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Showing posts from 2017

Exchanging Items

When a customer wants to exchange an item you could just do a refund on the first sale and then do a new sale. However, giving the customer the cash back and then doing a new sale is a bit cumbersome. You also might have an exchange policy but not allow refunds. There is a very good and efficient solution for exchanges in ROBOTILL . ROBOTILL allows you to refund cash or refund into an account. You wouldn't want to create a new customer account each time a customer wants to exchange an item. The solution is to create a couple of  'Exchange Credit Cards'. Setting up your Exchange Cards Open General Configuration in  ROBOTILL Manager > Setup > System Configuration. Check 'Use Customer Cards' and Update. In Customers, create a couple of  Exchange Credit Customers - 'Exchange Credit 1', 'Exchange Credit 2', etc.  - See below: You can then print exchange credit cards with a barcode containing the customer account number. Altern

Cashiers sharing a cash drawer

One of the most important features of a Point of Sale System is the ability to tell if there are cash missing and who is responsible. This is done by linking a cashier to a specific cash drawer (the money in the till). But what do you do if your shop does not have a dedicated cashier per till and your employees share a till point and cash drawer? ROBOTILL allows you to work with any number of cashiers during a shift(s). Each cashier however is linked to a specific cash drawer. This is the only way an employee can be held responsible for the money in the till. All the transactions done is linked to a cash drawer - and to the cashier linked to that drawer. So what do you do when you want to allow multiple cashiers to share one cash drawer? This set up is not recommended as you will obviously not be able to tell who was responsible if there is cash short during cash up. If however you trust your employees and you want to work like this, then you can do the following: ROBOTIL

POS Themes and Button Colours

In ROBOTILL version 7 you can now choose different colour (or color depending where you are from) themes for your point of sale modules. You can also customize these themes and select colours for product buttons and custom buttons for easier and quicker selection by cashiers and waiters. For more information on how the colour themes and buttons work, see Themes and Button Colours in the online help . What else is new in version 7? The POS colours (that can now be selected) is used throughout the POS modules and not just in the main screens. Various screens have been improved for easier and quicker selection with more buttons per 'page'.  The 'Product Category' screen that can be opened from a custom button in the 'More' screen has been improved.  The slip history now displays payment types in the main screen to enable users to find the required slip more easily.  The 'Tip' screen was improved and now allows the waiter to add the tip amount

Custom buttons in POS Retail

The ROBOTILL Retail Point of Sale Module allows you to add custom touch screen buttons. These buttons can be accessed by pressing the 'More' button in the Retail Module. The buttons can be shortcuts to POS functions like 'Convert a sale to a quote' or shortcuts to products that are frequently used but don't have barcodes (for example a plastic carry bag). There are 4 types of functions (buttons) that can be added: Shortcut to a POS Function like 'Open Drawer'. Shortcut to a Product.  Shortcut to a Product Category. External programs can be called with various parameters so that ROBOTILL can interact with other 3rd party software or custom add-on's.  If a Product Category button is added and pressed in the retail module, a product selection screen for that category will be opened. The cashier will be able to add multiple items to the sale without needing to scan the items. Normally you would add a category of products that are oft

Using multiple printers for different forms

ROBOTILL version 6.05 allows you to choose different printers for different forms (till slips, receipts, quotations, intermediate bills, etc). With previous versions the default printer would have been used by POS Retail module and POS Restaurant module. You can now for instance choose that the receipts be printed on your POS slip printer but that the lay-bye contracts be printed on a A4 printer.  To see how to set this up see: POS Printers in our online help The different forms can also be designed for different stationary (slip paper or A4) - see Print Design for more information. Other changes in version 6.05: The Refunds report has been improved.  It is now possible to turn on a warning if stock that is 'out of stock' is being added to a sale. To add this feature, in Manager go to Setup > System Configuration > 'General Setup' and check the box that says "Warn if items that is out of stock is sold" An option was added during the stoc

ROBOTILL Version 6.04.01 Released

ROBOTILL released version 6.04.01 of their Point of Sale System with the following enhancements and fixes: New discounts report was added. Available at Reports > Sales > Discounts. On the Restaurant POS Module, if you selected that waiters must enter their passwords, you can now allow a manager or supervisor to select the table without needing to change the waiter at the table. This is done with the security override feature and the security level required can be specified in the Task Security (new task is 'Select Any Table'). Pole display was fixed to show the price including or excluding tax as selected in setup. Combo deals and coupons did not display in the intermediate bill - this is now fixed.  The new version can be downloaded from the ROBOTILL Website .

