Invoicing Manual Coherent Software Solutions

Transcription

1 Invoicing Manual

2 2 Invoicing Manual Table of Contents Part I Welcome to Aura Invoicing 4 Part II Getting Started with Aura Invoicing 6 Part III Starting a New Till Shift 10 Part IV Processing a New Sale Normal (Keyboard) Mode Adding Item s to an Order Transaction Types Discounts Adjusting An Unsaved... Invoice Line 31 Saving the Transaction Touch Screen Mode Adding Item s to an Order Transaction Types Discounts Adjusting An Unsaved... Invoice Line 55 Saving the Transaction Part V Invoicing Features Invoice Navigation Buttons... Plugin Manager... Customer Complaints... Cashup Em ployee Cashup Till Shift Cashup Shop Cashup Trading 24 Hours Customer Management 84 Part VI Application Settings Specific Computer Invoice Settings Printer Settings Printer Setup Touch Screen Devices Credit Card All Computers Store Settings Program Settings 3 Printers Part VII Contact Details

3 Part Welcome to Aura Invoicing I

4 4 1 Invoicing Manual Welcome to Aura Invoicing Invoicing provides the customer sales facilities of the Aura POS Software Suite. Four different transaction types are available to cover your customer's needs, as described below: Counter orders allow sales to be put through without needing any customer details to complete the transaction. Table orders are provided for sit-down meals where more items may be added before the bill is paid. Collect orders cover an order that is prepared for the customer before they actually get to the store. Delivery orders would be used if a driver is to deliver the order to the customer at their preferred location. In addition to multiple transaction types, various other tools pertaining to each transaction type are available as well. Here are a few key features of the Aura Invoicing application: Customer integration - a customer record can be linked to any order type, even counter or table transactions. Employee floats - a cash float can be issued to employees that don't have access to the till at all times, this is used more specifically for drivers and waiters. Secondary till operators - only till operators have access to open the till drawer, but multiple operators can be assigned to a till shift if needed. Customizable interface - multiple layout options are available for setting how your cashiers and waiters access menu items and process orders. Order search function - while viewing any of the order types, you may search the current list for specific invoice or order numbers; this is very helpful near the end of a busy day if a customer requests a duplicate copy of their receipt. System enhancements - by means of loading different 'plugins' into the Aura Invoicing system, various extra functions can be performed; for example, the Time Sync plugin will ensure that all computers are on the same date and time as the server computer, which is vital for time-based count downs and accurate reporting. Basic tips, tricks and suggestions will be displayed with this symbol. These are simply bits of useful information or suggestions, you may decide whether or not you use these. Important notices and warnings will be displayed with this symbol. Read through these tips carefully and ensure that you understand them before moving on. Examples will be shown with this symbol. While working through the more complex features, real-world examples may be used to help explain the reasoning behind certain setups.

5 Part Getting Started with Aura Invoicing II

6 6 2 Invoicing Manual Getting Started with Aura Invoicing Invoicing covers the sales and customer interaction features of the Aura POS suite; this is installed along with it's BackOffice counterpart, but is run from all cashier computers in the store. Let's begin with starting the system; on the server computer, shortcuts may be found in two locations, the Start Menu and the Desktop. You may either of these two methods to open Invoicing. Shortcut in "Start Menu > Programs (or All Programs) > Aura > Invoicing": Shortcut on desktop: Although this is the standard, the icon name may not necessarily be shown exactly as seen here. Depending on how the shortcut was created, the name may have variations such as "Shortcut to Invoicing" or "Shortcut to Invoicing.exe". If there are no desktop icons with the same or similar description, simply look for the icon picture for Invoicing. Once Aura Invoicing is open, you will see a screen similar to the following example:

