Bringing Customers Back with Good Customer Service

Posted on by ccsretail
Support IssueI almost always get my car serviced at the same dealership. Wonder why? They go out of their way to treat me right, not like some auto repair places I’ve dealt with in the past. These are some of the things that I really appreciate as their customer:
  • They carefully explain everything upfront, including needed repair, how long I can wait before the repair is imperative, and an estimate of all costs including labor.  If there is an alternative place that will do the work cheaper, they recommend it if I ask.
  • The work is done right the first time, and the car is clean when it is returned. They use carpet protectors when they enter the car, and even vacuum the carpet when the job is completed.
  • They provide a driver to take me home and pick me up after the work is done.
  • They give me a certificate for a free car wash at a nearby gas station, and if I don’t use it before the validation date expires, they will gladly re-validate it. (Last time it was two months before I got around to it, and they still re-validated the certificate!)
  • They frequently send me flyers in the mail about specials they are offering. They are not always for services I need, but often they are. This saves me money.
These “perks” are all important to me, so I return, time after time. Good service cannot be over-done!
What are you doing in your business to bring your customers back? One thing you might consider using is NCR’s Counterpoint feature called CustomerConnect. It allows you to keep track of those loyal customers, know their needs, and target your advertising to those most likely to use your products and/or services.
Want more information? All it takes is a quick call to CCS Retail Systems at 800/425-672-4806. You can also email us. Don’t wait any longer to find out about this great feature. Call today!
Marlene

CP-SQL: Voiding tickets paid with debit cards

Posted on by ccsretail

CP-Tiicket EntryThere is a question that has come up a few times with some of our customers.  This is the scenario:  A ticket is run for a customer, who pays with a debit card (not a credit card), and the ticket is completed.  Then, for some reason, it is desired to void the ticket.  If the ticket was paid with a credit card, or any other way than via a debit card for that matter, this is possible.  However, if you attempt to void a completed ticket that was paid with a debit card, you get a message that this cannot be done.

The reason for this, is that debit cards and credit cards are processed differently.  With a credit card, at the time of the transaction, the charge is authorized.  When this happens, the credit card processor verifies that the card is valid, and has sufficient credit available.  Additionally, the card issuing company is made aware of an upcoming charge, and the amount.  Basically, when the charge is authorized, there is an agreement that the funds will be transferred at some point in the future.  However, the actual transfer is not initiated until the credit cards transactions are settled.

So, with a credit card transaction, if the ticket is voided after the fact, and before the transactions are settled, what happens is that transaction drops out of the records to settle.  With no settlement for that transaction, the actual transfer of money is not started.  That is why sometimes a customer will see a “pending” transaction for several days, until the authorization expires.

With debit cards, it is a little different.  The processing of a debit card does not generate an authorization, but actually initiates the money transfer request.  This does not mean that debit transactions will be received by the merchant any quicker, as the actual transfer takes place at a later time.  However, it does mean that at the point the transaction is done, that the transfer will take place the next time that the issuing company processes its transfers.  

In order to void a completed debit transaction, then, a reversing transaction would need to be generated.  It is not a matter of just not settling the transaction.

So, how do you deal with this issue?  Do a return ticket, for the identical items that were sold.  Then, use the same debit card for the payment (credit for the return) that was used for the original ticket.  This will create the reversing transaction, to balance everything out.  Be aware, however, it may take a day or two for both transactions to process all the way through.

Dave.

What is the end result of falling to routinely purge historical data?

Posted on by ccsretail

There are a number of factors that you should consider in making purge decisions.

As the amount of data that you have increases, more disk space is used and so exponentially so  does the amount of resources required to do various tasks.  This situation puts more resource pressure on your server and increases the amount of time that it takes to complete even routine tasks.

As an example, running history reports could end up taking a considerable amount of time which may end-up reducing overall staff productivity if people are constantly waiting for something to complete.  Depending what kind of resource limiters are in place on your server, as time goes on this process could end-up bogging down your server.

