flash coffee 4/4 : the 1st  flash point of sale

development of our own in-house point of sale would be a great long-term initiative for FC operations, marketing, and finance.

• Long-term cost reduction.
  
• Create a fully customisable POS to fir Flash Coffee business needs.
  
• We would be able to tackle the pain points above one by one and be able to gather clean data from all stores and sync them as a full ecosystem under FC.
  
• We would create features that all markets could utilize and create a custom solution for marketing to be able to boost our rewards and promos.
  
• Reduce order taking time and optimise barista workflow.

1. Cost : One of the main problems with our current POS systems is the overall cost, which includes web order fees, commission and hardware (iOS and Android) purchases.
   
   
2. Utilization : In addition to the costs, we believe that our stores are not fully utilizing the capability of the existing POS systems, only partially using all features (estimated around 40-50%) that are available. The system is hard to master as there are too many redundant functions, and it is not stable enough. As a result, the team spends alot of time it maintaining and troubleshooting the system.
   
   
3. Inflexibility : Due to the nature of our current POS systems as a SaaS, there is a level of inflexibility that comes with the platforms that will never become a one size fits all solution for FC. Some of these inflexibilities include:
   
   - Inability to work with our rewards, promos
   - Inability to integrate with certain hardwareInability to customize to specific FC needs
   - Inflexibility for variants/add-ons management
   
   
4. Data Integration Deficiency : Another major issue that all countries are seeing is the inability to sync front end and back end data for certain POS (Storehub) creating data discrepancies. For certain POS that can integrate with 3PD there is also data deficiency when trying to pull data out into our own DB.

• Observe the barista handling orders from the moment the customer enters the store up until the barista delivers the order.
  
  
• Understanding how the baristas interact with the POS in their natural environment and exisiting behaviors that could be into the new POS MVP application.

1. Internet connection issue : The sticker label printer is frequently disconnected when the internet connection is not stable for underground stores. We have to reset the setting and reconnect.
   
   
2. Staff Hardware Deficiency : Baristas have to deal with many devices at the same time including POS (Ipad), Foodpanda Terminal, Grab Terminal, ShopeeFood on Mobile, Barista App (Android), Inventory Hub (Android), Store Phone and etc.


3. Delivery transactions cannot be automatically entered in the POS (delivery platform and revenue are not captured by the POS) : Although we found a way around it, we must manually input delivery orders which results in time-consuming and human error.
   
   
4. Taking in a new order with promotions is troublesome : The existing POS does not have the promotion information and it is hard to find for the particular order type. Baristas need to check all the promotion details on the WhatsApp group, which takes time and is difficult for them to communicate with customers.

• Barista Authentication
  
• Store open & Close shift
  
• Order taking (3rd party delivery order & offline order)
  
• Customer information gathering
  
• E-receipt
  
• Order history
  
• Cash Sales Summary
  
• Applying promotions

• We had to reuse as many existing components from the consumer app as possible to reduce the engineer's workload.

• The workflow needs to be the same as what we already have on the consumer app.

• We can not combine menu page and order summary on the same page because of the existing discount logic, the system needs to fetch and validate the discount every time when the product is added or edited to the cart. It will be heavy and affect system speed.
  

1. Complexity increases for baristas. Orders are usually taken in quickly, especially during rush hours. It is necessary for them to recheck the details of the added item. By separating it into two pages, it will take baristas more time to take orders and increase back-and-forth steps.
   
   
2. All current promotions will not be visible to baristas. The promotion details, condition, and validity date would be difficult to communicate with customers since they need to add the item first.

• To recheck and understand user workflow in each possible use case that baristas are able to complete their task successfully.
  - Store open & Close shift
  - Order Taking (3rd party delivery order & offline order)
  - Adding promotion/discount
  - Order history
  - Delete order

• To compare the average time baristas spend for taking orders by using a split/combined menu page for both simple and complex use cases
  
  
• To recheck UI designs that are accessible and easy to understand for barista, can complete the tasks without doubt
  
  
• To gather feedback and opinion from baristas, how we can improve our system and help them work more efficiently. There is some assumption that need to validate from the user feedback such as Item image and Item filter could help barista find item faster and easier. 
  
  
• To understand how the new POS version will work for various types/criteria of baristas.


• To recheck needed information for a barista to find the specific completed order in each possible use case.

• 1 head captains of the stores
  
• 2 experienced baristas (> 6 months, 44 hrs per week)
• 2 new-joiners (< 3 months, min 18 hrs per week)

• Baristas tend to find the item by scrolling up/down instead of using the search function or category searching function, scrolling patterns are a lot faster and come from their natural instinct. Our category name and grouping are confusing.
  
  
• Item image is not necessary for barista, only text is easier to skim.

• Baristas prefer a horizontal layout with the big button selector, easier to tap but like the way to display on a vertical layout more, since easier to focus step by step.

• Baristas tend to use the ‘Back Button' on the menu page to change the item customization option. They want to change item detail directly on the Checkout page. It'll be difficult to go back and forth. They don't know that can do this on the checkout page too.
  
  
• Hesitate to select the payment method because using only the icon is confusing, not sure what it means. Afraid to select wrongly.

• The promotion modal has no type/category identifier, it is needed for the barista to find the specific promo.
  
  
• Baristas want to see promotion detail before start taking in orders, this will help both new and experienced baristas recheck the existing promo to customers. Currently, they have to check on WhatsApp, it is very hard, messy, and painful. Take a lot of time to find promo detail.

• Baristas want to add ‘Payment Method' on the order table because if there are many orders in the same period and don't remember the specific timing, she will narrow it down to the payment.
  
  
• Customer name is not important for walk-in and 3pd orders, when taking in an order customers tend to rush the barista. But important for app orders.

login & store open

order taking

order creating

3rd party delivery order

order transactions

promotion information

close shift & logout