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POSitouch

Issuing and Redeeming Rewards or Gift Value through POSitouch

Step 1:  Open New Guest Check

Start a new guest check by entering table number and number in party. Select the items the table orders. If you’re testing the interface for training purposes, we recommend selecting a low cost item such as a beverage.  

Step 2:  Access the CC Auth Screen

After an item is selected press the Take Payment button and then select the CC Auth button as shown in the screen shot. The CC Auth screen is where the gift/loyalty transactions are processed PRIOR to taking payment (cash or credit card). 

Step 3:  Swipe/Scan, Hand-Key Card ID# or Patron 10 Digit Mobile Number

Manually hand-key or swipe a gift or loyalty card using POSi terminal swiper (not EMV swiper) out of your box. If you don’t have physical cards and running an eGift or card-less loyalty program then enter the 10 digit mobile phone number of someone who has signed up and joined your Loyalty/Rewards/VIP OR hand-key/ scan the 11 digit eGift Card on the customer's mobile device.

You will see up to 3 buttons displaying on the left-hand side of the keypad. Here is what these buttons mean:

Add Points (Top Button)

If running a loyalty/rewards program this button is used to exclusively issue rewards in clear cash back currency customers love according to your rewards parameters. Rewards are issued on total dollars spent automatically. Clerks only need to tap this button and then tap Enter and move on to checkout. If running gift card or eGift only, then disregard. You won't see this button.

Rewards Redeem (Middle Button)

If running a loyalty/rewards program this button is used to redeem rewards in clear dollar rewards currency against the guest check. Rewards are redeemed automatically and new rewards are issued automatically on the difference between the total bill and the redemption. Clerks only need to tap this button once and tap Enter to withdraw all available rewards OR use the keypad to enter a specific redemption amount at customer's request. If running a gift card or eGift only then disregard. You won't see this button.

Gift Redeem (Bottom Button)

If running a gift card or eGift card program then this button is used to redeem gift value from either plastic gift cards or digital eGift cards against the guest check. Tap this button, enter specific redemption amount using the keypad or just tap Enter to withdraw all available funds up to the amount of the guest check. Its easy.

Step 4: Cash Out Check with Real Payment

At this point, the loyalty or gift card transaction is recorded in real-time prior to actually taking and processing payment (cash or credit card). Go ahead and apply a tip (if applicable) and cash out the check as you would normally do to close the check.

And that sums up the Loyal Patron interface on your POSitouch system. Its very straightforward! You're either going to issue rewards on dollars spent (Add Points button) OR process a redemption of rewards (Rewards Redeem button) or redeem a gift or eGift card (Redeem Gift button). All other settings, marketing campaigns, reporting and parameters are controlled from your Loyal Patron back office account in the cloud.

If you want more detail on these individual buttons read on below for a deeper dive and examples.

Deeper Dive and Examples

Using the Add Points Button to Trigger Rewards Issuance without a Redemption

Select the top button (Add Points) so its highlighted (changes color on screen) and press ENTER. If the transaction processes correctly you should see the following message on screen that goes away after 1-2 seconds “SENDING REQUEST .  . Wait for slip and then touch OK to continue”. 

The Add Points transaction records the amount of money spent by the customer in order to ISSUE rewards according to the program parameters as configured from SETTINGS> Rewards Parameters inside your back office account. Reward parameters are 100% merchant configurable by authorized users with Administrator security clearance. Add Points is the most common transaction clerks will process to regularly record the amount of sales patrons spend for rewards calculation and issuance. 

What’s the deal with the “Points” terminology?
Technically speaking, customers don’t really accrue “points” in our platform but rather accumulate a cash value balance that can be redeemed dollar for dollar toward a guest check. Customers prefer this transparency because its easy to understand what they have. {Let’s face it, most of us have NO IDEA what 118 points means but we sure know what $12.42 means in real economic terms!). Better educated customers results in increased loyalty program engagement. Heightened engagement leads to increased visitation which lifts sales and store profitability. The ONLY reason we call the button “Add Points” is because the term is universally understood in the industry to issue loyalty credit to a customer. When the customer gets their receipt and automated Thank You Note email/text message, you better believe we’re reporting their reward balance in clear dollar currency everybody understands.  