7 Getting Started with Aura Invoicing 7 Possible Startup Messages Aura is designed to ensure all information is stored in a concise and coherent manner; if any program guidelines or requirements are not adhered to, a relative warning or error is displayed. When starting Invoicing, certain steps depend on the franchise and system settings, but there are certain warning messages that may appear; below is a brief outline of the more common messages and how to respond to them. Previous Day Cashup Not Posted Depending on store settings, if the shop cashup for the previous day has not been completed you will not be able to start a new till shift for the current day. The following message may be displayed: If you do see this message, the cashup for the listed date must be completed before Invoicing will allow a new till shift to be started. Due to system settings for some stores, this message will not be displayed for stores that 24-hours a day. Date / Time Warning Once a new till shift has been started (described later), a warning may appear to warn the user that no saved invoices can be found for the past 24-hour period. If no orders are fond in this search, the following warning message will be displayed: If the store was not open for trade the previous day, then there would be no need to adjust the date or time of the computers. However, if the store was indeed open the previous day, there is a good chance that the computer's date has been set forward by one day or more. This option can be set inside the Windows Control Panel under the Date / Time option. If you are unsure how to adjust this setting, contact a computer technician to assist you with this. By selecting Yes, you will be prompted for a password "To Override Time Warning"; this will most likely require the manager's password to continue. By selecting No, Invoicing will close so you can check that the computer is on the correct date and time, after which you may open Invoicing and continue as normal.

8 8 Invoicing Manual Clock Set Back Similarly, if the date or time has been set to a previous date or time, the following error will be shown: The date and time on all your computers can be synchronised automatically at launch with the Aura Time Sync Plugin. For more information on this, please contact the Aura Helpdesk 105 for assistance. This still allows Invoicing to be opened, however you will not be able to process any orders on this till until the date is corrected. New Menu Activated If the master menu is updated on the server while Invoicing is running, the following message will be displayed in Invoicing: Cashiers can click the Ok button to close the message and continue as normal. This message window has a count down timer that starts at 360 seconds (6 minutes), if nothing is done in that time, the message will close automatically.

9 Part Starting a New Till Shift III

10 10 3 Invoicing Manual Starting a New Till Shift The Invoicing system works around the concept of Till Shifts to track all sales. A Till Shift is an active session where one or more cashiers working on a till are able to process customer's orders. If cashiers work in shifts (such as morning and evening shifts for example), once the first cashier has finished their shift, the till shift must be ended. At this point, it is best to insert a new cash drawer tray with a new float, allowing a new till shift to be opened immediately without having to wait for the morning till shift to be cashed up. Each cashier is held responsible for the contents of their cash drawer, as a result each cashier must ensure that their till is balanced to the satisfaction of the manager on duty before leaving. The Activate button on the tool bar is used to start a new till shift. Depending on the Aura settings, you will be presented with one of the following three options: Normal View (Keyboard) Touch Screen View Fingerprint Scanner Hereafter, we will simply refer to either of these three screens as a 'entering your password' or 'a password prompt'. If you use fingerprint scanners instead, you will simply scan your fingerprint as opposed to typing a password. As seen below, after entering your password / fingerprint, notice the Activate button becomes End. This button will only be used at the end of that till shift period. You will also notice the status bar inside Invoicing will update to show the current status of your till.

11 Starting a New Till Shift 11 Aura allows the option of more than one operator per till shift, giving multiple cashiers access to process new sales. This may be required for various reasons: for example, in cases where there is only one point-of-sale terminal, yet more than one cashier serving customers. To add an additional operator to a till shift, from the menu at the top of Invoicing, click on Invoicing > Till Shift > Add Operator. As seen below: You will first be prompted for the Primary Operator's password first, and then the Additional Operator's password after that. The first prompt is to check for permission To Add An Operator, as seen here: If the first password is accepted and the user has permission to add second operator, you will see the following prompt: A till shift may have up to 6 operators at a time, and only the Primary Operator may add other cashiers as operators on their till shift. Only cashiers that need to access the cash drawer will need to be added as an operator. Any employee not added as an operator (as long as this falls within their employee category restrictions, set from BackOffice) may still process a collect or delivery order, as it does not require the cash drawer to be opened.

