At the core of any business is selling its product or service. Achieving success can be elusive in spite of product quality, customer service, marketing and everything else if you don’t have a robust system in place.
That system needs to facilitate and streamline making sales while also capturing the data you need to monitor and improve operations. The right point-of-sale (POS) does all of this and more.
With a decade of experience and more than 2,000 customers, BioTrackTHC is among the longest-lived software solutions companies serving the legal cannabis industry.
It offers three different business solutions that can be mixed and matched according to your needs. They include a cultivation package, a processing and manufacturing package, and a POS solution that is the focus of this review.
If you need a cannabis POS that helps your business report required information to any state system, then BioTrackTHC POS deserves a try. The system also collects valuable data and insights as it rings up sales.
Who Exactly Is BioTrackTHC?
BioTrackTHC was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with satellite offices in Denver CO, Olympia WA, Honolulu HI, and San Juan Puerto Rico.
Its software solutions have been deployed in more than 2,000 locations and has processed more than $18 billion in cannabis sales.
The company also provides track-and-trace (traceability) services to a number of state governments. The state of Washington was brought online back in 2013 to take advantage of the first seed-to-sale real-time traceability program.
Other states using BioTrackTHC services or supporting its business solutions for stores in their jurisdiction include New Mexico, Illinois, Hawaii, Arkansas, Delaware, Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Puerto Rico.
In 2018 BioTrackTHC was acquired by Helix TCS, a publicly-traded company that provides technology, compliance, and security solutions in the highly-regulated legal cannabis industry.
This merger will no doubt put BioTrackTHC’s business solutions on the map for even more customers.
BioTrackTHC Benefits
The fact that BioTrackTHC has been providing business solutions to the legal cannabis industry longer than most companies is significant. The company takes the time to understand the business model of each cannabis dispensary it works with. This is done in order to help them meet the regulatory burden and licensing application requirements needed to launch a successful business.
Online user reviews that praise BioTrckTHC mention how flexible the system is in terms of adjusting workflows in the software to match changing workflows of the business. Others have noted how they appreciate robust, granular settings and permissions.
Potential BioTrackTHC Drawbacks
The most common complaints about BioTrackTHC seen in online reviews from customers have to do with traceability, and also customer support. Some customers have noted that support staff don’t know as much as they should about requirements in some states.
Others note the traceability actions (which are extensive for any cannabis operation) have a poor workflow is not at all efficient. The complexity of the system can be frustrating, but most users also recognize that the complexity is a necessary evil to deal with all the compliance requirements in a cannabis operation.
Some users have noted that after the software is updated, there are typically some random things that suddenly go wrong, such as users getting locked out of the system and so on.
BioTrackTHC Pricing
Because plans vary so much from state to state, the BioTrackTHC website contains no information whatsoever about pricing. People interested in learning more about what a BioTrackTHC POS might cost them are encouraged to contact the company directly.
BioTrackTHC Requirements
The company understands that every business is different. Some want a totally cloud-based system while others prefer a perceived higher level of control through a locally-hosted system. Both options are possible with the BioTrackTHC POS.
Its cloud-based option runs through Amazon Web Services (AWS). Its locally-hosted solutions can run from a Windows PC acting as a server (you don’t need to have a big, fancy business server). Below are the minimal requirements:
Server/VPS Requirements
- Must be a desktop computer, not a laptop.
- Operating Systems: Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 10 Pro.
- Processor: Intel i7 2.4 Ghz Dual Core or better.
- RAM: 16GB or better (Based on 1-4 facility locations.
- HDD (storage): 500GB SSD or 1TB HDD (7200 rpm speed or better).
Terminal Requirements
Operating Systems: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 10, and Windows 10 Pro.- Processor: Intel i5/Intel i7 2.0Ghz Dual-Core or better.
- RAM: 8GB or better.
- HDD (storage): 250 GB (7200 rpm speed or better).
- Ports: 4 USB Ports for Peripherals (Not including keyboard and mouse), 1 Ethernet Port.
Tablets and all-in-one Devices:
- Microsoft Surface Pro 2.
- Any tablet/All-In-One that meets the terminal requirements will work.
Internet Requirements
Onsite Server:
- Internet Access: Business-grade cable access or better.
- Minimum Download Speed: 15 MBps or better.
- Minimum Upload Speed: 5 MB or better.
- Static Public IP address from ISP (required for offsite access).
Offsite Server:
- Internet Access: Business-grade cable access or better.
- Minimum Download Speed: 25 MBPS or better.
- Minimum Upload Speed: 10 MB or better.
- Static public IP address from ISP (required for offsite access)
Server Backup
External HDD (Hard Drive) 200GB+ as a secondary backup solution.
BioTrackTHC does not sell its own hardware, but is careful to list out the various companies that do sell equipment and hardware compatible with the company’s software solutions.
These companies include Rocky Mountain Business Products, Stover Thermal Tags and Labels, StreamLine Global Labeling, Computer Revolutions, and Star Micronics. Everything a dispensary needs in terms of equipment is available through these companies.
The company website also takes care to say the following: “Please review the Supported Equipment, Integrated Hardware List, and Partners. BioTrackTHC cannot guarantee the integration of unsupported hardware.
