POS SYSTEM MAINTENANCE IS CRUCIAL TO SERVICE EDGE

LINDA PURPURA

GILROY, Calif. -- Keeping the front end running optimally and preventing point-of-sale problems before they occur may not be the most glamorous aspect of technology today.

But ensuring the success of front-end systems on a daily basis is critical for driving sales and meeting customers' service expectations. It is also a vital element in keeping ongoing maintenance costs at acceptable levels.

By using a variety of techniques, ranging from installing software to help diagnose POS system problems at an early stage to implementing a comprehensive self-maintenance program, many retailers are managing to make the most of their front-end operations.

Nob Hill Foods here, for example, is taking advantage of an on-line diagnostics program to spot POS problems early on -- and in the process is saving the chain considerable costs in reducing the number of times technicians visit the stores, said Tom Howell, senior director of store systems.

Nob Hill Foods' 26 stores are equipped with an open POS system from Store Automated Systems, Bristol, Pa. In addition to relying on the automated diagnostics program, the chain has also implemented an aggressive preventive maintenance program.

As a result of these measures, Howell said, service calls for the chain's POS systems plummeted 50% in just the first year of the program.

Nob Hill Foods' preventive maintenance program includes training managers about basics such as the need to change printer ribbons regularly and keep equipment clean. The program also involves periodic checking of the printers, keyboards and anything on top of the checkstand and replacing them, as needed, with equipment rebuilt in-house.

Cables are also regularly checked for potential bad connections, and monitors for any signs of trouble or excessive wear. Equipment is continually rotated and repaired in-house to prevent serious problems before they occur, he said.

By handling its own maintenance, including everything from equipment repair to hardware and software, Nob Hill Foods now has more time to implement other systems, Howell said.

For example, the chain has been able to move ahead with plans to install video surveillance and electronic funds transfer systems -- which it also maintains and repairs in-house, he said.

Save Mart Supermarkets, Modesto, Calif., is another chain moving forward with a POS maintenance program.

The chain currently has three separate POS systems in use in its 92 stores but is considering moving toward a single system, which would help improve overall efficiency and be fully Year 2000 compliant.

"We don't yet have the luxury of operating one POS system. So any time there is a new application that's put out, we have to work with the lowest common denominator -- and that creates a challenge," said John Lasater, Save Mart's director of information systems.

Lasater and Howell spoke about POS maintenance programs at the MarkeTechnics convention last month in Houston, sponsored by the Food Marketing Institute, Washington.

In the area of systems maintenance, Lasater said, retailers must resist becoming overly dependent on third-party vendors to provide assistance and instead develop in-house resources.

"We as retailers need to move away from dependency to working [cooperatively] with third-party vendors. We need to use them for servicing and repairs on an as-needed basis but have an in-house service center be more responsible for day-to-day maintenance," Lasater said.

Save Mart started supporting its POS systems internally in 1990 when the chain installed in-store processors to handle payment electronic funds transfer and other payment options. Support for the stores includes technical help, service and parts. Save Mart operates a service center at its distribution center in Merced, Calif.