Blog
Category: News
We’re Hiring!
Posted on October 20, 2011 at 11:57 am by Rob Richards
Hundreds have applied, but only two will make it through.
You may have seen our postings a few weeks back about MerchantOS hiring for a couple of positions, the first being an office administrator to help streamline things back at headquarters, and the other a new customer support person to join the best damn support team in the galaxy.
Both positions are tall orders at such a dynamic and fast growing point of sale company, and the hiring team of Luke, Christina, and Justin are looking for just the right people.
For the office admin position, we received 203 applications via our online process, and 86 of those were selected for phone interviews. The support position brought 117 applications, 47 of which will get phone interviews. That’s a whopping 133 phone interviews that the team will be conducting this week!
It shows how important we feel hiring is – we cast a wide net, and want to hear from as many folks as possible in order to hire the exact right person for the job.
Like all things at MerchantOS, hiring is a healthy mix of fun and professionalism. That many phone interviews requires some silliness to break it up and keep it fresh. Intense table tennis matches, reality shows, and just bouts of hysterical laughter are known to break up the intense telephone sessions.
“I’m looking for the best attitude. Skills can be learned, but attitude is often hard to change.”
- CEO Ivan Stanojevic
MerchantOS founder and CEO Ivan Stanojevic said about the process, “My favorite thing about hiring is when we come across good candidates. You can tell pretty quickly if they might work out. Once I have that impression, I love to find out more about them and determine how well they could fit in the company.”
This round of hiring, we’ll be adding two more people to the company, that will make six new team members this year, bringing the company to a total of 14. That’s a lot of growth, and the most in one year by far for MerchantOS. “It’s fascinating more than anything else.” said Ivan, “Of course, this is what I wanted for the company, but seeing it actually materialize can be unbelievable at times. I’m excited, and trying to adapt to the different stages in our company as they come and pass. Nothing stays the same long now.”
The Bottom Line
The biggest message to applicants for these – or any positions we hire for: be yourself, NOTHING you do or say will get you hired on the spot, the process is a proving ground, and we take it seriously. There ARE things that can get you immediately crossed off of the list, the most important of which is not knowing anything about MerchantOS or point of sale. So, use your googles, study our website, learn a little about us – or don’t and keep up that job search.
Well, that’s it for now, we’ve got another few days of phone interviews and then we’ll be moving on to the daunting in-person interview process. Stay tuned!
How I Know We’re Awesome [Interbike 2011]
Posted on September 23, 2011 at 2:31 pm by Murdoc Trammell
I showed up at Interbike registered as Murdoc Ping Pong Champion. That’s quite the mistranslation of my business card, which is Murdoc Trammell – Office Table Tennis Champion. Now before you start accusing us of outsourcing our clerical staff, note that this was Rob Richards himself that made this hilarious mixup. This is the guy who edits our blog posts and prevents my articles from including the NSFW tag.
After I got that little SNAFU fixed up with registration, we began our hostile takeover of Interbike. Hawley, QBP, Raleigh, Chrome, GoPro Cameras, and a few hundred other vendors had some spectacular booths that could have swallowed our 10’ x 10’ whole. Even Mr. Sock Guy had a two story exhibit with a green plush carpet and couches on the 2nd floor that begged for a hookah in the middle. Mr. Sock Guy had a great view of the expo too!
Now, while the other vendors got plenty of praise for their products and services, I have considerable doubts that they received nothing but positive feedback and inquiries. Our booth was showered with praise, intrigue, and FREE T-SHIRTS! This is the first time I’ve really got to meet our customer base, so I wasn’t totally prepared for our celebrity status there.
Justin and Ivan started going to this trade show 7 years ago. That was a different time as Justin explained to me. “We used to have to go out and harass people with, “Hey, what point of sale are you using?” As per Christina, “Even last year we had potential customers approach us with skepticism and had no idea who we were.”
