POS Highway and NCR Counterpoint - Best System for Wineries, Liquor Stores, Wine Tasting, &Wine Club

Revenue and inventories are adjusted when the wine is shipped or picked up, simplifying the whole process. Importing customer data from a loyalty program is simple, any database that can batch out a CSV or XLS file can be imported into Counterpoint without any hassle or programming Cashiers can update a customer's card on file in under 10 seconds Counterpoint Mobile for off-site events and markets is easy and effective. The staff at the event has full access to the items, customers, and pricing at the event. Sales are tendered to a drawer that can be reconciled from the main site at the end of the day. Automatic discounting has reduced our transaction time at the registers by 15 percent. We are able to set levels of discounts on the back-end so that our cashiers rarely ever have to override a price. We are able to manage inventories at three different locations easily and eliminate our old inventory management software. Now we can run a month to month inventory all from the POS and fill out our tax forms in a quarter of the time. Halved the time it took to write up and invoice an order We can run a customer report of people that purchased 12 or more bottles of a specific wine in the last year and then email those customers specifically about a new release.

Pros

A year ago, our company switched from Microsoft Dynamics to NCR Counterpoint with the help of the staff at POS Highway. Admittedly, we were nervous.

We found the transition process to be smoother than we ever could have expected, and that is in part thanks to the intuitiveness of Counterpoint, but mainly due to the excellent preparation, training, and support from the staff at POS Highway

We are now in love with the features of Counterpoint, and are always planning what to do next with all the features that are available.

As a vineyard, winery, and tasting room, we were looking for a POS that could handle e-commerce, have little to no learning curve for our staff, and open up doors of possibilities that were not possible with our last POS. Counterpoint delivered in spades.

Importing customer data from a loyalty program is simple as well. Basically, any database that can batch out a CSV or XLS file can be imported into Counterpoint without any hassle.

Revenue and inventories are adjusted when the wine is shipped or picked up, simplifying the whole process. The back-end nuts and bolts are simple and intuitive, and on the front end of things, cashiers have no problem releasing a paid order for pickup or shipping.

All in all, POS Highway has helped us grow our business by helping us take advantage of all that Counterpoint has to offer.

Cons

In all honesty, we found very few things to dislike about the software. I would suggest some UI tweaks or touch up because it does look obsolete, but that isn't a reason to judge the functionality and capabilities of the system. It simply WORKS, and works well.

It has been a road

Pros

I purchased Counterpoint software in 2000. In 2006 I upgraded to SQL Counterpoint. I have a small Christmas store so keeping up with inventory is very important to me. I think it was in 2006 I open my web page with counterpoint called CPOline because the website and pos were interfaced so if I was out of stock in the store, I was out of stock on the web site. In August 2015 I started looking into the new website with counterpoint called NRO because it is mobile friendly were CPOline is not. Along with that I was looking at the new CC machine because of the chip cards. It was very costly to change CC machines with Counterpoint. So I started shopping around for a different POS system. I downloaded a demo, I was shown other demos online and you know what happened? I discovered that I had the best POS on the market. I already knew how to use it (didn't have to relearn a new POS system) and they are very expensive (mine was already paid for) I looked until February 2016. That is when the light went off and I started working on getting my new website up and going. And I went to Heartland Credit Card Company and have a machine out side of my POS so I can take the new chip credit cards. But I am using Secure Pay through Counterpoint for my website.

Cons

The thing that I like least about this is...it is hard for me to do updates myself. I like to be able to do all the things I need to do and this software is not real friendly that way. It is a big software and does lots of good things. Has tons of reports. I just found a new one the other days after working on it for 15 years. The other thing is you need to have a good partner that knows this software. I have had two real bad ones but I think I have finally found a good set of partners.

We are a retail pet supply store on the island of Maui (Hawaii), in business for 38 years. As our business grew and our database included 10,000 SKUs, the program we had been using became increasingly slow and problematic, actually causing many errors that tech support could not figure out. Our supplier (and tech support) were based in San Diego, a three hour time difference, another problem in itself. It became obvious that we need to research other companies and other POS systems. We decided that the time had arrived to shop within our own state, and were fortunate to meet with Francis of Computant in Honolulu - different island, but same time zone- important for "across the sea" support. Our first impression of the Counterpoint POS system was "VERY EXPENSIVE"! However, after spending time with Francis and his team and watching them demonstrate the features, we could see the incredible speed and flexibility, which were money-saving features to offset the initial cost. We were sold! Francis, being the congenial, persuasive gentleman that he is, soon had us upgraded to all new equipment, including the Radiant Touchscreen registers. His installation team of three highly competent individuals flew to Maui on the day we went "live" for the installation and training. It turned out to be one of our busiest days of the year, which made it very hectic, and somewhat stressful, but his team was truly fantastic! We were up and running smoothly on day 1. Our sales contract included a number of hours of tech support included, and we were taken care of immediately with any and every bump in the road. They continue to have superior customer support, at any time of the day. Having been in business for 38 years, the complexities of inventory control only seem to increase, particularly when we are across the ocean from our suppliers (7- 20 days lead times). Customer buying trends change faster than ever as new products enter the market continuously, and customer relations became ever more important to cultivate. Counterpoint makes these much more manageable. Purchase orders and receiving are simplified. Our sales staff love the ease of touchscreen cash registers (originally intimidating). The program seemed very complex, originally. After the initial learning curve one begins to better understand the "flow", and today I am amazed at the fact that we continuously find new ways to use the software to our advantage. We are able to modify the touchscreen buttons from the back office at any time, adding or deleting buttons as needed. If time and information are money, this program is the way to go!

