding for the cannabis delivery software like?
How easy is your POS to use for our employees?
A simple user experience not only saves time by streamlining commands, but also increases the rate at which you conduct business. Reducing time allows for your delivery drivers to make drop-offs quickly and efficiently. Customers can be impressed by a frictionless system which not only shows appreciation for their limit on daily time, but by being courteous in simplifying the purchase process.
Driver efficiency is key to customer satisfaction and provides an overall better customer experience.
Related: Using Data to Maximize Cannabis Delivery Service Efficiency
Drivers are the backbone to a delivery service and are the intermediary between customer cash and cannabis goods. Friction equals more effort and more effort equals time lost. Reducing the amount of time it takes to process orders “on the go” creates a steady stream of income and places priority on what keeps you afloat—increasing sales.
Be sure that your POS system makes the best of your time and moves your business in a way that promotes improvement. Simple to use and easy to learn keeps the attention on helping customers and moving product.
E-Commerce and Online Ordering
The Power of E-Commerce
Maximizing your business’ potential by creating a simple-to-use e-commerce website that can take online orders is an asset to your business. Professionalization of your cannabis business will increase orders, generate additional revenue, and ultimately create delivery service loyalty.
Texting a delivery service to place orders not only makes your business look illegitimate but makes it a hassle for your customers to get what they want, when they want it. In an expedient world where just about everything takes place on a mobile device, tapping into this realm of business should be central to selecting a POS system.
Websites that are integrated directly with your menu items, product descriptions, and different categories of cannabis products are essential for delivery success. There’re fewer ways to make customer experiences more intuitive than to give them access to your full available menu. With a point-of-sale that processes mobile orders, delivery services can capitalize on marketshare.
Online consumption of goods and services takes your business to the next level and legitimizes your company while keeping the offering process to a minimum. Partner with an all-in-one point-of-sale that gives you this freedom!
How reliable is your point-of-sale?
Don’t lose time to problem-ridden software!
Few things are worse than dealing with unreliable software. Putting your business at risk with faulty hardware and “down time” to fix the issue is something that no business owner should have to deal with. Customer support is a huge part of point-of-sale system integration that should be considered. The purpose of using a point-of-sale is to make money, not lose it. Look out for faulty software that’ll waste your time and your customer’s.
Is your server secure enough to run your operation?
Server reliability is a mandatory asset of point-of-sale systems that needs to be closely examined. Your POS should be incredibly stable and be able to guarantee an “uptime” that can guarantee the success of your business. As a point-of-sale is your breadwinner and main method of reporting sales, tracking inventory, and managing staff, you can’t afford to deal with a broken system. Make sure your system is on a secure server such as Amazon Web Services that also encrypts your data to increase security and increase guaranteed “uptime.”
Hardware Selection
Maintaining records of your sales history is not only important for legal purposes, but also for reviewing your business’ reports.Your POS system should offer a simple and intuitive way of reviewing sales, tracking deliveries, and ensuring that inventory adjustment take place in an efficient manner.
Hardware that makes purchases easier includes, but is not limited to: barcode & ID scanners, tablets, and label printers. Be sure to choose a POS system that seamlessly integrates with hardware of your choice.
Sales Tracking
Revenue reports are a way to make sure your business is staying profitable. Tracking sales is by far one of the most important ways of tracking performance. Tracking sales performance by customer and the overall amount of income they bring to your business, can be a vital tool to assess inventory and adjust your options to the demand of customers.
Look for a POS that allows you to instantly access sales reports at the end of the day and influence your decision-making skills with the ultimate goal of maintaining a solid relationship with your customers.
Compliance Alerts
Daily limits on the amount of cannabis goods that can be sold to individuals can help keep compliance in order. POS systems that offer this have your best interest in mind. Other compliance alerts to consider are age verification, medical recommendation validation, hours of operation, and laboratory results.
Related: 4 Obligations of a California Cannabis Delivery Service Inventory Manager
What is the cost of your software?
Economic viability keeps you in business, right?
POS systems should make you money, not break the bank! Monthly payment structures or yearly payment plans are amongst the most common. Ideally, software should consistently work in your favor.
Aside from curating an enjoyable experience for your drivers and customers, your job as a delivery service owner is to generate revenue.
It’s no secret that an increase in revenue allows you to strategically expand your outreach.
POS systems don’t have to be outright expensive and they certainly shouldn’t add stress to your daily operations due to price. Consider options that don’t hurt your business, but instead want to be part of your success!
Free software like WebJoint’s, takes your best interest into consideration and works to make you money!
WebJoint takes pride in connecting the cannabis industry by offering software to delivery and dispensary owners alike. Generating revenue and curating a seamless experience for customer access to cannabis goods takes a top priority.
Simplifying the user experience and administrative duties such as reporting to METRC, tracking sales, and providing real-time delivery driver location, WebJoint is a frontrunner in available choices for POS systems.
Be Part of the Conversation!
What are some ways that point-of-sale systems have made running your business successful?
Comment below!