While Retailers only keep about (2) two years of detailed history,  I have found many instances over the years where some companies have many, many years of detailed history on file.  In one recent example, a customer who wanted to upgrade was found to have over 25 years of detailed history on file.  Not having purged this data before hand created and extended upgrade process.

Normally, it is best to schedule purging operations for times when there is no one using the application software.  Generally, there are at least (4) four good reasons for this as follows:

1.  Purging operations usually require a lot of CPU and memory usage.  So if this is done during peak hours, it can bog down your server.

2.  Some historical purging operations will hang and wait if it encounters a record that is in use. This artificially extends the amount of time required to complete the purging operation.

3.  Data Corruption – f you are purging database files of tables that are updated as part of a posting operation, this could result in on or more of those operations hanging, failing to complete, and/or possible corrupting some of the data in your database.

4.  Software upgrades – in order to help reduce time and cost on upgrades to newer software, it may be  necessary to do considerable purging of data prior to starting the upgrade.  Waiting to do this type of maintenance until crunch time can have much less that desirable outcome that you might want.

If you have questions about purging and file utility usage, please contact the CCS Retail Systems Support Department.
– John

Training for More Effective Use of Your POS System

Posted on by ccsretail
Training Class.jpgHere’s a thought for you to ponder: what value is there in having a great Point of Sales System (like NCR’s Counterpoint) if you don’t know how to use it very well? Counterpoint has many features that were designed to make your business run more smoothly, accommodate your customers more easily, streamline your advertising, and increase your sales. These features, however, like any tools that we use, require instruction if they are to be used effectively.
At CCS, we get many calls from customers about issues that might not have been a problem if sufficient training had occurred earlier. A good way to avoid unnecessary downtime, service charges, and aggravation is to sign up for one or more classes with CCS.
Instruction is conducted in a computer-equipped classroom, and training can be scheduled for groups or for a single person. On-site training at your place of business can also be arranged. The focus can be an overview of features, or a single feature of your CP System.   Take-home manuals are provided to facilitate follow-up, on-the-job reference, and reinforcement back at your place of business.
So what are you waiting for? Call us today to set up a training session for yourself or for your employees (or both!). The sooner you get started, the more quickly you will eliminate the “glitches” that are costing you time and money.

Our phone number is 800/425-672-4806, or you can email us. 

Marlene

Where did that email actually come from?

Posted on by ccsretail

Mail - Send.pngIn today’s world of spam and phishing, it can be very useful to be able to find out where an email actually came from.  Just because it says that it is from “someone@domain.com”, does not mean that is who sent it.  Nor, does it even mean that it came from anyone at “domain.com”.

What can not be faked, however, is the delivery trace.  All emails contain headers that log the date, time, and IP address, for every computer that had a hand in delivering that email.  From the originator, to their mail server, to the next server, and so on until it arrives at your mailbox.

The trick is to get to and interpret those headers.  Each email client differs in the manner that you get to these headers.  In Outlook (depending on the version), you right-click on the message and select “Options”.  In Eudora, you click the “BLAH-BLAH” button,  Sometimes getting to the headers is the hardest part.

Assuming you have been able to see the mail headers, what are you looking for?  The “received” headers.  The following is an example of a “received” header (with some data obscured for security reasons):

    Received: from mailserver.domain.com (resolved.name.of.server [192.168.1.1])
            by mailserver.somedomain.com (8.14.8/8.14.7) with ESMTP id s4TEU1RO007434
            for ; Thu, 29 May 2014 07:30:02 -0700

This received line is one in the middle.  The relevant information is

    The message was received from “mailserver.domain.com.  More importantly, the IP address of that machine is 192.168.1.1
    The machine that received the message at this step, was mailserver.somedomain.com

So with that, you have the sending and receiving machine at each hop that the mail took.  Usually, these received headers are in reverse order, with the latest at the top, and earlier ones below.  So you start with the last received header, and that usually identifies the machine that actually sent the email.  Then, the received line above that is the next hop and so on.  If the email originated inside a private network, you may have to check a few received lines, until you get one that has a public IP address.  

Once you have a public IP address, then it is a matter of identifying where that address actually is.  There are several tools for this available on the internet.

Dave.

