We have written guides to help users setup their BookingCenter MyPMS and Desktop software to take advantage of the Point of Sale features built-into the product. If you are using our MyPMS product, please see the POS Setup instructions here. If you are using a Desktop Pro for Windows, the setup directions are below. If you are using Macintosh OSX, the setup directions can be found here and for Macintosh 'Classic' OS 9.2 and earlier versions, the setup directions can be found here.
Most users of the BookingCenter Point of Sale terminal will have the following components that this guide will help to address. WIndows installation notes are below, installation directions for Macintosh OSX can be found here and for Macintosh 'Classic' OS 9.2 and earlier here):
You must have purchased the BookingCenter Point of Sale Module for EACH computer to use a Point of Sale station. Each BookingCenter station has a unique ID 'per terminal' to assure proper transaction reporting. Choose the BookingCenter Parameters | Inventory | Registers to view the screen as below:
Make each Register a unique ID (such a "Register 1", "Bar" , "Front Desk", etc...) by choosing "NEW" or "EDIT". Once done, click the "Set" button to set the Register once and for all. By doing this, each time BookingCenter launches on this computer, the computer will 'know' it's Register ID. There is detailed information about the Registers feature available in the BookingCenter Reference Manual, Chapter 2, Setting up Registers.
When viewing your BookingCenter POS Register (settings set as described above), choose the Printer button to open the Register Printers.
To establish the POS register, you can ignore the features for Labels, as these are intended for printing special labels such as bar Codes and Wrist Printers from BookingCenter. If you desire to use these features, please contact support@BookingCenter.com and we can inform you of the supported Bar Code scanners and readers.
BookingCenter recommends Epson POS products, and usually ships these to our POS customers. Although other printers follow pretty much the same guidelines, the Epson printers generally can't be beat for price/performance and they come with the necessary cables - power and serial - to connect the POS printer to a standard PC. To get it working with a Mac OS X installation, you will need to assign an 'IP' (internet address). If you are working with an older 'Mac Classic' system of OS 9.2 or earlier, purchase either a MiniiDoc or a Keyspan Adapter (installation directions for Macs are found here).
First, plug the A/C Adapter into the Epson Printer and the wall. Prepare the Epson with the cartridge and paper as specified in the manuals that come with the printer.
Connect the large serial end of the 'null modem' cable that came with the Epson into the connector into the bottom of the Epson printer (right next to the A/C power cable). Connect the other end of the 'null modem' cable that came with the Epson (the small end) into the serial port of your PC.
Simply unpack the credit card swiper (USB version shown below) and plug it into the free USB or PS/2 keyboard port of your computer, and then the keyboard into the free end (if using the PS/2 version).
The card swipe needs to read both track 1 and track 2. To test the results of the card swiper, open 'notepad' (on Windows) or Text Editor (on Mac) and swipe a card. You should get about 75 characters of garble starting with a %.The results should come out similar to this:%B5102101105105100^MCCULLOCH/JOSHUA J ^03041010000001501000000947?;5102105101104100=05041010275005470300?
The % to ? is the 1st track, and the ; to ? is the 2nd track. MyPMS will parse and display Track 1 data (required). The actual data MyPMS send to the authorization networks is track 2. Please make sure that there swipe is displaying both tracks. If not, they should contact the manufacturer to see if it is capable, and if so, how to enable it. There is a series of keystrokes to enable it.
Go to the Parameters | System Configurations and check the button that says 'Use Registers". If this button is NOT checked, your POS Register Printer will NOT work. That's it! You are now ready to use BookingCenter as a complete Point of Sale system.
Each user of BookingCenter to use "Online Authorizations" has established an AuthNet Gateway account that connects the BookingCenter Software and <optional> online booking engine into your Merchant Account.
At the time of registration of your BookingCenter POS Module, BookingCenter will deliver a user ID and password that will allow you to login to your Gateway account at: https://secure.rtware.net/ and begin to manage your transactions.
Learn AuthNet: A good overview of the features of AuthNet can found at: http://www.rtware.net/docs.html
Demo AuthNet:: An online 'walk through' using an AuthNet account can be found at: http://www.rtware.net/testdrive.htm
Depending upon your use of the BookingCenter system., you will sometimes want to offer Refunds to customers. (See "Setting up Receipt Types" in the BookingCenter Reference Manual for more information on the Refund Receipt Type). BookingCenter will NOT automatically assign a Refund through to your Merchant Account, as most of our customers DO NOT want this. By issuing a Refund through BookingCenter, you can create a Refund receipt for the customer and choose to give them cash or check. If a refund issued to a Credit Card was intended, the manager will need to login into their Gateway account to actually issue a Charge Back or a Credit (which ever is appropriate). This is the only way to actually move money from your Merchant Account to the customer's credit card.
MyPMS supports 'authorizations only' as a part of the MyCard processing system, in additions to 'increment auth' or 'cancel authorizations' - see below. BookingCenter Desktop does not currently support Auth Only transactions from within the software. A manager must login to their Gateway to issue Auth Only transactions.