Retail: Features

Multi-Store Collaboration

Retail chains that support multiple store front locations face many unique business and software challenges. EXEControl has been designed since its inception to address these unique multi-store concerns. At the root of EXEControl’s multi-store support lies the ability to consolidate or separate business transactions by store as well as by other criteria such as business unit. This feature has been termed by some customers as our ‘slice and dice’ feature. Just about any corporate structure, including multi-tiered reporting structures is supported within EXEControl. Other multi-store collaboration features include:

• Ability to have inventory visibility across all store locations
• Ability to perform consolidated purchasing functions
• Ability to perform store transfer of goods

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Rapid UPC Checkout

A primary objective for many retail stores is the ability to ‘checkout’ a customer as quickly as possible while capturing all necessary data. The solution, however, can be quite different depending on the company. EXEControl supports a number of POS checkout process solutions. One of these solutions is the ‘rapid UPC checkout’, which allows the store clerk to simply pull each product across the eye of a barcode reader. When all items have been scanned a sales completion button may be pressed to complete the tender process.

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Integrated On-Line Credit Card Processing

EXEControl is PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliant level two certified high speed internet credit card processing package. The latest of credit card processing advancement is found within EXEControl. CCV2 and AVS (Address Verification System) preauthorization is supported giving each EXEControl customer the decision how they wish to handle the various responses from the credit card processor.  Each verification message code can be linked to corporate decisions to a) reject the card, b) accept the card, c) require password override to accept the card, d) allow the sales clerk to decide. Credit card readers, signature capture pads and pin pads are all supported within EXEControl. Debit cards may be processed as pin pad debit or signature credit. EXEControl is certified for both MOTO (Mail Order/Telephone Order credit) and retail processing. Customer credit cards may be authorized and settled at a later time or charged immediately. Other features such as flagging card present, corporate cards and transmission of sales tax and purchase order number are standard within EXEControl.

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Keyboard Lock/Unlock With Password Entry

There are times when employees need to leave their registers unattended. EXEControl supports the ability for that employee to lock and then later unlock their keyboard. This can be done through a single keystroke and password or through the use of an employee badge. When using employee badges, the unlock password may be encoded on the badge which lessens the ability for the password to become public knowledge.

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Cash Drawer Management

One of the greatest risks of financial loss to a retail company is the cash drawer. Strong cash drawer management is critical for the protection of the company and their employees. EXEControl supports such functions. One of EXEControl’s security features is the ability to balance any cash drawer against a day, a shift or an employee.

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Multiple Ticket Transactions

EXEControl supports all retail type transactions including:

Cash and Carry Transactions: grab and buy, web site sales and returns.

Pending Transactions: special orders, repairs, held orders, layaway orders and backorders

Special Transactions: payment on account, rental sales, loaners, quotes and store transfers.

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Accessory and Optional Up Sales

In some businesses when a customer purchases one item, that item comes with accessories or options (may be services and/or contracts). In either case it is important to offer the accessories and optional up sales to the customer. Failure to encourage a customer in the purchase of these items can result in a noticeable reduction of profits. EXEControl provides an easy and quick way to offer such accessories and options. Those accessories and options purchased by the customer are automatically added to the customer’s bill.

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Companion Item Purchase Requirements

In some businesses when a customer purchases one item, another item, service or contract is required. EXEControl gives the ability to either automatically add the required item(s) to the customer’s order or to present a message to the sales clerk asking if the item should be added. Sales clerk can have the option to say yes or no.

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Employee Access Badges

EXEControl supports the use of employee badges. This is useful for many purposes including; electronic time clock, register lock/unlock and cash drawer identification.

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Customer Loyalty Programs

When one looks at the various customer loyalty programs in use by retail companies, you find that there are almost as many variations as there are companies offering such programs. EXEControl can be used to automate many, if not all, of your customer loyalty program needs. Some of the loyalty programs supported include:

• Discounts on all or selected products
• Sales analysis tracking
• Mailing campaigns
• Gift certificates
• Points accumulation

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Override Alert Messaging

EXEControl allows for cause and action trigger point messaging. This feature allows management to give selective authority to store managers or sales clerks with the ability to have EXEControl alert management when unusual override privileges have been exercised. The alert can be an email, text page, fax, screen pop up message, an audit report or any combination. The content of the message can contain any and all information desired including date, time, store location, counter device and employee.

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Scale/Weight Transactions

Some businesses require more than simple ‘each’ transactions. An example would be products that are sold by the pound or some other weight. In these situations, the EXEControl POS counter option may be interfaced to the scales, provided the scale supports some type of electronic communication.

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Sales Tax Management

EXEControl supports the sales tax requirements of all 50 states and Canada. Each store location is identified to their specific state and tax jurisdiction. The system will also automatically change the tax jurisdiction to the shipping address should the product be shipped to the customer. Use tax is also supported. For retail operations with special tax requirements such as FCC telephone tax, EXEControl provides the tools necessary to create automatic calculation and charge routines.

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Processing of ‘Call In’ Orders

EXEControl supports the ability to have customers ‘call in’ or place an order in advance and then come to the counter to pick up the product. Such transactions are originally entered into the system via the normal order entry process, picked/pulled via the normal picking process and then finalized at the POS counter.

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Payment Only Transactions

For companies that have customers coming to the counter to pay against layaways or to pay off, or down, their account A/R balance, EXEControl provides a simple to use process to collect the money. EXEControl also supports pre-payments, down payments and payments on accounts.

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Suspend a Sale and Later Recall

EXEControl Rental will allow a cashier to suspend a sales transaction, perform other tasks including new sales transactions and then later recall the suspended transaction for completion.

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Search Product by Item Description

EXEControl has a very feature rich search engine that allows a company to specify what fields they may wish to search by. Once selected, any cashier has the ability to search for a product based upon any and all of these field values. The fields include: description, vendor part#, alias (other words for search purposes), serial numbers, etc. Every field supports searching by full words, partial words and sound alike matching.

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Layaways and Gift Certificates

EXEControl provides simple methods to record layaways and gift certificates. Appropriate accounting entries are generated to show the dollars outstanding toward these two advanced payment conditions.

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Multiple Payment Types

All sales transactions support multiple payments. These payments can include: cash, check, credit card, gift certificates, foreign currency and any other company defined payment code.

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Tracking of Bad Check Customers

There are basically two common ways to track customers who have issued bad checks. The first method assumes that each customer is uniquely identified at the time of checkout. In this case the actual customer master record is flagged as a bad check customer. When the customer comes in the next time to purchase product the system can then alert the cashier that this customer needs to speak to customer service. The other method is to track bad checks to a check account number or the name on the account. Then if the check account numbers or the name on the check is entered, the system can then alert the cashier.