A POS replacement rarely fails on install night because of the hardware. It fails because of something nobody settled weeks earlier: a contract term, a missing gift card balance, a network that cannot take the new terminals. This is the list our crews work through before they book the window.
Four to six weeks out: contracts and choices
- Read the old contracts. Processing agreements and hardware leases often have notice periods and early-termination fees. Know the dates before you pick a go-live.
- Confirm who your processor will be. Some POS systems require their own processing; others let you keep yours. It changes your rates and which terminals you can use.
- Check what hardware you can reuse. Printers, cash drawers, scanners and scales may work with the new system, or may not. Get the compatibility list in writing.
- Confirm EMV and contactless support on every payment device, including tap-to-pay and mobile wallets.
- Plan for the internet going down. Ask how the new system handles offline card payments and what the limits are, and consider a cellular backup line.
Two to four weeks out: data to move
Make a list and assign an owner to each item. These are the ones most often forgotten:
- Items or menu, with modifiers, combos, prices and barcodes
- Tax rates and tax-exempt items
- Employees, roles and permissions (who can void, refund, discount)
- Customer and loyalty records, and whether points carry over
- Outstanding gift card balances. Customers will notice if these disappear.
- Printer routing: which items print in the kitchen, at the bar, at expo
- An export of historical sales for your records and your accountant
Two weeks out: network and security
- Wired connections for fixed terminals wherever possible. Wi-Fi for handhelds, but tested where staff actually stand.
- Payment devices on their own network segment, separate from guest Wi-Fi and office computers. It reduces the scope of your PCI DSS obligations and your risk.
- Firewall and router firmware up to date, and default passwords changed.
- Enough switch ports and power at every station, including kitchen printers and displays.
- A labeled drop at each station, so the next technician does not have to trace cables.
If any of this needs new cabling, book it as a separate visit before install night. Running cable and installing POS in the same closed window is how windows overrun.
The week before: staging and training
- Unbox, update, configure and asset-tag every device off site, so install night is mounting and connecting, not setting up.
- Run the new system in training mode with managers and a few experienced staff.
- Print a one-page quick reference for each station: opening a check, splitting, voids, refunds, tips, closing out.
Install night: the test plan
Book a closed window: overnight, or between close and open. Before anyone leaves, run and log a real transaction of every kind:
| Test | Check |
|---|---|
| Chip, tap and swipe sale | Approved, receipt prints, appears in reporting |
| Mobile wallet payment | Approved on every terminal |
| Refund and void | Correct permissions; posts correctly |
| Tips and split checks | Tip adjusts; splits balance to the cent |
| Gift card | Migrated balance redeems correctly |
| Kitchen and bar routing | Each item prints or displays at the right station |
| Offline mode | Pull the internet; take a payment; confirm it uploads when restored |
| Cash drawer | Opens on cash sale; counts reconcile |
The first day of trading
- Have someone who knows the new system on the floor for the first busy shift.
- Reconcile the end-of-day totals against the processor’s report.
- Keep a list of every question staff ask; they become the next version of the quick reference.
- Wipe and dispose of the old hardware properly, or return leased equipment with proof of return. Old terminals and back-office PCs can hold sensitive data.
For multi-site groups
Do all of the above at one site first, fix what you learn, then roll the same checklist, survey sheet and test plan across the rest. Site one is where you find the surprises; sites two through fifty should have none.