POS 2.0 Webinar Q&A

Thank you to all who were able to attend the POS 2.0 Webinar in January 2022. Questions and answers that were addressed during the webinar are provided below. 

All POS 2.0 documentation is available in the Infinite Campus Knowledge Base.

Note: Questions regarding district-specific issues are not included. We recommend submitting a support case to have your individual situation reviewed and addressed.
#QuestionAnswer
Terminal Requirements
1What are the system requirements for the POS terminals?They are the same as the POS 1.0 system. Please see the POS 2.0 FAQ.
2Is the application still based in JAVA?No, java is no longer used for the terminal.
3Since Java in no longer needed, is this web based or just Windows based?That's an important question. We chose to continue with a stand-alone, web based application to allow for service even when the internet connection may be down.
4Can I just install this and use it or do I need to set up everything again as an admin?You can copy existing services and just adjust the layout which is slightly different. Very quick to do.
5Will there possibly be a future update that will allow us to get rid of the USB cash drawer interface box? Maybe, something like directly assigning an IRQ for the cash drawer?We've done some preliminary research on bluetooth peripherals, but we haven't prioritized the work to implement it at this time.
We don't think there are any plans to switch from USB cash drawers. We notice the configuration is much easier for districts since switching to USB.
6Can you still have a physical keyboard? Our POS ladies are used to keyboard.Yes, keyboards may be used for PIN entry. However, the search fields only respond to the on-screen keyboard.
7Can a laptop keyboard be used with this 2.0?
8Is the on screen keyboard only a preference? We currently can’t use a physical keyboard.This is not a preference. The virtual keyboard displays for all text fields.
9I use a scanning device.  I just use it like I did before, correct?Correct.
10Can I continue to use my plain jane usb keypads?Yes, you still need to monitor patrons entering their pins so they do not conflict with each other.
11Which specific pin pads were just mentioned?Genovation PIN pads.
12Any plans for Mac/iOS devices? iPads, etc?Currently for a school meal serving application, it will only be on Windows. There are future plans to build for Mac if there are many districts requesting it.  As for iPads and other mobile devices, there are plans for other serving options for school stores, and concessions.
Point of Sale Alerts
13Where do you create food service alerts?The food service alerts are set up in the Flags area and you indicate on the flag that you want it to show on the POS. See Program Admin > Flags and check the POS display checkbox.  (In the New Look, see Student Administration > Program Administration > Flag Setup).
14Will the allergy automatically show or is this something we put in?When you set up the flag, you will type in the pertinent information for that student's allergy and mark it to show on the POS.
15Does the POS Alert always show or is there a preference to turn it on/off? Also, as students stack, I am guessing their alerts will show?Within the POS Options, you can set an alert to open on patron loading or disable it at which point you would just see the flag and would have to manually click the alert to see the side panel.
Student alerts display when the student appears on the screen.
16Food Service alert, do you have to have that window open or can you just have the flag by the picture?
17Isn't an allergy confidential?It is important for cashiers to be aware of food allergies but you should follow your district policy on what information you provide.
18One of our policies is students are not allowed to purchase ala carte items if they have a negative balance.  Is there a way to create an alert of a negative balance when a student is wanting to purchase ala carte items? Or do we have to go in and set each alert individually?Currently, there is not a way to set an a la carte purchase alert based on the student's balance. We can consider this as a possible future enhancement.
19How many characters are available in the (allergy) alert?The field displays the first 50 characters. Once clicked, the side panel shows the complete alert.
Setup & Terminal Configuration
20Does the 1.0 service layout carry over to 2.0 automatically?You need to use the wizard layout to copy over and review the layout. Some things such as button colors, size, and placements are not copied.
21Do we have to create new terminals or can we set the existing ones to be a new 2.0 terminal?A new terminal needs to be created for 2.0.
22Will our current "buttons" come over to this new version? We are serving SSO breakfast and lunch or will we have to reset everything up?You can copy existing services and just adjust the layout which is slightly different. Very quick to do.
23Was there a separate button on the Application Mgr screen for creating a 2.0 app?There is a checkbox in the Application Manager > Application Detail for Enhanced Layout. This will allow the application to be used in POS 2.0.
24Terminal ENHANCED is only used for 2.0?Correct.
25Can we remove the patron's balance from the cashier screen?On the POS terminal configuration screen, you can choose to show or hide:
  • Totals
  • Patron PIN
  • Patron Balance
  • Eligibility
  • Actual Purchasable Cost
26Will an update need to be completed prior to new student showing in the search or is it based on enrollment status?This is based on enrollment status.
27We serve MS and HS in the same building in the same line. Sometimes a cashier will sell the HS student a MS lunch by mistake. Is there a way to prevent a HS student from purchasing a MS lunch where the POS system would be aware of their grade levels and preventing this transaction that is in error?Unfortunately, your scenario will not be addressed in this version. The cashier will have to look at the grade level displayed for the student and determine the item to charge the student.
28We have milk as our only ala carte item. Can that button be added to the breakfast or lunch screen to avoid having to move from meal to ala carte screens?Yes, you can add the milk to the service layout for whichever service you wish. It works this way with POS 1.0 and POS 2.0.
29Wouldn't it make more sense to be able to resize the button on the same page that you arrange the screen? How do I know how large to make a button without looking at how much space I have left? I have several buttons and will make more-used buttons bigger than less-used ones.Yes, our layout tool does have the functionality to resize buttons and will show how much space is left on a grid.
30Is a Spanish POS screen available?Not at this time. Translations could be submitted as an enhancement or suggestion during Beta testing
31If you have 2 students that scan their bar code at the same time, will you be able to see both students in the queue? Right now, one or both do not show on the screen.If your scanner (or any input device) is set to use Serial communication, it will distinguish between the two patrons. If the scanner is set to be a keyboard wedge it would not.
32Does the balance color change if the balance goes negative?Yes, red for a negative balance and green for a positive balance. The color can be disabled using the POS Terminal Admin tool.
33For A La Carte, is there a limit for items or a way to categorize them? How many can be detailed in the system. Categorizing a la carte items if there are many options — drinks, fruit, etc.Currently there is not a subcategory within a la carte. You can set up as many a la carte items in the back office as you want, but you are limited to the number that can physically display on a terminal tab. If all items are small sized buttons, 36 items will fit on a tab.  You could color code by your own subcategory if you wanted.
34Is it possible customize the pinned items based upon which individual’s pin number is entered? For example, if a student’s pin number is entered, it pulls a student lunch, if a staff member’s pin number iOS entered, it pulls a staff lunch.Good question!  But at this time, there is no option to set items at the student level.
35Can we allow only admin to void purchases, we want to make sure that our cashiers are not voiding at the terminal at this point?Similar to POS 1.0 and POS 2.0, a Manager PIN is needed to void transactions. This PIN needs to be configured in the back office.  
36Are updates to the application still automatic on startup without admin requirements?Yes, as of Campus version 2144, POS software updates automatically download at start-up, and will be installed after closing the app without a Windows admin user.
37Do we have to use an extra screen for the al a carte items?A la carte items can be added to a tab with meals. But a separate tab can be created just for a la carte for organization purposes, if you want to.
38Currently we have all meal items and ala carte items showing on one layout, will this still be an option in 2.0? (as I noticed that in the demo, meal items were on one tab and ala carte items on another tab.Yes, that is still an option. You do not need to separate the a la carte from other items.
Continuous Serve
39I’ve never seen or used the queue functionality - what exactly is that and how do schools use that?When students enter PINs through a PIN pad or scanner, they will "stack" in a queue. If there is a backlog of kids entering their PINs, you will see how many kids a waiting.
40For continuous serve, do you have to have something pinned?Yes, you do have to pin items for Continuous Serve.
41With continuous serve, if a student puts in the wrong number can that be deleted right away or is that deleted in the transactions part?If the PIN matches back to the wrong student in Continuous Serve, it must be voided in the back office or in the terminal history.
42For continuous serve can you still add a la carte items?Yes, you can pin an a la carte item for Continuous Serve; such as a lunch and extra milk. However, you cannot add an item once a student enters their PIN. Students are served the pinned items as soon as they enter their PIN.
43Similar question re customizing pinned items — can they vary by lunch period, e.g., HS vs MS?The cashier can pin one set of items for one lunch period and then change the pinned items for another lunch period.  If you would like additional help with this, please contact Campus Support.
Class Serve & Quick Serve
44Any updates to Class Serve?Class serve has not changed.

