Summary
OrderMate software has the ability to generate Gift Vouchers that can be sold and redeemed through WaiterMate. Multiple types of Vouchers can be configured to cater for different requirements or to track different groups of Vouchers ie. purchased in store versus purchased through a third party.
Gift Vouchers can work in conjunction with pre generated barcodes, manually created codes or the OrderMate system can auto create a QR code that can be printed for the customer at the receipt printer. Prior to being able to sell or redeem Gift Vouchers in WaiterMate, they must first be configured in OfficeMate.
Note: The OrderMate Gift Voucher feature can not be used for complimentary vouchers as they require a Payment to be processed at the time of selling the voucher. Donation or Complimentary Discount Guide
Step 1 - Configure the Gift Voucher Type
Each type or kind of Gift Voucher needs to be configured in the Voucher Schemes set up page before any can be created in WaiterMate. The individual vouchers do not need to be individually created in OfficeMate, this set up will simply enable the voucher to be created in WaiterMate.
1. Navigate to the 'Voucher Schemes' screen in the navigation panel.
2. From the top of the screen, select the 'New' icon.
3. Edit the Dialog box as below.
Label - This field should describe the type of Gift Vouchers that you are creating ie. In Store
Expiry Period (Days) - Set the desired amount of days before the vouchers will expire. This can later be overridden in WaiterMate if required by users with a high enough permission level.
Create Unknown Voucher - This determines whether additional or new vouchers can be created in WaiterMate using this particular set up. Often vouchers are set up in 'Batches' by an Administrator or Manager so that other users can not create a voucher and are limited to using ones that already exist. An example of when this might be done or required is when using a physical gift card that an administrator would like to be set up in advance for the exact quantity of cards purchased.This would stop users from creating random cards.
This would be done by setting the permission to 'Always', creating the relevant vouchers in WaiterMate and then changing this setting back to 'Never'.
Hint: It is recommended that if Physical cards are not in use, then this configuration should be set to 'Ask' so that the user has the ability to create new gift vouchers, as it would be unlikely they are pre generated.
Print Docket - A docket with a unique QR code and any business logo that is installed on the printer will be automatically printed based on the strategy selected. Select only print on 'Topup', only print on 'Redeem', print on 'Topup' and 'Redeem' or 'Never' to not print a docket at all.
Unmodifiable Once used - Once this particular configuration has been used to create a Voucher in WaiterMate, anything below this line will no longer be editable. If a change is required to be made, a new set up will need to be made with the desired configuration.
Prefix - Each Gift voucher will be assigned a unique 'Voucher Code'. This is how the system identifies which 'Gift Voucher Type' that the Gift Voucher being created belongs to. When creating the gift voucher code, this prefix will be added to the beginning of the generated voucher code. If manually creating gift voucher codes, the user should begin with the number '06' followed by this prefix and then the desired code.
Hint: Gift Voucher codes and prefixes are case sensitive.
Auto Generate - If enabled, a voucher code will be automatically be generated at the Voucher creation stage. This is not required for physical gift cards that are printed with unique voucher codes.
Voucher Code Length - This will determine the required length of the voucher code excluding the prefix. For example a voucher code would be '06POS123456' if this was set to 6 digits (using the prefix of POS). Must be a minimum of 6 digits.
Hint: Be mindful of the length of digits if not using a scanner for redeeming vouchers as the user will need to enter this code into the POS.
Lock Timeout (seconds) - If using head office software, this setting will determine the length of time OrderMate will attempt to communicate with the server before it determines it can not communicate.
Step 2 - Update the Changes
Once the configuration has been completed, or any changes have been made to an existing set up, they are required to be sent to WaiterMate to be finalised.
1. Select 'Update Schemes' from the top of the screen.
2. Ensure that no one is using the voucher set up screen in OfficeMate or creating any Vouchers in WaiterMate. Select 'Ok' from the dialog box.
Step 3 - Selling or Redeeming a Gift Voucher
Now that the configuration has been complete, the Gift Vouchers can be created using the WaiterMate software. Please see How to Sell a Gift Voucher or How to Redeem a Gift Voucher