Multi-Store Collaboration
Retail chains that support multiple store front locations face many unique business and software challenges. EXEControl® has been designed since its inception to address these unique multi-store concerns. At the root of EXEControl’s multi-store support lies the ability to consolidate or separate business transactions by store as well as by other criteria such as business unit. This feature has been termed by some customers as our ‘slice and dice’ feature. Just about any corporate structure, including multi-tiered reporting structures are supported within EXEControl®. Other multi-store collaboration features include:

• Ability to have inventory visibility across all store locations
• Ability to perform consolidated purchasing functions
• Ability to perform store transfer of goods

Rapid UPC Checkout
A primary objective for many retail stores is the ability to ‘checkout’ a customer as quickly as possible while capturing all necessary data. The solution, however, can be quite different depending on the company. EXEControl® supports a number of POS checkout process solutions. One of these solutions is the ‘rapid UPC checkout’, which allows the store clerk to simply pull each product across the eye of a barcode reader. When all items have been scanned a sales completion button may be pressed to complete the tender process.

Integrated On-Line Credit Card Verification
EXEControl® supports both high-speed Internet verification and traditional dial-up verification. For those stores where Internet service is too expensive, EXEControl®’s dial-up credit card verification process allows for all counter stations for all store locations to share a single dial-up line. Should multiple counters request verification at the same time, EXEControl® will process all requests with a single connection so that all counters experiences a rapid response.

Keyboard Lock/Unlock With Password Entry
There are times when employees need to leave their registers unattended. EXEControl® supports the ability for that employee to lock and than later unlock their keyboard. This can be done through a single keystroke and password or through the use of an employee badge. When using employee badges, the unlock password may be encoded on the badge which lessens the ability for the password to become public knowledge.

Cash Drawer Management
One of the greatest risks of financial loss to a retail company is the cash drawer. Strong cash drawer management is critical for the protection of the company and their employees. EXEControl® supports such functions. One of EXEControl’s security features is the ability to balance any cash drawer against a day, a shift or an employee.

Sales, Service and Rental Transactions
EXEControl® supports a variety of point of sale transactions. Besides the traditional ‘cash and carry’ transactions, EXEControl® also supports rental and service items. The POS ‘check out’ option will produce all necessary paper work for all items sold.

Accessory and Optional Up Sales
In some businesses when a customer purchases one item, that item comes with accessories or options (may be services and/or contracts). In either case it is important to offer the accessories and optional up sales to the customer. Failure to encourage a customer in the purchase of these items can result in a noticeable reduction of profits. EXEControl® provides an easy and quick way to offer such accessories and options. Those accessories and options purchased by the customer are automatically added to the customer’s bill.

Companion Item Purchase Requirements
In some businesses when a customer purchases one item, another item, service or contract is required. EXEControl® gives the ability to either automatically add the required item(s) to the customer’s order or to present a message to the sales clerk asking if the item should be added. Sales clerk can have the option to say yes or no.

Employee Access Badges
EXEControl® supports the use of employee badges. This is useful for many purposes including; electronic time clock, register lock and unlock and cash drawer identification.

Customer Loyalty Programs
When one looks at the various customer loyalty programs in use by retail companies, you find that there are almost as many variations as there are companies offering such programs. EXEControl® can be used to automate many, if not all, of your customer loyalty program needs. Some of the loyalty programs supported include:

• Discounts on all or selected products
• Sales analysis tracking
• Mailing campaigns
• Gift certificates
• Points accumulation

Override Alert Messaging
EXEControl® allows for cause and action trigger point messaging. This feature allows management to give selective authority to store managers or sales clerks with the ability to have the EXEControl® system alert management when unusual override privileges have been exercised. The alert can be an email, text page, fax, screen pop up message, an audit report or any combination. The content of the message can contain any and all information desired including date, time, store location, counter device and employee.

Scale/Weight Transactions
Some businesses require more than simple ‘each’ transactions. An example would be products that are sold by the pound or some other weight. In these situations, the EXEControl® POS counter option may be interfaced to the scales, provided the scale supports some type of electronic communication.

Sales Tax Management
EXEControl® supports the sales tax requirements of all 50 states. Each store location is identified to their specific state and tax jurisdiction. The system will also automatically change the tax jurisdiction to the shipping address should the product be shipped to the customer. Use tax is also supported. For retail operations with special tax requirements such as FCC telephone tax, the EXEControl® system provides the tools necessary to create automatic calculation and charge routines.

Processing of ‘Call In’ Orders
EXEControl® supports the ability to have customers ‘call in’ or place an order in advance and then come to the counter to pick up the product. Such transactions are originally entered into the system via the normal order entry process, picked/pulled via the normal picking process and then finalized at the POS counter.

Payment Only Transactions
For companies that have customers coming to the counter to pay off, or down, their account A/R balance, EXEControl® provides a simple to use process to collect the money. EXEControl® also supports prepayments, down payments and payments on accounts.

Suspend a Sale and Later Recall
Depending on the type of equipment in use at the counter, the EXEControl® Rental software will allow a cashier to suspend a sales transaction, perform other tasks including new sales transactions and then later recall the suspended transaction for completion.

Search Product by Item Description
EXEControl® has a very feature rich search engine that allows a company to specify what fields they may wish to search by. Once selected, any cashier has the ability to search for a product based upon any and all of these field values. The fields include: description, vendor part#, alias (other words for search purposes), serial number’s, etc. Every field supports searching by full words, partial words and sound alike matching.

Layaways and Gift Certificates
EXEControl® provides simple methods to record layaways and gift certificates. Appropriate accounting entries are generated to show the dollars outstanding toward these two advanced payment conditions.

Multiple Payment Types
All sales transactions support multiple payments. These payments can include: cash, check, credit card, gift certificates and any other company defined payment code.

Tracking of Bad Check Customers
There are basically two common ways to track customers who have issued bad checks. The first method assumes that each customer is uniquely identified at the time of checkout. In this case the actual customer master record is flagged as a bad check customer. When the customer comes in the next time to purchase product the system can then alert the cashier that this customer needs to speak to customer service. The other method is to track bad checks to a check account number or the name on the account. Then if the check account numbers or the name on the check is entered, the system can then alert the cashier.