Selling when the network is down
When the signal drops, the SmartMy POS app keeps selling from the copy of the catalogue on the device. Sessions, sales, refunds, cash moves, receipt copies and deposits wait in a queue on the device. They are recorded exactly once when the signal is back. Anything that breaks a rule when it arrives waits for a supervisor to record again or discard.
PLANSEvery plan
Built and tested against our test server with the network cut. The app has not yet run at a customer's counter on a real device and is not in the app stores. Try it at one counter before you rely on it.
The problem it solves
- The internet drops at the evening rush and customers walk out.
- Bills written on paper during the outage are typed in later, with mistakes and no numbers.
- A sale sent twice after a poor connection is counted twice.
- Nobody knows which outage sales went wrong until the cash is counted.
How it works
- Every action is sent to the server at once. When the server cannot be reached, the app says "No signal: selling from the copy on this device." and keeps the action in its queue.
- Prices, taxes, promotions and discounts are worked out on the device from the last sync. A receipt made offline says "Offline · not yet sent" and carries a temporary number starting with OFF.
- A line shows how many actions wait to be sent, with Send now. The app tries again every 30 seconds.
- When the signal is back, the queue is sent in order. Each action carries its own number from the device, so a repeat is recognised and nothing is recorded twice. A sale keeps the time it was made.
- Each offline sale gets its real receipt number from the register's gapless series when it is recorded.
- What the server cannot record waits as a conflict under Point of Sale > Counter > App Conflicts. A supervisor records it again or discards it.
Everything it does
Works without signal
- Opening and closing the session, with the cash count
- Sales, with discounts, promotions and items on the house; split payments in cash and other methods with a typed reference
- Refunds of sales kept on the device
- Cash in and cash out
- Copies of receipts
- Taking a deposit (Scale): its number is given when it is sent
- Selling a gift card (Scale): its code is given when the sale is sent
- PINs and supervisor approvals typed offline are checked by the server when the action is sent
Needs signal
- The first download of a register's catalogue
- Adding a new customer and finding an older sale
- The X report
- A card terminal
- Checking a gift card or a deposit, and paying a deposit back
- Coupon codes and customers' credit limits, which only the server checks
Conflicts and refusals
- Conflicts: Sale, Refund, Session Close, Cash In / Out, Receipt Copy and Deposit Taken that could not be recorded. For example the session was closed meanwhile or a product is no longer sold
- Each shows why, the register, amount, device, who did it and when, and the transaction as the device sent it
- Record Again records it as the cashier who made it; Discard keeps it out of the books after you confirm
- A refused session opening stays on the device with Retry and Discard
- An action done more than 7 days ago on the device is not recorded by itself: a supervisor records it by hand
- The app shows how many were "sent but not recorded"
Who uses it
CashierKeeps selling, sees what waits, and syncs when the signal is back and before closing.
SupervisorDecides each app conflict: records it again or discards it.
AccountsAgrees with the supervisor what happens to money taken for a discarded sale.
Where you use it
- The SmartMy POS app on phones, tablets and tills: the waiting line, Send now and Sync now. It is built and in testing, not in the app stores yet
- Web: Point of Sale > Counter > App Conflicts (supervisors), filter To Decide
- Not on the selling screen in the browser: it needs the network
- Not told to anybody: no notification is sent for a conflict; supervisors check App Conflicts
What you control
Settings
- Retry: every 30 seconds while offline
- Oldest action recorded by itself: 7 days
Works with
SmartMy Garage and SmartMy FacilityThe counter inside their apps uses the same queue and conflicts.
Questions
What receipt number does an offline sale get?
A temporary number starting with OFF on the device. When the sale is recorded it gets its real number from the register's gapless series.Can a sale be recorded twice after a bad connection?
No. Each action carries its own number from the device, and the server recognises a repeat.How long can the app sell offline?
There is no hour limit. An action older than 7 days is not recorded by itself, so sync at least every few days.What if the session was closed on the web meanwhile?
The sale becomes an app conflict. A supervisor opens a session and records it again, or discards it.Are offline sales lost if the device restarts?
No. The queue is kept on the device. Do not sign out or remove the app while sales wait.Related features
WEB COUNTER AND APPSmartMy POS app for phones and tillsThe SmartMy POS app runs the whole shift on one device. Open the session, sell, take payments, refund, and print or share receipts. Move cash and close with a cash count. It keeps the register's products, prices and taxes on the device and keeps selling without signal. It runs on Android and iOS phones and tablets and on Windows, macOS and Linux tills.SET-UPBill numbers without gapsEach register numbers its paid receipts one after the other with no gaps, starting with the register's code. Your header, footer and logo go on every receipt, and refunds and copies are marked as such.SESSIONS AND CASHShifts, cash count and X and Z reportsEach register runs one session at a time. It is opened with the cash in the drawer, and closed with a count note by note and a reason for any difference. Cash in and out is recorded with a reason, and the X and Z reports give the figures of the shift.WEB COUNTER AND APPSelling screen in the browserPoint of Sale > Counter > Sell opens a full selling screen in the browser of a counter PC or tablet. It has a product grid with categories and favourites, and search by name, code or barcode. It also has a cart, split payment with a keypad, and a receipt to print. A cart can be parked and resumed on the same browser.PAYINGReceipt copies marked duplicateEvery receipt printed again is a copy: counted, written on the sale with who printed it, and printed as DUPLICATE COPY with its number. A register can also ask for a reason and a supervisor.
See a day at your counter, start to close.
Tell us what you sell and how many counters you run. We will show you the opening count, a sale without internet, a refund and the closing report.