Restaurant Waiter Stations

With ROBOTILL Restaurant Software  you can set-up waiter stations. Waiters can use a waiter station to select his/her tables, add items, send order slips through to the kitchen or bar, print intermediate bills, split bills, add tips and more. Previously, waiters had to use one of the till points where the cashier that allocated him/her the table was logged in. Now (in version 6.04), waiters can use any till point no matter who is logged in. To create a dedicated waiter station that will not be used for payments, do the following: You will need another Windows computer. A touch screen will be better but is optional.  Link the new ROBOTILL installation to your server by following these steps when you install .  In ROBOTILL Manager (from any computer), create a 'Waiters' user (or multiple of these for each waiter station).  If you chose not to automatically allocate cash drawers then you will need to open a drawer for this user in ROBOTILL Manager. As no sales will be

Getting your POS to work with USA Tax

ROBOTILL (the International Point of Sale System ) by default will use VAT and display prices including tax as this is how most countries work. Some countries however (like the USA) have other requirements. In this article I will show how easy it is in ROBOTILL to change your tax set-up to work for a country like the USA. Basically what we want to achieve is for our receipts (till slips) to look something like the image above. Each item on the slip should display the amount excluding sales tax instead of the amount including sales tax (the default in ROBOTILL). As each item does not show the amount with tax, we want to indicate which items will be taxed. In the sample above we added a 'F' for tax free and a 'T' for taxable after each item (the default print setup does not have this column). We then also want to display the total without tax and then the total amount of tax (instead of giving a tax break down after the total including tax is displayed like

Restaurant Bill Split

It is easy to split bills in the Restaurant Software of ROBOTILL . The waiter/cashier can split a bill (sale) at a restaurant table into several bills (sales). The split can be done at any time - at the end of the sale when the customers want to pay - or even in the middle of service when more items will still be ordered. To split a bill, the waiter selects the table in the Restaurant module of ROBOTILL and then selects 'Sale Options' > 'Split Bill'. The waiter can then choose the items that should be moved to a separate bill. This process can be repeated multiple times if a bill needs to be split into several smaller bills. For more information about the split of bills, see the ROBOTILL Online Help: http://poshelp.robotill.com/RestaurantBillSplit.aspx You can also download the Free Edition of ROBOTILL from the ROBOTILL Website . Note that the bill split feature is not available in the free edition.

Manage Multiple Branches

The new ROBOTILL Branch Module allows you to manage multiple branches over the Internet, anywhere in the world, from a central location. You can update branches with products and prices and also transfer stock between branches. ROBOTILL always supported any number of tills (POS Computers) and back office computers on a local network using a powerful and robust database (Microsoft SQL Server). You also had the option of using a  cloud server for your Point of Sale System  if a local network was not an option for you. It was however limited to one 'shop'. Now, you can manage multiple shops (branches) over the Internet. Each branch will still have its own database with a local network (or cloud server) to connect the various tills and back office computers at the branch. The ROBOTILL Branch Module is an optional new add-on to your system and requires a Branch Module license. You only need one Branch Module license per company to manage multiple branches from one computer

ROBOTILL V6 is here!

ROBOTILL Version 6 has arrived and is ready for download. The biggest change in Version 6 is that ROBOTILL now has 'Branch Support' that allows you to manage multiple branches or shops remotely over the Internet. ROBOTILL Branch Manager ROBOTILL Branch Module allows you to do the following: Manage multiple shops using ROBOTILL Point of Sale Software over the Internet - no local network or VPN required between the shops or branches. Receive reports from the branches remotely. Update branches remotely with product setup, prices, print design and more. Do stock transfers between branches or shops and view the progress of the transfers (dispatch, delivery and quantities). Please note the following regarding the licensing of the Branch Manager: The ROBOTILL POS System has free editions of ROBOTILL Manager, ROBOTILL Retail and ROBOTILL Restaurant modules but not of the ROBOTILL Branch Manager. When you purchase  ROBOTILL POS License you get a the full edition

Upgrade to new ROBOTILL License

As explained in a  previous article , ROBOTILL has a new licensing system. If you are an existing customer that upgraded to the full edition before version 5.80.07, please follow these instructions to upgrade to the new system. Get the Registration Code of ROBOTILL as explained in our online help - Register ROBOTILL Customers upgrading from and old version will need to supply some additional information not mentioned in the online help: New Registration Code as displayed in the image above. Legacy Registration Number - To get this number, open ROBOTILL Manager on the computer you want to re-register, click on Help > Legacy Registration Number. The number will automatically be copied to your clipboard and you can just right click in an email and click on Paste. Description of Computer - Example 'Back Office Computer' or 'Till 2'. Email used to purchase the license - This is only needed if you are emailing from another email address. Example of Email:

Protect your POS System against Ransomware

I am sure you are aware of the biggest cyber attack ever - WannaCry. Up to a million computers were affected and the virus is still spreading. It is a ransomware attack, meaning the attackers demand payment before releasing the hijacked computers. If no payment is made the data on the computer is lost. To protect your valuable Point Of Sale data of your ROBOTILL system, do the following: Enable automatic daily backups in ROBOTILL  Copy the backup files on another device like an external hard drive or a cloud sever. Make sure your Windows updates are up to date. If you follow these steps, the data in your Point Of Sale System will be safe.

