Point of sale data migration is essentially moving your point of sale data from your old POS system to a new one. Given how much information is contained in point-of-sale data, it can be stressful to consider making a change.
POS systems collect and manage all data collected during a transaction, including information about products, payments, customer information, location, and even promotions. It’s come a long way since the days of old manual cash registers. Businesses rely on point-of-sale data for a great many things. Migrating involves shedding the old system for a new one, ideally with more tools and benefits for the business.
The Need for POS Data Migration
In the jewelry world, companies use POS data to keep track of loyal customers, evaluate the success of certain promotions, and so much more. Migrating to a high-quality system like Jewel 360 makes it easier to personalize the experience of customers, track orders, manage inventory, and generally improve the experience of buyers, employees, and business owners.
There is a certain opportunity cost involved in staying with an outdated point-of-sale system. Issues with profit margins are a concern, as you can’t properly account for something when you have multiple versions of it in a system. Duplicated customer information makes it difficult to properly service a customer and multiple entries in inventory for the same product makes it very hard to track what’s really going on. Not doing so can ultimately cost money and limit productivity as things get more out of hand.
Inventory management is also a critical part of running a jewelry business. Streamlining inventory management maximizes profit and reduces spending and waste. Allowing corrupted and incorrect data to build up in an old, outdated system comes at a cost.
Challenges of POS Data Migration
Migrating POS data can be quite an undertaking. Of course, that means there’s room for some things to go wrong.
Incorrect Data
One of the most prevalent problems with data migration is the lack of clean data available. In an interview about Music 360’s data migration process, it’s stated that only around 5% of businesses have clean data, meaning that nothing is missing or duplicated. Most businesses will have similar results, as it’s just something that happens with time.
Professional migration help is one of the best ways to mitigate the issues with data and its migration. They can arrange, clean up, and simplify the data. They’ll also be able to identify the missing components and ask for the needed information from business owners.
Not Thinking Ahead
Going into data migration without a plan can muddy the waters and make things take longer. It also lessens the positive aspects of data migration, as you won’t get the most use of the new system.
Ahead of the data migration, do a bit of research and ask questions so you know what to expect, what sort of contributions you might need to make, and decide what you want to get from your new system. Ask yourself what integrations you need, what reports you want, and so on. Figure out your expectations to ensure they’re met during and after migration.
Planning for POS Data Migration
Proper planning is a game changer for data migration. It smoothes the whole process and gets the right information into the new POS system.
To plan for the migration, do what you can to clean up your data. This includes removing duplicates in the system – whether it’s customers, products, or other information – and making sure everything matches. The last thing you want to do is migrate a problem.
Once you’ve cleaned up your data, you can pull it to hand to the professionals or have them do it for you. They’ll further clean it and tell you what’s missing and what’s needed, and give ideas for potential things to do in the future.
If you have questions about the process, ask them. Commonly, business owners want to know how long the process takes and whether they should be doing anything. Migration can take weeks to fully complete, and your contribution may vary depending on the type of data that’s needed, what you want it to do, and so on.
Tips for a Successful POS Data Migration
Obviously, any business owner who decides to migrate to a new POS system wants the process to go smoothly. Jewel360 makes it simple. You’ll have access to a trained, professional team that’s prepared to help you every step of the way. They’ll be able to tell you what to expect and communicate what they need from you.
The whole process can be a weeks-long endeavor, but there are things you can do to lessen it. Clean up your data, as mentioned earlier. Check and update your inventory, reduce duplications, and do what you can to ensure that the data being migrated is the data you want. Clear communication helps, too, as the Jewel360 team benefits from knowing what you expect.
All in all, offering clean data (as much as possible) and communicating both help to mitigate risk and set you up for successful data migration.
Post-Migration Support and Maintenance
Don’t let the hard work of data migration go to waste. It’s incredibly important to keep up with regular maintenance. The ultimate goal is to keep your data as clean and usable as possible. Go through regularly and remove any duplicate material. Make sure your inventory is up to date, that products don’t have multiple entries, and overall that your POS system isn’t holding useless or incorrect data.
A well-maintained POS system like Jewel360 allows you to put together more personalized and curated customer experiences. It’s incredibly useful in creating ad campaigns and offering relevant coupons. Statistically, customers respond favorably to personalized ads.
Properly managed and accurate inventory prevents you from over or under-ordering materials, too. The only way to get that benefit is with regular and proper data maintenance.
Conclusion
Don’t be intimidated by data migration. Your business can benefit immensely from migrating to a new POS, as it allows you to increase marketing effectiveness, keep accurate inventory, and increase productivity and profits. Do what you can to prepare ahead of time and trust that you have Jewel 360’s excellent team to guide you through the whole process!