Add-In? Tracking Customer Zip Codes

Kinnard,

How about prompting/requiring a customer? If you are going to require one, be ready to have some bogus ones. SO Manager | File | Configuration | Options tab | POS options | Prompt or Require customer for orders.

As far as reporting, there is a Detailed Sales with Customer Address on CustomerSource. CS is down right now, but look for it in the SO Modified reports. You will want to change the format a little, then either Memorize it or Modify it manually. Get rid of all of the customer address except the zip code. Drag the zip code to the first column on the left and then collapse all groups for sales $. I've attached a Top Items with Zip Code report that I am working on right now.

Can't seem to sort on zip code and $ on opening, but by clicking on the Zip Code header, it re-sorts by Zip Code and $.

See if it works out.

Hi Jeff,

I'm trying to do something similar with a client. We want to require customer information before every sale, so we can more accurately focus marketing emails, etc. I went into Configureation, Options, POS Options, but there is nothing there to Promt or Require Customer for Order. There is an option like that in Customer Options, which is already selected.

What I mainly am looking for is that as soon as the cashier logs into POS (login required for each transaction), the Find Customer window pops up and the cashier can scan the loyalty card so that each sale is associated to a customer (or dummy customer if they do not have or do not want loyalty information). Is this possible?

Thanks, Matt

"Jeff" wrote:

Matt,

Sorry, yes, there are in Customer options. My memory is sometimes fading.

There is no need for the Find window to pop-up, just check Require _and_ Prompt for Customer selection in Customer Options and make sure that in Options | General | the Don't remember list sorts is checked. It will then always sort by the first column on any list. If this is a problem elsewhere, leave it unchecked and you _may_ have the click on the Account Number column header before scanning the card. This is assuming that the number on the card represents the Account Number, which it should.

Do you already have the cards printed? If not, make sure to have the Account Number bar code and/or the mag stripe scannable. A bar code will always work, a mag stripe may have to be specially designed and created or a second mag stripe reader will be required.

Mag stripes are usually formatted like a credit card is, you _do not_ want this!! You want a mag stripe to contain only the Account Number and an enter symbol. If you cannot get your card maker to do this, then you will need a second mag stripe reader at each register. Before you have hundreds printed and encoded, test an actual card first!!

My recommendation is to print your cards with the Account Number only as a bar code, not a mag stripe, and with the numbers also printed on the card. It will be easier and cheaper.

Hi Jeff,

Thanks! Our intention is to make our own loyalty cards with a barcode on the back. This will save a significant cost in both cards and hardware needed to read the cards.

Thanks for the help!

Matt

"Jeff" wrote:

Matt,

If you don't have any design software yet, try using the free Design Pro software from Avery labels

Design it using the business card templates with your graphics, name, number, and then print it on anyone's (Avery, Staples, Office Depot/Max) business card stock. Make sure to make the account number serialized and it will increment the bar coded numbers for you.

Thanks so much for the help! I'll be testing this out tomorrow!

Do you know of any way we can implement a loyalty discount without purchasing addon software? I was thinking of establishing a credit limit for every customer of the required purchase price. When that credit limit reaches

0, offer them a gift card with the value determined for the discount.

Is there a better way?

Thanks, Matt

"Jeff" wrote:

Matt, I originally started this thread and it has gone in a different direction but that is fine. I am a reseller and have many accounts that we have printed customer loyalty cards for. We use a national gift card/loyalty card company, National Business Products, to design and print them. We are also an Aloha Hospitality software reseller and they print gift cards for all Aloha resellers. On the loyalty cards, we use a 5 digit, code 128 barcode, usually starting at 10000. Using the barcode you can scan it rather than read it with a magnetic stripe reader. The problem with a mag stripe is that is needs a preamble sentinel character at the start of the number and it is a semicolon. This means that the semicolon will have to be part of your customer number, i.e., ;10001. NBP will design your artwork, let you proof it, print the cards. We charge our customers $1.00 per card and about 75.00 for artwork. Minimum order is 500 cards. My customers use price levels for loyalty discounts.

K> Thanks so much for the help! I'll be testing this out tomorrow!

Matt,

"Without purchasing add-on", nope, use price levels as Kinnard suggested.

Once a month or so, run a Top Customer report and you can change their price levels from the report by clicking on their account number. Make sure and look at profit too, in considering a customer's discount.

Kinnard,

I'm curious. If you're a RMS reseller, how come you don't ask these and other questions in the private reseller newsgroups? Come on over to the dark side with us! ;-)

To join them;

You must have your Microsoft partner logon;

Then click on the link for instructions to setup Outlook Express. Then find and add microsoft.private.mbspartner.retailmanagement and microsoft.private.directaccess.rms newsgroups.

Finally, add the public site;

Click on the link below and click on "Open with newsreader" under the MS Retail Management System section on the right. It will configure Outlook Express for you and will bring you back to this newsgroup in Outlook Express.

Then ask me on the private side about your gift card business. I might have a company that may beat National Business Products for types of products and pricing too!