Getting a handle on till behaviour – new POS Audit Reports from Futura

• Delivering business transparency at the till?

Improving cashier productivity at the till and increasing customer service continue to be some of the big challenges facing retailers of all sizes. Shrinkage too is still a problem.

One way to get on top of this is to improve your understanding of till behaviour. Good analysis here can tell you a lot about how your business is performing and will help you to identify star performers. Importantly it can also show where training might be required to correct procedures, pinpoint product and quality issues, help you to optimise staffing levels and above all spotlight issues and security concerns.

Frequently cashier performance has been measured by observation alone and even if you use reports to measure some aspects of till behaviour these may not be to the level of detail you would like.

But a new suite of POS Audit Reports from Futura will put you in full control with detailed insight as to when and why the till drawer is being opened.

Available free of charge and easily installed, the reports have been written in-house to supplement core reporting in Futura with the focus on being fast, user-friendly and very easy to use.

So if you want more transparency as to what is going on in store and more effective reporting on what is happening at the till call Futura today or download the simple training guide for more information. 

Nine reporting areas are covered in total to provide further analysis on till transactions either locally in the branch, or at head office, and by individual till or across the full estate. Brief details of each report are covered here:

1. Refund Report

A straightforward report, providing analysis on refunds that have been processed through the till. Useful for identifying what reason codes have been applied, where there are unusually high volumes of refunds and whether or not the payment type used in the refund matches the payment type from the original transaction.

2. Void Receipt Report

Analysis of any receipts that are fully processed through the till, but are then cancelled at a later time. For most retailers, this report would be blank. Data here might point to security issues.

3. Cancelled Receipt Report

Analysis of receipts that have been cancelled on the till. Although the till drawer would not have opened, you would still want to question why receipts have been cancelled. It may point to a training issue for example.

4. Deleted Lines Report

This report provides analysis on lines that have been deleted from a transaction on the till. An unusual number of these would again point to unexplained or unusual behaviour.

5. No Sale Report

In this instance, the cash drawer would have been opened and in normal circumstance, you would want to question why a cashier is opening the till without a sale. Most stores would have robust procedures in place to control or prevent this.

6. PGR Sales Report

A useful report that shows where sales have been put through without individual item information – sometimes called a Department Group or ‘Dump Code’ sale. From a stock control angle this can be very problematic and can point to poor or inadequate labelling, and sometimes lazy cashiers. In most cases, staff would be trained to make strenuous efforts to find the right barcode either using product look-up functions or by substituting a correctly labelled item. Correct procedures here also minimise refund fraud issues.

7. Discount Report

Analysis of discounts that have been processed through the till and the reason codes that have been applied. Again this can help to spot unusual activity, showing when and why discounts are being given, which members of staff are processing discounts, and whether till promotions are correct.

8. Personnel Sales Report

Where staff discount schemes are operated, this report will highlight when staff discounts are applied. Excessive use might for example point to malpractice or abuse.

9. Pick-Up Report

The final report provides analysis on pickups, drop-offs and POS Reports carried out on the till. For banking and other accounting functions, there will be legitimate reasons for taking money out of the till, but this report will show up exceptions and data that may need further investigation.

Each report follows a similar spreadsheet style and is largely self-explanatory with a range of filters covering headers and data fields including for example date and time range, branch number, salesperson, till number etc. Additional detailed column filtering, column drag and drop, summary options to roll up and sort data, as well as print, email and export options provide complete flexibility.

So no excuses! There is no easier way to improve business transparency at the till. To install your POS Audit Report functionality contact Futura today.