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Small companies usually battle to seek out the best POS system for them. These techniques are generally too complicated and expensive for small companies or reasonably priced however with restricted options. Helcim strikes the appropriate steadiness by providing a feature-rich POS answer for small companies.
I examined Helcim POS that will help you determine if it’s an excellent POS selection for your small business. My evaluation centered on very important components, together with its pricing, user-friendliness, and core options. I additionally in contrast Helcim towards the competitors to supply an trustworthy analysis. Learn on to be taught the professionals and cons of utilizing Helcim to just accept funds.
Helcim POS: Plans and pricing
Helcim has convoluted but clear and reasonably priced charges. It expenses completely different charges primarily based on the kind of credit score or debit card used for cost. For example, Visa playing cards pay a median of 1.8% plus 8 cents. Mastercard transactions incur a median of 1.9% plus 8 cents, and Uncover incurs 2% plus 8 cents. Debit playing cards incur a median transaction payment of 1% plus 8 cents.
When you manually key in card particulars, transactions incur a 2.3% to three% plus 25 cents payment. Normally, point-of-sale suppliers cost greater charges for keyed-in transactions to cowl elevated dangers.
Helcim has decrease transaction charges than most POS techniques I’ve examined. The common is often 2.3% to 2.7%, however Helcim goes as little as 1.8%, relying on the kind of transaction. Helcim additionally expenses no month-to-month charges, which differentiates it from many POS techniques that require recurring charges to entry their options.
For POS {hardware}, Helcim’s costs are on par with the competitors. You should purchase the cardboard reader for $99 or the Sensible Terminal for $329. This {hardware} lets prospects pay by swiping, tapping, or inserting their card.
This reality is trivial, however Helcim put extra effort into {hardware} design than most POS techniques I’ve examined. Its card reader and Sensible Terminal sport a glossy, coloured look that differentiates it from the bland-looking {hardware} of most rivals.
Helcim POS: Options
Helcim removes many challenges related to accepting in-person funds, particularly for small companies. It supplies a dependable POS answer that’s simple to arrange, with among the best interfaces I’ve encountered when testing POS techniques.
You possibly can simply settle for credit score and debit card funds with Helcim’s {hardware} and software program. It additionally allows companies to just accept contactless funds from apps like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Helcim additionally presents a “Digital Terminal” answer that permits you to settle for funds along with your gadget. You’ll use your laptop computer or pill because the point-of-sale {hardware}, and prospects’ card particulars shall be inputted manually for funds. The downside is that you simply’ll pay considerably greater charges for keyed-in transactions than prospects swiping, tapping, or inserting their playing cards.
The intuitiveness stood out when testing Helcim. I don’t give reward extremely, however I commend the designers for placing appreciable effort into creating an intuitive interface, in contrast to some POS techniques I’ve examined that felt straight out of the Nineteen Nineties (they labored nicely regardless).
Helcim facilitates far more than accepting funds. It presents a complete stock administration answer for companies. You possibly can simply add and categorize merchandise for purchasers. When a buyer chooses a particular merchandise, you may rapidly retrieve its particulars from the catalog, together with pricing, and ask for a cost.
You possibly can add merchandise to your stock from any gadget, whether or not your pill, smartphone, or the Sensible Terminal itself. When a buyer buys a product, it’s instantly subscribed from the stock depend, and Helcim sends an alert when an merchandise is working low (you may set the edge to set off an alert).
I appreciated that I may import merchandise from a CSV spreadsheet. It saved quite a lot of time in comparison with including merchandise one after the other to my stock.
You probably have an current stock administration answer, you may obtain your stock in CSV format and add it to Helcim. It’ll extract the small print, and you may make last touches to appropriate errors (some knowledge can get combined up after add). Then, you need to use Helcim as each your cost and stock administration answer as a substitute of paying for separate instruments.
Invoicing is one other useful add-on you’ll discover on Helcim. It supplies an answer for issuing digital invoices to prospects and getting paid by way of credit score or debit card or ACH switch. You possibly can define billable hours and itemized expenses for the recipient to verify. Then, they will pay without delay or break up the bill into a number of funds. I appreciated that I may use a customized emblem and edit the colours to make the bill match my model.
