Floral Accounting Systems, Inc. (FAS) has been a leading provider of floral software for the floral industry for over 34 years. The FAS flower shop system has evolved from a simple, point-of-sale (POS) invoicing and accounts receivable package into one of the most advanced management tools in the computer industry. Independent surveys of flower shop software have consistently ranked FAS among the best, if not the very best floral system. And FAS’s products are continually being improved. The release of FAS’s current florist POS system represents the absolute latest in computer technology for a flower shop system. Other floral software companies are advertising “new” features that were built into the original FAS florist POS system over 34 years ago. FAS flower shop software will accommodate shops of every size, regardless of the level of automation desired. In 2009 and again in 2015 FAS was certified as being compliant with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council (SSC) Payment Application Data Security Standard–one of the very few systems in the floral industry to have ever completed this achievement. The PCI SSC has mandated that all payment systems be validated for compliance with the Data Security Standard in order to protect sensitive cardholder data from theft and abuse. Users of non-compliant systems face greater security risks, along with the financial penalties that are associated with the compromise of credit card data, and they risk losing the ability to accept credit cards.
FAS’s sister company, Computer Solutions, is a leading provider of technology products in North Louisiana. Computer Solutions specializes in providing Windows-based PCs, high-end networks, consulting, and software services. Computer Solutions sells and services products from leading manufacturers including Acer, Apple, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, and Okidata. Computer Solutions’ staff includes technicians with A+ Service Certification and Novell Certified Network Engineer qualifications. Customers include manufacturers, financial institutions, educational institutions, home computer users, and others.
FAS’s customers include many of the most successful florists located throughout the United States–from Maine to California, and from Alaska to the Virgin Islands. These shops have come to rely upon FAS as a trusted business partner that provides valuable assistance with day-to-day shop operations, financial management, and marketing. FAS doesn’t provide “just a computer system.” Instead, FAS actually provides a new way of doing business that helps you increase the productivity and profitability of your shop.
FAS users attending FAS’s users’ conference receive training on how to grow their businesses with their web sites.
Technology should expand your options–not restrict them. As an independent technology provider, the FAS floral system offers the widest range of options for managing your business. For example, with FAS florist POS software, you can send and receive orders through FTD, Teleflora, and IFA. You can send and receive orders over FASnet, Mercury, or Dove. And you can process credit cards through Teleflora or FASCash–FAS’s independent credit card program. You can use a Windows user interface or a text interface within the same system. Users of other systems find that their choice of technology has restricted their choices for some of these critical business functions.
Your choice of florist POS software will have a long-term impact upon virtually every transaction that occurs in your shop. It’s important to look closely at the track record of each prospective vendor. It’s important to select a vendor with a proven, long-term record of performance. It’s equally important to select a flower shop system provider with a reputation for quality support. FAS has both. FAS has one of the most experienced technical staffs in the floral industry. And unlike most of its competitors, FAS has operated under the same ownership and management since the company began, and the programmers who are developing FAS’s new floral software are the same programmers who developed the original FAS floral system over 34 years ago. No other flower shop software company can make that claim. This consistency in ownership and software development staff is one of the primary factors that allows FAS to provide a floral system that continues to lead the industry while providing unequaled reliability. And with FAS’s track record, you will be comfortable knowing that your investment is protected when you choose the florist POS system that will be as strong a business partner for the next decade as it has been for its customers the last several of decades.
FAS offers florist POS software that will accommodate the needs and budgets of shops of all sizes.
FAS’s entry-level floral system meets the requirements of those shops that need from one to three workstations. At the other end of the spectrum is FAS’s heavy-duty, “industrial strength” flower shop system, capable of meeting even the most demanding applications in larger multi-user and multi-location operations. FAS floral software is scaleable, allowing you to grow the system as you grow your business. Workstations compatible with FAS’s systems include terminals, PCs, and LCD flat-screen displays. Just as FAS’s florist POS software has continued to advance over the years, FAS’s hardware includes the most modern, high-performance technology available today.
Above is a screen shot of FAS’s Windows-based FASwin software. FAS technology provides the best of both worlds–the convenience of a Windows graphical interface, along with the stability and power associated with Linux servers.
Regardless of which FAS florist POS system you choose, you can be sure that you are buying flower shop software you can depend on day after day, year after year. As you research the various flower shop systems on the market, you will find that not all floral systems are created equal. Users of some florist POS systems report that their systems repeatedly “crash” or “lock up” during order entry and that they often lose valuable customer or order data. Some floral software users have found themselves left “in the dark” — completely unable to process any transactions — when their flower shop software provider’s Internet service goes down. FAS users do not have these experiences. You can’t afford to have these types of problems on any day of the year, but having these problems at Valentine’s, Mother’s Day, or Christmas could cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars, not to mention customers who may be lost forever. Some florist POS software vendors explain these situations by saying, “That’s just the way computers are”. Maybe that’s the way their systems work, but that’s not what you get with a FAS flower shop system.
Many florists know that FAS offers some of the most advanced floral software available to florists, but they are often surprised to learn just how affordable a FAS system can be. Complete single-user systems, i.e. a computer, a printer, and FAS’s flower shop software, can be purchased for about $4 a day — far less than most competing floral systems. FAS’s mid-range florist POS systems start at about $7 a day. The system price will vary, depending upon the size of the system, i.e. the number of terminals or workstations, printers, cash drawers, etc., purchased, and the florist POS software options purchased.
FAS Pearl is a comprehensive floral software system designed to help you better manage every aspect of your retail flower business–from point-of-sale, to accounts receivable, to payroll, to inventory control, to general ledger, and more. FAS’s simple-to-use flower shop software offers tremendous power and flexibility, while simultaneously offering unsurpassed reliability.
FASnet is FAS’s electronic network that allows florists to send and receive wire orders through all major wire services using their FAS flower shop systems. FASnet provides universal coverage to all florists in all wire services, without requiring you to incur the cost of expensive wire service network technology.
FAS users have a choice of customized Web sites that can be fully integrated with their in-house FAS floral systems. Customers can view your products on-line, or they can place orders electronically 24-hours-a-day from anywhere in the world using your Web site. When a customer places an order through your site, the order is instantly transmitted to your FAS florist POS system. Your FAS floral system then automatically creates the customer account, processes the customer’s credit card, and prints the invoice, enclosure card, and delivery tag on your invoice printer.
The FASCash credit card program offers an attractive alternative for processing credit cards through your FAS florist POS software. FASCash provides competitive discount rates, deposits funds straight to your local bank, and by allowing you to process credit cards over a high-speed Internet connection, provides unparalleled speed and performance.
FAS is one of the very few companies in the industry that offers true integrated EMV chip card processing. Although the FAS flower shop system has been certified for PCI compliance since 2009, FAS has raised its security standards even higher with its new EMV credit card system. Credit card data is securely encrypted the instant the information is entered. Tokens that represent actual credit card numbers are stored on the FAS server, greatly reducing the risk of a data breach. Customers can make “contactless payments” using Apple Pay and Android Pay by simply placing their smart phones near the chip card reader. Users of this new system are able to reduce the risk of chargebacks for fraudulent transactions. And all of these benefits are available at extremely low, competitive rates.
FAS floral software allows you to send orders “Florist Direct” through the Independent Florists’ Association. With Florist Direct orders, you earn $3-$6 more for each order filled, and you receive immediate payment with a credit card for orders filled. When you send a Florist Direct order through IFA, you earn the 20% sales commission and the relay fee you would earn on a traditional wire order. Best of all, with IFA’s Florist Direct orders, you avoid all of the expensive wire service fees and clearinghouse fees normally associated with wire orders.