Merchant App: Tutorial and FAQ

Tutorial

(Under construction: please check back soon for updates)

  1. Installation and App Update
    • the app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store
    • Google Play Store will provide updates as they become available. These updates can be found by opening the Google Play Store app and navigating to “Manage apps & device”
    • Once you have updated the App, check the About page to see the current App version number.
  2. Configuration
    • the About page shows the email address of the currently-logged-in user. If you log out you will need to provide credentials in order to log back in.
    • the About page has a “Voice Enabled” check box. Please leave this in its current state. For tablet devices with speech recognition capabilities this is used to enable speech recognition.
    • the About page has a “Production Mode” check box. For normal operations this box should remain checked; it allows the app to communicate with production cloud servers for real orders. (Unchecking this box allows special testing to be performed). 
  3. Setup of device and app
    • the tablet device can be left plugged in at all times: if you choose to unplug it when it is fully charged, it will be necessary to observe it so that the battery does not run too low such that the device turns itself off
    •  the app only operates in landscape mode; it can be flipped in which case it will rotate the screen (if you do this multiple times you may need to restart the app).
  4. Opening and Closing the App
    • the App can be opened by selecting the icon (“Voice Ordering System”)
    • to close the app, choose your tablet’s app selection button at the bottom of the screen, then hold your finger on the app and swipe up. Make sure you have actually closed the app, not just dismissed or hidden it.
  5. Start-of-day startup
    • if the device is off, power it on, then open “Voice Ordering System”
    • if the app had been left open, it is best to close and re-open it at this time (however this is not absolutely necessary) 
    • the “New Orders” page should be showing. Before opening time, there should not be any orders showing.
    • Normal operation is to leave the “New Orders” page as is.
  6. Ready mode
    • The New Orders page is in “Ready mode” by default.
    • The app polls a cloud service every 30 seconds to check for new orders. If you navigate to the Order History page or to the About page for several minutes, you will not be able to see new orders within the 30 second window – however this is okay since once you navigate back to the New Orders page, a refresh will take place again (within the next 30 seconds).
    • When a new order comes in, you may see it before you hear an alarm. The alarm is triggered by a timer and will show up within the next 30 seconds. The timer can be dismissed at any time using the “Dismiss Alarm” button. If you press any of the other buttons, the alarm will be dismissed.
  7. Handling a flexi-order (Todo)
  8. Handling a contingent order (Todo)
  9. Handling a scheduled order (Todo)
  10. Discarding (cancelling) an order (Todo)
  11. End-of-day follow-up
    • The consumer app (used by customers) is set so that it will stop allowing customer orders 25 or 30 minutes before your shop’s closing time. Please allow some extra time just in case – e.g. you can close or shut down the merchant app roughly 15 minutes before closing (if there are no active orders showing).
    • At or around the shop closing time, the app can be closed. If it is not closed overnight, it will continue to poll for orders – this does not cause any harm but simply uses unnecessary battery power and network bandwidth.
    • The tablet may be powered off overnight if desired. 
  12. Basic Troubleshooting
    • If the app appears to have stalled/hung, try closing and re-opening it. In some cases it will be able to resume normal operations.
    • If you get an error message regarding network connectivity, try dismissing the message and continuing work. You can also check the Order History page to see if it shows past orders. Otherwise, close and then re-open the app.

Frequently Asked Questions

(Under construction: please check back soon for updates)

  1. Installation
  2. Configuration
  3. Startup/setup
  4. Ready mode
  5. Handling a flexi-order
  6. Handling a contingent order
  7. Handling a scheduled order
  8. Discarding (cancelling) an order
  9. End-of-day follow-up