The short answer
A good POS installation leaves your system loaded with your real products, prices, staff and payment accounts, tested with a real sale and a printed receipt, and every person who will use it trained on their own login. Prepare your product list with prices, your staff names and roles, and your MoMo numbers before the visit.
Key takeaways
- Most new tills fail in the first week because of wrong prices and untrained staff, not the software.
- Have your product list, prices, staff names and MoMo numbers ready before installation day.
- Test a real sale, a MoMo payment and a printed receipt before the installer leaves.
- Train every person on their own login, for the job they actually do.
- Agree who you call in the first week, and how.
A new till rarely fails because of the software. It fails in the first week: a price is wrong and nobody knows how to change it, a cashier shares the owner's login because no one set up hers, the printer stops and the shop goes back to the exercise book. By the second week, the system is switched off.
A proper installation prevents all of that. Here is what a good setup day looks like, what you should prepare, and what to ask whoever installs your system.
Why does installation matter so much?
Because the first week decides whether a system is used or abandoned. A download and a help article leave the work to you, on a busy day, with customers waiting. Someone at your counter can load your real products, set it up for how you actually sell, and stay until your staff can ring up a sale on their own.
Installation is also when the mistakes that cost money are cheapest to fix. A wrong tax setting, a missing VAT-exempt item or a product priced per carton instead of per piece is a two-minute fix on day one, and weeks of wrong figures if nobody notices.
What should you prepare before the visit?
The more you have ready, the more of the visit goes on training instead of typing. You don't need everything perfect; a rough list is better than none.
| What to prepare | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Your products or services with prices | It is the biggest job on the day | An Excel sheet, a printout or photos of your price list |
| How you sell each item | Packs and part quantities need setting up | Milo by the tin and by the carton of 24 |
| Your staff and what each one does | Everyone gets their own login and role | Ama: cashier; Kofi: manager |
| Your MoMo numbers and other ways you get paid | Payments must match your statements | MTN MoMo merchant number, Telecel Cash |
| Your tax registration details | Receipts show VAT, NHIL and GETFund correctly | Your TIN, if you have one |
| Your devices, charged, with the network working | The till runs on them | A tablet at the counter, the owner's phone |
If you already use another system, ask whether your old product list can be imported. Re-typing hundreds of products by hand is where most setup time goes.
What happens on installation day?
A good installer works through a fixed order, and doesn't leave until a real sale has gone through.
- Set up the till on your devices
- Load your products, menu or services and check the prices
- Set tax: prices with tax included, and any VAT-exempt items
- Add each member of staff with their own login and role
- Connect the receipt printer and barcode scanner, if you have them
- Ring up a real sale in cash and one by MoMo
- Check the printed receipt: name, prices and the tax lines
- Train each person on the job they do
- Close the till together and read the end-of-day report
The test sale is not optional
Before the installer leaves, ring up a real sale. Pay one in cash and one by MoMo, recording the transaction ID. Print the receipt and read it: your business name, the right prices, and VAT, NHIL and GETFund shown on it. If anything looks wrong, fix it then, while someone who knows the system is standing next to you.
How should each member of staff be trained?
On their own login, for the job they actually do. A cashier doesn't need to learn reports; an owner doesn't need to learn the kitchen screen. Short, specific training sticks. A long tour of every screen does not.
| Who | What they should be able to do after training |
|---|---|
| Owner | Read the daily report, check MoMo against the statement, change a price, add a staff member |
| Manager | Approve a void or a discount, open and close the till, receive a delivery, count stock |
| Cashier | Ring up a sale, take cash and MoMo, hold a sale, print or WhatsApp a receipt |
| Waiter or kitchen | Open a table, send an order to the kitchen, mark it ready |
| Front desk at a salon or barbershop | Book an appointment, add a walk-in to the queue, choose who served the client |
Ask each person to do it once while the installer watches. If they can't, they need another go, not a printed guide.
What should happen in the first week?
The first week is when questions come up, so plan for them. Check the daily report every evening and compare the cash and MoMo totals with what is actually in the drawer and the wallet. Small differences found early are easy to explain. If you sell goods, do a first stock count at the end of the week so your stock figures start from the truth.
Keep a note of anything that confused your staff, and send it to your support contact in one message rather than calling about each one. Most first-week questions take a minute to answer.
What should you ask whoever installs your system?
Ask before you pay, so there are no surprises:
- Is installation included, and does it cost extra outside Accra? Some providers only install in the capital, or charge for travel.
- Will you load my products for me, or import my old list?
- Will you train every member of staff, or only me?
- Do I have to buy hardware from you? You shouldn't have to. Many systems run on phones, tablets and laptops you already own.
- Who do I call after you leave, and how quickly will they answer?
Our guide on how to choose a POS system in Ghana covers the rest of the questions to ask before you choose.
How MPOS does it
Someone comes to your shop. We install MPOS and train you and your staff at your premises, anywhere in Ghana, from Tamale to Takoradi, and it is part of the one-time setup fee, not an extra. We load your products, menu or services, and we can import your list from Excel or CSV, including an export from Aronium.
We don't sell hardware. MPOS runs on the phones, tablets and laptops you already own; if you want a receipt printer, a scanner or a cash drawer, we point you to a supplier we trust, and we don't mark hardware up. After installation, support is on WhatsApp.
If you would like to see it before anyone visits, you can start a free trial and ring up a few sales yourself first.
See it with your own products
Free for 14 days. No card needed. Works on the phone or laptop you have.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to what business owners ask us about this.
How long does it take to install a POS system?
For a small shop, salon or restaurant, setup and training usually fit in a day when the product list is ready. A large catalogue, several branches or many staff take longer. Having your product list in Excel saves the most time.
What do I need to prepare before my POS is installed?
Your products or services with prices, how you sell each item (for example by the piece and by the carton), your staff names and roles, your MoMo numbers, your TIN if you have one, and charged devices with a working network.
Can my old product list be imported into a new POS?
Often, yes. Ask whether the system imports from Excel or CSV. MPOS imports products and customers from Excel or CSV files, including the export from Aronium.
Should every member of staff have their own login?
Yes. Shared logins make it impossible to see who voided a sale or gave a discount. Each person should log in with their own name and a role that shows only the screens they need.
Does MPOS install outside Accra?
Yes. Installation and training at your premises are part of the one-time setup, wherever in Ghana your business is.
Do I need to buy hardware to use MPOS?
No. MPOS runs on the phones, tablets and laptops you already own. For a receipt printer, a barcode scanner or a cash drawer, we point you to a supplier we trust, with no markup.
Still have a question?
Talk to the team on WhatsApp: real people in Ghana who know your kind of business.
About the author
Emmanuel Akyeam is the founder of Manuel Technologies in Ghana, which builds MPOS: the till, bookings and stock system for restaurants, salons, barbershops and shops. He works directly with business owners to set up their systems.
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