ROBOTILL Licensing System Upgraded

ROBOTILL upgraded its Point of Sale Software Licensing System. Customers of the Free POS Software Edition and new customers will not be affected. Existing customers will need to register again. For this reason it is suggested that customers of the Full Edition with version number 5.80.04 or earlier, upgrade and email the new registration codes directly after close of business to allow the ROBOTILL Support team enough time to generate new keys for them. There where two main reasons for the licensing upgrade: Unlike the old licensing system, the new licensing system will not require new keys after a major Windows upgrade or a computer name change. Due to the fact that ROBOTILL is becoming a very popular Point of Sale System, it has become the target of hackers and crackers.  To see how the new ROBOTILL Registration works, see our online help: http://poshelp.robotill.com/RegisterROBOTILL.aspx

Workshop and Job Cards

ROBOTILL now has a new Workshop module. The Workshop module is ideal for shops that does repairs and various other kinds of 'jobs'. 'Jobs' are booked in by the Retail Point of Sale Module . The workshop can then work on multiple open jobs with the new Workshop Module and add items like labour, parts, etc. to the various jobs. Once a job is marked as complete, the job can be invoiced by the cashier (Retail Module). The Workshop Module can run on the same computer as the till (Retail Module), the back office computer (ROBOTILL Manager) or on a separate dedicated computer in the workshop. The good news: It's FREE! You require at least one registered POS Point to use the workshop module, but you don't pay extra for the workshop modules and you can use as many as you need. Other new enhancements included in Version 5.8: Workshop module was added as a separate module and added to the ROBOTILL program group (icon on your desktop and available from All Apps

Quotations and Other Improvements

ROBOTILL Version 5.70 has been released and is available for download ( Download the free edition of ROBOTILL - Point of Sale Software ). Quotations Improved The Quotations in ROBOTILL has been enhanced. You no longer need to create, or use a customer in order to do a quotation. You can now also use once-off customers. A quotation comment has also been added that you can use to identify the correct quotation or add special notes. The quotation comment can also be printed on the the quotation slip. For more information see Quotations in our Online Help Customer Accounts Improved The customer accounts in ROBOTILL has also been improved. The customer statement screen is replaced with a Customer Accounts screen. You can now view statements and credit/debit a customer account from the new accounts screen. The new customer account debit/credit is if you need to change a customer balance for another reason other than account payments or account sales. Other enhancements

Process Card Payments

ROBOTILL now directly connects to card readers to process card payments effortlessly. Our South African customers can contact Sureswipe  to order a supported card machine. ROBOTILL also supports international card devices from various international companies. Our international customers can contact one of the following companies: Handpoint TSYS First Data vantiv BORGUN EVO Payments International For help setting up your card reader click here . Processing card payments automatically is supported in the free point of sale edition, as well as the retail and restaurant modules of ROBOTILL.  

Cash Drawer Reports Improved

The cash drawer reports in ROBOTILL has been improved. There are two different types of drawer reports in ROBOTILL, one that is printed at the POS point (on the till slip) and another that is printed from ROBOTILL Manager. Both has been improved and a lot more detail was added. It is also now easier to view drawer reports from drawers that has been closed some time ago with the new Cash Drawer Screen. Please Note: With previous versions of ROBOTILL, if a customer withdrew cash at the till with his bank card, it caused the balance in the drawer to go out. This bug has been fixed in version 5.6 and it is suggested that all customers upgrade to the latest version. The latest version can be downloaded at http://www.robotill.com Upgrades are free for all customers including customers of the Free Point of Sale version of ROBOTILL.

POS System with Cloud Database

ROBOTILL is a Point of Sale System that comes with a SQL Server database that can be installed as a stand-alone system (one computer) or on a local network with multiple computers (POS Points and Back Office computers). Now, with ROBOTILL Version 5.5, you can also connect to a database server in the cloud like Microsoft SQL Azure. Advantages of using a database in the cloud: You don't need to setup a local network to connect all your till points and back office computers. Distance between points is not an issue as you connect over the internet and not through a local network.  You can manage and monitor your shop or restaurant from home (or any location). Things to keep in mind (disadvantages): All your POS Points (tills) and back office computers will need an Internet connection. Your Internet connection will need to be fast and stable as you will not be able to work if the connection goes down.  The performance (speed) of ROBOTILL can go down depending on your

POS Product Cost

ROBOTILL Version 5.45 was released and is available for download. Product Costs (Unit Cost - the cost to your company for manufacturing or purchasing) can now automatically be calculated when you are using compound items. There are two different calculations: 1) Applying compound cost to sub items Applying compound cost to sub items. If you receive stock as a compound item (example a box of 24 cans), then the cost for individual cans will be calculated and applied to the sub item (the can). 2) Applying sub item cost to a compound item If you have a complex compound item like a breakfast that has multiple sub items (2 slices of toast, 2 eggs, etc), then the cost of the breakfast will automatically be calculated. You can also choose to let ROBOTILL automatically adjust compound item cost prices if a sub item cost price changed. For example, if you have various items that uses a slice of cheese as a sub item, and the cost of a slice of cheese changes, then ROBOTILL will au