Order Ahead

Enable Order Ahead

Enabling Order Ahead allows your customers to place an Order using your mobile app or website, and then pick it up at your location. This adds a level of convenience for your customers, allowing them to avoid wait times and lines.

Note

Make Items Available for Order Ahead

Next, you need to select the Items that will be available for purchase through Order Ahead. This can be done in the Portal; select Settings in the Navigation Menu, then click Items from the Settings Expanded Menu. Select Item Details from the Items Expanded Menu. It is important to note that enabling Items is Location-specific, so if your business has multiple Locations, you will need to first select the Location for which you want to enable Items for Order Ahead. If you have only one Location, you will be taken directly to the Item Details Settings Page to proceed.

Once you are on the Item Details Settings Page, you will see your Items listed according to category, subcategory, and group. Locate the Item you would like to enable for Order Ahead by clicking the Plus Buttons to expand the table. Click the Edit Button, represented by a Pencil Icon, in the row of the Item you want to enable. On the Edit Item Page, to enable the Item for Order Ahead, check the box next to Order Ahead in the top panel. To disable, simply uncheck the box. Click the Save Button in the top panel to save your changes. This Item will now appear on the menu for your app and website.

Add Store Hours

The last step to setting up Order Ahead is to make sure your Business Hours are set within the Portal. This ensures that customers can select accurate pickup times for their Orders. Click on Locations in the Navigation Menu. From the table on the Locations Page, select the Pencil Icon to the left of the Location to which you wish to add Business Hours. On the Edit Location Page, there is an Hours of Operation Panel where you can input the hours the Location is open each day of the week. When you have finished, click the Save Button in the Hours of Operation Panel to save your changes. It is important to note that if you skip this step, the app will try to retrieve your Business Hours from PassMarket, which could be problematic if they are incorrect – i.e. customers trying to place and pickup Orders when your business is closed.

Receiving Order Ahead Orders

Once you have set up Order Ahead, your customers can begin to place orders on your mobile app and website. A customer ordering via Order Ahead goes into the app or website and selects which Location they want to pick up their Order from, chooses Items from the menu, pays and gives their name for the Order. When the Order is successfully paid for and submitted to the restaurant, the customer receives a Transaction ID Number to reference when they pick up their Order.

Order Ahead Listings

After the Order is submitted, it appears on TSYS Smart POS Pro under the Order Ahead Screen in the Open Orders Tab. You will know you have received a new Order Ahead Order when you see a notification at the bottom of your screen noting that “An Order has been received through Order Ahead,” and the Open Orders Tab’s background changes color to amber. Tap on the Open Orders Tab and you will be taken directly to the Order Ahead Screen.

The Held Order Tiles on the Order Ahead Screen display the Order Name, Balance, Order Type, Transaction ID Number, and the Placed and Pickup Times.

Order Name

For Order Ahead Orders, the Order Name is typically the first name and first initial of the last name for the customer who placed the Order. If no Order Name is entered, it will display the Order Type (Carry Out) and the time the Order was created.

Balance

For Order Ahead Orders, the balance will show a zero amount and have a black background.

Order Type

Order Ahead Orders are automatically saved as Carry Out.

Transaction ID

The Transaction ID is the unique number assigned to the Order when it is placed via Order Ahead. This number is provided to the customer when they place the Order as a way to identify their Order when they come to pick it up at your business.

Pickup Time

This shows the time the customer specified to pickup the Order they placed via Order Ahead.

Created Time

At the very bottom of all Held Order Tiles is the Created Time. This is the time that the Order was placed on hold.

Managing Orders Placed Through Order Ahead

On the Order Ahead Screen you can prepare, manage, and complete Orders. To prepare an Order, you will need to send any necessary Items to the Kitchen Station to be made by the assigned pickup time. To send an Order to the station, select the Held Order Tile from the center of the screen so that its information is displayed in the Receipt Viewer. Then press the Send to Station Button at the top of the Receipt Viewer. This will send the items to their pre-designated Stations to be prepared.

To manage the flow of Orders to the Kitchen Station, send Orders based on the pickup time set by the customer. This ensures the Kitchen doesn’t receive Orders hours before they need to be ready, and that Orders are fresh when the customers come to pick them up.

Completing Order Ahead Orders

When a customer arrives to pickup their Order, navigate to the Order Ahead Screen under the Open Orders Tab and locate their Order. Once you have found the Order, tap it so that it appears in the Receipt Viewer. Press the Complete Order Button. Since the Order has already been paid for, you will be taken directly to the Receipt Screen. Select the type of receipt the customer wants, and give them their Order. A message will appear at the bottom of the screen saying Transaction Complete.

 

Order Ahead Notifications

When a new Order is placed via Order Ahead, the app will display a variety of notifications to alert you.

Any time an Order Ahead Order is received, a small notification will appear at the bottom of the screen indicating that an Order has been received through Order Ahead. This lets you know that you need to navigate to the Order Ahead Screen on the Open Orders Tab to take any necessary actions on the Order (i.e. send Items to a Station).

If you are on the Current Tab or the Completed Tab, the Open Tab will change color to let you know that there are new Order Ahead Orders. Once you select the Open Tab, the Order Ahead Screen will load automatically and the Order Ahead Button in the left column will have an amber outline and a small amber flag in the top right corner. For any new Orders on the Order Ahead Screen that have unsent Items, the Held Order Tile will have a red outline and red flag in the corner to notify you that action needs to be taken on the Order.

If you are already on the Open Tab, the Order Ahead Button in the left column will be outlined in amber with a small amber flag in the top right corner. Again, for any new Orders on the Order Ahead Screen that have unsent Items in it, the Held Order Tile will have a red outline and red flag in the corner to notify you that action needs to be taken on the Order.

If you are on any other screen of the app, you will see the notification appear at the bottom of your screen. You will then need to navigate back to the Home Screen and select the Orders Button. Once on the Home Screen select the Orders Button. You will be taken to the Current Screen, and the Open Tab will change color to alert you there are new Order Ahead Orders.

Pickup Time

If the Held Order was placed via Order Ahead, the Held Order Tile will display the Pickup Time instead of the Server Name at the bottom of the tile. This shows the time the customer specified to pickup the Order they placed via Order Ahead. This is only displayed for Order Ahead Orders.

Transaction ID

The Transaction ID will be displayed below the Order Type if no Identifier was assigned, and the Order is an Order Ahead Order. The Transaction ID is the unique number assigned to the Order when it is placed via Order Ahead. This number is provided to the customer when they place the Order as a way to identify their Order when they come to pick it up at your business.

Order Ahead

Any Order placed via Order Ahead will be flagged and outlined in Amber.

Complete Order

The Complete Button is only available for Orders that have placed through Order Ahead, because the customer will pay for the Order on your customer facing app or website when they place the Order. When you press the Complete Order Button the app navigates to the Receipt Screen where you can select the type of receipt to produce for the customer. After pressing the Complete Order Button, the Order is considered to be complete and will no longer appear in the Open Orders Screen. Instead, the now completed Order will be displayed on the Completed Screen of the Completed Orders Tab.