SoftSell POS, a point of sale package specifically for 12 volt retailers, is returning to the market after many years.
The software was once used by hundreds of car audio retailers and is still in use at about 40 shops, who continued to favor it, despite the fact that the company focused its efforts on cellular shops for the past 20-plus years.
The software monitors sales, clocks in employees, calculates wages, schedules appointments and more. Owner Roy Kaplan says the advantage of the program is that it’s easy to learn and it can be updated quickly.
Kaplan was originally a car audio retailer with three stores in the Boston area. “I bought a POS package I didn’t like, so I started developing my own. In the mid 90’s I went into the business of selling it and I did that for 10 years,” he said.
Cellphone sales began picking up then and Kaplan developed a POS package aimed at cellphone stores. His program was used in 500 cellular stores until those shops began closing.
“A year ago I decided to go back to the POS people using [SoftSell] that have been paying me a license for 20 years,” Kaplan said. “If they are still using it after 25 years, there’s got to be something there. This is what I’m going to do now.”
The advantage of SoftSell is that it’s easy to learn and use and can quickly adapt to changes in the industry, claimed Kaplan. A dealer suggestion can be executed in a week.
Kaplan has been upgrading the program for several months now. He improved the resolution for bigger monitors and added functions such as texting appointment reminders to customers. He also improved the program’s speed.
SoftSell is adding tablet capability for use on the sales floor for appointment setting, job estimates, invoicing and price checks. The new version displays current up-to-the-minute stock levels, even with multiple stores.
The system is both local and online. It offer benefits from both online SQL servers and local database systems (both local and wide area networks). It has automatic offsite backups and multiple location communications.
Other software features include inventory control, purchase orders, and returned merchandise.
SoftSell POS v6 software will be in locations this month and will be available to new users before January 1st. Free demos are available.
For more information contact: [email protected]
I’ve been using the Softsell POS system since it was created. I’m really excited for the updated version, although the current version still works great for us. We are able to easily schedule appointments with full detail and pricing and create invoices from the appointments. All the work is done automatically including the pricing and taxes. We are able to save a huge customer database in our system that can easily look up past invoices with full detail. We also use the “day end” function, which totals and backs up all of our income daily, The monthly reports are also very useful. No need for quick books or any other accounting software. We also have a huge invertory system with complete descriptions and pricing that we can enter easily to any appointment or invoice using our own or manufacturer part numbers. The owner is also a very nice guy and has added some custom touches to make our system do what we need it to do for a reasonable cost. I would be more than happy to answer any questions anyone may have about this software.