It's a good POS System to start your business

My overall experience is OK, not good but not too bad. The POS in general is good, and if they can improve their costumer service I would definitely recommend them and would probably still had it on the store.

Pros

When we started the business, we use this POS system. You could easy add inventory, make reports, export or import files. We had also the credit and debit card merchant services and you can even add the EBT if you sell or have that government program approved. You can add users to the pos and restrict permissions to avoid others modify settings. I really liked it because of all of it's features.

Cons

The software started to run slower, we called several times to the technician and seller who install software and customer service when we had no answer from the technician. Unfortunately, it got to a point in which we couldn't even charge and sell due to the lack of updates and other things that needed to be fixed, so we had to change POS System.

CounterPoint is one of the most functional POS software on the market

Pros

CounterPoint and RCS, to me, are like the cream and sugar in my coffee (and I've gotta have my coffee fix every day). I can't imagine CounterPoint without RCS! What is coffee without sugar? RCS is there for you every time you need them or just have a question!
I'm a systems administrator who has been effectively using CounterPoint SQL for more than 2 years now. CounterPoint is one lean, mean calculating machine; it has made a day and night difference in our daily business routines. With CounterPoint, we are so much more efficient and effective, 100% of the time.
RCS supports this product so well that they came out to our first Go Live store deployment to make sure we were ready and set to go. At the Go Live, we hit the ground running and haven't looked back. Counterpoint SQL with RCS leading the way has made all things possible, including making our working lives so much better! The reporting has saved store managers valuable time and freed them up to allow them do more in keeping the daily operations under control. Accounting knows what is going on at any given moment, and Retail management has seen such an overall improvement in the way our business runs and functions. They just keep expanding and using CounterPoint for more and more.

Cons

There isn't anything to not like about either RCS or CounterPoint.

A Review On NCR Counterpoint

We have been using NCR Counterpoint at our computer retail store for years now, and despite some of the flaws, it has been an invaluable tool for our daily operations. It's not too complicated to learn how to use this, if you devote some time to learn the different features & procedures necessary for functionality. It is mostly reliable and stable, barring a few instances where it can seem unstable or glitchy. Didn't have a chance to use customer service, so I can't really comment on that. Our internal IT takes care of all the issues, and they seem to be able to be resolved fine, so I can only give 3 stars.

Pros

NCR Counterpoint is able to keep track of past retail sales tickets and invoices, as well as allowing to reprint past receipts/invoices through various search filters. NCR Counterpoint also allows us do a quick refund after return on the customer's same card swiped, as long as it is on the same day. NCR Counterpoint has a way to quickly view the available inventory stock for a particular item across all of our registered store locations.

Cons

Sometimes NCR Counterpoint will crash when minimized or hidden, and you would immediately lose the ticket that you are working on, making it unable to be recovered at all. NCR Counterpoint also closes the Ticket Query/Entry window automatically after making and order or quote, it would be better if it stayed open so you can quickly jump to the next ticket without having to retype your password all the time.

Server based and super customizable.

One of the most complete Pos systems I've ever used. It is a true Point of sale, not cloud based. everything can be housed internally

Pros

When We used counterpoint it was an amazing program, you could build and customize every aspect of the experience. any report could be built and implemented relatively quickly. items were easy to create, you could time in/out all of your logistical data was there as well. customer service was great as well, very fast and friendly service. software was included as well, it was truely an all in one service.

Cons

This can be a very expensive system to use and is server based. If your server is not well maintained then you will have issues, if you don't have the capital to invest in the hardware then this is not for you either.

Good POS system for restaurant business

The overall is excellent, I really have nothing to complain about the program, it is definitely excellent.

Pros

We use NCR counterpoint for the past few years, the features of the program are good, you could add products, inventory, vendors and add invoices that came in with products. It gave us good control over our inventory. It was easy to understand for all, specially the cashiers.

