I have looked breifly at the Messages function within Store Operations manager. It seems like a pretty basic way to send simple one-off messages from cashier to cashier (more often, from manager to cashier).
This is a good start, but I want to expand upon it. I would like to be able to dynamically create messages based on certain system actions (groups of items are put on sale, a purchse order is received, commission rate changes on a group of items, etc). I would like to have standard message templates which can be populated with item or customer information.
Taking this to the next step, I would like to be able to send messages from store to store. That is where these template messages would really come in handy. If store A needs to transfer inventory from store B, have the manager at store B alerted to the request. It does not appear that Headquarters has any messaging capacity, so this would have to be a third party product that works the same way as the Store Ops messages.
In reality, store A will be a virtual store, and the inventory transfers will be done through purchase orders, requesting an item from store B's sales floor. The purchase order will be system generated (we will write a program to populate the PO tables and change the status), so we cannot have a "virtual manager" sitting in front of a keyboard sending a message. Therefore, the messages would have to be created, populated, and sent automatically when store A creates a PO to store B.
I want to avoid using Exchange and Outlook if at all possible. These stores are not normally going to be sending and receiving email, and should only be communicating within themselves or with the head office for their purchase orders.
Bill Yater Application Developer The Worth Collection, Ltd.