Approved Offline / Syncing Guide

Article author
Edward Andrews
  • Updated

Description: This article will cover Syncing/Approved Offline, SAF (Store and Forward), and troubleshooting for syncing.

See full list and descriptions of POS & Kiosk card transaction order states HERE

 

What is Submitted/Submission Failed?

The ‘Submitted’ & ‘Submission Failed’ order states were introduced to the VenueNext Platform on May 24, 2023 (Release Notes here). These order states were introduced to include better logging of credit card orders that were previously causing large reporting variances. 

For credit card orders placed while the POS is online, as soon as a user activates the card reader on the POS, an order is created in the VenueNext platform in the ‘Submitted’ state. After a successful card transaction, the order will move to the configured “Skip POS Submission” state and the payment is settled. 

In the case of a mid-transaction interruption prior to capturing payment details (i.e. device reboot) the order will remain in the ‘Submitted’ state. This order state now gives us the ability to track the amount of orders that are being abandoned in the ‘Submitted’ state. 

In the case that the card reader returns an error after the card reader is activated by the user or the user returns to the previous screen after activating the card reader (before attempting payment), the ‘Submitted’ order will then go into the ‘Submission Failed’ state. The guest’s card has not been charged for these ‘Submission Failed’ transactions.

 

Both the ‘Submitted’ and ‘Submission Failed’ states should be omitted from reports for reconciliation purposes. 

 

What is SAF mode?

By default, Quick Service (QS) POS orders are taken in Online mode. When the device is online, orders will be placed in the configured “Skip POS Submission” state (Completed is the recommended state) and payment transactions will be settled immediately upon approval.

Store and Forward (SAF) is functionality on the Quick Service POS that allows credit card transactions to be taken while a device is operating in poor network conditions and/or is completely offline. SAF orders are stored on the card reader and synced to the processor at a later time when the device has a strong network connection.

Devices will operate in SAF mode under the following scenarios:

  1. The POS device goes offline. This applies to both FreedomPay and PAX devices, but there are differences in SAF behavior between the two.
    1. FreedomPay - Devices will switch in and out of SAF mode dynamically based on their connectivity. If the device is online, the POS will place online transactions. If the device is offline, the POS will place SAF transactions.
    2. PAX - If a device dynamically goes offline or an operator intentionally takes a device offline and places an SAF transaction, then the device will stay in SAF mode for a 30-minute “cooldown” period. During this period, all transactions will be SAF transactions (even if the device comes back online) and the “Payment Processing Mode'' toggle in the POS Debug menu will be automatically switched to Offline Only.
      Note: If the device comes online during the cooldown period, the operator may manually bypass the cooldown period and switch to Online mode by toggling the “Payment Processing Mode” toggle to Online First in the POS Debug menu 
  2. The device is online and an operator manually switches it to SAF mode by toggling the “Payment Processing Mode'' toggle to Offline Only.  If this is manually toggled, then the device will remain in this mode until it is manually toggled back to Online First. (PAX Only)
  3. The device is online and a gateway error is received when attempting to submit a payment transaction. In this scenario, the functionality will match functionality in scenario (1.b.) above (PAX Only)

 

What happens to orders placed in SAF mode?

While in SAF mode, orders will be placed in the Approved Offline state. Payment transactions will not be authorized or settled until uploaded to the payment processor for approval while in this state. These are considered “unsynced” orders. To view all Approved Offline orders on a device, navigate to the hamburger menu > tap Orders > tap Unsynced Orders. 

To sync orders:

  • From the orders list, tap the Device Summary button
  • If you see red counts under Device Sync Status with a qty greater than 0, then you have orders to sync
  • To sync manually:
    • Look in the status bar and confirm you have a network connection. To be sure, you can also navigate to the hamburger menu > tap Refresh Config
      • If you have a connection, you will see Config refreshed successfully
      • If you don't have a connection, you will see Failed to refresh config
    • Once you have confirmed that you have a stable network connection, tap the Sync Orders button at the bottom of the Device Summary screen 
  • Alternatively, syncing will occur automatically on a device with unsynced orders after a 30-minute period of being online and idle

Note: The device must have a strong and stable network connection to reliably sync. If attempting to sync while on a poor network connection, then the sync might be slow and/or not function correctly.

