Checking Out Customers
How to Checkout a Customer in Astro
You will use this interface to check out customers in person and add their active (un-redeemed) paper cards into Astro when you are first getting started. In order to Checkout a customer in Astro, they must first be added to your customer list.
Step One: Select Checkout
Select Check Out from the Header Menu at the top of your screen, or click on the Green Shopping Cart in the middle of your home screen.
Step Two: Lookup Customer
Now that you are under the Lookup Customer screen start typing in the customer's first name, last name, phone number, or email address. Once you type 4 characters, Astro will start auto-searching through your customer list. The more characters you type, the more narrow the search becomes. Once you see the customer you are looking up, click the red Select button next to their info.
If your customer's name only contains 3 letters, type the Space Bar after the third letter, and you will see their account appear.
Step Three: Add Purchases
There are several ways to add items to Astro.
1. Use a Scanner to Scan the UPC of the Product
Scanning is by far the fastest way to add items to Astro. As soon as you are on a customer's Checkout screen, you can start scanning items. There is no need to place a cursor on the search bar. Astro will create the cards for you automatically, populating as you scan more items into the system.
2. Use your Keyboard or Mouse to Copy/Pasting Items onto the Search Bar
By clicking the Scanner/Keystroke toggle switch above your search bar to Off (the search bar will turn from grey to white), you will be able to use your keyboard to copy a UPC out of another document and paste that UPC onto the search bar. You will need to hit enter on your keyboard or click Search to add the item. Make sure the UPC you entered contains 12 digits.
3. Use the Filter Lookup Tool
Just under the search bar, there is a drop-down menu where you can select a manufacturer. This list will only show the manufacturers who have programs you are currently enrolled in. After you choose a manufacturer, another drop-down menu will appear to the right, where you can select either the Master Program pertaining to that manufacturer or one of the Subprograms under the Master Program. After you choose a program, a third drop-down menu will appear that will give you a list of all items included in either the Master Program or the Subprogram. Selecting the Master Program will reveal a list containing all items made by that manufacturer that are included in their frequent buyer program. The Subprograms are more specific and will reveal a narrower search result since they will only contain items specific to their description. You can turn this feature off if you choose by clicking the toggle switch above the search bar that says Show/Hide Filter Lookup.
If you do not see the item you are looking for under the Subprogram you selected, try going back and selecting the Master Program from the middle drop-down menu. If you still do not see the item you are looking for, type or scan the item UPC into the search bar, and you will be prompted to add an exception.
After you add an item to Astro using one of the three methods above, it will appear under Today's Purchases and as a Green Check on a digital card. If you are adding more than one of the same item, you can adjust the quantity by clicking the Add Item button under the Search Bar (yellow arrow) or clicking the red Plus Sign button next to the item listed under Today's Purchases (orange arrow), or clicking the next empty punch slot on the digital card (green arrow).
Clicking on the next available empty punch slot on a digital card will create a pop-up containing a drop-down menu with items that qualify for that card. The pop-up will default to the last item purchased unless you choose a different item from the drop-down menu.
If you need to add a note to a card, you can click on the Edit Card Notes button attached to the card. Clicking on the Expand Card Details button will reveal all prior purchases and the dates they were purchased on. (Do not worry about adjusting the dates when adding old transactions off a paper card.) Any redeemed cards and all current cards will be visible under "History," located to the left of the screen under Checkout and Cancel.
Step Four: Click Checkout to Save
After all, items have been entered into Astro, click Checkout, located at the left of your screen under the customer's name and info.
If you add more than one item to a frequent buyer card, you will trigger the Multi-Item pop-up. This pop-up lets you quickly select the reason for adding multiple items during one transaction from a drop-down menu. This reason is communicated to your distributor and manufacturer, thus ensuring your credits are processed properly.
Now you will find yourself under the Confirmation Screen (aka the Finish Screen or the Redemption Screen). If your customer is redeeming a completed card, this is the screen where this will happen. Double-check that all items have been entered correctly. If you need to make any changes click the Return to Checkout button near the top right of your screen under Items Purchased this Visit (see the yellow arrow on the picture under Step 5 below).
Do not click the browser back button, it works sometimes, but it's not recommended.
You can edit your customer's name and contact info by clicking on the incomplete account alert button or their email address. There is even a place to add their pet's names!
Step Five: Click Finished to FInalize
Once you are confident that everything has been entered properly, click Finished to the left of your screen. This will finalize and lock in the transaction and return you to the Lookup Customer screen so you can move on to the next customer or card.
If you clicked Finished too soon, just as you realized you made a mistake, or maybe your customer changed their mind about a purchase, don't worry! You can still edit the transaction. Look up the customer's name again, and you will be returned to their checkout screen. If you need to remove a purchase, click the Remove button next to the item's name under Today's Purchases or click the Green Check corresponding to that purchase. Click Finished again to finalize the changes that you made.
Helpful Addon Feature: Customer Notes
Currently, you have the capability to add a note to a customer's frequent buyer card during checkout. This is helpful if you want to remind yourself about something pertaining to that particular frequent buyer card. Such as the original purchase dates of a paper card conversion, "returned last purchase," or "dog didn't like the chicken formula but loves the fish," etc). These notes stay with the frequent buyer card, and once the card is redeemed, they will no longer show up under Checkout.
But what if you want to record a note that will stay with the customer's Pet Owner account indefinitely? If this interests you email us at support@astroloyalty.com and we can turn this feature on for you. Then you will be able to see a little notepad icon next to your customer's name under Checkout. If the notepad is black it means there is no note saved. Click on it to add a note, then save. If a note is recorded on the notepad it will turn from black to red. To view the note simply hover your mouse over the notepad and a text bubble will appear. To edit the note just click on the notepad to bring up the text box.
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