This year was different by all accounts. There wasn’t a single potential customer that showed up at our booth that walked away without sincere interest in what we have to offer. The six of us there were in non-stop “here, let me show you why we’re awesome” mode. MerchantOS as a product has grown with new features and integrations that really seemed to entice bike shops on the hunt for a Point of Sale system. While those were great talking points, it was our customers and their willingness to share their success with others that we owe this prosperity to. So again, I’d like to thank you for all of your commendations and feedback.
We want to give a special thanks to Gary & Jean Schumacher from Cain Park Bicycles as well as Gene & Sarah Wells from Fat Tire Cycle. Them showing up to the event wearing MerchantOS shirts from a previous Interbike put an instant smile on my face and a song in my heart.
Alyssa from T3 Multisport and Jo from The Green Commuter, you two get my personal thanks for mentioning me in front of Justin & Ivan. You gave the leverage I needed to write off the drug & stripper funding as a corporate expense!
About the only not-awesome thing that happened from this whole experience was my liver giving me two weeks notice.
Cheers!
Feel like seeing more of our shenanigans at Interbike? We have a full album on Facebook of our adventures in Lost Wages, Nevada.
Specialized Purchase Order Upload
Posted on September 22, 2011 at 8:58 am by Nathan Horter
A few months ago in our update about vendor integrations I talked about what kind of integrations we have with vendors and the current status of those integrations.
Today I’m proud to announce that we have completed our purchase order upload integration with Specialized Bicycles. This integration will allow MerchantOS users to submit their orders directly to Specialized for fulfillment from within our system.
After your Specialized purchase order is created in MerchantOS it is as simple as selecting the location you would like shipped to and the shipping method and your order is sent to Specialized by our servers. We have more information about setting up the Specialized integration in our manual.
We’ve heard from several vendors since our vendor update and are working with them to integrate them into MerchantOS. If you are a MerchantOS user and have a vendor you would like to see integrate, or are a vendor who would like to integrate you can contact Nate at nate@merchantos.com or 866-554-2453 x95.
MerchantOS goes Chrome!
Posted on August 30, 2011 at 4:07 pm by Murdoc Trammell
UPDATE!
If you are still having issues printing from Chrome, you can consult our Google Chrome manual page for more advanced setup options.
Yes, you finally have a choice between browsers!
Mozilla Firefox hasn’t worked well for all of our customers, but we officially supported Firefox because it was one of the few good browsers that allowed you to change your Page Setup.
However, Firefox’s monopoly on being able to print reliable receipts and labels is coming to an end today. If you are a Windows 7 user or are a Mac user on Lion OSX 10.7 you can now use Google Chrome to print receipts and labels. Let’s get started with the instructions for both Windows and Mac:
Windows 7
1. You’ll want to create a new shortcut for Google Chrome on your desktop.
2. Right-click, select Properties.
3. On the Shortcut tab you will see the Target field. At the end of C:\Users\”Computer Name”\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe append –disable-print-preview
4. Click OK
Note: If you launch an older shortcut of Google Chrome, say from your taskbar, this will not work. You want to launch Chrome from the shortcut you configured.
OSX 10.7 Lion
1. In Chrome, click File, then click Print.
2. Change your Paper Size to 72mm * 2000mm
3. You will want to change the same settings you would change in Firefox, you will start with changing Layout to Printer Features.
Note: The only difference between the Firefox setup and the Chrome setup on Macs is you do not have to go to File, then Page Setup; it’s all on the Print dialogue box.
All other functions and features work exactly the same in Google Chrome. From our testing we’ve noticed it is a much faster browser and even improves the MerchantOS user interface. We are happy to support this software so if you have any additional questions for us call our support line at 866-554-2453 ext. 0 or email us at support@merchantos.com and we’d be glad to help.
Cheers!
Automatic PO Check-in and Inventory Change Log
Posted on July 13, 2011 at 4:17 pm by Ivan Stanojevic
We’re excited to announce two new features: improved inventory logging and automatic inventory checkin for purchase orders (POs) and transfers.
