Retail:SafeBoxes
Contents
|
Introduction
The goal of this document is to share a configuration and usage guide to be able to use Safe Boxes in WebPOS.
A safe box is a non fixed drawer assigned to a cashier. This safe box could be optionally ownered to a User defined in the backoffice.
If the safe box is not assigned to a user, that safe box could be used by any user of the application. In case the safe box has a user assigned, that safe box is linked to that user (and in case he moves from the terminal, the cashier will take with him/her that safe box).
Configuration
To start using Safe Boxes in WebPOs application, some configuration steps should be done.
Touchpoint Type
Touchpoint Type - Header
In order to start using Safe Boxes, it is necessary to create at least one touchpoint type per store. This Touchpoint type should be configured as “Required Safe Box”.
Touchpoint Type - Payment Method
After the TouchPoint Type is set to use Safe Boxes, we must define at least one or several payment methods in the “Payment Method” tab from “Touchpoint Type” window to indicate WebPOS this is a payment method that will be managed in the Safe Box.
To do so, we create a new record, the fields are filled as required and check “Defined in SafeBox”.
Safe Box
A new window has been defined in the back office to be able to configure Safe Boxes. These Safe Boxes must be the ones to be used in WebPOS.
Safe Box - Header
In this section we can define three inputs:
- Commercial Name: Human name of the safe box
- Search Key: Identifier of the safe box (will be used in WebPOS)
- User for Safe Box (optional): User assigned to this box.
Safe Box - Payment Methods
In this tab, several payment methods could be defined for the Safe Box:
- Financial Account: Financial account defined for this payment method and Safe Box (should be a different financial account from Touchpoint payment method financial account).
- Payment Method: Payment method used in this safe box (should be the same as payment method from touchpoint type payment method defined as “Defined in Safe Box”).
- Cash: Define if the payment method is of type cash or not
In addition, a group should be also configured called “Count Safe Box”:
- Cash Differences: G/L Item to register payment method differences
- G/L Item for Cash Drop/Deposit: G/L Item to register deposits and withdrawals from the counting safe box process.
- Count Cash: Only available is payment method is defined as “Cash”. Indicates if the cashier will count coins and bills for this payment method.
- Automate Movement to Other Account: Indicates if, as part of the counting process of the safe box’s payment method, the cashier will be able to define how much money to keep for this payment method.
- Keep Fixed Amount: Only available if “Automate Movement to Other Account” is checked. Indicates if an option with a fixed amount should be proposed to the cashier during counting process
- Amount to Keep: Only available if “Automate Movement to Other Account” and “Keep Fixed Amount” are checked. Indicates the proposed money to keep as fixed.
- Allow Variable Amount: Only available if “Automate Movement to Other Account” is checked. Indicates if the WebPOS will allow the cashier to keep a variable amount.
- Allow Not to Move: Only available if “Automate Movement to Other Account” is checked. Indicates if the WebPOS will propose to keep everything during the counting process.
- Allow Move Everything: Only available if “Automate Movement to Other Account” is checked. Indicates if the WebPOS will propose to keep nothing during the counting process.
- Count Difference Limit: Indicates the deviation of money during the count process to require a supervisor approval.
Safe Box Manager
Optionally, a manager could be defined to be able to count and process with any safe box defined in the store.
This manager is set through a new Preference called “WebPOS Safe Box Manager”.
Functional Flows
Initial Safe Box SafeGuard
If the terminal has already assigned a Safe Box, a safeguard is done to avoid the forbidden use of that safe box already linked to the terminal.
This check is only done if the safe box linked has assigned a user and the logged user is not a Safe Box Manager.
If the verification fails, a popup is shown indicating the current Safe Box assigned user in order to do the login and complete the remove safe box process. After that, the application logs out from the application and the login window is shown in the application.
If the verification is successful, the login process continues.
Assign a Safe Box to the Terminal
Once the configuration is done, the terminal will start automatically to work as a “Safe Box” terminal. The first step is to assign the safe box to the terminal
This process is done automatically after the master data load in case there is no other Safe Box already assigned.
This process is not mandatory and could be skip clicking in “Skip Safe Box”. If the cashier does so, the popup disappears but the payment methods defined as “Defined in Safe Box” will not be able to pay with.
If the cashier wants to assign his/her Safe Box, he/she should introduce the search key of the Safe Box and click on the “Check Safe Box” button. Clicking on the button triggers a verification process to check if the search key introduced is a valid one and (in case a user is defined for the safe box) the process will check if the user assigned and the user logged in are the same.
