University of Central Missouri University Store Director Charlie Rutt needed no persuasion when it came to adopting the MBS POS on a Microsoft Surface Pro. When the tablet-sized register first appeared, Rutt seized the chance to increase sales with a mobile solution.
“We were an early adopter. Literally, as soon as it became available, we acquired it,” he said
The store had tested mobile sales with an iPod®, but when the banking industry introduced chip cards, or EMV, Rutt wanted something more versatile that would allow adoption of the new security features.
“After the changes in the banking industry, MBS, always forward thinking, began looking for a different solution that would provide stores a mobile or portable solution and found the Surface and Windows 10,” said Rutt. “So, we were eager to get that going, because of EMV.”
For Rutt, the security features and the POS’ ability to accept all tenders means opportunity: opportunity to make sales at far-flung campus events, opportunity to take the store on the road for away games and opportunity to ensure customer satisfaction at basketball games.
“It’s a rush-buster for us at games,” said Rutt. “Candidly, if I wanted to sell out of your garage, all I need is an internet connection, and I am in business. It’s a great utility devised that gives stores portability that they may not have had before. We’ve worked at alumni events in Branson. We’ve worked at alumni events in Marshall. And during the heyday of basketball — when we were advanced to a championship series of games — we have flown out, taken the equipment with us and done sales remotely.”
The MBS Surface Pro POS weighs in at around 5 pounds. It comes bundled with a keyboard, case and docking station. Add peripherals like the Verifone MX-915 PIN pad and the Datalogic USB barcode scanner, and you have all you need to run the Surface Pro like any larger register. For Rutt, such utility means the store can be anywhere it needs to be to connect with others invested in UCM.
“It helps us capture sales,” he said. “The thing we’re after is we never like to leave money on the table. We don’t like to miss opportunities to engage alumni friends and others with our institution and our brand.”
For the University Store, the Surface Pro is the latest addition to a long line of MBS POS solutions installed in its two Warrensburg locations and in its new site at the UCM Lee’s Summit extension. The original location sells textbooks and technology. The second, University Store at the Crossing, is a campus destination specializing in emblematic merchandise — Mule backpacks, water bottles, caps, t-shirts and more — linked to a convenience store, the Mule Stop.
With the Surface Pro, Rutt’s associates appreciate the shift to a more capable presentation that features the same MBS system which appears on the stationary registers. Adoption of the mobile device required very little training.
“Our staff was excited because it was certainly a larger format than we had had before. So, it has worked very well for us,” said Rutt. “It gives our staff the same features laid out the same way on the Surface as the register appears in its desktop form. So, the learning curve is very, very small.”