How Automatic Inventory Checkins Work
When you sell inventory and you have none in stock, our system will now check if you have any inventory on your PO or transfers. If you do, the system will automatically add enough units from the PO or transfer to cover the sale. You can still check in the remaining inventory and complete your POs and transfers when you are ready. All inventory that has been automatically added from your POs and transfers can be seen in the new sales tab within the PO or transfer. For this feature to work, the PO needs to be in the status ordered or check-in. Transfers need to be in status sent.
Why is improved inventory logging important?
Every single change to your inventory is now recorded in a log. We’ve also made it easy for you to see these logs and filter them into sets of changes (for example all changes made because of sales) or by individual changes (eg. inventory automatically added for a sale).
With the new logging functionality, you’ll always know how your inventory has been affected. Also our support will be able to know exactly what’s going on with your inventory and give you more informed answers to your questions.
What has changed because of inventory logging?
Some reports have been replaced with the inventory logs report. The Inventory Adjustments, Sales, and Purchases reports have been removed. The new Inventory logs report can quickly generate the same information for you.
In the item view you’ll notice the history tab is different. There used to be four listings for the ways the item’s inventory has been affected in the past. This tab now shows only the item’s inventory log which is all the same information but will be more detailed and easy to filter for all future inventory changes.
Wording Change On Special Orders
We have made no changes to the functionality of special orders but you will notice that we have changed the wording of a special order that is ready for pickup from “complete” to “ready” or “ready for pickup”. The term complete was causing some confusion about the entire special order being complete and given to the customer when really it just meant the order process was completed and the customer could now come by and grab their order.
Development Progress
We’ve been working hard to speed up our development cycle and I’m happy to say we are at a much more acceptable pace. Expect to see some more awesome enhancements and more of your feedback in our system soon.
What do you think?
Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section after you’ve had a chance to check out the changes.
New Customer Support Heroes Are Here to Help You
Posted on May 11, 2011 at 1:34 pm by Rob Richards
In response to the beautiful dilemma of an expanding customer base, we’ve been busily adding members to our team in order to continue making point of sale and inventory management easy for our customers. We wanted to take a moment to put a face to the voices, and to let the new folks introduce themselves.
Chris Lange
Hey guys! I’m thrilled to be joining the MerchantOS family, and can’t wait to start chatting it up with our awesome customers. I’ve been in Olympia, WA for more than 6 years now, where I graduated from The Evergreen State College, helped run a breakfast restaurant, and grew a love for avocados. I love to doodle, make comics, read comics, and be comical. I’ve also got a soft spot for dumb action movies. I’m looking forward to keeping your business running smoothly!
Ciara Wolfe
Raised in Northern Nevada, Ciara happily moved to a more lush Olympia, WA about 7 years ago. She’s an Evergreen State College Graduate and mother of one very busy 18 month old. Ciara is happy to be a part of the MerchantOS team. When she’s not at her desk she can be found perusing the comic books, playing board games with her partner Nate, hanging out in the garden, and teaching her son Asher the wonders of the world. She can’t wait to tackle your problems and brighten your day!
Ryan Wickett
Ryan was born in sunny California and lived there for three years, more than long enough to gain an appreciation for the cooler climate of the Olympia, Washington area, where he has now lived for 21 years. Curently finishing up his bachelor’s degree at The Evergreen State College, Ryan is now working part time for the most awesome company in Olympia (you know who I mean)! In his free time, he likes playing old video games (especially on the Sega Genesis) and getting lost in a good comic book or fantasy novel.
Element Payment Services Brings PIN Pad Support to MerchantOS
Posted on May 4, 2011 at 10:52 am by Ivan Stanojevic
We can now support PIN based debit transactions with the help of Element Payment Services.
How To Get Setup To Accept Debit Cards
If you are already processing through Element, you just need to contact them at 866.435.3636 and ask to purchase a driverless PIN pad for use with MerchantOS. If you are not with Element, you will need to get a merchant account setup with them and be sure to ask for a driverless PIN pad during that process.
Why Might You Want To Accept Debit Cards?
Debit card processing fees may be cheaper than credit card fees depending on the size of the majority of your transactions. Element can do a rate quote to let you know if you would save money on Debit transactions by looking at your transaction history. Also, due to the use of a PIN number, the payments are less susceptible to fraud and chargebacks. There are some drawbacks though which include lower spending limits than normal credit cards.
