Lettronics Support

Hi,

I'm looking at ideas to peddle to management about replacing our company's current EPOS system. Presently, we've got an ancient character based system using dumb terminals which access the software running on a central server. Changing it will mean replacing all the cheap Telnet terminals with real computers, so saving on the software would be good.

 You've got a great EPOS system here - functionality is just as good as some of the commercial alternatives I've looked at, but there are two big feature requests I have before we could move to it.

 1) We sell high-value electrical goods. In order to aid with registering warranties, servicing etc, we need to have an accurate record of the serial number for most things we sell. Our present system can record serial numbers, and when selling a product will pop up a window listing all the serial numbers for the selected item for the salesperson to choose from. It is essential that the system lists numbers to choose from rather than allowing the salesperson to enter it because on many products it's not immediately obvious which code is the serial number and we can't afford for an incorrect code to be entered. Would it be possible to add on a feature for recording serial numbers?

 2) We are a multi-site business with 7 branches and a head office facility where stock can be deemed to be either in the warehouse and available for sale, awaiting delivery to a customer, in the servicing department, or in 'faulty stock' (i.e. awaiting processing by servicing). Presently, each branch and each section of head office is treated as a separate location on our EPOS system and stock levels for each can be accessed by any location. Also, each branch obviously needs to be able to print it's own Z Report for banking. I did consider setting up a separate installation for each branch, but then one branch would not be able to check on another's stock, nor could we transfer stock from one location to another without 'selling' it to the destination location and 'refunding' it at the other - which would be fraught with possibilities of error, and cause all sorts of admin issues. Will there ever be any provision for developing the software to be multi-site? If there was even a simple addon available to check stock on more than 1 database, I could probably develop workarounds for the other issues.

 Also, a big useability issue I've noticed is that neither PCtill or SCM can recognise when a window has been closed by clicking the X-box or pressing Alt+F4. If you do that to dismiss a window rather than explicitly following the UIs controls, then you're left with nothing on the screen and no way of getting back to the program without ending the process in task manager and restarting. Is there any way of trapping a window being closed in this way and activating the controls within the software's UI that would cancel it - or at least just disabling ALT-F4 and the X-box so that you have to use the program's UI.

 Chris.

1) you can set an item to require a 'Sale Note' upon sale for SNs

2) If there is network connectivity, you could write a small util to check other branches, easy enough to do.  As to moving stock, we are considering a way of doing this, as one of our key clients requires something similar, but no decision made yet.

We are aware of the UI issue, and are looking at trapping the window closing problem...

1) you can set an item to require a 'Sale Note' upon sale for SNs

I did find the option to require a sales note. However, some manufacturers are not at all clear on what the serial number is on their products - there will just be a sticker with 3 or 4 barcodes with numbers of similar lengths underneath. Unless you have a second unit to refer to, you can't readily identify which one of them is the serial. As I said in my post, relying on the salesperson to identify the correct number is just not an option as there is far too much margin for error. Any EPOS system we use must allow the serial to be specifically recorded at the time the stock is received, and present the salesperson with options to choose from so that they can see the number they need.

[2) If there is network connectivity, you could write a small util to check other branches, easy enough to do.  As to moving stock, we are considering a way of doing this, as one of our key clients requires something similar, but no decision made yet.

Our existing system has gradually evolved in connectivity. Currently, we have broadband in every location with a real computer on the end acting as a repeater for the terminals. The computers are all connected together via VPNs so the terminals think they are all hard wired together. Nice to hear that stock transfers are being developed.

We are aware of the UI issue, and are looking at trapping the window closing problem...

Good to hear. We've got a lot of people in our company who aren't really computer literate. Teaching all the quirks and indyosyncracies in our present system has required a huge number of training hours. The whole point of changing is to move to something more familiar - in which case I don't want anyone to be thrown into turmoil by using the windows controls they know rather than the program's own.