Cons

The customer service wasn't good, at least the tech on our city who install us the POS on our store was not. We paid for support and we didn't receive any call back when ever we had a problem, and the waiting was long during that time. It was the reason management decided to change it, if this had not happened we probably would still have ncr counterpoint on our store.

NCR Counterpoint: An Invaluable Tool...A Work In Progress

Pros

The NCR Counterpoint is simple enough to understand and use on a daily basis at the workplace. It takes only a day to learn all the basics of functionality (from a general retail store perspective) and about a week to develop familiarity with the software. The interface is clean and easy to see & navigate. It is also simplistic in design and doesn't add too many unnecessary bells & whistles. It works most of the time and works great for my needs and the needs of the company. It seems at least manageable to service when encountering technical difficulties.

Cons

Sometimes can be a computer/memory resource hog. Would experience slow-downs, lag, stuttering, crashing and glitches...sometimes due to the company's network, but other times it seems the fault of the software. Still some recurring bugs to figure out. Still does not have a fail-safe feature to protect counterpoint tickets from being lost forever during a software crash.

Strong on retail weak on purchasing and other areas.

As a software they have some work to do.

Pros

I have been using CP for years now. Not a bad software but NCR will not address the issue in purchasing for restocking a non selling location such as a warehouse, you will have to do that manually, very poor. It is also weak on automation and managing bins on locations. To develop these area you will have to pay to customize an already expensive software. Reporting is also not the best since this software is quite old now and it seems that NCR has stopped doing much developments.

Cons

Purchasing for non selling locations and bin location management. Also reporting.

We operate a marine wholesale distributorship, along with a retail operation. Our three sources of revenue are store traffic, phone orders and Internet orders. Our previous software system, while specific to the marine industry and bundled with features we sorely miss, was unable to integrate e-commerce, point of sale, and shipping functionality. The time we spent dealing with each order on three different levels was time-consuming, and also allowed for the introduction of errors. We are currently running version 8.3.9 of CounterPoint, but will be upgrading to 8.4 as soon as the season slows this fall. The implementation experience was choppy, to say the least, due to a reseller that wasn't up to speed on the software. This hiccup notwithstanding, we were able grasp the basics and run with it. We have been using CounterPoint for just under two years now and the watershed moment was when we switched partners nine months into the project. Our reseller's knowledge of the system and ability to teach us its functionality have allowed us to move forward at a rapid pace. The program is easy to use, and a common logic follows through the system so even when playing with new features, the desired result is easy to achieve. Our current partner could stand to be slightly more responsive, especially to issues I consider to be very basic requirements in a system of this size and power. We are currently 95% integrated with UPS WorldShip. The only thing holding us back from 100% integration is CounterPoint's inability to receive tracking numbers back from WorldShip without cumbersome export and import of data, or utilizing a third-party program. We are currently investigating CPOnline with the hope of having full vertical integration by January 1, 2012. So far, we have been able to streamline sales, shipping & purchasing with more good things to come!

NCR Counterpoint is a robust, reliable and user friendly software

Good software for retails businesses as well as workplace cafeterias.

Pros

1. Wide ranging functionality with reliability
2. Easy to upgrade
3. Error messages provide solutions
4. Easily queried database
5. In built Export and Import options

Cons

1. Forms customization not inbuilt
2. Database size limitation with SQL Server Express
3. There are extensive setup options so implementation of several modules may be tedious.

Small Retail Operations

Our experience with NCR was great! Opening our first retail B&M was quite the challenge and NCR was able to help us with multiple tasks on one convenient platform. NCR featured all of the essentials. Time clock, multiple employee log-in, built-in CRM program, inventory management (I'll cover this more), and several other retail functionalities. We did not use many of the restaurant features as they were irrelevant to our operations. From memory, NCR Support was helpful and friendly, although the MAJOR issues we had took so long to fix, that we chose a different POS company in the long run.

Pros

Convenient UX, Desktop Retail Management, CRM, Time Clock with Reports, Inventory Management with 6 Week Moving Average and Several Reports, Quickbooks Online Integration

Cons

Overall untrustworthy Inventory Management! We had SEVERAL issues with NCR not recording a decrease in inventory after the sale. At the time, there was not a Purchase Order / Receiving framework. No transfers between multiple locations.

Counterpoint is a Remarkable Product!

Pros

We have been using Counterpoint for 2 years now, our experience has been positive on all levels of our organization. Our accounting team, retail operations, and our Information Technology team have all had enormous successes with installation, training, reporting, etc. Bank card processing is secure, easy to implement and maintain. Cashiers catch on very quickly, customers love the ease of use.

Cons

Negatives are minimal, seems as if support sometimes is a bit slow in coming, some of the SQL database configurations pose a bit of a challenge, but overall satisfaction remains high.

a very scalable and configurable solution.

Pros

Report filters are all customizable and written using the industry standard "crystal reports" report writer so any report can be changed. All forms are customizable as well.

