We can first get started with the basic building blocks of setting up a POS Application, which is Item/Menu Creation. This part of the guide will consist of walking you through how you can quickly set up your list of Items for your Restaurant/Retail Outlet.

As we know that in a Restaurant our Item List will comprise of two types of entities;

● Menu Items (which are prepped in the kitchen and served to customer eg. Burgers, Sandwiches, etc)
● Stock Items (these are items which are used as ingredients in the kitchen for Menu Items and are not sold to the customers directly)

Let us now navigate to our Althea Suite window to get started on creating items.

1. From the main menu option, go to Products > Items.
2. Click on + New Item button on the top-left to launch the New Item page.
3.  Enter the Product Name  and Description

• • SKU (stock keeping unit) – The code that identifies the product within your business. For effective tracking and sales reporting, each SKU needs to be unique.

• •  Name – Enter the name of your product.
  • Description (optional) – The description of your product. Describe your products in detail

    4. Category – Select the item category. You can create product categories to organize your products, making them easier for you to find.

Althea Suite allows you to quickly and easily import your items using Excel file rather than having to manually create all your items. To help you with the import process, Althea POS provides the Item Import tool. The Item Import tool uses the data in an Excel file to create new items. Please see importing item list via excel file.

If your product has options, like size or color, then you can add a Custom Fields for each combination of options. Please see how to create custom fields in Althea POS

Importing Item List

1. From the main menu option, go to Products> Items.
2. Click the Item Upload button.
3. You can download a sample excel template by choosing the Microsoft Excel version you have on your computer.
4. Format your excel file as shown in this example file.
   • Category – Enter the item category. For example Staples, Beverages, etc.
   • SKU – (stock keeping unit) – The code that identifies the product within your business. For effective tracking and sales reporting, each SKU needs to be unique.
   • Item Name – enter the item name
   • Sales price before tax – enter item basic sales price (excluding sales tax). Sales price after tax will be auto-calculated based on tax percent. Example: if the sales price before tax is 5 and tax percent is 5, the sales price is calculated as sales price before tax + 5 percent of the basic sales price.
   • Tax Name – enter the sales tax name. Example: VAT
   • Tax Percent – enter a numeric value
   • Measuring Unit – enter item measuring unit. Example: Qty, Lb., BOX etc
5. Click Browse to locate your excel file, then click Open.
6. Click on Item Upload button.

Note: If you have an Excel file that was exported from another store or came from another source, make sure it matches the excel file format shown below. If the format doesn’t match, or if there are any missing headers, then the import will fail.

Custom Fields

1. From the main menu, click Inventory > Custom Fields > New Custom Field.
2. Enter a Custom Field Name.
3. Select the Field Type – the type of custom field you are creating and click Create.

• • Text – Creates a text box. This field accepts all data such as alphabets and special characters.
  • Number – Creates a text box. This type of field accepts only positive numbers without decimal points (whole numbers).
  • Lookup Value – Creates a drop-down selection list. You can create a list of possible values for a custom field of the type Lookup-value. Later, whenever a selection is to be made, a selection can be done from the available list of values
  • Date Time – This field allows you to select a date from the calendar.
  • Fractional Number – This filed accepts positive fractional numbers

Creating Combo Items

A combo meal typically includes a combination of items in it. However, before creating a combo meal, we will have to create each of the combo meal groups. The hierarchy of a combo meal: Combo Meal -> Combo Meal Group -> Items.

Adding Combo Groups

First, we will need to create a number of combo meal groups and specify what item is in it.

1. From Main Menu option, go to Products -> Combo Groups
2. Click on the + Add New Group button on the top to add a new one.
3. Enter the combo group name. We will name it as ‘Veg Pizza Choice’ in this case.
4. Enter the minimum and maximum quantity. While creating the group, it is very important to mention the minimum and maximum quantity. It allows customers to choose the items from the combo group.
5. Click Create.
6. You would need to repeat the above steps in order to create a number of combo meal group.

Adding items combo group

1. Click on Add Item to Group, pop up as below will be shown.
2. Select the item you would like to include in this combo meal group.
3. By default, all items have no additional price, specify in the additional price column if it is required.
4. Click on Add and Add the group.
5. You would need to repeat the above steps in order to add items to the combo  group.
   As you can see in the screenshot below, we have created ‘Pizza Choice’, ‘Drinks Choice’, and ‘Sides’.