We are introducing a new serving option soon called Quick Serve in a future release. Quick Serve is a back office tool, which can create past and future transactions.
45For class serve, can we now predate (retroactive) for students the next day? This was a major challenge with version 1.
46ETA for Quick Serve and is this dependent on having version 2?It is currently in testing and possibly available in the next couple of releases. Quick Serve will work for districts on 1.0 or  2.0.
47We mark students on paper or teachers turn in tickets. How can I enter the pins myself?If the transaction is within the same day, then the terminal can be loaded, and the transactions can be processed.  Quick Serve will be introduced within the next couple releases, which would allow adding back dated and batch transactions.
Cashier Actions
48Can you pull up whole classrooms at a time?Not at this time. This functionality will be introduced in the future as an advanced search.
49Is the cashier able to press an item twice for multiple items purchased or does the +/- have to be used?By design, the terminal does not allow you to double-click items to increase quantity. This is to avoid accidental double-clicks. The cashier must click a different item or the "+"/"-" buttons to add the same menu item again.
50Is there still a search button for kids who can't remember their number and just search by last and/or first name?Yes, the side panel has the first and last name. Tapping the "Search" button will open the right-hand side panel for searching.
51Does a void need to be done on the terminal or is there a central spot you can do that?You can void a transaction at the terminal at which it occurred or in the account journal within Campus.
52Can the cashier access sales history for prior days?Only transaction history for the current day is visible on the terminal. To view past history you need to view or run a report within Campus.
53Can yesterday’s history be brought up the next day so the cashier can see what was purchased by the student yesterday?Only transaction history for the current day is visible on the terminal. To view past history, you need to view or run a report within Infinite Campus.
54On the History can you view the account or pin number?Unfortunately, those values are not available in the history.
55Cashier doesn't count the beginning $20 cashing out?No, they do not include that in the count.
56Will this have the capability to void out one item within a transaction and not the entire transaction?Not for this initial POS 2.0 GA.
57When Closing the Drawer - Cashier began with $20.00.  Tx totals came to $37.00.  TOTAL Drawer Total - including the Starting Cash - s/b $57.00, correct?You are correct, the cashier should NOT include the starting cash.
58When a cashier is doing their Drawer Count, if we have turned off the Deposit Amount display, will the system still alert them to being 'unbalanced' when they submit their drawer count?Yes, the alert will still display at the time of drawer closure.
Migrating to 2.0
59When will POS 2.0 be available?This is available now. It was in Closed Beta for several months with great results and was made available in December.
60Is there cost involved in the migration to 2.0?No, no additional cost.
61Is there a cost difference for 2.0?No, no additional cost.
62Did you say we have to ask for the update?Submit a ticket to support with the title of "Enable POS 2.0".
63Are we going to go through installation AND upgrading? Scenario: install on new devices, so these are available while working on upgrading existing devices??Installation instructions are available in the Campus Community: Terminal Installation and Configuration (POS 2.0).
64Is there an instruction manual?All POS 2.0 documentation is available in the Campus Community.
65Is training provided for cafeteria staff for 2.0?We have checklists, videos and Cashier Cheat Sheet (POS 2.0) but no additional training is automatically provided.
Miscellaneous
66So getting 2.0 will completely change campus and what it looks like - not just the POS?POS 2.0 is just changing the Point of Sale terminal, not the rest of food service. POS 2.0 is available in the classic look of Campus too.