By default, loyalty rewards accrue (issue) using the Add Points button on the pre-tax subtotal. This setting is not configurable which means sales tax is always excluded when issuing loyalty credit to patrons through the Add Points button.  When processing a redemption (rewards or gift value), however, balances are redeemable on the total amount of the bill inclusive of tips and tax by default. This setting is configurable based on the “remove tax ” setting of the payment type attached to the card. When servers add a tip they will press GC on the right hand side of the screen so it redeems from the gift (or reward balance) and not cash.

Hypothetical Rewards Issuance Example

Lets assume the pre-tax subtotal bill is $52.70 and the rewards configuration is set to 10% Instant Cash Back (with no spending threshold required), the system will issue the patron 52.70 x 10% = $5.20 in clear $X.XX reward currency that posts to your customer’s rewards balance and displays on the printed receipt. This reward balance will continue to increase with more sales activity until the patron is ready to redeem and cash out. Also remember, the rewards parameters are merchant configurable from SETTINGS> Reward Parameters so if you feel like you’re giving customers too much in rewards you can always change it. (Our recommendation> Keep rewards attractively high and be generous because they are proven to lift your sales and profitability at scale with increased return visits).    

Detailed Reporting

All gift cards, eGift cards, and/or loyalty transactions instantly post to your REPORTING> Reconciliation Report in real time. A copy of this report is emailed to authorized users on a daily basis for the previous' days activity.

Processing Reward Redemptions 

When your customer desires to redeem rewards earned from prior sales activity, your clerk will perform the identical Steps 1 through 3 above to open a guest check and take payment using CC Auth button. However, instead of selecting the Add Points button select Rewards Redeem as highlighted in image below. 

Once Rewards Redeem is highlighted on screen your clerks can attempt to redeem the entire amount of the check based on available rewards balance funds by selecting the ENTER button (most common). Alternatively, your clerk can input a specific redemption amount using the keypad such as 3.00 to represent $3.00 in rewards. Sometimes customers wish to redeem a very specific amount from their reward balance vs. cashing out all available rewards balances so this option to enter a specific redemption amount is available.  

The amount redeemed (Amt Tendered) will display on screen and show available balance owed to close the check if their reward balance is not sufficient to cover the entire amount due.  

In the example above, the total check amount is $10.90 and the customer is redeeming $2.49 reward which was their available reward balance. This means the customer will owe $8.41 to pay by cash or credit card. When a customer owes money because their reward balance is insufficient to cover the entire amount of the check, close out the ticket as you normally would at this stage since the rewards redemption (and any reward accruals) would have processed live by this stage. 

During a redemption, NEW rewards are issued to the customer but only on NEW money spent if the customer’s reward balance lacks sufficient funds to cover the entire amount of the guest check.  In the example above the customer would receive rewards on the $8.41 balance paid by cash or credit card since this is considered “New Money”. No double dipping is allowed in the system. Any new rewards will print on the transaction receipt along with the redemption details. 

Processing Loyalty Transactions is Easy!

Clerks will press only one (1) button (top or middle button) to record a loyalty transaction. Select ADD POINTS to issue loyalty credit on the sale OR select REWARDS REDEEM to redeem rewards PLUS issue loyalty credit on the difference. Clerks never need to press both buttons on the same guest check. Clerks never need to do any rewards math in their heads. The system will perform all calculations automatically.

Processing Gift Card Redemptions 

When your customer presents a gift card for redemption your clerk will perform the identical Steps 1 through 3 above to open a guest check and take payment using CC Auth button. However, instead of selecting the top ‘Add Points’ button or middle ‘Rewards Redeem’ button select the bottom button ‘Gift Redeem’. This button will exclusively redeem funds from the customer’s Gift Balance and apply the redemption amount toward the sales ticket. No rewards are issued or redeemed in this context. It’s just a simple gift card redemption at checkout.  If balances are not sufficient to cover the total amount owed then proceed to take cash or credit/card debit to settle the amount owed and close the check.      

No additional images found.

