March 2010

The NBS development team have been working hard to enhance the Amicus POS System in the first quarter of 2010 with a strong focus on the fuel module. The next release of Amicus will have a number of new features and reports. Please read below for a detailed description of the new features and reports.

Neotechnology Business Systems have officially qualified as a Microsoft Certified Partner based on the Amicus point of sale software, positive customer feedback and references. This gives NBS access to a large variety of resources and training allowing Neotechnology to better meet your customer support and point of sale needs.

NBS would again like to thank everyone who participated in the fund raising barbeque to raise money for the Australian Red Cross Haiti Appeal. With the help of kind donations of food and raffle prizes Neotechnology was able to raise and donate $2120.80. A list of prize winners and businesses who contributed to the barbeque can be found on our website

Keep on top of all the latest development news and product improvements by taking a look at our employee blogs..

As always the NBS development team have been working hard to continually enhance Amicus. Improvements to be included in the next release include:

• The fuel sales interface has been made simpler and more intuitive for users, including showing all pumps at the top of the sales screen. The new layout can be viewed here.
• The fuel prepayments module has been updated for security purposes. By getting customers to pre-pay ‘drive-offs’ can be avoided.
• Fully configurable product pad with choice of button size and type including product, key map, meal order menu item, etc.
• An image manager has been added to allow the user to have a central database to store images needed by the business. This allows users to add logos to receipts, the sales screen and also to manage images on the customer facing screens.
• The new release also includes two new price variance reports designed to provide the user with important information regarding how discounts are influencing profits and sales.

The consumer market is becoming increasingly aware of the impact they have on the environment. With the release of movies such as Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and the recent summit in Copenhagen, the issue of global warming is constantly in the media and therefore constantly in the minds of the consumer. Purchasing a product or service over another because of its “green” label is considered by many to be trendy and others to be crucial. This increase in the popularity of purchasing “green” provides companies that are able to catch the eco-wave with a very profitable opportunity.

It may not be feasible or even possible for all companies to alter their products or services but most companies should at least be able to modify their business and/or manufacturing processes in some way to be more environmentally friendly. There are many advantages to going green other than the obvious advantage of appearing more appealing to your customer. Simple things such as using high-efficiency light globes or reducing the amount of packaging accompanying a product will not only make your organisation more environmentally friendly but will also save you money on your bottom line.

For companies that decide to alter their products and services to become environmentally friendly there is an important issue to consider. While making your product or service eco-friendly can prove to be profitable it is important to maintain a customer focus when designing these products or services as customers are notoriously fickle and self-serving. A customer is unlikely to drastically change their purchasing behaviour unless they can perceive some tangible benefit for themselves. For the redesign of the product or service to be successful it must improve environmental quality and provide increased customer satisfaction. For example, sales for hybrid cars increased dramatically only after major rises in the price of fuel. In many cases the green tag is the excuse rather than the reason to purchase a product.

Are you currently an Amicus POS user? Have you been raving to other businesses about how good the system is for your business?

Well how about turning this into some money for you!!

If you refer a business to us, hospitality, retail, supermarkets or fuel, and this turns into a sale you will receive a percentage of the software licence sales. We are there to provide any support you need to refer Amicus POS to your business colleagues, be it promotional material, assistance answering technical questions or general sales advice.

Contact us for the full details of the Amicus POS referral program