12 Part Processing a New Sale IV

13 Processing a New Sale 4 13 Processing a New Sale When processing a new sale, certain steps need to be taken to ensure the correct capture of an invoice. Certain steps, as outlined below, are dependant on the transaction type as well as the contents of the order. In this section, we will cover the following steps: Start a new order Ring up the desired menu items Select the transaction type (each transaction type have their own individual options) Attaching a customer Assigning a table and waiter (for tab le orders only) Applying discounts (if applicab le) Saving the order These steps will be covered in both the interactive button-driven Touch Screen Mode as well as the quick and simple Keyboard Mode. The differences between these two interface options will be outlined further below. It is highly advisable to read through the benefits and disadvantages before deciding which interface would suite your business better.

14 14 Invoicing Manual Process a New Sale On an active till shift, to process a new order, simply press the space bar, or click the following button on the top toolbar: If there is no till shift active yet, Invoicing will prompt you to start a new shift in order to process a new sale. New Transaction Prompts Depending on the system settings, Invoicing may display prompts relating to specific features in the system. Below are the two prompts you may see: Eat In vs Take Away Prompt Eat In - Selecting this option will use the eat-in variation of item recipes. Take Away - Selecting this option will use the eat-out variation of item recipes. These options are set in the menu design process, if you are unsure of which option to use, please contact the person in charge of designing your menus. Normal (Keyboard) Mode Important Note: If the option to use eat-in/eat-out is enabled but you do not use the automatic prompt, this option will be set automatically depending on the transaction type. Touch Screen Mode Transaction Type Prompt Transaction Types - Select the desired transaction type for the order being started. Important Note: If the prompt for transaction type is not shown when starting a new order, the system will default to a counter order. This can be changed once inside the order. Normal (Keyboard) Mode Touch Screen Mode

15 Processing a New Sale 15 Normal (Keyboard) Mode vs Touch Screen Mode When processing a new order, there are two main interfaces that are available; the Normal (Keyboard) Interface and the Touch Screen Interface. Each have their own benefits, and it is entirely your choice as to which of these two you would prefer to use. A short introduction of each can be found below. Normal (Keyboard) Mode Benefits: The most obvious advantage of this mode is the speed benefit. Using only keyboard shortcuts: the cashier can do everything from adding an item, changing the item quantity, apply discounts, specify the transaction type, assign a customer, and many more features. The keyboard interface allows the cashier to process an entire sale without having to use the mouse. Disadvantages: Using the keyboard shortcuts effectively will require that the cashier is proficient in general computer use, specifically with the keyboard, and has a good memory for item codes. More about the Normal (Keyboard) Mode 17.

16 16 Invoicing Manual Touch Screen Mode Benefits: The most noticeable benefit, is the simplicity and ease of use. The menu is laid out simply in front of the cashiers, allowing them to ring up menu items without having to memorize menu item codes or button locations. This layout also prevents the cashier from needing to look down at the keyboard during an order, keeping their attention on the customer. Essentially making the customer feel like the cashier is more focused on them rather than the computer. Furthermore, experienced users can process orders extremely quickly once they are familiar with the location of buttons on the screen. This typically happens within a matter of a few days of regular use. Disadvantages: Possible disadvantages of this layout may be found in adding items to an order from different categories. Switching from one category to the next involves first selecting the second category and then selecting the menu item. It may possibly cause a slight delay in the order at times. More about the Touch Screen Mode 36.

17 Processing a New Sale Normal (Keyboard) Mode The keyboard interface of Invoicing only becomes truly effective once the cashiers are familiar with the product codes structure and the keyboard shortcuts. This first section will cover tips and tricks to keep in mind while inside a new order. Shortcut List If you need to check a shortcut, a list of shortcuts can be found by pressing F1 on your keyboard. Doing so, will display the following list in the top right hand corner: Press F1 again to remove the list and return to the order details. Navigation Once a new order has been started, there are certain steps that relate to all order types, as well as other steps that relate only to specific transaction types. See the topics listed below for more information: Adding Menu Items to an Order 18 Selecting the Transaction Type 20 Applying Discounts 28 Adjusting Order Details before Saving Saving / Processing the Order 31 33

18 Invoicing Manual Adding Items to an Order In keyboard mode, there are two methods for adding items to an order: one option is to type in desired item code and press enter, another option is to use a barcode scanner. By simply entering the item code, the associated menu item is added and a new line inserted ready for the next item. If the code entered does not match any stored items directly, pressing enter will open the Menu Item Selector instead (described in more detail further below). The more meaningful the structure of the code, the easier it will be to input the items for the sale. Using the Menu Item Selector The most common method for processing orders in this view is by entering the item codes directly. If you know an item code, simply typing the code and pressing Enter will add the item to the invoice. As seen above, two items are already rung up and a third is busy being entered with a code starting with "PL...". From this point, as the code entered is not yet completed, pressing Enter will display the Menu Item Selector. If a partial code is entered before accessing the item selector, the code entered so far will automatically be entered into the Search block at the top, and the search will be specified By Code (F9), as seen below: If no partial code is entered and you press enter, you will go straight to the Menu Item Selector, with the search set By Description (F10) as default. This gives you a chance to search for the item by description, as seen below: Whether searching By Code or By Description, you may use the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard in order to scroll through the menu items in the list. Once you have selected the item, simply press Enter again to add the item to the order. There are three ways to search for items in the Menu Item Selector: By Code (F9), By Description (F10) and By BarCode (F11). The function keys mentioned in brackets are the keyboard shortcut keys to change the search category. For example: if you press enter in order to search for an item, the selector opens searching by description, and you wish to search by code instead; simply press F9 on your keyboard and the selector will change to searching by code. The same applies to the description (with F10) and the barcode (with F11) inside this screen.

19 Processing a New Sale 19 Using the Bar Code Scanner Another option is to use a bar code scanner. These are easy to install and set up, and very simple to integrate with Aura Invoicing. When inside a new order, the Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut will bring up the barcode scanner prompt window, as seen below: At this prompt, simply scan the barcode with your scanner to ring up the item. Doing so will add the scanned item to the order and clear the bar code scanner block, ready for a second barcode. The scanner prompt will stay open until the Cancel button is pressed, this is to simplify the process of scanning multiple items in an order. In a situation where all items, or at least the majority of them are scanned in with a barcode scanner, it may be advisable to enable the auto-prompt barcode option. For more information on this, see the section on Application Settings > Specific Computer > Devices 94. Menu Item Departments The first and foremost function of Menu Item Departments allow the menu item list to be filtered by specialized custom groups, allowing certain menu items to be kept in close proximity to each other. As this does not require the editing of any menu items, it is available for any store to set up as they require; see the Aura BackOffice Manual for information on creating and maintaining menu item departments. While inside a new order, pressing F6 on your keyboard will display a list of all currently available departments, as seen here: 'Default' is the system department, and automatically encompasses all menu items. 'POS1' and 'POS2' are two departments that were set up during our example in the BackOffice Manual. As you are using the Keyboard mode, the simplest way to select the desired departments is to scroll up or down with the arrow keys, highlight the desired department, and press Enter. To cancel this selection and revert to the 'Default' system department with all menu items, either click on the Cancel button or press the Esc key (escape key) on your keyboard. The currently viewed department can be selected / changed at any point in the order process, whether items have been added to the order or not. It may happen that the Menu Item Selector does not display any menu items at all after starting a new transaction; if this happens, simply press the F6 keyboard shortcut and select a department. After that you may continue to process orders as normal.

