Business POS
Peter Pohlisch, Owner and Business Manager
Zeitlos - Das Wohnatelier
Zeitlos – Das Wohnatelier places a high value on sustainability. It has found a highly sustainable solution with Business POS – Swisscom’s smart POS system for SMEs. For owner Peter Pohlisch, it’s the most important tool for his everyday activities.
A great deal of heart and soul goes into Peter Pohlisch’s interior design studio in Märstetten in the canton of Thurgau. This is more than a display of furniture and accessories: they are carefully arranged into living worlds, where each object conveys its own qualities. He breathes new life into many pieces of furniture by buying objects in need of restoration – mainly in Scandinavia. Working closely with a regional carpenter’s workshop, which is housed in the same building, he brings back their mechanical and functional condition. They are then finished with high-quality, environmentally friendly paints. Peter Pohlisch explains his guiding principle: “Yes, sustainability is central for me. We have a responsibility towards the environment – and it can be done!”
Business POS
Business POS is a versatile POS system with devices, software and Swisscom Support. All activities are controlled with one central system – with no IT knowledge needed: article, stock and customer management, staff planning, online reservation, online shop as well as statistics and annual reports. Swisscom Support includes on-site commissioning and training, assistance with technical problems and application support via remote access for user questions. Business POS can be flexibly expanded with accessories and connected to Worldline and TWINT for payments.
There were only two months between moving into the shell of the building and opening the studio. “And countless night shifts,” Peter Pohlisch adds with a laugh. Starting his business as a ‘one-man show’ and facing massive challenges, he was very grateful for any help from colleagues and friends. And he also looked to technology to make his life easier. The POS system plays a central role in this. “It’s the most important tool in my everyday activities,” he says. Thanks to his background, Peter Pohlisch knew what to look for. Before becoming self-employed, he had worked for 15 years in senior management for luxury goods, furnishing and fashion chains. His requirements: “The POS system had to be intuitive and user friendly, enable efficient working, and feature a sleek design that fits harmoniously into the overall image of my business.” After many discussions with various suppliers, a single, online meeting with Swisscom specialists was enough to convince him about Business POS – Swisscom’s POS solution for SMEs.
A week before the opening, the POS system arrived at the studio. A Swisscom specialist helped with the set-up, which Peter Pohlisch greatly appreciated: “He configured the system exactly how I wanted. We defined product groups, designed the layout and connected the card reader, the barcode scanner and the printer. After that, my POS system was set up so perfectly that it could be operated without any prior knowledge. For example, colleagues supported me by entering and editing the articles and their pictures. It’s amazingly easy and practically self-explanatory.” The POS system conveys a high level of professionalism to customers. They can pay with TWINT, credit and EC cards or cash. As an added bonus, customers can have their receipt sent by SMS or e-mail. “These paperless receipts help me to achieve my sustainability goals,” says Peter Pohlisch. The feedback has been very positive: “Quite a few customers are surprised. Such a versatile POS system is something they would have expected in a big shop.”
“I can see if an item is in stock, even when I’m on the move.”
Peter Pohlisch, Owner and Business Manager, Zeitlos - Das Wohnatelier
Alongside his studio base, Peter Pohlisch also advises clients on site in their own homes and businesses. The POS system is always by his side as a loyal companion. How so? “It tells me, for example, whether I have certain objects in stock. Or how much they cost.” Online access via mobile phone or laptop makes it all possible. The current sales figures as well as the ‘best and worst sellers’ among the 500 or so articles can also be called up at any time, anywhere, at a click or the touch of a finger. This provides a solid basis for planning and makes the purchasing process more efficient. Accounting is not neglected either: anyone with an appetite for figures can obtain detailed, processable Excel reports from the POS system.
Peter Pohlisch feels well supported by Swisscom. He hasn’t yet had to call Support with any technical problems and he hardly notices the regular updates. However, his special requests are listened to and actioned: “When I asked how to make the Zeitlos logo visible on the customer’s display, Swisscom quickly came up with a solution. The support is excellent. My conclusion on the POS system: in terms of design, reliability and user-friendliness, it’s marvellous. And it’s fairly priced too.”
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