The visual changes shown to Campus were related to a new navigation wrapper project unrelated to POS 2.0, documentation here: Try the New Look of Campus.
67How come the campus that you are showing is not at all what mine looks like then? My side screen just has drop downs and then you have to click on those for it to bring it on the main screen? You version looks a lot more user friendly.
68What if i do not have that option on the top to try new look?
69Is Multi-Day Serve still available as Distance Learning and P-EBT are still happening?Multi-Day serve is not addressed in this release and if districts are still wanting to use Multi-Day they can use the same POS 1.0 Java application. Quick serve will be available in a future release and can address multiple meals for past and future but requires an internet connection.
70On the admin side, is this going to affect the creation of POS accounts, pins, or cashier pins?No, the only change on the backend side is when creating an Enhanced Layout (Service layout) for a new terminal.
71Will you ever look at back of the house operations and the ability to run production reports?We have looked at the back of house requirements for nutritional analysis, menu planning, inventory, purchasing, etc.  It's a very large development project and not currently on our roadmap to build. We are evaluating potential third-party integration opportunities, but there is nothing imminent.
72Are you aware of California’s new requirement to serve ALL students for free by August 2022. Will this work with this new mandate?Yes
73Currently, if a couple students scan their barcode, it cancels them out and you lose the additional students. With 2.0, has this been resolved?  It appears that it is.This behavior has not changed. If two students scan simultaneously, they will cancel out.  
74What happens when you increase the reimbursable lunch key?If you mean increase the quantity served, the first meal will be charged at the reimbursable rate and any additional meal will be charged the full price. If that wasn't your question, please re-submit a question.  Thank you.
75Will data export be covered? I need to be able to export details of the items consumed/purchased to the nutrition side of food service (back of house).Back-end reporting has not changed with the release of POS 2.0.  If you have a specific report that you need that isn't currently provided, please submit a support ticket.
76Regarding the upcoming features, having a heads up of what is coming is useful for planning. Release notes are helpful but after the fact.You can contact your CRM to discuss participating in early adopter and Beta programs that would give you access to information earlier.
77We currently have a Meal Vending machine within IC.Infinite Campus doesn't currently support Vending Machine integration. It's most likely you worked  with a third party to make that happen. You should contact them if you have questions.  We do have direct integration with Vending Machines on our roadmap though it's out a bit.