Issuing and Redeeming Rewards or Gift Value through POSitouch

This article covers how to issue new rewards to patrons on guest checks and redeem rewards (or gift value) through the POSitouch terminal. The redemption process for redeeming rewards vs. gift card (plastic) or digital eGift cards value is virtually identical other than selecting the properly labeled button during checkout. The entire Gift/Loyalty redemption process is actually very fast and easy but we have provided a lot of detail below to give you the full picture of how it all works including screen shots and training tips.

Step 1:  Open New Guest Check

Start a new guest check by entering table number and number in party. Select the items the table orders. If you’re testing the interface for training purposes, we recommend selecting a low cost item such as a beverage.  

Step 2:  Access the CC Auth Screen

After an item is selected press the Take Payment button and then select the CC Auth button as shown in the screen shot. The CC Auth screen is where the gift/loyalty transactions are processed PRIOR to taking payment (cash or credit card). 

Step 3:  Swipe/Scan, Hand-Key Card ID# or Patron 10 Digit Mobile Number

Manually hand-key or swipe a gift or loyalty card using POSi terminal swiper (not EMV swiper) out of your box. If you don’t have physical cards and running an eGift or card-less loyalty program then enter the 10 digit mobile phone number of someone who has signed up and joined your Loyalty/Rewards/VIP OR hand-key/ scan the 11 digit eGift Card on the customer's mobile device.

You will see up to 3 buttons displaying on the left-hand side of the keypad. Here is what these buttons mean:

Add Points (Top Button)

If running a loyalty/rewards program this button is used to exclusively issue rewards in clear cash back currency customers love according to your rewards parameters. Rewards are issued on total dollars spent automatically. Clerks only need to tap this button and then tap Enter and move on to checkout. If running gift card or eGift only, then disregard. You won't see this button.

Rewards Redeem (Middle Button)

If running a loyalty/rewards program this button is used to redeem rewards in clear dollar rewards currency against the guest check. Rewards are redeemed automatically and new rewards are issued automatically on the difference between the total bill and the redemption. Clerks only need to tap this button once and tap Enter to withdraw all available rewards OR use the keypad to enter a specific redemption amount at customer's request. If running a gift card or eGift only then disregard. You won't see this button.

Gift Redeem (Bottom Button)

If running a gift card or eGift card program then this button is used to redeem gift value from either plastic gift cards or digital eGift cards against the guest check. Tap this button, enter specific redemption amount using the keypad or just tap Enter to withdraw all available funds up to the amount of the guest check. Its easy.

Step 4: Cash Out Check with Real Payment

At this point, the loyalty or gift card transaction is recorded in real-time prior to actually taking and processing payment (cash or credit card). Go ahead and apply a tip (if applicable) and cash out the check as you would normally do to close the check.

And that sums up the Loyal Patron interface on your POSitouch system. Its very straightforward! You're either going to issue rewards on dollars spent (Add Points button) OR process a redemption of rewards (Rewards Redeem button) or redeem a gift or eGift card (Redeem Gift button). All other settings, marketing campaigns, reporting and parameters are controlled from your Loyal Patron back office account in the cloud.

If you want more detail on these individual buttons read on below for a deeper dive and examples.

Deeper Dive and Examples

Using the Add Points Button to Trigger Rewards Issuance without a Redemption

Select the top button (Add Points) so its highlighted (changes color on screen) and press ENTER. If the transaction processes correctly you should see the following message on screen that goes away after 1-2 seconds “SENDING REQUEST .  . Wait for slip and then touch OK to continue”. 

The Add Points transaction records the amount of money spent by the customer in order to ISSUE rewards according to the program parameters as configured from SETTINGS> Rewards Parameters inside your back office account. Reward parameters are 100% merchant configurable by authorized users with Administrator security clearance. Add Points is the most common transaction clerks will process to regularly record the amount of sales patrons spend for rewards calculation and issuance. 

What’s the deal with the “Points” terminology?
Technically speaking, customers don’t really accrue “points” in our platform but rather accumulate a cash value balance that can be redeemed dollar for dollar toward a guest check. Customers prefer this transparency because its easy to understand what they have. {Let’s face it, most of us have NO IDEA what 118 points means but we sure know what $12.42 means in real economic terms!). Better educated customers results in increased loyalty program engagement. Heightened engagement leads to increased visitation which lifts sales and store profitability. The ONLY reason we call the button “Add Points” is because the term is universally understood in the industry to issue loyalty credit to a customer. When the customer gets their receipt and automated Thank You Note email/text message, you better believe we’re reporting their reward balance in clear dollar currency everybody understands.  

