Overview

If your connection to ACME goes down goes down at the Point of Sales (POS), ACME’s Offline Mode allows you to keep selling tickets to your guests without any disruption to your critical business operations.  This article outlines the various offline mode statues and managing offline transactions.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Offline Transactions

Offline Transactions are the transactions that occur when your device is offline. In the event that your Point of Sale (POS) terminal goes offline, ACME Sales will still function normally. All transactions will be stored in the queue. Once internet connectivity is restored, all of the transactions in the queue will be automatically processed. 


You can view offline transactions in Backoffice > Orders > Offline Transactions.. A supervisor (or someone with appropriate permissions) should log into Backoffice and confirm that all offline transactions processed.



Offline Mode Statuses

There are 3 offline mode statuses: Automatic, Manual, and Offline PIN:


Automatic - Offline Mode with Logged In Users

Automatic Offline Mode occurs if your internet goes down.  If you are logged into a Point of Sale (POS) Terminal, the offline mode will automatically be activated. Proceed as normal and continue entering ticket sales. You will see the the Offline Mode symbol near the top of the screen. A pop-up message will also notify the user that they “cannot connect to ACME servers” which indicates that they are in offline mode.


The software will prompt users to Cancel/Retry/Queue transactions until connectivity is restored. When the app regains normal connectivity, it will immediately send the locally queued (stored) transactions saved during offline mode to the cloud to be processed. 


Note: ACME software assumes all credit cards are valid when transacting offline. Some cards may be invalid or declined by the payment processor when service is restored. Any loss of revenue from declined or invalid cards is the sole responsibility of the venue.

 


Manual - Offline Mode with Logged In Users

If a logged in user puts their Point of Sale (POS) Terminal in offline mode, they will see the Offline Mode symbol near the top of the screen. A pop-up message will also notify the user that they “cannot connect to ACME servers” which indicates that they are in offline mode.


The software will prompt users to Cancel/Retry/Queue CC transactions until connectivity is restored. When the app regains normal connectivity, it will immediately send the locally queued (stored) transactions saved during offline mode to the cloud to be processed.





Offline PIN - Offline Mode with Logged Out Users


Offline PIN user log in is not commonly used and may not apply to your organization.  Its usage is dependent on your internal policies and procedures. The Offline PIN user account inherently exists in your ACME Tenant and is hidden.


Note: When logged in as an Offline PIN user, permissions are limited the selling tickets via Point of Sale (POS). Additional functionality such as rebooking, refunds, etc. is not available.


When do I log in as an Offline PIN user? 
You may start your day by logging into the Point of Sale terminal with your user credentials. When it's time for a lunch break you log out of the terminal. During this time, the internet goes down. After returning from lunch, you are unable to log into the terminal with your credentials and must use the Offline PIN user account.

Following are requirements for Offline PIN Userr usage::

  • PIN must exist in Backoffice.  This is located under Settings > Administration > POINT OF SALE (POS) tab > in your Backoffice tenant.  We recommend using your Tenant ID as the PIN number.
  • Offline User Login credentials are known for your organization (User = offline / Password = PIN)

  • The software will prompt users to Cancel/Retry/Queue transactions until connectivity is restored.
  • When the app re-gains normal connectivity, the user logs out of the Offline PIN user mode and logs back in with their normal credentials. Failing to take this step may lead to errors while transacting.
  • After a user logs in normally, the app will immediately send the locally stored transactions saved during offline mode to the cloud to be processed.


    Note: In order for the offline PIN user login to work as expected, a normal login needs to occur at least once earlier that day at the same sales terminal. This allows the Sales application to verify the current PIN as it is programmed in Backoffice. The PIN is then saved as a temporary file for the rest of the day.



Working Offline

Following are the basic steps if your device is offline regardless of the offline status mode): 

  1. Enter the order.
  2. Proceed to the "CHECKOUT" screen. 
  3. Select the form of payment (cash, credit card, check, etc.).
  4. Click "COMPLETE". A WARNING message will pop up, alerting you that your device is having trouble connecting to ACME Cloud. Three options appear:
    • CANCEL: cancel the transaction entirely. This choice is not generally recommended.
    • RETRY: retry the transaction, in case this is a brief network hiccup. If you were not expecting to be offline, you should try this option once or twice, in case connectivity has been restored.
    • QUEUE (RECOMMENDED): place this transaction in the offline queue. If you've Retried the transaction a few times, or you're still offline, choose this option.
  5. If you select "QUEUE", a message will pop up letting you know that your transaction has been cached (saved in Queued Transactions).
  6. Once the device is back online, the Sales Terminal automatically processes the queued transactions. All tranactions can be viewed in Backoffice via Orders > Offline Transactions.


Managing Offline Transactions in Backoffice

If your device is offline at any point during the day, it is important to ensure all transactions were processed once the device is back online. While confirming offline transactions is generally not the responsibility of the Point of Sale operator, a supervisor (or someone with appropriate permissions) should confirm the transactions in Backoffice > Orders > Offline Transactions.



Additional Resources