Integrated DVR/POS Systems To Protect Your Cash Register

Canadian retailers lose some $8 million every day from combined customer and employee theft. That's the conclusion of the 2003 Canadian Retail Security Report. 40% of that sum is pocketed by dishonest employees. Respondents reported a dramatic rise in theft by organized theft rings., which account for over 17% of overall losses. And the trend appears to indicate an increase in losses due to shoplifting and dishonest employees.

An obvious focus of theft by dishonest employees is the Point of Sale (POS), that is, at your cash register. That's where goods and cash change hands and it's the easiest place to steal. Dishonest employees may be stealing from your clients too, by short changing them. This is unfair to your clients and it ruins your reputation. So the loss to you may be even greater than the sums stolen.

Magen's Integrated DVR/POS Systems can significantly reduce POS fraud. With Magen's systems, the balance in your cash register will be the actual value of what you sold or the data they provide will allow you to finger the employee who is depriving you of your income. Magen can help you minimize losses due to scams and rip-offs at your Point of Sale. Our Integrated Digital Video Recorder/ Point of Sale System will help protect your income.

How Do Dishonest Employees Do It?

• Leaving the cash register drawer open without ringing up the sale
• Scanning the tag of an item of lower value than the item sold
• Voiding the transaction after the customer has left
• Ringing up No Sales to open the cash register and remove excess cash
• Ringing up one item while placing a number of items in the bag
• Recording false returns and refunds and paying out cash to friends or relatives
• Short changing the client when making change

No doubt dishonest employees have developed other schemes as well.

What Do MAGEN's Integrated DVR/POS Systems Do?

With the integrated DVR/POS electronic system a complete picture of cashier activity is captured. DVR/POS integration allows users to monitor and collect data on all cash registers in real time while simultaneously recording all activity for review at a later date. All transactions are superimposed onto the matching video of the cashier, customer, cash register/POS and products. The system permits identification and pinpointing of questionable activity.

With the DVR activated, the action can be viewed on line from a remote site or reviewed at a later date. Live action can be viewed through the internet on any browser on the monitor of your computer. Data can be stored on CD, DVD or on hard discs. A unique feature is the ability to easily search for an event or group of events and view the synchronized camera picture and POS data on a PC screen. This search feature can be applied to a large number of variables such as date & time, receipt numbers, credit card numbers, cash register number, camera number, transaction number, type of transaction, badge number, POS device and others. It may also be used to conduct searches to investigate unusual activities, such as abnormally high numbers of refunds, No Sales, manual price overrides or voided transactions.

The system may be set to monitor all transactions or it may be automatically activated only to capture transactions that violate predefined rules or criteria. This method is known as "exception based". The exception based system is normally preferred because of the huge amounts of data which would otherwise be generated documenting innocent and honest activity. The exception based system can spot patterns in cases indicating questionable employee practices. This eliminates the need to continuously monitor, without diluting the ability to identify suspicious activity and to spot the offender. Each POS can be programmed with a different set of rules and criteria for activation.

How Do The DVR/POS Systems Help Your Business?

The existence of the integrated DVR/POS system will normally suffice to deter a dishonest employee. In the event of questionable activity, the employee can be confronted with the evidence, which is easily retrieved. When carrying out an investigation, the system can save hours in travel alone to suspected sites. Users have also reported reduced credit card fraud, as dishonest customers decide that the risk at a site protected by integrated DVR/POS is too high for them. The system also serves to protect employees who may be confronted with abusive customers, unjustified claims of incorrect change or criminal elements. Special alarms may be programmed to alert authorities to any dangers, thus improving employee security.

Added value too, not just reduced losses!

While the DVR/POS system is designed primarily as a security device aimed at preventing or reducing losses, it also has the wonderful ability to provide the manager with data to improve the performance of the facility. Videos can be used to monitor customer service, to identify problem areas and to plan improved service. The videos combined with the matching transaction data, can be used in training of new staff and in improving the performance of existing staff. The videos may also permit the review of liability claims. The data can also be used to analyze peak sale times, merchandise sold at different times of day and other vital information which may be used to plan improvements in business performance. Our integrated DVR/POS systems can help you make money, not just prevent theft!

Useful Links

Tips for preventing theft at Point of Sale.

Call MAGEN To Learn More About How You Can Get All These Benefits

• Less employee fraud in your establishment
• Less credit card fraud
• Reduced losses at the cash register
• Less time lost in investigations
• Incontrovertible evidence when you need it
• Better protection for your staff
• Improved customer service
• Better marketing data
• Reliable data to help improve the way you do business