Adding Combo Item

1. To create the actual combo, we have to do it under Products –> Add Item
2. Click on + New and make sure you mark the item as Is Combo.
   The process of creating a combo is the same as the item, however, it is compulsory to assign a combo meal group for it.
3. Click on Set Combo, choose a combo group to be under this combo.
4. As you can see, we have added ‘Pizza Choice’, ‘Drinks Choice’, and ‘Sides’.
5. Now specify the price for this combo and Save.

Settings

Configuring Email Settings

Configuring Payment Gateway

Althea Suite supports Square, PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net  payment gateways by default. Follow the steps to configure your payment gateway.

Note: Depending on your payment processor, you need the POS credentials below. You can get them from your payment processor account or by contacting your payment processor.

Square – ( Location id and Authorization id)

PayPal – ( Email Id registered with PayPal)

Stripe – ( Email Id registered with Stripe)

Authorize.net – ( API login id and Transaction Key)

1. From the main menu, click Settings > Payment Gateway.
2. From the Gateway drop-down list, select your payment processor. The options for your payment processor display
3. In the Gateway Credentials, enter the POS credentials you received from your payment processor 
4. Click Create to save your payment gateway.

Sales

Quick Sale In Althea

1. From the main menu option, go to Sales > Sales Invoice.
2. Click on Create Invoice to create a new sales invoice
3. In the New Invoice page, few details like Currency, Business Location, and Cash Register will be pre-selected. You can change it if required.
4. You can select the Customer by typing, clicking on down arrow with few Customer selections, or can also search or create a new customer by clicking on the three-dotted button.
   • To create new customer
   • Click on the three-dotted button […]
   • Click on New button. Enter basic customer details in the appropriate fields including customer name, phone number, email id, and click on Create.
5. Similarly, you can select the Employee.
6. Enter the SKU of the product by manually typing it or by scanning.
7. If you do not know SKU you can also select the Item by its name. Item name can be selected by directly typing it, by clicking on down arrow with few item selections or by clicking on the three-dotted button which will show all items as well as allow creating a new one.
8. You can also change the quantity of selected items.
9. If you want to remove any item from the invoice you can click on the three-dotted button and click on Remove.
10. Click on Pay Now to save the payment details.
11. Select the payment mode [Cash, Card, Gift Card, or Store Credit] and enter the amount received in the Amount field. You can also use multiple payment modes for a single invoice.
12. If the customer wants to pay online you can also send a payment link to them. Make sure email id is entered for the selected customer and email settings are done by going to Settings à General Settings

Online Shop

Your online store will automatically use your Althea settings for checkout and order fulfillment. Your products/Menu will automatically appear in your online store.

Your online store is automatically assigned a unique website address. This looks like your-store-name online.altheasuite.com and it’s based on the store name that you entered when you signed up.

There are a few steps you should follow before launching to make sure your online store is ready for customers.

Online Shop Setup

Online Shop Business Location:

Here we need to select your business location name which you are going to link with Online Shop.

Online Shop Cash Register:

Here you need to select the cash register which you want to associate with your Online Shop.

Company Logo

Here you can add your Company/Shop logo. By clicking on the plus button you can see a dialog appear where you can choose to upload the logo from your device and then accordingly arrange it using the Crop, Left or Right buttons. Ensure to click on the Apply button to save changes.

Online Shop Banners

Here you can upload banners for your Online Shop. The ideal size for banner images is 980x256px.
You can add up-to seven banners here. Make sure to click on Apply to save changes.

Delivery

Delivery Offset:
The value for delivery offset is in hours. In the Online Shop the delivery slots that are visible to customers are after the offset time from current time.

Example: 

If the defined delivery time slots are 10am-12pm, 1pm-3pm, 3pm-5pm and 5pm-7pm, delivery offset is given as 2hours. 

If the current time is 10:40am, customers will be able to see the delivery slots as 1pm-3pm, 3pm-5pm and 5pm-7pm. 

10am-12pm time slot will not be visible to customers. 

As current time is 10:40am and offset is 2 hours the available slots after 12:40 pm (10:40am+2hours) will be visible to customers. 

Maximum Delivery in a slot:
Here we can enter the maximum number of deliveries that can be done in each time slot. 

Number of Days to Advance Deliveries:
Here you can mention the maximum number of days for which Advance deliveries can be taken.