If the verification process ends successfully, the application navigates to the main WebPOS window.
Safe Box Manager
If the logged user is a Safe Box Manager, the safe box process ignores the user assign check. Safe Box search key check is done in all cases.
Pay with a Safe Box Payment Method
If the verification process is not skipped and ends successfully, the payment method will be ready to be used. In other cases, the payment method will appear as disabled and will not be used to pay.
Payment process does not suffer any changes except for the enabling or disabling process mentioned previously.
Remove Safe Box from the Terminal
When the touchpoint type of the terminal is defined as “Required Safe Box” a change in the WebPOS is done. In the menu of WebPOS, the menu entry “Cash Up” is replaced with “Remove Safe Box”. This process is similar to the Cash Up but with some differences:
- Payment methods defined as “Defined in Safe Box” will not be shown to be counted. Refer to “Count Cash” for more information.
- Payment methods defined as “Defined in Safe Box” will not be shown to be counted. Refer to “Count Payment in Cash Up” for more information.
- Payment methods defined as “Defined in Safe Box” will not allow you to keep anything. Refer to “Allow Variable Amount” and “Keep Fixed Amount”.
- Payment methods defined as “Defined in Safe Box” will not be shown in the Cash Up Report.
Once the process is finished, the Safe Box is Removed from that terminal and a logout in the application is done (even without Sessions Module).
Cash Management Safe Box Payment Methods
For the Safe Box Payment Methods there are some validations that are not done like:
- Enough return amount during the paying of tickets.
- Enough amount for withdrawal in cash management.
To avoid showing wrong amounts, the initial and total amount for the payment methods set as 'Defined in Safe Box' are not shown in the POS screen 'Cash Management'.
Counting Safe Box Payment Methods
Once the Cash Up is done in WebPOS and synchronized to the back office, Payment method defined as “Defined in Safe Box” should work as follows.
- Two transactions are created in Touchpoint Type payment method financial account. The reconciliation is generated and both of these transactions are automatically reconciled:
- A deposit transaction of the amount of money generated in the terminal.
- A withdrawal transaction of the same amount generated.
- One transaction is created in the Safe Box payment method financial account. This transaction is not reconciled:
- A deposit transaction of the amount withdrawn from the Touchpoint type financial account.
A new menu entry has been defined in WebPOS to start the counting process of the safe boxes: “Count Safe Box”. Two preferences affects the visualization of the counting process of a Safe Box:
- Hide cashup information to cashier: Hide some information in the Count Safe Box Report (starting, withdrawals, deposits, expected amounts and differences).
- Hide count Information to cashier: Hide some information during Count Safe Box Process (Expected amounts and differences amounts).
These two preferences can be combined in different ways to show or hide relevant information to the cashier.
Steps during Count Safe Box Process
- Safe Box List: Only available as Safe Box Manager. Shows the list of safe boxes of the store.
- Count <payment>: Only available for payment method defined as “Cash”. Count the amount of coins and bills for the payment method of the safe box.
- Count Cash: Count the remaining payment methods defined for the Safe Box.
- Select <payment> to keep: Only for payment methods defined as “Automate Movement to Other Account” and with an keep option defined (Keep Fixed Amount, Allow Variable Amount, Allow Not to Move or Allow Move Everything). Allows to indicate how much money will be kept inside the safe box payment method.
- Post, print and close: Report with the information of the counting process
After the “Post, Print & Close” button is clicked, the automatic reconciliation process will start in the back office. The WebPOS application logs out the current user and navigates to the login window.
Reconcile Safe Box Payment Methods
As mentioned before, the reconciliation process is automatically done at the end of the Count Safe Box process.
For each payment method defined in the Safe Box, the automatic reconciliation process finished as follows:
- One reconciliation in status completed is created with the ending balance set as the amount to keep during the count Safe Box process.
- All previous not transactions not reconciled are set as Payment cleared and assigned to the reconciliation.
- If any difference is registered during the count process, a new transaction with the G/L item of differences is created with the amount and set as Payment Cleared. It is created in the Safe Box payment method financial account.
- If the amount to keep is different from the counted amount, a new withdrawal transaction with the G/L item of Drop/Deposit with the amount remaining from keep amount and set as Payment Cleared. It is created in the Safe Box payment method financial account.