When it comes to your volunteers, you likely want them to be their best. And that can mean something different to every charity. Does “best” mean the ones with tons of passion? Or do you want your volunteers to shine in social situations and be outgoing? Or are you simply looking for the volunteers who are there to do their job and do it well?

Whatever best means to you, it pays to help them reach that point. But how can you ensure your volunteers are working at their best? It depends on the tools and support you give them. And one especially notable one is your EPoS system. You know that it’s more than a till. It’s the heart of the shop. Let’s look at just how it can help your team.

Speed

There’s nothing worse as an employee or volunteer than when your tools fail you. And in retail, the likeliest tool to let you down is the EPoS system. Sometimes, it’s just outdated and in need of modernisation. Other times, it’s slow at doing anything. And if not that, it might be an unintuitive mess. Or all three of those at once.

But done right, the EPoS system can speed up their day considerably. A more modern solution should be up to date and run as smooth as butter. You also want it to be incredibly intuitive. This means that any volunteer, no matter their tech skill level, can navigate the system easily. That’s going to save a lot of time trying to figure it out.

Then there are extra features that can cut down timely processes. Gift Aid is notorious for being a chore that takes up too much time. But if it’s a more integral part of the EPoS, that time can be cut down significantly.

Customer service

The above doesn’t just help your volunteers; it’s a huge benefit to your customers, too. By providing a speedier service, your customer experience goes way up. Just think about queues. With a faster, more intuitive EPoS solution, your volunteers can serve customers much more quickly. No more waiting around as the queue builds and builds.

Or let’s say your EPoS comes with tablet functionality. You don’t need to just rely on the static till. You could have one volunteer at the checkout while another is helping people in the queue using the mobility of the system. People might be shopping at your charity because they want to give back, but that doesn’t mean they won’t stand for inefficient service. So make sure your EPoS is helping every way it can.

Initiative

Ultimately, when you give your volunteers this freedom to work faster and smarter, it’s going to give them the rope to work harder. Confidence in using your EPoS will make them more confident workers across the board. And if you make their lives easier, it’s simple enough for them to tackle even more.

Maybe they have time to do a full stock check. Now with their confidence in the EPoS solution, they can get that done. They can go the extra mile with customers. They can work beyond the confines of the charity shop.

All of this is possible with the right EPoS in place. It will still require some preparation and training, but once the training wheels come off, you’ll be surprised at how well it goes. So maybe it’s time to think about how your EPoS helps your volunteers. Because if it isn’t letting them be their best, it isn’t doing enough for you.

Another quality you can’t overlook in your EPoS? If it’s designed for the charity sector. You have challenges not every industry does, so why settle for a one-size-fits-all option? With CHARiotWeb, you have an EPoS solution designed with charities in mind. To find out more, just reach out to us on 01204 706000.