I am looking for someone to make or help me make(preferable) an app or program to keep record of coffee purchases. Page 1 would be a large alphabet. Touch a letter would bring up customers with names starting with that letter. Touch customers name would bring up their loyalty/ prepaid account. Touch screen would add to loyalty number up to 9 then show free coffee that when used sets counter back to zero. Prepaid will be a number inputted and subtract every time used. I thought it would be simple until I tried to start and found that after the stroke my memory has gone missing!

bobinnz - 2021-09-16 13:21:00

None of this stuff is 'simple' and there are a whole bunch of unanswered questions which would need investigation and answering before the scope of the project could be determined.
A few that come to mind...
integration with existing POS or accounts?
Is the customer doing this or the counter staff?
What kind of devices Apple/Android/Windows?
Branding required?

probably no need to reinvent the wheel unless you want the branding, from what I can gather you're generally up for several thousand for app development...

maybe have a look at this one, no idea if any good or not though
https://loyaltyprogram.digital/en/

king1 - 2021-09-16 14:05:00

Simple ?
You'll need to be able to input customers names in a database.
Then after that you'll need to be able to add coffee purchases to that name
Then you'll need to be able to access both those items thru a simple touch interface
Then you'll need to be able to modify the number of coffee purchases thru that same touch interface
Then you'll want the system to notify you when you get to 10
Then you'll want to be able to zero it at 10
Getting someone to build that for you could be pretty expensive.
I'd suggest you research an already made solution.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stampme.an
droid

Maybe something ready made like that?

nice_lady - 2021-09-16 14:26:00

Thanx for the feedback. Would just be staff(me). to replace loyalty cards only

king1 wrote:

None of this stuff is 'simple' and there are a whole bunch of unanswered questions which would need investigation and answering before the scope of the project could be determined.
A few that come to mind...
integration with existing POS or accounts?
Is the customer doing this or the counter staff?
What kind of devices Apple/Android/Windows?
Branding required?

probably no need to reinvent the wheel unless you want the branding, from what I can gather you're generally up for several thousand for app development...

maybe have a look at this one, no idea if any good or not though
https://loyaltyprogram.digital/en/

bobinnz - 2021-09-16 15:07:00

It might be easier to make some up and get them printed on business card size cards and clip or initial them each time the customer comes in. It's possible that might be cheaper than the ongoing cost of an App also ?

Edited by nice_lady at 3:15 pm, Thu 16 Sep

nice_lady - 2021-09-16 15:15:00

Do you have any App making skills ?

nice_lady - 2021-09-16 15:20:00

None what so ever!! Was thinking of MS Office maybe excell. Just using cards is a pain and a little mess. Cards are almost due for reorder so would be the time to start I thought. Get with it old man!!! Maybe not!!!

nice_lady wrote:

Do you have any App making skills ?

bobinnz - 2021-09-16 15:48:00

Apps - actual Android apps which you could display on a Touch screen tablet for instance would be an HUGE learning curve for you. I've looked at Android Studio and fiddled around and I managed to make ONE App. A VERY SIMPLE App lol. Android Studio was past what I wanted to go to, (and I have written programs - some - in the past).

Yeah I have just had a quick fiddle with Excel and you can do it in that - it would work with a bit of finessing.

You can have a 'front page' Which displays letters you could Hyperlink those to a listing column in another page of the worksheet where you can input purchase numbers and prepaid cups. You'd have to protect the formula cells so that staff couldn't cause issues and I'd have to check but I'm not sure you could display it on a tablet.

Edited by nice_lady at 4:09 pm, Thu 16 Sep

nice_lady - 2021-09-16 16:08:00

Annnnddddd tested. YES Hyperlinked cells do 'work' on excel on an Android phone but it's not that easy to use..........not that hard either......perhaps simpler with a tablet, (bigger screen) and hmmmmmm......I still say the physical cards would be easier. Unless you buy into an App such as the one I linked above.

nice_lady - 2021-09-16 16:13:00

I personally dislike loyalty cards, I don't like carrying a wad of cards in my wallet and having to fumble for the right one. I don't like the supermarket cards because some swipe through the reader, some scan on the barcode and some you have to wave under a green dot, and some don't work while they're waiting to authorise an alcohol purchase even though the machine continues to invite you to do scan the card. And it's not obvious that if you swipe the card first then it displays a list of your frequent purchases to speed things up. My dislike of the old library loyalty cards is an entire chapter of IT incompetence.