Helcim helps you to retailer in depth buyer knowledge, which you’ll leverage for advertising campaigns. Clients usually consensually present their private knowledge when paying for objects, resembling their electronic mail addresses and telephone numbers. Helcim helps you to arrange and categorize this knowledge. You will discover and retrieve important knowledge every time wanted.
You possibly can retailer prospects’ cost data in a safe vault. You possibly can monitor the transaction historical past of each buyer and leverage this knowledge for focused advertising campaigns, e.g., providing reductions to your top-spending prospects. You possibly can import buyer knowledge from exterior sources by way of a CSV file.
Notably, Helcim additionally presents a web-based e-commerce answer. You should utilize it to create a retailer and settle for funds on-line. Your on-line retailer’s catalog could be linked to your POS catalog, which is useful while you promote each on-line and in-person. If somebody orders on-line, it’ll mirror in your stock depend, and you’ll obtain alerts when objects are working out and have to be restocked.
I appreciated many issues about Helcim however didn’t like that its POS software program runs completely on its {hardware}. It isn’t like different POS techniques that allow you to run their software program by yourself gadget.
You have to purchase Helcim {hardware} to run its point-of-sale (POS) system, which limits its flexibility for companies. Some companies have already got their very own {hardware} and wish to run any POS software program on it, however that isn’t doable with Helcim.
Helcim’s Sensible Terminal has a touchscreen and an built-in POS app; all the pieces runs on the gadget, so you don’t want to obtain the cell app to make use of it (though the cell app helps you to monitor your transaction knowledge remotely). It has a built-in receipt printer and works solely with Wi-Fi.
The countertop card reader isn’t as sleek-looking because the Sensible Terminal, however it performs its perform nicely. It connects to the web by way of WiFi or Ethernet, in contrast to the Sensible Terminal, which is proscribed to WiFi. Nevertheless, it lacks a built-in receipt printer.
Helcim POS: Interface and in use
As talked about, Helcim presents among the best interfaces of all POS techniques I’ve examined. It sports activities a contemporary, responsive interface that didn’t take me lengthy to get familiarized with. The cardboard reader and Sensible Terminal have easy menus which are simple to navigate; you may simply discover a product and problem a cost request to your buyer.
The net dashboard sports activities a white background and colourful buttons and menus. Options are organized neatly on the high, backside, and aspect bars so you may rapidly discover what you want.
Helcim shows your transaction and buyer knowledge in an interactive format. When you run a number of POS gadgets throughout completely different shops, you may monitor the info from each in a centralized dashboard. Person-friendliness is an space the place Helcim outshines most opponents.
Helcim POS: The competitors
GoDaddy POS is the principle Helcim competitor I’d like to focus on. Similar to Helcim, it’s a easy answer focused at small companies. It has reasonably priced charges, an intuitive interface, and a easy setup course of.
Like Helcim, GoDaddy presents complementary options like stock and worker administration. It takes a 2.5% payment on every transaction, which is reasonably priced in comparison with most opponents though not as little as Helcim’s charges.
Nevertheless, GoDaddy outshines Helcim within the {hardware} enviornment. Its Sensible Terminal has extra options, together with a dual-screen (one dealing with the client and one for you) and built-in camera-based barcode scanning. This Sensible Terminal prices $500, in comparison with Helcim’s $329, however the options are definitely worth the value.
GoDaddy has the identical disadvantage I noticed with Helcim; it doesn’t work with exterior POS {hardware}. It’s a must to purchase GoDaddy’s POS {hardware} to make use of its software program, which I contemplate a disadvantage.
Helcim POS: Last verdict
Helcim is an reasonably priced and user-friendly point-of-sale answer for small companies. It allows you to settle for credit score and debit card funds and supplies complementary options to run your small business.
I contemplate Helcim a superb POS answer for small to medium-sized companies, however it’s not the perfect for big retailers due to its restricted customization and third-party integration. It caters primarily to the small enterprise section.