VendTek has developed expertise in satisfying the requirements of multi-lane high volume locations, where transaction time must be kept to a minimum, and the eVoucher sales reconciliation must be automated to match store accounting systems. The objective is to allow customers to obtain their eVoucher products at each point of sale, but only after they have been processed by the cash register. To achieve this objective, VendTek provides two options for integrating the eFresh eVoucher and store retail systems:  Full integration and Cash Register to POS integration.

VendTek recommends implementing Full Integration in recently built locations where you want to have an elegant solution, and it is possible to work with the Cash Register technology provider.

For those existing locations with legacy cash register implementations, we recommend Cash Register to POS integration.

Full integration refers to implementations where the actual cash register application is modified such that the clerks can select the product and generate the eVoucher directly on the Cash Register printer. VendTek facilitates the process by providing a web service, source code, test server, instructions, and the support needed to complete the development. There are different system architectures available, and the actual implementation depends on the specific customer requirements and infrastructure.

It may not be practical to do full eVoucher integration such as when it is not possible to modify the cash register software, or the printer at the cash register is not able to generate the required graphics on the eVoucher, or there is no online communication between the cash register and the eFresh server. For any of these cases, VendTek offers a system that requires no changes at all to the cash register software.

The system is based on the deployment of POS terminals and tapping into the data sent from the cash register to its printer using an RS232 data splitter. The POS software will not print the voucher until the payment has been processed at the cash register.

At the beginning of the shift, the clerk will enter his/her password in the POS terminal. The clerk will then select the prepaid product at the cash register or scan the barcode and process it through the cash register system as they currently do with scratch cards. The POS will monitor the communication between the printer and the cash register waiting for a predefined string of text such as the “Prepaid25Card” or the corresponding barcode number. Once detected, the POS will proceed to print from the stored pins in the POS or obtain it via TCP/IP or GPRS from the eFresh server. In the event that the clerk cancels the transaction before printing the voucher, the terminal will not print the eVoucher.

The terminal generates reports for the printed vouchers. Custom reports are also generated at the server. A solution is also available for parallel ports that works similar to serial ports.

Procedure:
1) At the beginning of the shift, the Clerk enters the unique password to log on to the machine.
2) The terminal remains in stand-by mode monitoring the communications between the cash register and the printer.
3) When the POS terminal detects the matching code for the eVoucher from the cash register, it will proceed to print the voucher if stored in memory, or obtain it from the server by connecting via TCP/IP or GPRS and print it.




The following table presents a comparison between Full Integration and Cash Register-POS integration.