EPOS Processes
A number of process occur in the system. Firstly the details of the sale are stored in a database. The customer and shop copy of the receipt are sent to the printer. Finally details of the sale are sent to the stock control system.
At the end of the day sales data is transferred to the head office via a modem or broadband connection.
EPOS Output
This system has a number of outputs. The most obvious one is the till receipt which is printed at the time of sale. One copy of the receipt is given to the customer, the other is stored on the till roll and kept by the shop.
Data is also output to other systems within the organisation. For example the product sold is sent to the stock control system, so that it can be deducted from the total number in stock. At the end of each day the sales data is sent to the head office for analysis.
Hardware Used in retail
A number of different types of hardware are used in the system. The most visible one is the EPOS terminal or till. This is used to enter sales as they occur and print out a receipt. The till also sends information to a database stored on a PC, which keeps track of all the sales.
Many shops will use bar code readers to automate the process of entering a sale. This is quick to use and makes sure that there are no errors.
Manufacturing
What the department does
Now we are going to look at the sales department in a large manufacturing company that makes leather jackets.
The company sells it’s jackets to retail stores so the main job of the sales department is to let potential customers know about the product and sell it to the retail stores.
The company will use adverts in trade magazines to let shops know about the product. They also employ a team of sales executive who visits stores to show shop managers the product.
Sales system
Input
The inputs of the system are the information that goes into the advert. These include the text and pictures, which may be prepared in advance in a graphics package and word processing Software.
Process
The processes of the system involve taking the text and images that have been input and laying them out in a desktop publishing package. Once that is done the work is saved and sent to the printer to be checked. Finally the finished artwork is emailed to the magazine publisher to be incorporated into their magazine.
Output
The only output of the system is the finished advert. This is sent to the publisher. A copy of the advert is also printed to be checked by the staff in the sales department.
Hardware Used
The hardware used in this system is very straightforward. A computer is used to store the files and produce the advert. The publishing world is dominated by the apple Macintosh so this is the type of computer used. A graphics tablet was also required.
A colour inkjet printer was used to print the proof copy. Finally a terminal adapter was used to connect to the broadband Internet connection.
Service Industries
What the Department Does
Now we are going to look at sales department in of a company in the service industry. This type of company does not produce a product, it either sells products or provides a service. We have already looked at a retail example so we’ll look at a different example.
Examples of these non-retail companies include insurance companies, banks, health services and accommodation services like hotels.
Input
The inputs of this system come via the calls made to the call centre or from people accessing the website.
Lots of details about the customer are recorded and stored in large databases.
Companies will also have access to other sources of data about peoples credit history and financial situation.
Process
The processes of the system involve taking the input data and providing an insurance quote.
Reports can be made about the sales of individual services and about other products the customer might want to buy. Reports on sale can be used to try and improve performance and suggest products to people.
Output
Output from the system would include communication with other departments about the products which has been sold and letting them take the next steps in the process.
Other outputs would be passed back to the sales people who will ring up people suggest other service for them to buy.
Hardware Used
The hardware used in this system which would put customers in a queue so that they know someone will speak to them. The system will record and monitor calls in order to increase efficiency and help train staff.
The databases of information will be held on large servers and these will be linked to web servers that handle the Internet sales.
Headsets are used rather than telephones, which free up the hands of the sales person so they can type.
High-speed Internet connections will be needed to communicate with other parts of the company.
Vardean E-Learning
Now it is time to look at the sales department of Vardean e-learning. Because we rare a small organisation we do not have formal departments, but we still need to market and sell our products.
In this section you will see a video describing the role of the sales department, you will look at the types of documents we produce and you will produce some documents for us.