By default, loyalty rewards accrue (issue) using the Add Points button on the pre-tax subtotal. This setting is not configurable which means sales tax is always excluded when issuing loyalty credit to patrons through the Add Points button.  When processing a redemption (rewards or gift value), however, balances are redeemable on the total amount of the bill inclusive of tips and tax by default. This setting is configurable based on the “remove tax ” setting of the payment type attached to the card. When servers add a tip they will press GC on the right hand side of the screen so it redeems from the gift (or reward balance) and not cash.

Hypothetical Rewards Issuance Example

Lets assume the pre-tax subtotal bill is $52.70 and the rewards configuration is set to 10% Instant Cash Back (with no spending threshold required), the system will issue the patron 52.70 x 10% = $5.20 in clear $X.XX reward currency that posts to your customer’s rewards balance and displays on the printed receipt. This reward balance will continue to increase with more sales activity until the patron is ready to redeem and cash out. Also remember, the rewards parameters are merchant configurable from SETTINGS> Reward Parameters so if you feel like you’re giving customers too much in rewards you can always change it. (Our recommendation> Keep rewards attractively high and be generous because they are proven to lift your sales and profitability at scale with increased return visits).    

Detailed Reporting

All gift cards, eGift cards, and/or loyalty transactions instantly post to your REPORTING> Reconciliation Report in real time. A copy of this report is emailed to authorized users on a daily basis for the previous' days activity.

Processing Reward Redemptions 

When your customer desires to redeem rewards earned from prior sales activity, your clerk will perform the identical Steps 1 through 3 above to open a guest check and take payment using CC Auth button. However, instead of selecting the Add Points button select Rewards Redeem as highlighted in image below. 

Once Rewards Redeem is highlighted on screen your clerks can attempt to redeem the entire amount of the check based on available rewards balance funds by selecting the ENTER button (most common). Alternatively, your clerk can input a specific redemption amount using the keypad such as 3.00 to represent $3.00 in rewards. Sometimes customers wish to redeem a very specific amount from their reward balance vs. cashing out all available rewards balances so this option to enter a specific redemption amount is available.  

The amount redeemed (Amt Tendered) will display on screen and show available balance owed to close the check if their reward balance is not sufficient to cover the entire amount due.  

In the example above, the total check amount is $10.90 and the customer is redeeming $2.49 reward which was their available reward balance. This means the customer will owe $8.41 to pay by cash or credit card. When a customer owes money because their reward balance is insufficient to cover the entire amount of the check, close out the ticket as you normally would at this stage since the rewards redemption (and any reward accruals) would have processed live by this stage. 

During a redemption, NEW rewards are issued to the customer but only on NEW money spent if the customer’s reward balance lacks sufficient funds to cover the entire amount of the guest check.  In the example above the customer would receive rewards on the $8.41 balance paid by cash or credit card since this is considered “New Money”. No double dipping is allowed in the system. Any new rewards will print on the transaction receipt along with the redemption details. 

Processing Loyalty Transactions is Easy!

Clerks will press only one (1) button (top or middle button) to record a loyalty transaction. Select ADD POINTS to issue loyalty credit on the sale OR select REWARDS REDEEM to redeem rewards PLUS issue loyalty credit on the difference. Clerks never need to press both buttons on the same guest check. Clerks never need to do any rewards math in their heads. The system will perform all calculations automatically.

Processing Gift Card Redemptions 

When your customer presents a gift card for redemption your clerk will perform the identical Steps 1 through 3 above to open a guest check and take payment using CC Auth button. However, instead of selecting the top ‘Add Points’ button or middle ‘Rewards Redeem’ button select the bottom button ‘Gift Redeem’. This button will exclusively redeem funds from the customer’s Gift Balance and apply the redemption amount toward the sales ticket. No rewards are issued or redeemed in this context. It’s just a simple gift card redemption at checkout.  If balances are not sufficient to cover the total amount owed then proceed to take cash or credit/card debit to settle the amount owed and close the check.      

Additional Images/Examples

No additional images found.

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