How To Take a Payment in your Point of Sale (POS)

From the main Point of Sale (POS) Menu Screen.

After logging in to Skyware Systems, from the quick menu on the left select Point of Sale (POS).

Note: The exact arrangement of the options in your quick menu may differ from this example.

This will take you to the main Point of Sale (POS) Menu screen.

a.i. Select the Create/Open Check command by clicking on it.

a.ii. This will take you to the Point of Sale (POS) Restaurant Log in page.

Enter your Server ID.

Type the User number into the Server Quick ID log in field to make the rest of the screen live.

This can be done using the keyboard, or by using the keypad on the screen.

You cannot create a check or view open checks for your tables in the restaurant start page without a server ID number. This page has several areas that only become live after log in. If changes are attempted without user ID being entered the screen will revert back to the original with the red banner A Quick ID is required!

• Click the Table command, and select one of your tables (listed in blue) from the Table list. This will automatically take you to the restaurant check page. Clicking on the Table command will show checks at specific tables (in parenthesis is the number of checks at the table).

• There is a button next to Table for Checks that will list all the table checks that are open.

• Click Quick Sale in the restaurant start page (on right) and when taken to the restaurant check page select one of the open checks listed in the Checks list on the left. Clicking on Quick Sale will only show open Quick Sale checks.

• Use the Check(s) tab (Open Checks command) in the main bar on the restaurant log in page to see a list of all open checks, and select one to view.

After the table is selected, or the Quick Sale button clicked, the screen changes to show the Restaurant Check screen.

b. You can also reach the Quick Sale restaurant check screen from the Point of Sale (POS) Main menu screen.

Clicking on the command will take you directly to the Quick Sale Restaurant Check screen. See also Create a Quick Sale Check.

 

From the Point of Sale (POS) Restaurant Log in page directly.

Your system may be configured such that the first screen you see is the Point of Sale (POS) Restaurant Log In page; if so, see a.ii above for details on selecting which check to open.

For this option, you will need the room number to charge to, as well as any other information required by the system. This may include Guest Name or Group Name if the guest is part of a group folio.

Note: The server may be required to check guest ID before using this option.

This option will display a list of guests and rooms within the property below the set of fields requiring completion.

The room/guest tab selected is displayed in blue.

Note: If the name/room is displayed in black, there is credit on the room and the room can be charged (the check added to the guest's bill). If the name/room is displayed in red, there is no credit, or too little credit to cover the posted check, currently associated with the name/room selected. if posted to a guest's room whose name is in red, Skyware will attempt to authorize the card for the charges.

If the check is to be paid with cash, when the option is selected, a screen with a numerical keyboard will appear on the right (where the posting list appears for all other payment types).

Enter the Amount Tendered and then click Post. The Change Due is automatically calculated.

To charge an amount to Direct Bill, enter the A/R Account number, or choose the account from the listing.

The gratuities field in the payments tab is only used with credit card payments.

The Gratuity/Misc $ tab (middle section below banner) in the Restaurant Check page allows you to apply a gratuity (tip) and/or discounts to the check. These can be applied either as straight currency amounts (left) or as a percentage of the check (right) for both discounts and gratuities. Items can be set up in configuration to not allow a discount. The amount discounted will only apply to those items that allow discounts.

 For gratuities in particular, whether you apply them before or after printing the check for payment depends on the situation.

NOTE: It is not uncommon for customers to simply write a Total amount to charge on their check, or to add the tip amount incorrectly. Regardless of which applies, the number entered by the customer in the Total space of the printed check is the amount that must be charged.

If the restaurant has a policy of adding an automatic gratuity (for example to tables of 6 or more), use this tab to post the additional charge to the check before printing it for payment.

Alternately, if the customer has added a tip to their payment, you could apply that amount in this tab after receiving payment from the customer, creating a zero balance for the check and no mistakes in posting amounts.

For this reason, you may want to make a habit of applying customer-added gratuity to the check after printing the check. This ensures that you do not attempt to apply a gratuity to the check that does not add up to the total payment authorized by the customer.

Click the Gratuity/Misc $ tab to activate it.

Each of the (4) boxes on the tab has its own "Post" button associated with it. This allows you to enter the gratuity amount or percentage as well as the discount amount or percentage and post each separately.

What you do next depends on the situation you are applying.

• Apply Discount:

If you must apply a coupon for the meal, or an applicable discount (for example., AARP, hotel guest VIP club), enter the amount or percentage into the appropriate Discount text box and click the associated Post Discount button to apply it to the check.

• Apply Gratuity:

If you must apply an automatic gratuity to the check, enter either the amount or percentage into the appropriate Gratuity text box and click the associated Post Gratuity button to apply it to the check.

If the customer has added a gratuity to their payment, you have the following additional options:

Enter the total amount paid into either the Amount Tendered field (if cash payment) or the Amount field (if other type of payment), and click Post.

Then enter the remaining Total Due shown in the Postings as the Gratuity amount and click Post Gratuity. This should render a zero balance on the check.

OR:

Enter the gratuity amount written on the payment receipt and click Post Gratuity.

Then apply the full payment amount.

As can be seen in the Payments tab field, there are four buttons across the top with percentages. These allow the option of paying the check in one (100%) or splitting the check evenly. (50% button will pay half the current check balance, 33% a third, or 25% a quarter).

Note: If a check is split evenly, any payments posted subsequent to the first are considered separate and therefore 100% of that payment. (For example, a check is divided evenly between three people. The first payment is 33% of the total posted. The second payment is 50% of the total remaining, and the third payment is 100% of the total remaining balance, to bring the check to zero balance). The buttons calculate the amount automatically.

Recommended Practice:Apply credit card or room charge payments before applying Cash payments.

• Select the Payment Type of the first payment.
• Edit the Amount field to be the amount to be paid in the first payment.

If using the % buttons to split the check evenly, the amount will be automatically displayed in the Amount field. If not, the amount can be entered manually by clicking within the field. A numerical keyboard will display in place of the posting list that can be used, or it can be typed directly from the keyboard.

• Enter the other required information, determined by payment type.

Note: Although there is a field in this tab for gratuity, the gratuity field on the payment screen is only used with credit card payments. In all other cases the Gratuity/Misc $ tab should be used. See Applying Discounts or Gratuities to an Open Check.

• Click Post to apply the partial payment to the check.

NOTE: You must click Post to apply each payment type to the check. This is particularly important if the payment is split between credit and cash or between immediate payment and charge to the room.

Repeat these steps until the check is at a zero balance and can be closed.