POS Autofinish and Error Prevention (Released 08/01/2017)

On August 1st 2017 at 12:02 AM, we deployed several new features to support the OpenEdge HostPay integration, most notably to prevent reconciliation issues caused by occasional communication problems in EMV processing. 

The OpenEdge EMV integration was introduced to eCellar just over a year ago.  And as many of your tasting rooms have converted to this highest level of secure payment processing, you've also likely experienced how sensitive the communications are between the POS and the gateway and processor.  We've added new tools to help support communication errors and streamline the order completion process.  

Introducing POS Autofinish

Autofinish is our newest feature to help streamline payment processing in the POS.  Below is an outline of the new workflow for processing credit card payments.  These changes are so easy, you may not even notice! 

1

The first two steps are still the same.  After selecting the customer and order information, products, checking discounts, adding any comments and tags, etc.  Click Place Order in the POS. 

2

At the Finalizing Payments list, click PAY to initialize the Payform connection to OpenEdge.

3

The Payform will open. For EMV-integrated POS stations, the payform will display the image with instructions. And for non-EMV POS stations, the Payform will prompt to swipe or enter the credit card information.

EMV Payform

Non-EMV Payform

Note: The non-EMV Payform now also shows a Cancel button.  Use this if you've opened the payform, but need to discard this payment transaction and go back to make changes to the order. 

4

AUTOFINISH: When the payment processing is completed, the Payform will automatically close, and the Finalize Payments list will automatically close. The green [Finish] button will auto-click and the order will automatically finish. The order completed message will appear, and can be closed by clicking anywhere on the screen.

New Warnings Prevent Navigating Away

While the Payform is open, a new warning message will display to prevent any navigation away from the payment screen while a transaction is in process.

We've also added a series of other edge-case warning messages to give the user more information if something goes wrong during the payment processing communications. 

New OE Poller 

For OPENEDGE HOSTPAY Prevents Incomplete Orders

This is a background polling service that periodically checks for OpenEdge transactions that failed to complete in eCellar. Specifically, this scenario occurs when a credit card transaction has been initialized, and eCellar does not receive a response back from the payment gateway. This creates a not paid order with an incomplete credit card payment.  When this happens, eCellar will poll the gateway in 20 minute cycles to scan and auto-void any transactions that were not fully completed in the POS.  The primary function for the poller is to identify and VOID any OpenEdge HostPay transactions that succeeded at OpenEdge, but the POS did not receive a response for the payment. 

Here's an example of what an order might look like if it did not receive a payment response back in the POS.  Notice the payment doesn't have any information and says  Specify Card Info.

If the Poller finds that OpenEdge did in fact process the payment, it will automatically VOID the payment in OpenEdge, and add some helpful information in the bottom of the Order Detail page.  

This means the poller successfully found the transaction paid in OpenEdge but did not send a response back, so the poller voided the transaction.  Now the order can be completed in the POS with a new payment attempt, or in most cases the sales rep has already processed a new order for the customer.