While state or county compliance requirements will likely dictate your final equipment decisions, the specifications listed here will allow you to select equipment and integrated hardware partners that are needed to support the BioTrackTHC System.”
BioTrackTHC Features and Capabilities
Running an effective and compliant cannabis business with a POS that can integrate with any state system and every type of license is the commitment BioTrackTCH makes to each of its customers. It accomplishes this with following POS features and capabilities:
Automated Data Entry for Sales
Reducing manual data entry in means fewer errors. Your hardware integrates with the POS so metrics are populated right on the screen. Weigh items and have the weight go directly into the system, and scan patient IDs to fill in customer profiles with a single action.
Customer Profiles
Creating individual customer profiles help syou treat all your customers like regulars. Track their special preferences, medical preferences, purchase history, rewards points and more.
Purchase Limits
There are many aspects of compliance that add up to a lot of stress and anxiety for dispensary operators. One of those compliance factors is avoiding over-dispensing. Set up each customer with limits based on type and equivalency.
Data-Driven CRM
The BioTrackTHC POS has out-of-the-box customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities so you can reward loyal customers and their referrals. Create targeted email and text campaigns based on each customer’s favorite products, last visit date, purchase history, birthdays and more.
Discounts, Loyalty and Rewards Management
Discounts, loyalty and rewards management is enhanced and expanded through integration with Springbig. Discounts can be based on date, time, product, brand, along with employee weigh heavy and daily discount allowances.
Reward loyal customers with an exclusive loyalty points program or reward them through certain products/promotions. SMS messaging is a tactic you can use through Springbig. When operators make the most of these options, the results can be impressive in terms of increasing customer retention, visit frequency, and spending.
Inventory
Track and manage thousands of products and/or plants down to the exact milligram and rapidly audit your entire inventory.
Online Ordering, Menu Displays, and CRM
Full integration with DataOwl allows for an in-store technology network tapped directly into the BioTrackTHC POS. Leveraging all the data you accumulate from your customers, products, and operations into actionable insights is the goal.
It allows for automated campaigns based on purchase behavior, digital menus updated in real-time with your inventory, and an online ordering solution to improve the customer experience and operational efficiency.
Compliance
Compliance has to stay top-of-mind at any legal cannabis operation or dispensary. It’s much easier to stay compliant when you have a POS solution that covers all the bases by identifying the key data points where streamlining and optimizing inventory management can happen without sacrificing compliance needs and requirements.
BioTrackTHC excels in this area with the following capabilities:
Automatically report required data to state systems.- Custom compliance-focused reporting.
- Track waste, destruction and account for conversion and moisture losses.
- Transport manifests with all necessary information.
- Real-time product recalls.
- Compliant labels customized with your business logo, name, and so on.
- Industry-leading security standards.
Custom Label Creation
Labels can be customized with your company information, logo, and more.
Customer Service and Technical Support
BioTrackTCH offers two different business consulting packages aimed at getting a new customer set up and ready to go:
On-site assistance package:
A BioTrackTHC representative can visit you on-site to walk you through setup, employee training, advanced reporting functions and anything else you’re itching to learn about. Our field experts have helped implement custom workflows to hundreds of cannabis businesses in over 28 states.
They’ll help you effectively utilize your BioTrackTHC system to allow you to analyze your cultivation yields, optimize retail inventory, and get the most out of your seed-to-sale cannabis software. Includes support with system troubleshooting and new feature training and implementation.
This is an on-site assistance package that a customer pays for, although the website does not say how much it costs. It does say this: Full (8) or half (4) day options available. Travel, lodging, per diem, food, etc. to be paid by client. Contact for rates.”
Application support package:
BioTrackTHC representatives can assist you in the process of completing and submitting the best cannabis business license application possible.
Our representatives already know your state’s cannabis rules and regulations inside and out, so let us do the hard part by providing you with detailed outlines on how the BioTrackTHC system meets, and often exceeds, the regulations set forth by your state for cannabis traceability.
This is also referred to as a “package” like the other one, but doesn’t say anything about rates. It is safe to assume, however, that it is probably not free.
On the company website’s “contact us” page, there is a button for “contact customer support” which takes you to a page that says the hours of operation for support are Monday-Friday from 10am to 10pm EST, Saturday-Sunday from 10am to 7pm EST.
You log in a support ticket from that page or call the telephone number listed for technical support. The company’s website also has a page with a number of video tutorials available for the POS solution.
Alternatives to BioTrackTHC
Ready to Use BioTrackTHC At Your Dispensary?
Given that BioTrackTHC has been in the business of providing software solutions to the legal cannabis industry for a decade, it’s a shame they can’t be more transparent on their website about pricing so potential users have a better idea of what it’s going to cost them.
It would also be better if there were a more limited or clear set of bundled hardware solutions typically needed in a dispensary rather than wading through all the many options available, but differences by state and jurisdiction apparently make this too difficult for the company to establish.
In spite of those drawbacks, BioTrackTHC remains an industry-leader. Customers who utilize the company’s POS solution are well satisfied with its features and capabilities.
This makes it a solid choice for any dispensary that is ready to operate and efficiently while maintaining compliance to all applicable regulations in their location.
POS Quote Team
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