Inside Best Technology's 240-store upgrade for Woolworths POS

Two months ago, The Reserve Bank of Australia introduced a new $5 note into circulation to help visually impaired Australians identity between different notes. The RBA also boasted the notes featured a world-first security measure to prevent counterfeiting.

There was just one problem: because of the clear strip in the centre of the notes, point-of-sales systems and ATMs struggled to detect the new currency. As a result, POS systems across the country needed an upgrade.

With that in mind, supermarket giant Woolworths had the massive task of upgrading more than 2000 self-serve checkouts across 240 stores to accommodate the new notes. The checkouts each house their own computer and a number of interfaces, including a card reader, scanner, scale and, of course, an interface for cash payments.

In stepped field services and project management specialist Best Technology Service.

The Sydney-based company specialises in providing white-labelled services to MSPs and resellers for POS systems, as well as wi-fi networks, IP-based security and multimedia installations.

Best has worked with NCR, the global POS vendor that provided the checkouts to Woolworths, for about 12 years and is one of Best's foundation clients. Even with its expertise, Best's engineers had to go through two days of training before taking on the project.

Best had an eight-week window to upgrade the checkouts before the notes were introduced on 1 September. Not only that, but because stores needed to stay open during business hours, Best could only work between 9.30pm and 7am each day.

Despite the constraints, Best's team of 33 engineers were able to fit in the new checkouts in time. Best was also responsible for running a project management office to facilitate the night-only work.

Best managing director John McVicker said: "This is typical of the large scale demanding projects that Best delivers as part of our core strength in always getting the job done.”

Best employs a team of approximately 300 contractors to work with channel partners by helping manage installs, repairs and device management on their behalf.