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Payment terminals - what you need to know to prepare for the sales peak
Implementing payment terminal support in your company is a significant step forward towards making your business more flexible, but also a nod to customers who increasingly rely solely on payment cards. With the peak season just around the corner, it's worth solidifying your knowledge of payment terminals now and realizing that it's a good solution for every entrepreneur, regardless of the scale and specificity of your business.
Payment terminals - what are they?
Let's start with the very basics, i.e. explaining what exactly it is payment terminal. This modern device is designed to handle cashless payments. Customers are increasingly less likely to carry cash, which generates unnecessary misunderstandings and leads to stressful situations right at the transaction finalization stage. The payment terminal supports a wide range of cashless payments – including those made with traditional ATM cards, smartphones, and even BLIK.
Depending on the specific device payment terminals are characterized by various useful modules, among which the option of integrating the payment terminal with the accounting system, the company's resource management system and many others deserves special attention.
Importantly, payment terminals also often offer innovative cash withdrawal services at the counter or accept payments in foreign currencies, which is particularly useful in locations frequently visited by foreigners. Payment terminals are now essential equipment for every business owner, both those operating in a brick-and-mortar location and those constantly on the move to conduct business.
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What types of payment terminals are there?
Before deciding to purchase a specific payment terminal, it's worth understanding the different types and the advantages of each. This knowledge will certainly help you make an informed decision that will contribute to increased user satisfaction. Generally, payment terminals are divided into:
- stationary terminals,
- mobile terminals.
Stationary terminals are the optimal solution for all establishments, shops, and service points where customer fiscal services are provided on-site. A stationary terminal is constantly connected to electricity, ensuring continuous operation even 24 hours a day. Depending on the company's needs, such devices can be integrated with other systems, making the payment terminal a component of a larger IT ecosystem for hotels, restaurants, shops, or any other service point.
At the other end of the spectrum are the increasingly popular mobile payment terminals. These have been strengthening their position in the fiscal device market for several years now, thanks to their most important feature – portability. Mobile payment terminals are perfect for any business that travels to provide its services. This applies to couriers, taxi drivers, food truck owners, and even coffee shops. High-quality mobile payment terminals have a very high-capacity battery, but it's still worth having a charger on hand to ensure rapid charging during peak customer traffic.
Payment terminal functions
The most important function of payment terminals? Accepting cashless payments, of course. Every business owner who is required to use a fiscal device in their business must offer customers cashless payment options starting January 1, 2022. Payment terminals fulfill this obligation while offering much more.
In addition to the traditional payment acceptance function, modern payment terminals offer a wide range of additional services that can support business development and facilitate daily sales management. Services such as DCC (Dynamic Currency Conversion), cashback, the ability to process MO/TO transactions, and pre-authorization make these terminals a versatile tool. Users can also benefit from terminal integration with cash register and POS systems, eliminating the risk of errors associated with manual input and significantly speeding up the processing process, resulting in greater customer satisfaction and staff efficiency.
The terminals also offer a range of business support solutions, such as "Moja Pożyczka" (financing for entrepreneurs, where repayment is made automatically from the current turnover generated by the payment terminal), the "tipping" function for restaurants, cashier login and the ability to accept and send parcels.
Additional services offered by the terminals include purchasing phone starter kits, paying utility bills, top-up energy, and Paysafecard. Additionally, businesses can offer their customers a personalized loyalty app and gift cards.
Examples in specific industries
Modern payment terminals are devices tailored to the specific needs of virtually every industry. A prime example is the restaurant industry, where effective customer service—one of the most crucial elements of any self-respecting restaurant—is impossible without a mobile payment terminal.
In addition to the standard functions described earlier, the restaurant industry can also count on dedicated modules that facilitate team management and tailor payment methods to the specific needs of the industry. What is this about? An example of this is the tip module, which allows a customer to add a discretionary amount to their bill as a thank you for pleasant service. Payment terminals also allow individual waiters to log in and record their bills, allowing for detailed performance analyses. All of this is integrated with the restaurant's existing IT systems and connected via Wi-Fi.
There are countless examples of how payment terminals can be used. Any service provider seeking to gain a competitive advantage must think innovatively. Therefore, payment terminals enable the introduction of dedicated loyalty programs and discount cards—all within a secure, encrypted ecosystem that protects both business and customer data.
Possibilities of customizing additional payment terminal services
Just a few years ago, businesses believed that investing in a payment terminal only allowed them to accept cashless payments. While this remains the primary function of terminals today, these devices can do much more. The potential for customizing additional terminal services is enormous and continues to grow. Among the most important, it's worth mentioning:
- My package function - the ability to send and receive parcels from many courier companies using a payment terminal.
- My loan function - External financing available from a fintech partner on transparent terms. Maintenance-free installment repayments are automatically calculated based on daily turnover recorded by the payment terminal.
- My Bills function - a function that facilitates the payment of bills for gas, electricity, telephone and other fixed services.
- PaySafeCard support - an additional service dedicated to grocery stores, newsagents and supermarkets, which enables the handling of transactions using the Paysafecard application.
- My Energy Boosts feature - the possibility of using electricity for prepaid top-ups in cooperation with leading energy companies in Poland.
and many more. The possibilities for implementing additional services are very broad and tailored to the specific needs of all businesses using payment terminals on a daily basis.
The terminal is an essential element of the fiscal system
Terminals have become a permanent fixture in the vast majority of businesses operating in B2B and B2C models. This is driven not only by legal regulations but also by trends in payment practices. It's no secret that today, everyone carries a payment card, and it's increasingly common to pay for purchases with a phone or a watch equipped with a cashless payment function. This prompts businesses to increase their competitiveness by offering this method of payment.
