Routine Maintenance

Would you like your computers to last?

Silly question I know but many of our customers never bother to take care of the equipment! It's really not that hard and will extend the life of the equipment significantly. Here are some basic maintenance tips (please make sure the power is off and disconnected before doing any of this!) :

Backups - Get an internet connection and sign up to have your data backed up online through SelbySoft! It's FREE if you are on a support plan! Call us for more details about how to do this!

Computers - Usually there are either thumb screws or regular screws holding the case on. Two screws and the top of the case slides off. A can of compressed air is a godsend to computers! Just spray it out - take care to hit all the fans (but be careful to not spin the fans so much that they whine). These fans are the most important part to keep clean - they control the heat in the system. While you are at it, open the cd or dvd rom and hit it with a quick burst of air!

Printers - Think about it, your printers are incredibly important. They are also very easy to clean. Pull the paper out, leave the lid open and gently shake it while upside down. Then blow any paper out that you can. Check for bits of paper stuck under the cutter etc. Finally DON'T use anything but authorized ribbons! They really can damage the printer.

Monitors - Touch screens are pretty simple. The biggest thing is to check the cables periodically and make sure the cables are tight. Clean the screen by spraying non-abrasive cleaner (windex etc) on a towel and wipe them. Make sure that employees are not using pens or anything pointy to ring up orders.

So, there you go. . . A few ways to extend the life of your system!

Contact us at: SelbySoft Mike Spence 800-454-4434 Sales@SelbySoft.com WWW.SelbySoft.com 8326 Woodland Ave. E Puyallup Wa 98371

Windows Settings for SP-1

Do you know what the Windows Settings section of SP-1 is for? This is a pretty neat feature in SP-1 that allows you to dictate how SP-1 functions on your computer. Windows Settings are located in System Setup. There are three switches available and these can be controlled by the station. The thought behind this setting is that you may not want employees to have access to the Windows OS in the background. The switches operate as follows: Movable: If movable is selected, then SP-1 opens in the standard size and you will have the ability to resize the screen, move the window around, minimize etc. This is great for the office station or if you want to switch between SP-1 and another program. Maximize: If this is selected, and we recommend that it is, then SP-1 takes over the entire screen. There is no option to move SP-1, shrink it or change it in any other way. This is the recommended selection because it does not allow your employees to exit SP-1. Both: If you select both of these switches, then SP-1 will allow you to move the screen around but will start in the largest screen size possible. Check Spooler: If you select this, and it should be checked, then SP-1 will make sure that the print spooling is currently running and attempt to sync the time between stations. If your print spooling is NOT running this switch will allow SP-1 to display a warning to let you know printing may not function!

So, there you go. . . A quick lesson on a slightly obscure (but valuable) part of SP-1!

Contact us at: SelbySoft Mike Spence 800-454-4434 Sales@SelbySoft.com WWW.SelbySoft.com 8326 Woodland Ave. E Puyallup Wa 98371

Security & Job Classes

Security Levels! I know it's not the most exciting topic but I am amazed by the number of stores that have open levels of security for their employees. Security is important so you can remain on top of who is doing what and when. After all, you lock your doors right? SP-1 has 11 levels of security available. The first ten are labeled 0 through 9 with 9 being the highest. The 11th level is by leaving the security code blank. Let's tackle some of these. . . The blank security code is the most interesting to start with. By entering an employee and leaving their security code blank, you are telling SP-1 that this employee will ONLY be allowed to clock in and out. They cannot access any other area of the program. This is great for having cleaning staff or anyone else that you track time with but is not actually working on the POS. Levels 0 through 9 are used to assign what an employee can and can't do. If a zero is assigned to an employee, that employee only has access to the order screen (Order Entry) in SP-1. Levels 1 - 8 can be assigned to employees that may need access to any of the other areas of SP-1. Our general suggestion is to assign employees as follows: Owner - 9 Manager -5 Shift Supervisor - 3 Employee - 0 It is VERY important that only the owner has a 9 on their account. This leaves you with some levels for growth and for multiple stores. Once you have assigned the security level, you would place that code in the system security section on each of the items you want to control. Remember that if you enter a number, then anyone with that level or higher could access that item. So a 3 can do anything a 0-2 can and so on. Contact us at: SelbySoft Mike Spence 800-454-4434 Sales@SelbySoft.com WWW.SelbySoft.com 8326 Woodland Ave. E Puyallup Wa 98371

Coupons & Discounts

Coupons and Discounts - sounds easy, but do you know the difference and why having both makes SP-1 more powerful? First let's talk about the differences between the two: Discounts: A discount in SP-1 is a dollar or percent off a ticket or item. The advantage is that it is a little more generic. For example, you could have a $1.00 off the ticket, 10% off a ticket or 15% discount off one line item on the ticket. All of these discounts are able to be set by the menu group, group size or specialty. The great thing with a discount is that it is very flexible and allows for multiple controls. Discounts can be security coded so they are only available when authorized. Some sample discounts are: employee, fire department, senior citizen etc. You can also use these to track problems and mistakes. For example, setup a mismade order, dropped item, returned item, comped etc. This is a great way to track what is happening in the store. Lastly, don't forget that you can assign a discount to a customers delivery file or to their gift and reward card!

C0upons: Coupons operate a little differently. A coupon is more specific than the discounts. For instance, you can bundle items with coupons. If you offer a large pizza with two toppings, breadsticks and a 2 liter of soda for a specific price a coupon is the way to go. You can even set the price so each item is accounted for in the reporting. Another example is to have a coupon that sets the specific modifiers allowed. So, you might have a 16oz Latte with two extra flavor shots allowed. The coupon would only then work on that size etc.

Remember that all coupons and discounts can be day and time specific! Contact us at: Mike Spence SelbySoft 800-454-4434 Sales@SelbySoft.com WWW.SelbySoft.com 8326 Woodland Ave. E Puyallup Wa 98371