Have Receipt… Will Shoplift

Posted on by ccsretail

Have Receipt… Will Shoplift

ShopliftingWhile shoplifting has always been a concern of retailers, in recent years criminals have been getting more sophisticated in their methods of operation.  Some of the latest techniques involve discarded  customer receipts that are obtained from various sources such as those found discarded in parking lots, external and internal trash receptacles, and via dumpster diving. 

The shoplifter’s use the receipts to compile a “theft list”, and then walk into the various stores with the  receipts in-hand, gather up the items,  and then often head straight to the stores return department. As a recent example of this type of activity, the Bellingham, WA police recently recovered dozens of receipts in a backpack  that was tied to an ongoing shoplifting investigation that was using the same techniques referenced above

For more details, see the following komonews.com link:

Unless store security personnel are being vigilant, some of this may go undetected, especially in smaller businesses with  limited security capabilities.  Some examples of ways that help prevent this type of theft are:

  • Customers being vigilant about not discarding their receipts on or near store premises.
  • Store Policies that require items brought into the store to be returned, being tagged and verified, and then be brought directly to the return department.
  • Requirements that Identification be presented on ALL returns.
  • Limiting returns to the method of payment that was used.
  • Stores keeping a list of “high Volume” returners for identification, if required. 

– John

What’s the difference between an update and an upgrade?

Posted on by ccsretail

Software Updates

Software UpdateSoftware updates are  typically smaller and more minor or intermediate updates.  Normally these are “install in-place” updates, and are the least invasive and time consuming type of  update.  Usually this type of update targets specific software issues, such as: 

  • Corrections for known critical software issues. – something that prevents the software from functioning as designed.
  • Minor software design changes to enhance the use of a particular area of the software.
  • Mandated Credit Card processor software changes. – This could involve security related enhancements.
  • Payroll and Accounts Payable updates related to W-2 and 1099 Printing

Software Upgrades 

Software upgrades typically revolve around major software changes that may involve any or all of the following:

  • Major design change to the software that could require un-installing part or all of the existing software, and installing the new software in a new folder.  This could also  involve updating client software installed on existing workstations.
  • Adding new database tables or files, and require updating your existing custom software reports to reflect those changes.
  • A Complete restructuring of your database.  This could involve a lot of processing time to complete the work involved and some extended down time.

Firmware updates

Hardware manufacturers periodically release firmware updates that do various things such as correcting known device issues, and providing support for newly released software features.

As an example, if you currently have existing Ingenico ISC 250 Pin Pads in use now,  it will most likely require a firmware update for the device to be considered ready to meet the need Chip/Pin requirements that Visa and MasterCard have officially set. The deadline for retailers to adopt to EMV (chip and PIN) credit card technology is be October 2015, for any all stores will be expected to accept these kinds of cards.

This means that minimally, these units will need to have their firmware flashed (i.e. updated) prior to that date.

If you would like to schedule a review of you software for updates, or upgrades,  and hardware for needed firmware updates, please contact the CCS Retail Systems Support Department.

– John

Signs you have been hacked

Posted on by ccsretail

Database - SearchSometimes your system can be compromised, and there is no obvious indications that anything has occurred.  Recently, however, we have seen cases of systems being hacked, when there was obvious indications that something had occurred.

When a user first logs in for the day, and their desktop has been changed, or new programs have been installed, that should be a red flag.  While it is true that many larger companies will do updates after hours, if no one has said anything about it ahead of time, the user needs to alert their supervisor immediately.

What I have seen includes the desktop icons have been re-arranged.  New icons on the desktop, especially ones for remote control such as VNC (Virtual Network Connection) and some of its variants.  It could be just about anything that is just different.

If that occurs, the machine should be shut down immediately, and reported to a supervisor, or the IT department.  If it is a case of legitimate changes having been made, there is no harm, and the machine can be brought back into service.  If the changes are not legitimate, then by shutting down the potential for additional damages, such as stealing information, or participating in a botnet, are prevented while a course of action is determined.

At CCS we are very familiar with issues like this.  Contact our support department if you suspect your have been hacked and your IT department is not familiar with this issue.

Dave.