I drink coffee with a friend who drinks a lot of coffee and all of his coffee is gratis and he teases me about about buying one for him.

I dislike the work "loyalty" because I'm not at all loyal, if your coffee is good I'll come back and if it's not I'll throw your card away. I'd prefer "Returning Customer Credit" or even better you give the value to a charity.

If you do want to write an app, you'll need a database because you'd expect thousands of customers. You'll want to record timestamps because this is valuable information about what days and times will be busier than others. If it was integrated the point of sale it could prompt you to ask about their other purchases "Would you like a chocolate biscotti with that".

But ultimately you're looking to enhance the customer experience and not degrade it with delays or registration questions. The classic example is Animates, where the girl at the desk will always ask for my phone number, and my response is that I'm not looking for a date, I just want to buy the product.

gyrogearloose - 2021-09-16 16:18:00

BINGO!!! That is exactly what I am after!!!

nice_lady wrote:

Apps - actual Android apps which you could display on a Touch screen tablet for instance would be an HUGE learning curve for you. I've looked at Android Studio and fiddled around and I managed to make ONE App. A VERY SIMPLE App lol. Android Studio was past what I wanted to go to, (and I have written programs - some - in the past).

Yeah I have just had a quick fiddle with Excel and you can do it in that - it would work with a bit of finessing.

You can have a 'front page' Which displays letters you could Hyperlink those to a listing column in another page of the worksheet where you can input purchase numbers and prepaid cups. You'd have to protect the formula cells so that staff couldn't cause issues and I'd have to check but I'm not sure you could display it on a tablet.

bobinnz - 2021-09-16 17:17:00

I get your frustration and I am much the same. It would not be that huge as we basically have our customer base. Just looking to make it easier for both of us and more reliable. We have a few that prepay and it would be great to keep accurate info on coffee ordered. We do about 150 coffees in three hours so just looking to streamline! I have the best boss/daughter in law /workmate and BARRISTA!!

gyrogearloose wrote:

I personally dislike loyalty cards, I don't like carrying a wad of cards in my wallet and having to fumble for the right one. I don't like the supermarket cards because some swipe through the reader, some scan on the barcode and some you have to wave under a green dot, and some don't work while they're waiting to authorise an alcohol purchase even though the machine continues to invite you to do scan the card. And it's not obvious that if you swipe the card first then it displays a list of your frequent purchases to speed things up. My dislike of the old library loyalty cards is an entire chapter of IT incompetence.

I drink coffee with a friend who drinks a lot of coffee and all of his coffee is gratis and he teases me about about buying one for him.

I dislike the work "loyalty" because I'm not at all loyal, if your coffee is good I'll come back and if it's not I'll throw your card away. I'd prefer "Returning Customer Credit" or even better you give the value to a charity.

If you do want to write an app, you'll need a database because you'd expect thousands of customers. You'll want to record timestamps because this is valuable information about what days and times will be busier than others. If it was integrated the point of sale it could prompt you to ask about their other purchases "Would you like a chocolate biscotti with that".

But ultimately you're looking to enhance the customer experience and not degrade it with delays or registration questions. The classic example is Animates, where the girl at the desk will always ask for my phone number, and my response is that I'm not looking for a date, I just want to buy the product.

bobinnz - 2021-09-16 17:30:00

You could get a full point of sale system which will do this and a lot more for less money and time spent

loud_37 - 2021-09-16 18:21:00

Quote would be nice to see. Just a simple coffee shack remember! Do not need all the fancy just eftpos and loyalty and prepaid, nothing further.

loud_37 wrote:

You could get a full point of sale system which will do this and a lot more for less money and time spent

bobinnz - 2021-09-16 18:44:00

Ask your eftpos supplier, there are loyalty apps you can run through an eftpos terminal.

loud_37 - 2021-09-16 19:09:00