During the sync process:

  1. If the orders were placed in SAF scenario (1):
    1. Orders will first sync to the VenueNext platform, after which they will appear in Canopy and DataNow in Approved Offline 
    2. Card transactions will be uploaded to the payment processor. Orders will be updated to a Completed state if approved and to Authorization Failed if declined. The latter can be viewed in DataNow in F&B Sales > Auth Failed Orders Approved Offline
  2. If the orders were placed in SAF scenario (2) or (3):
    1. Orders will already appear in Canopy and DataNow in Approved Offline
    2. Card transactions will be uploaded to the payment processor. Orders will be updated to a Completed state if approved and to Authorization Failed if declined. The latter can be viewed in DataNow in F&B Sales > Auth Failed Orders Approved Offline

How do I know if I have orders in the Approved Offline state?

  1. Log in to DataNow and go to the Device Monitoring tab.
  2. Once you are within the Device Monitoring tab, you will need to set a Calendar Date.
    • This will automatically prompt to ‘in the last 24 hours’, but you can run this filter within any timeframe. If this is the first time you are doing this, set this filter to 'is in the year : 2023'. This will search for any outstanding Approved Offline orders that were created in 2023.
  3. Once you set the date filter, run the report.
  4. This report will show the number of Approved Offline orders on a device that have been uploaded to the VenueNext platform but have yet to be synced to the processor (Shift4 or FreedomPay). 
    • You will see the Device ID along with the Revenue Center Location, Organization Name, # of Orders and Gross Sales that these orders total to.
    • If you see a device on this list that means you still have orders that need to sync to the processor on that device.
    • It is recommended to schedule either an export or alert of this report on a recurring nightly basis to check all devices for Approved Offline orders.
    • See the Article linked here to schedule an Approved Offline Orders Alert

 

Note: The Approved Offline count in the DataNow Devices report and in the POS orders list might not match. If orders were placed in SAF scenario (1) or paid offline with cash or custom tender and the device has not been brought back online, then the device in question was never brought back online after taking Approved Offline orders, our platform will not have any data for these orders, therefore they will not be on the DataNow report. However, they will appear in the POS orders list. 

 

Syncing after running a device in 'Offline Only' Mode

  1. After the event is over, switch Payment Processing Mode to Online First
    • Press the hamburger menu, then DEBUG INFO
    • Under the Hardware tab you will see Payment Processing Mode.
    • Toggle this to Online First.
  2. Look in the status bar and confirm you have a network connection
    • You will need a stable network connection to sync the offline orders
    • Confirm you have connection by:
      • Pressing the hamburger menu, then Refresh Configuration
      • If you have a connection, you will see Config refreshed successfully
      • If you don't have a connection, you will see Failed to refresh config
    • Once confirmed you may now sync the offline orders.
      • Navigate to the hamburger menu > Orders > Show Summary > Sync Orders
      • Please allow the device time to sync the offline orders.
      • If the unsynced order counts are not 0, please follow the steps below.

Syncing Troubleshooting

If the device is stuck syncing and the unsynced counts are not changing, please attempt to force stop the VN App. (Only attempt these steps if the device is on a stable network connection).

  1. Reboot the device.
  2. From the home screen, go to Android Settings > Apps. Scroll down, then select VN APP. Press Force Stop, then OK. Go back to the home page and open the VN App.
  3. Login and go to the Device Summary screen and press Sync Orders
    • This will prompt for a fresh sync.
    • If the unsynced counts are still showing, do not clear the VN App Data. Please submit a VenueNext Support Ticket and an agent will help troubleshoot the device with you. 

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