Time Slots

Here you need to enter the time slots for delivery of online orders to customers. 

• By clicking on the “New Button” you can create a new Time Slot. 

• You can check on the boxes next to the days that you would like to include in that Time Slot along with the start and end time. 

• There can be multiple time slots for different sets of days that you might want to create. 

• To save changes make sure to click on the “Create” Button.
  

To save the overall Online Shop changes done make sure to click on the Apply button. 

Althea POS mobile app

Installation

For IOS users

• Go to App Store > search for Althea POS, and install the following app.

For Android Users

• Go to Play Store > search for Althea POS, and install the following app.

Click here to download the Althea POS app from play store 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hyperdrivesolutions.hdpegasus

Getting Started with Althea POS App

1. Run the Althea POS app
2. Once you have launched the application, you will be prompted to add your account details.
3. Enter your Account Number, (received in your email address you entered during registration.) You can find your account number on web application > My Account
4. Althea POS will take a moment or two to authorize your account.
5. Enter your User Id and Password and tap on Login.
6. After successful login, you will be prompted to select the payment gateway.

Althea POS App supports Square, and No Payment Gateway (Processing sale with Non-Integrated Payment Gateway) by default. Follow the steps to configure your payment gateway.

Square Payment Gateway

In order to process credit card payments, you have to authorize the device for your square account.

You will be prompted with the below screen to authorize the device for your square account. Tap on Authorize this device for your square account.

Enter your square account sign details and tap on Sign In.

Next, you will be prompted for Cash Register selection Select the Cash Register you would like to use with Althea POS app.

Creating an order

1. Add items from the list displayed on the left by tapping on them.
2. If you are prompted with a negative stock warning message, tap Yes to continue, this will let you sell this item even though you do not have the stock available in Althea POS. 

Removing Item from sales order

• If you need to remove an item from the sale order, simply right-swipe the product’s row and tap on the trash icon.

 Adding a note about a product 

• To add item note, simply left wipe the product’s row and tap on the edit icon and select the note you want to add.

To Add New Note

• • • Tap on Add New Note, you will be prompted with new screen.
    • Tap on the plus button and type the note you want to add 
    • Tap on Add. Tap on the back button to select the item note.

    3. When all items are added, tap on Pay Now.

    4. You will be prompted with payment options (Cash or Card). Select the payment mode to complete a sale.

Putting a sale on hold

1. Tap the menu button in the top right of the Althea POS app.
2. Select Hold Invoice from the menu options.

To Pick Held Invoice

1. Tap the menu button in the top right of the Althea POS app 
2. Select Pick Held Invoice from the menu options. 
3. This brings up a list of held invoices. Select the invoice you want to process a payment.

To Cancel Invoice

1. Tap the menu button in the top right of the Althea POS app and select Cancel Invoice.

KOT App 

HDKOT app uses your smartphone or tablet to display order information in the kitchen/bar for preparation when an order is placed from the online store/ in-store . One can instantly send KOTs generated from online order to the kitchen for preparation.

1.  Real-Time Orders display
2. Route items to a specific area of the kitchen i.e. drinks station, dessert stations, food, etc. ·
3. Get in-app notification on your android device each time an order is placed

Installing HDKOT App.

Click on below link to download from Google Play Store https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hyperdrivesolutions.hdkot

Instruction to connect HDKOT App with your Althea Suite Account

1. Run HDKOT App.
2. Click on the bell icon.
3. Click on + button as shown below. Enter KOT Subscription Code
4. To get KOT Subscription Code, log in to the Althea suite.
5. Select business location, click on three-dotted button [:]
6. Select Additional Receipts option from the list.
7. Select Additions Receipts and Click on three-dotted button [:], select View Receipt.
8. You will find KOT Subscription Code under App Notification Settings section.

Working in HDKOT App

1. KOTs: This option displays all the pending kitchen order token (KOT) for orders from online or instore
2. All Ready: Mark order as ready or not ready.
3. Deliver All: Click on Deliver All if all the items of a single KOT is delivered. Ready and Deliver option is also available for each item in a particular KOT, you can handle status of each item included in a single order individually for instance you can mark an item as delivered, undelivered, ready, not ready.
4. All Items: This displays all the pending items from the orders.
5. Completed KOTs: This will display the completed KOTs