Switching a book depot from a register or Excel to a POS, step by step

Most book depots that move to POS software have run for years on a register, an Excel sheet, or both. If you are still choosing the software, start with the checklist for choosing book depot software. Once it is chosen, the software is rarely the hard part of the move. The hard part is starting with an item list, stock figures and khata balances everyone trusts, so that the first month's reports mean something. This plan is the order we recommend, with the BooksPOS screens for each step.

Step 1: Pick the right week

Do not switch in the school season. In March, April and the first weeks of a new session, the counter has no time for anything new and every mistake is multiplied by a queue. A quiet week, when stock is lowest and the counter can spare an hour, is the best time. Give yourself about a week before the chosen day for the item list and the count.

Step 2: Clean the item list

Whatever you import is what you will bill from, so clean it first, in Excel:

1. One row per edition. Last year's and this year's edition of a title are two items, each with its own price and stock. Why this matters is in keeping book editions apart.
2. ISBNs checked. A wrong ISBN is refused by BooksPOS rather than saved. Fixing them now is quicker than at the counter; ISBN check digits explained shows how to spot one.
3. Pack sizes for stationery. Write down how many pieces a box, a dozen or a ream holds for each item that is sold both ways (selling by the piece, dozen and box).
4. Duplicates removed. Two rows for the same book split its stock in two.
5. Publishers and suppliers named the same way every time, so their returns and bills land on one account.

Step 3: Set up the store PC and the staff

Install BooksPOS on the shop's main PC, the one that stays on while the shop is open (installing BooksPOS). Then:

• Set the backup password and check that the first daily backup is taken (backups and restoring).
• Add every person with their own sign-in and role, and a counter for each till (staff, roles and counters). Shared passwords make the records useless when something needs explaining.
• Set up the receipt and print a test page (receipt and printer settings). Printers differ, so if yours does not print right, tell us its make and model.

Step 4: One closing date, one count

Choose the evening before the first day as the closing date. On that evening, count the stock on the shelf and in the godown, and take each customer's and each supplier's balance from the register or the sheet. Every opening figure is dated with that one day, which is what makes the first month's reports agree with the books.

Step 5: Import, then check

Import items with their opening stock first, then customers with what they owe, then suppliers with what you owe them. BooksPOS checks every row before it saves anything and tells you which rows to fix (moving your item list from Excel). Balances left out of the file can be entered by hand (opening balances).

Before the first bill, check three figures against the register:

1. Total stock value on the stock report.
2. Total owed by customers on the khata list.
3. Total owed to suppliers.

If one is off, find the row now. A wrong opening figure can be corrected later, with a note saying why, but it is simpler to fix it before any sale touches it.

Step 6: The first day

Open the shift with the float in the drawer, bill as usual, and close with a blind count, where the cashier counts the drawer without seeing the expected figure (shifts and closing the day). Keep the register beside the till for the first day if it makes the staff more confident, but write nothing in it that is not also in BooksPOS.

Step 7: The first week

• Read the daily report each evening (owner reports): sales, cash, khata and advances.
• Count one shelf or one class a day while the shop stays open, and post only the real differences (stock counts).
• Check that the backup ran, and keep one copy off the PC.
• Note every question the staff ask. Most are answered in the help centre.

Everything above works in the current build. If you are thinking of switching, tell us about your shop.

Common questions

Can we keep the register running alongside for a while?

For a day or two, as a comfort. Longer than that, two sets of records start to disagree and nobody knows which one is right. Decide on the day BooksPOS becomes the only record, and keep the register only for looking up the past.

What if the stock count is wrong after the import?

Correct it with a stock adjustment that gives a reason, or with a count of that shelf. BooksPOS never lets anyone type over a stock figure; every change is a movement with a person and a time (stock adjustments).

Do customers' old unpaid bills need to be entered one by one?

No. Bring in each customer's total balance as of the closing date. Their statement starts from that opening balance, and new bills and payments follow it.

How long does the switch take?

Most of the work is the clean item list and the count, which depend on the size of the shop. The import itself takes minutes once the file is clean.