20 Invoicing Manual Transaction Types There are four main transaction types in Aura Invoicing, each of these will be covered in more detail in the sections listed below. Counter Orders (With counter orders, you may skip the Transaction Type Selector and move onto Discounts 28 ) Delivery Orders Collect Orders Table Orders Counter Orders Counter orders are designed for quick, over the counter sales. There is no need for any extra information on these orders such as a customer name or address, once the required menu items have been added to the order, it may be processed and prepared. Delivery Orders Delivery orders are designed to prepare the order in store and have it delivered to the customer at their address of choice. These transactions require a customer assigned with a valid delivery address, as well as having a driver assigned. Collect Orders Collect orders are designed to prepare the order for a customer that will be coming to the store later. These orders will require a customer assigned to the invoice, but do not necessarily require a valid customer address. Table Orders Table orders are designed for customers to order and consume the meal in store. These order types have features designed specifically to update and add new items to the customer's bill, closing it only once the customer has decided not to order anything further. No customer needs to be assigned to a table order, but a waiter will be required.

21 Processing a New Sale Delivery and Collect Orders With an order that is to be delivered to the customer, or prepared in advance for them to come past and collect it without having to wait, the order will need a customer's identifying details attached to it. A delivery order requires the customer's name, contact details, and a valid delivery address. While a collect order only needs a name and contact number, the address is optional. Customer details are necessary on Delivery or Collect orders in Aura Invoicing, but are optional on Counter and Table orders. If your store does not do any Delivery or Collect orders, you may not have the customer feature enabled. Please contact the Aura Help Desk for more information. Attaching a Customer When switching to a Collect or Delivery order, Aura Invoicing will automatically bring up the Customer Lookup window to assign a customer. Alternatively, you may press F2 on your keyboard. Doing so will present the Customer Lookup window, as seen below: You may also assign a customer to an order without setting it to a collect or delivery. To do so, press F2 on your keyboard. Assigning a customer to a counter or table order is for reference purposes only and will not affect how a counter or table order is treated in Aura.

22 22 Invoicing Manual To begin searching for a customer, simply start to type any detail of the customer (phone number, name, street name, etc.) and press Enter or click on Search. See the examples below: Searching by Number Searching by Name If your customer search does not return the customer you are looking for, you may need to add a new customer to the list; a new customer may be added with the Add (Ins) button. For more information, see the section on Adding a New Customer 79. Customer Collect Orders Once the customer has been attached, Aura Invoicing will automatically check the customer credentials against the selected transaction type. If the address for the customer does not qualify for a delivery (as defined in the section on Adding a New Customer 79 ), and depending on your system settings (as described in the section on Settings > Specific Computer > Invoice Settings 85 ), the transaction type may be automatically changed to a Collect Order. Orders for collection have a customer assigned, however in order to complete the transaction the customer must come into the store to collect and pay for the order. Confirming Customer Once a customer has been assigned: the top section of the screen will display the customer details, as well as a summary of the customer name and address on the right below the Started time.

23 Processing a New Sale View ing Customer's Previous Orders If the assigned customer is not a new customer but has placed orders in the past, it is possible to view their order history by pressing Ctrl+H on your keyboard. This will open the Order History window, as seen below: In the Previous Orders section at the top of the screen, you can select an invoice from any previous date. With an invoice selected, the Order Detail section below that, you will see a list of all the items that were on that particular invoice. Duplicate button: Pressing this button will ring up the same menu items on a new invoice as the items on the selected invoice. Duplicating the order from the order history window create a new invoice assigned to the current customer using the same menu items again. Invoicing processes the new order using the menu item codes, therefore any items on the historical order that no longer exist in your current menu will not be added to the order. Print button: Use this button to print out a duplicate invoice copy of the selected order. Close button: Closes this window.

24 Invoicing Manual Table Orders In order to change to a table transaction, press the F11 key on your keyboard. Doing so, will change the transaction type to Table Order and will bring up the necessary prompts to set up the table. You will need to take the following steps to set up a table order: Select a table number Enter a head count (Optional) Assign a waiter Confirm the table number and waiter Selecting a Table Number The first prompt, asks for the table number to use: Select the table to assign to the order and press OK. The Table Selection window will only show tables that are currently available, any with orders currently on them will not be displayed in this list. Head Count Depending on your settings, Invoicing may also prompt for a head count at the selected table. If so, you will see the following prompt: Enter the table head count and either press Enter on your keyboard, or click the OK button. This is an optional setting in the System Settings. For more information, see the section on All Computers > Program Settings > Invoicing 100.