Cons

Can't take manufacture's coupons in a grocery environment. Gateway fees for merchant card processing can be pricey for businesses that are high volume like grocery stores.

First, an explanation on ratings. I would have given it five stars for Ease of Use, except that I am a new user and am still learning my way around the system. That said, it is easy to figure out how to do certain tasks, but when I can't figure it out, their customer support is top notch. We are a small farm that produces approximately 1,300 gallons of maple syrup each year, and we raise alpacas for their fiber. Our farm store is stocked with maple syrup and maple goodies, plus an inventory of alpaca products, from yarn to apparel to accessories. I went with CounterPoint, v8.4 because it is affiliated with NCR, a major corporation that has been around a long time. The implementation team at Radiant Systems was excellent. I had the system installed on my laptop, and so far it is working great. As a new user, I am still learning how to do certain tasks, and the project team has continued to hold my hand until I have mastered all the basics. We're almost there.... It is too early to tell how I have benefited from the system, but I am looking forward to comparing my holiday retail season to last year, when I had little time to enjoy the holidays and limited resources to control my inventory. CounterPoint allows you to add on modules, such as integrated website management, gift card processing, scheduling and ticket sales, etc. RCS outsources these modules to other companies so they can focus directly on the point of sale functionality and improvements and assure that the modules work properly with CounterPoint. Lastly, RCS invited me to their users conference, which I highly recommend to any user of this POS program. The informational sessions covered all kinds of topics to better use CounterPoint, and it included sessions on retailing strategies that I found very helpful. RCS is truly a class act.

A good product that just got better. Counterpoint now has a "Windows 10 like" UI.

Client satisfaction.

Pros

Complete features, very customizable, current retail concepts, multisite, omni-channel. Excellent local support and training. Add-on applications for email marketing, card settlement, mobile POS, smart site monitoring.

Cons

Touchscreen interface is good but could use some enhancements. Dashboard features could be enhanced for administrators.

Counter Point POS for the Small Business

This product has many functions but has limited functionality of the functions. NCR could have done a much better job researching the market and finding out what functionality should have been included. Features that have either limited ability or the ability was grossly under developed causes issues. The application runs slow, the back office operations are extremely limited, the receiving process is underdeveloped and quiet frankly the entire application is remedial. This product CAN become a top notch application if the features were added to the base system. For example QBE (query by example) has been common place in application for the last 16 years and is non-existent in this application. The base reports that come with the system does not even have a simple re-order report that would merely query the min and max and current balance. I have been in the IT industry as a developer for 27 years and have seen the best to worst applications. This one sits right in the middle!

Pros

Has a good interface , easy to change the screen design of the touchscreen buttons. Has minimal maintenance to keep it running. Allows integration from an interface. Close out process is simple. Easy to setup . And the number one Pro is that it integrates seamlessly to NCR Retail Online application which I am building right now. And that product is a very competent solution. All orders process back down into the Counterpoint POS!

Cons

Security application module control is lacking functionality, Integration interface has limited functionality for populating and correcting sub tables, querying is limited for end user setup, multi-pricing on a grid level does not come with the base system!!!!! REALLY, what do you think a clothing store needs are? Rules base sales transactions application is so full of holes it would sink if it were a boat! The contract management and vendor management is almost non-existent.

Great product that handles multiple functions

Pros

NCR has multiple functionalities, from POS, scanning, touch screen, cash capabilities, time punches.

Cons

When one function is down it causes the dominos effect and affects the other functions as well. Customer service is no help you'll find your self with three phone calls three different reference numbers and the issue still not fixed

My Company recently made the switch to CounterPoint Enterprise SQL 8.4 and would like to share my experience with Radiant Systems. We have been in business for over 50 years and have had several different POS systems and CounterPoint has been the best system by far. Implementing a new system is never easy but with the help of OneStep Retail Solutions this has been the easiest and the quickest implementation I have ever done. There are so many POS systems on the market finding the best fit for your business is a very difficult decision. Kevin McAdams and Jay Shore with OneStep Retail Solutions took the time to learn our business needs and recommended CounterPoint as the best solution. After using the system for over a month now I am glad I took their advice because this is a great system. The CounterPoint Gateway for processing credit cards is very fast. The touch screen terminals make ringing up customers quick and easy. The ability to customize searches and change the information displayed through the column designer makes looking up the information a breeze. The reporting is equally fast, flexible and easy to use for all of our staff members. Blythe Franks, our business analyst from OneStep Retail Solutions has played a key role in making this transition from our old system to CounterPoint. Her experience and knowledge of the product has made implementation and integration of the system quick and easy. With her insight we were able to customize CounterPoint to meet all of our business needs making our company more efficient than ever. Sean Kinney IT Manager Hi-Time Wine Cellars