What Took Us So Long?
Since we are web based, it’s difficult to communicate with hardware such as PIN pads from the web browser. We had to wait for the right technology to come along that could allow our software to securely communicate with the PIN pad. Element Payment Services understood this need and was the first we are aware of that can allow us to process these transactions from a browser using their driverless pin pad.
Other Advantages To The PIN Pad
If you use a driverless PIN pad for all your transactions with MerchantOS, including manual entry credit card transactions, you will be at the lowest level of the PCI questionnaires for retailers (SAQ B) to achieve PCI (Payment Card Industry) security compliance. This is because no unencrypted cardholder data ever gets on your computer. It is encrypted by the driverless PIN pad before it leaves the device allowing the device to be considered a stand alone terminal. This also means that while compliance is easier, actual safety of your customer’s cardholder data is dramatically improved.
More PIN Pad Support Coming
We plan to support PIN Pads with other processors as the ability to do so becomes available.
MerchantOS World Domination Celebration
Posted on May 2, 2011 at 2:03 pm by Rob Richards
Did you know that MerchantOS is now helping 1,000 retail stores nationwide manage their sales and inventory?
Lowertown Bike Shop in St. Paul, Minnesota put us at the millennial mark on April 29th!
We’re inviting one and all to come celebrate our 1,000th location!
Enjoy Fishtale beer, al Forno Ferruzza pizza, and desserts from Bonjour Cupcakes and the Bearded Lady Bakery.
Also, view the awesome power of our web based retail management system.
That’s right! Software + Beer = Geek Party!
Wardrivers, Piggybackers, and Hackers, Oh My!
Posted on April 27, 2011 at 5:08 pm by Rob Richards
Why MerchantOS is your safest bet against security threats to you and your customers.
A recent article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer describes a frightening prospect for any retailer. Hackers snatching their customer’s credit card information through what has come to be known as ‘wardriving’, which Wikipedia describes as: “the act of searching for Wi-Fi wireless networks by a person in a moving vehicle, using a portable computer or PDA”. Often, wardrivers are simply looking for high-speed internet access points, and then chalk them on a GPS map for others to see and use.
The wardrivers recently busted in Seattle were not so benevolent. They were trolling specifically to piggyback on networks to obtain financial information in order to steal money from card users.
The suspects were also charged with a string of burglaries in the Seattle area, where they allegedly stole computer equipment and documents containing identifying information.
As the frequency of cyber crimes rises, more and more of us have felt the sting of having our data compromised. There’s no faster way to lose the faith of your customer base than to tell them you didn’t protect their information and now, best case, they have to change their credit card and banking information, and worse case, have to worry about their hard earned money being stolen.
But it doesn’t have to be that way…
So, if you’re using MerchantOS, you can assure your customers that their personal information is safe and secure.
We would love to answer any questions you might have about security related issues! Just leave ‘em in the comments and we’ll be sure to respond…
Help Is Coming! We’re Hiring
Posted on March 16, 2011 at 12:24 am by Ivan Stanojevic
We’re starting the search for two more customer support heros! We added a bunch of new customers already this year and stretched our current staff thin.
Playing it safe
Adding more employees is always risky as it adds recurring expenses to our business that aren’t easy to cut. So we wanted to make sure we were really ready before expanding the team. We know that you may have had to wait longer than usual for a call back from our support over the last two months. We love growing fast but it does cause some pain! We hope that by adding two more to our support team we can get back to your support requests much quicker.
Know Anyone Who Would Rock At Tech Support?
We’re looking for people who are friendly, outgoing, and handy with a mouse and keyboard. Oh and you have to be willing to move to Olympia, Washington (no telecommuting, sorry!). We try to make it an awesome place to work. So if you know anyone who would be a good fit for us, we would be very happy to put them into our interview process. Make sure they let us know who referred them to the job.
We’ll have the job application online very soon. Check this blog and this page for more information in the near future.