25 Processing a New Sale 25 Assigning a Waiter At this point, Invoicing will prompt you to assign a waiter to this table, as seen below: If there are currently no waiters clocked into the system, you will see the following message: In order to clock in a waiter, click on Yes and then the waiter must enter their password to clock in. Checking the Table Once the table number and waiter have been assigned to the order, this information will display in the top right hand corner of the order screen, as seen below: If the incorrect waiter has been assigned to this order, and you need to re-assign the order to a different waiter, press Ctrl+F3 to select a different waiter.

26 26 Invoicing Manual Splitting a Table It is possible to split a current table order over two tables, essentially creating two separate invoices. First, you will need to Modify the table order, and then press Ctrl+F5 on your keyboard. Doing so will display the following screen: In the above image, the left half of this window is the current order, while the right hand side has space to move current items to a new invoice. The first step is to select a table number to assign to the new order. This is done by pressing the Table button on the new invoice section. This will bring up the Table Number and Head Count prompts as seen with a new table order. Once a table number is selected, you should see the following in the status of the new table section: Notice how the invoice number has been replaced with the text <New Invoice>, and that the table number has changed to the newly selected table. The next step is to select the items you wish to move from table 1 to table 2. <Continued on next page>

27 Processing a New Sale 27 Use the up and down arrow keys on your keyboard to highlight the desired item, and press the spacebar on your keyboard to select an item. A selected item will now have a x in the box on the left, as seen below: Once the desired items have been selected, press the Drop button on the table you wish to move the items to. In this example, this would be on table 2. Once done, the line item lists for each of the two table should update with their own items, as seen below: Clicking the Done button will save the modified invoice (Table 1) and assign an invoice number to the new invoice (Table 2), creating two separate invoices. After this, you may close the table order that was modified by pressing Esc on your keyboard. To confirm that the table orders have been split properly, you should now see the two invoices under the Tables tab inside Invoicing, as seen below:

28 Invoicing Manual Discounts Discounts can be applied for various different reasons and in different ways inside Invoicing. The combinations of discounts include multiple line-item discounts, and a single total invoice discount. The most obvious differences between these two methods, is the figure that is affected by the discount. In a Line Item Discount, each menu item can be discounted individually. While in an Invoice Discount is applied to the Total order amount only. Only one invoice discount can be applied to any order at a time. These two discount types are described further below. Aura Invoicing can also be set up to automatically apply certain discounts to selected items when a required combination is rung up. For instance, if a customer orders 2 large pizzas they qualify to get a third for free. In this scenario, an Auto Apply Discount may be applied to 3 large pizzas, leaving two at full price and making the third a zero cost. A description of the steps involved in confirming an auto-apply discount can be found further below. Keep the following points in mind while reading through this section: Percentage invoice discounts will only be applied to the invoice as a whole based on items that have not been discounted by line item discounts. Value invoice discounts will only applied if the invoice total is greater than the discount amount. In other words; If each item has a line item discount of any type, a percentage based invoice discount will not do anything, only a value based invoice discount will work. Line Item Discounts To apply a line item discount, first the item(s) to be discounted need to be selected. This can be done by either clicking on the line with the mouse, or scrolling up or down with the keyboard and pressing the space bar. This is called 'tagging a line item'. If an item has been tagged, you will see a x in the white block on the far left hand side of that item. Once you have the necessary items selected, you should see a screen similar to the following: On your keyboard press Ctrl-D to bring up your list of available discount codes. Select the appropriate discount, and click on OK. Certain discounts may also be time specific, if the discount you require is an automatically applied discount, and all the required items are on the order, it may be outside of the discount's applicable time period. For more information on time specific discounts, see the BackOffice manual. If applied correctly, you should see the discounted items marked with the same colour as the discount name, grouping the items together. Similar to the below example: