Setup

Setup involves:

• Setting permissions in the web Security module for:

  • Managing starting blocks.

  • Bill payment, return, void transactions, register management, skipping required credit checks, and manually adding deposits.

• Enabling starting block functionality in your system (disabled by default). This is done in the Orders and Customer Care web modules.

• Configuring starting blocks in the Product Catalog web module. This is covered in Setting Up Starting Blocks.

• Settings in the Orders module for:

  • Enabling or disabling enforcing register management.

  • Enabling or disabling cash rounding for transaction tendering .

• Integrating with the Paymentus payment vendor. This is required for tendering retail transactions.

• Adding/Editing Tender Types as may be needed to meet your requirements IDI Desktop Client POS Back Office.

• Configuring Retail Locations, Register Policies, and Registers  in IDI Desktop Client POS Back Office.

• Configuring  service/installment agreements in IDI Desktop Client Product Catalog.

• Configuring credit checking (if you need to use that functionality).

• Optional Order Field Configuration for overriding register policy rules for returns, installment plans, and to restrict skip and verbal options for agreements.

Note for Direct Invoicing users: If your system is already set up for direct invoicing, starting block functionality will automatically be enabled when you upgrade to IDI solution version 22.4 or later. If you’re not currently set up for direct invoicing and you enable it, starting blocks will be enabled as well.

Security – Permissions

Managing Starting Blocks in the Product Catalog

This requires Allow Log On and Manage Starting Blocks permissions under Product Catalog. These are provided with the Product Catalog Admin role. The Product Catalog User role provides the Allow Log On permissions which lets users view, but not manage, starting blocks.

Permissions for Retail and Register Management

Permissions  are required for bill payment, return item, void transactions, certain register management functions, skipping required credit checks, and manually adding deposits to a transaction. These permissions are included in the following roles:

• Orders Admin

• Orders Manager

• Orders User

These permissions are listed under Orders for the selected user and environment in the Security web application.

The Manage Registers permission grants access to:

• See all registers you are authorized to manage and use on the My Registers view. Authorized means all registers at POS Locations where you are an authorized user. Without this permission you are only able to see registers that match your Username.

• Edit registers – This lets managers edit the current Username and Machine Name to make the register available for another user.

• See current tender amounts, expected tender amounts, and over/short amounts on register reconciliation, regardless of the corresponding Register Policy setting.

• Override out of variance restrictions (as set in Register Policy) on reconciliation.

• Bypass forced reconcile when this is set in the Register Policy.

Enabling/Disabling Starting Block Functionality

There are two settings for enabling this functionality – one in Orders and one in Customer Care. You must enable the Orders setting to use this functionality. The setting in Customer Care is also required if you want to use this functionality in Customer Care.

• Enabling Starting Blocks in Orders

  • When disabled (default), there is no change to the current user experience in Orders and Customer Care. Also, starting blocks cannot be configured in Product Catalog web module.

  • When enabled, the Product Catalog web module supports starting block configuration. Also, the NEW (+) button in Orders is relabeled as START > and clicking it displays a dialog for selecting a starting block as a means to start a sale/order. Also, starting block functionality is supported in Customer Care if the corresponding setting is enabled there as well.

  

• Enabling Starting Blocks in Customer Care

  • When disabled (default), starting block functionality and sale transactions are not supported in Customer Care. In this case you can enable the functionality in Product Catalog web module and Orders using the Orders setting and leave it disabled in Customer Care.

  • When enabled a Start Transaction button is provided on the Account Summary page (all views) to initiate account-level transactions. A button is also provided on Services and Features page when a service is selected to support service-level transactions. In both cases, clicking Start Transaction displays the dialog for selecting a starting block.

Enforcing Register Management

In the Orders web module, MANAGE > Settings provides a new Enforce Register Management setting in the General section. The setting is intended for in-store (brick-and-mortar) applications. It enforces the rule for one user per register as well as no sale rules, and governs the operation of the Assign Register dialog:

• When enabled, the Register selector in the Assign Register dialog only presents registers you are authorized to use (registers located in a POS location where you are an assigned user) and where the Username matches your Username or no Username and Machine Name are assigned.

• When disabled, you can assign yourself any register where you are authorized, regardless of Username and Machine Name.

  The setting defaults to disabled. To toggle the setting click the edit (pencil) icon for general settings and toggle the associated button (shown disabled below).

Enabling/Disabling Cash Rounding

The Enable Cash Rounding setting  lets you choose whether to tender cash to the penny or round to the nearest nickel. Enabling this setting directs the system to round cash tenders to the nearest nickel rather than to the penny. Also, an additional Cash Balance values is displayed when tendering a transaction to indicate the potential difference (for example Balance = $181.13 and Cash Balance = $181.15).

Tendering Rules:

• Last digit 1, 2, 6, or 7 cents → round down to nearest nickel

• Last digit 3, 4, 8, or 9 cents → round up to nearest nickel

• Last digit 0 or 5 cents → no rounding applied

Configuring Tender Types

Tender Types are required to support retail transaction tendering. The system includes several predefined Tender Types that can be modified as needed. Custom Tender Types can also be created. To simplify POS Location setup, it is recommended that all required Tender Types be configured beforehand, as they must be considered during that process. How to add/edit Tender Types is fully covered in the IDI Desktop Client help.  Below describes several considerations for web sales.

The System-defined Cash Rounding Tender Type

This Tender Type applies if you enable Cash Rounding in your system. It is applied automatically, regardless of the selected Tender Type. The feature works out of the box with the default settings and requires no additional configuration unless these customizations are needed:

• Use cash rounding for bill payments. In this case, set the Payment Type to BTA (Bill to Account). Note: The BTA setting will work for all Tender Types, not just BTA. As with other Tender Types, this is done via POS Back Office Management > Setup > Tender Types.

• Change the General ledger settings as applicable for your business requirements. As with other Tender Types, this is done on a Location basis via POS Back Office > Locations.

Credit Card Tendering if you are not using Paymentus

The  Credit Card Tender Type must have payment gateway configured for Authorize.net. ACH tenders require a valid routing number.

Limit Allowed Tender Types & Types Allowed for Cash Back

These options can be defined as part of Register Policy configuration when you configure the Locations (below).

Integrating the Paymentus Payment Vendor in Your System

As a prerequisite, your IDI solution must be integrated with Paymentus if you tender retail transactions. This is covered in the Paymentus Integration article in the IDI Knowledge Center.

With this done, you need to configure POS Locations (Stores), Registers, and Register Policies via IDI Desktop Client POS Back Office.  

Configuring POS Locations, Register Policies, and Registers

Locations, Register Policies, and Registers must be set up as in any retail application, and is fully covered in the IDI Desktop Client help. This section covers requirements and options that are applicable for web sales.

• One or more POS Locations must be set up with a Register Policy that makes Paymentus an allowed tender type. And that Tender Type must be configured to use the Paymentus Payment Gateway.

• In addition to the setup described above, consider the following Register Policy settings:

  • Limit the Tender Types available for retail transaction tendering to only those that should be selectable (in addition to the Paymentus Tender Type).

• Limit the Tender Types that can be used when issuing cash back on returns.

• If you plan to use Paymentus peripheral devices for transaction tendering, you must configure the applicable locations to support those devices.

• Registers must be added to their respective Locations to make them available in web sales.

Access to this setup is via IDI Desktop Client Applications > POS Back Office > Locations.

Setting Up Register Policies for Paymentus

The following Register Policy setup is required on any POS Locations where Paymentus will be used for retail transaction tendering:

• Add Paymentus as an allowed Tender Type.

• Configure the Paymentus Payment Gateway for the Paymentus Tender Type.

In addition, you can limit allowed Tender Types &  Cash Back options through Register Policy configuration

Note:

Equivalent setup is done in Customer Care > MANAGE > Paymentus Configuration. The Customer Care setup applies when tendering bill payments and E-Pay for a selected account in Care. The register policy setup in IDI Desktop Client applies when you select a specific register to tender a web sales transaction.

Adding an Allowed Tender Type for Paymentus Payment Gateway Setup

To open the Register Policy for a Location:

• Right-click on a location and select Register Policy from the context menu.

• On the Register Policies form choose to Override the global register policy if applicable. Then, on the Tender tab, right-click in the Tender Types Accepted area and select Choose.

  

• Select the Paymentus Tender Type.

  

• After adding the Paymentus Tender Type, right-click on it and choose Payment Gateway > Configure from the context menu.

  

• Select Paymentus.

  

• Configure the Paymentus payment gateway details.

  

• User Group – Enter the User Group provided by Paymentus to grant access to functionality applicable to IDI Desktop Client users.

• Paymentus Subdomain and TLA – These values are provided by Paymentus and map Paymentus to a single IDI platform environment.

• SSO Encryption Secrets – The Paymentus Agent Dashboard (for Customer Care) and Customer Portal (for IDI Customer Portal) each require a different SSO Secret. These secrets are unique per IDI environment and are provided by Paymentus.

• XOTP Key ID and Secret – These are unique per IDI environment and are provided by Paymentus.

Continue Register Policy setup for Allowed Tender Types and Cash Back Options as needed.

Limiting Tender Type Availability

The options available in the Tender Type selector in Orders are limited to those allowed by the Register Policy Tender tab setup for the Location. Note: Credit and Debit Card Tender Types should not be allowed when using Paymentus as Paymentus will only recognize Paymentus Payment Methods.

Below shows the Tender Types available for the Location in web sales.

Cash Back Rules

Tender types eligible for cash back and the maximum amounts that can be given back are limited by Register Policy setup on the Refund/Cash Back tab. When you enable an option and set the maximum limit, you can give change up to the set limit if that tender type goes over the balance due.

Note: This does NOT observe the Debit Card Cash Back setting, as this payment type must be less than or equal to the total amount due.

Transactions that involve cash back cannot be completed as specified when:

• The tender type is not selected (checked) in the Register Policy. In this case, a warning is displayed and the Save button disabled until that tender type is removed.

• The Max Cash Back Amount for the tender type is exceeded. In this case, a warning is displayed and the Save button is disabled until the cash back is reduced to an amount equal to or less than the Max Cash Back Amount.

Store Setup for Using a Paymentus Peripheral Device

This additional step is required if you intend to tender transactions using a Paymentus peripheral device. The Location ID and device(s) that will be available for that location are determined though setup coordinated by your organization and Paymentus. To specify the Paymentus Location-id on a store-by-store basis:

• Select the store in IDI Desktop Client via Applications > POS Back Office > Locations.

• On the Add/Edit Store form, Store Info tab, enter the Paymentus location-id provided by Paymentus.

  

Prerequisites for Service/Installment Agreements

As a prerequisite, your IDI Desktop Client Product Catalog must have contracts and/or retail products with service agreements/installment plans available to include on web transactions.

A service agreement is associated to a contract via the Add/Edit Contract Specification form in IDI Desktop Client Product Catalog.

An installment agreement is associated to a serialized retail product by first associating an agreement to an installment plan profile in Product Management > Installment Plan Profiles.

And then associating an installment plan profile to the retail product in the IDI Desktop Client Product Catalog.

Prerequisites for Credit Checking

This article provides a quick overview. Complete setup details are provided in the Setup for Credit Scoring and Deposits article in the IDI Knowledge Center.

Getting Started/Prerequisites

Establish a relationship with TransUnion and work with them to set up an account for your company. Contact your IDI Project Manager for advice on how to do this. Then submit a work order to have IDI set up credit scoring logic as described above. Include your specific requirements for an IDI specialist to assess.

Credit Scoring

• Assign permissions in Admin Console Security and Web SaaS Security.

• Configure credit scoring settings in IDI Desktop Client.

• Configure credit classes in Admin Console > Data Management.

• Configure one or more starting blocks in the Product Catalog web module.

Deposits

• Assign permissions in Web SaaS Security.

• Configure tables related to deposits in Admin Console > Data Management. This includes:

  • Allocation Types

  • Deposit Types

  • Waive Types

  • Interest Rates

Order Field Configuration

Order field configuration can be used to restrict:

• Overriding register policy on return transactions

• Overriding installment plan rules

• Using Skip and Verbal options on service/installment agreements

• Access to certain register management functions

  

Restricting Override Register Policy on Return Transactions

During a return transaction, items selected for return are evaluated against the register policy return rules based on the transaction’s location. If any items violate a rule, those items are presented in a dialog with options for overriding the register policy. Typically, these options are available to any user authorized to return items. You can restrict the ability to use these options on a user group basis by adding and configuring the Override Register Policy field.

Select Return Item as the action and select the user group(s) to restrict. This is not set up by default and must be added if you need to restrict override capability for some users (restricting access to Sales user group shown below).

Restricting Override Installment Plan Rules

To do this add and configure the Override Register Policy field.

Restricting Skip and Verbal Options

The Skip and Verbal options for completing agreements are permitted by default, but you can optionally restrict access based starting block starting action and user group.

Restricting Access to Register Management Functions

Order Field Configuration lets you restrict access to functions shown below by user group. For functions that end in Reason you can also specify a default value and specify whether to require a value before letting users proceed.

Example: