Help and getting started
Find a work area and learn what EMS messages mean and how to use a shared device.
What is in this guide
Start common work
Choose a work area.
Your day, start to finish
This is the everyday run of work at the counter, in the order you will do it.
Before you start
Sign in with your own account at the start of your shift.
Sign in as yourself and sign out before you walk away, because every action is recorded against the account that is signed in.
Use Language in the header to switch the whole app between English and Chinese; it stays that way for you next time.
Start a sale
Open Sales. This is where every counter transaction begins.Open Sales
A new sale starts as a quote: nothing is committed and nothing is owed until you confirm it.
As you enter the sale, this screen holds the selected customer and line items.
Customer, or walk-in
If the person has an account with you, choose them first, before you add any items.Read the customer field answer
You can complete a sale without attaching a customer; that is a walk-in, and it creates no account balance to collect later.
The customer code is how EMS ties an order, a payment and a document to one customer, so it has to be the same code every time you serve them.
Add the items and the quantities
Search for each product, add it to the sale, then set how many.Read the product field answer
The sale price on a product is what the customer is charged per unit before any discount and before tax.
Set the quantity with the plus and minus controls or by typing the number into the box. Quantities are whole units in this version.Open the page
Check the totals before you confirm
Read the subtotal, the tax and the total back to the customer before you go any further.Read the estimated total answer
Tax is worked out from the rate that is in force when the order is priced, and it is stored on the order rather than recalculated later.
The figures shown while you are still building the sale are an estimate; the stored amounts are the ones written when you confirm.
Confirm the sale, and what that does
Confirming a sale turns the quote into a real order and is the point at which the amounts become what the customer owes.
Confirming also takes the quantities on the order out of available stock, so the items are no longer offered to the next sale.
When you confirm an order that has this customer attached, EMS adds what they still owe on their other confirmed and fulfilled orders to the total of the order you are confirming, and refuses the confirmation when that sum comes out above the limit.Read the credit limit answer
An order with no customer attached is never checked against a credit limit.
Give the customer their document
Open Documents and issue the invoice or receipt for the order you just confirmed.Open Documents
The document is the record the customer keeps, and it captures the order's money figures as they stood when it was issued.
A document that is wrong is superseded by a new one rather than deleted, so the original stays visible in the history.
Take a payment
Open Record a payment, choose the customer, and enter the amount they handed over.Open Record a payment
A payment is recorded against the customer and then split across their orders, so every amount you take in has somewhere it belongs.Open the page
Outstanding on an order is its total less the payments already allocated to it, so it is what is still to be collected on that order.
Record a return, or void an order
Open Returns, find the order, and say which items are coming back and how many.Open Returns
A return takes named items back off an order that stands; voiding cancels the order as a whole.
A reason is required, and it is what the boss reads later when they ask why this happened.Open the page
Find an earlier order
The sales screen keeps a list of recent order summaries, and Documents keeps what was issued against them.
History screens only show what was already written; nothing you do on them changes an order.
Search by the order number or by the customer, whichever the person in front of you can tell you.
When the screen refuses you
A refusal is the system stopping something that would have been wrong; read the wording on the screen before trying again.
If a sale will not confirm for a customer, it is usually their credit limit, and only the boss can raise it.
If a screen or a control is not there for you at all, it belongs to the boss, and that is not a fault to report.
Questions about the Sales page
Sales is where a transaction is built and confirmed. Everything on it is a quote until you submit.
Customer
What it is forAttaches this sale to a customer account instead of treating it as a walk-in.
How to use itOpen the customer picker and choose a customer before adding items; leave it empty for a cash walk-in.
What it meansOnce saved, the order belongs to that customer: it counts towards their credit limit, it appears in what they owe, and a payment can later be allocated to it.
Customer search
What it is forNarrows the customer list so you can find one account quickly.
How to use itType part of the customer's name or their customer code.
What it meansNothing is saved by searching; it only filters what the picker shows you.
Product
What it is forChooses which item is being sold and adds it to the sale as a line.
How to use itOpen the product picker and select the exact item, including the variant if the product has more than one.
What it meansEach line records the item, the quantity and the price it sold at, and it is those stored line figures that the order total is built from.
Product search
What it is forNarrows the product list so you can find one item quickly.
How to use itType part of the product code or of its specification.
What it meansNothing is saved by searching; it only filters what the picker shows you.
Quantity
What it is forSays how many units of that line are being sold.
How to use itUse the plus and minus controls, or type the number into the box. Quantities are whole units in this version.
What it meansThe quantity multiplies the line's price to give the line total, and on confirmation it is what comes out of available stock.
Line price
What it is forShows what one unit of this line is being sold at.
How to use itIt comes from the product's sale price; you do not type it here.
What it meansThe price stored on the line is the one that stands for this order even if the product's price is changed afterwards.
Line discount
What it is forReduces one line rather than the whole order.
How to use itEnter a rate as a percentage; it is refused if it goes above the discount cap.
What it meansThe discount is applied when the order is priced, so the totals you confirm are already net of it.
Boss override
What it is forLets a boss allow something on this sale that the ordinary rules would stop.
How to use itOnly a boss account sees this control, and it applies to the sale in front of you and no other.
What it meansThe override is recorded with the order, so the audit log later shows that this sale went through on a boss decision.
Sale items
What it is forCounts the lines currently on the sale.
How to use itIt is worked out for you; add or remove lines to change it.
What it meansA sale needs at least one line before it can be confirmed.
Estimated subtotal
What it is forAdds up the line totals before tax.
How to use itIt is worked out from the lines; you do not type it.
What it meansIt is the goods figure the tax is then worked out on.
Estimated tax
What it is forShows the tax this sale will add.
How to use itIt is worked out from your tax rate; you do not type it.
What it meansA customer marked tax exempt is charged no tax, so this line reads zero for them.
Estimated total
What it is forShows what the customer will be charged in full.
How to use itIt is the subtotal plus the tax; you do not type it.
What it meansThis is the figure that becomes the customer's debt on confirmation and the figure a payment is later measured against.
Submit sale
What it is forConfirms the quote and writes the order.
How to use itRead the totals back to the customer first; this is the step that cannot be undone by simply leaving the page.
What it meansAfter this the order exists, the stock is committed, and putting it right needs a return, a void or a correction.
Take payment
What it is forSends you to the payment screen for the customer on this sale.
How to use itUse it after the sale is confirmed, not before.
What it meansTaking payment does not change the order; it records money received and allocates it against what is owed.
How is this sale being paid?
What it is forChooses whether money is recorded now, in part, or not at all as the sale is completed.
How to use itPick one of the three: record full payment now, record a partial payment now, or complete the sale and let the customer pay later. For a partial payment, enter the amount received.
What it meansFull attempts to record the whole amount against this sale and partial attempts to record the amount you enter, leaving the rest outstanding. Pay later completes the sale with nothing received. In every case the sale itself is completed first, so if the payment does not go through the sale still stands and the balance shows on the customer's account.
Continue
What it is forCompletes the sale using the payment choice above.
How to use itFor a partial payment the amount must be more than zero, and where an estimated total is shown it may not exceed it.
What it meansThe sale is confirmed first and any payment is recorded after it, because the payment needs the sale's order number. Several outcomes leave the sale booked with no payment confirmed: choosing pay later, a total that cannot be paid against, an order number the payment step cannot use, a payment that fails, or a full payment whose total has moved since the estimate, which asks you to confirm again. The sale stands in all of them, and whatever is still owed on it remains outstanding. If the payment step has to be retried it reuses the same key rather than starting a new payment, and the sale is not created again.
Order summaries
What it is forLists recent orders so you can look one up.
How to use itOpen a summary to see what was on the order.
What it meansThis list is a view of orders that already exist; opening one changes nothing.
Reload order summaries
What it is forFetches the list again so it shows what has been written since you opened the page.
How to use itUse it when a colleague has just confirmed an order that is not on your list yet.
What it meansReloading only re-reads; it never alters an order.
Questions about the Documents page
Documents is where an order becomes a piece of paper the customer keeps, and where you look up what has already been issued.
Document type
What it is forChooses whether you are issuing an invoice or a receipt.
How to use itPick the type before you issue; the choice is two buttons rather than a list.
What it meansThe type is stored on the document, and it is what the customer's copy is headed with.
Order ID
What it is forSays which order this document is being issued against.
How to use itEnter the number of an order that has already been confirmed.
What it meansThe document is tied to that order permanently, which is how the history later shows what was issued for it.
Customer total
What it is forThe amount the document will state as due from the customer.
How to use itEnter it in dollars and cents, and check it against the order before issuing.
What it meansThis figure is captured on the document as it stood at issue, so a later change to the order does not silently rewrite a document the customer already holds.
Issue document
What it is forCreates the document for the order you named.
How to use itCheck the type, the order and the total first; issuing asks you to confirm.
What it meansOnce issued the document is part of the record and is corrected by superseding it, never by deleting it.
Confirm issue
What it is forThe second step that actually writes the document.
How to use itThe confirmation repeats what you are about to issue; read it rather than clicking through.
What it meansConfirming is the point of no return: after it, the document exists and shows in the history.
Supersede
What it is forReplaces a document that was issued wrongly with a corrected one.
How to use itOpen the document that is wrong and supersede it; you cannot edit the original in place.
What it meansBoth stay in the history, the old one marked as superseded, so the trail shows what happened rather than hiding it.
Reload document history
What it is forFetches the issued-document list again.
How to use itUse it when a document has just been issued elsewhere and is not on your list.
What it meansReloading only re-reads; it never alters a document.
Document type column
What it is forShows whether each row is an invoice or a receipt.
How to use itIt is a displayed value, not something you fill in.
What it meansIt is the type chosen when that document was issued, and it does not change afterwards.
Order ID column
What it is forShows which order each document belongs to.
How to use itIt is a displayed value, not something you fill in.
What it meansTwo rows with the same order number mean that order has more than one document, which is what superseding produces.
Customer total column
What it is forShows the amount each document states.
How to use itIt is a displayed value, not something you fill in.
What it meansIt is what the customer's copy says, captured at issue, so it can legitimately differ from the order's total today.
Document details
What it is forOpens one document to show everything recorded on it.
How to use itOpen it from the history list; close it when you are done.
What it meansThe details view is read-only; nothing you do in it changes the document.
Questions about the Returns page
Returns handles two different things: taking named items back off an order that stands, and cancelling an order outright.
Order search
What it is forFinds the order the goods came from.
How to use itType the order number, or the customer's name if that is all you have.
What it meansSearching saves nothing; it only narrows the list you choose from.
Choose order
What it is forSays which order is being returned against or voided.
How to use itPick the order first; the items and quantities below only appear once one is chosen.
What it meansEverything you record here is written against that order and shows up in its history.
Reason
What it is forRecords why the goods came back or why the order was cancelled.
How to use itIt is required, and it should say what happened rather than repeat what the screen already shows.
What it meansThe reason is kept with the return and is what a boss reads when they ask about it later.
Return quantity
What it is forSays how many of that item are coming back.
How to use itUse the plus and minus controls; you cannot return more than the order's returnable quantity for that item.
What it meansThe quantity returned is what the refund is worked out from and what goes back into available stock.
Record return
What it is forWrites the return for the items and quantities you set.
How to use itUse this when the order stands and only some goods are coming back.
What it meansThe order remains, reduced by what came back, and the customer's balance moves by the value of the return.
Void order
What it is forCancels the whole order rather than returning items from it.
How to use itUse this only when the order should not have existed; a partly wrong order is a return, not a void.
What it meansA voided order stops counting as something the customer owes, and the record of it stays visible rather than disappearing.
Confirm void
What it is forThe second step that actually cancels the order.
How to use itThe confirmation names the order; check it is the right one before confirming.
What it meansAfter confirming, undoing a void needs a new sale rather than an edit.
Questions about the Record a payment page
This page records money received from a customer and splits it across the orders they still owe on.
Choose customer
What it is forSays whose payment this is.
How to use itOutstanding sales start loading as soon as the screen opens, so you do not have to choose a customer first.
What it meansThe payment is recorded against that customer's account, which is what makes it available to allocate to their orders.
Pick a sale to pay
What it is forChooses which outstanding sale the payment is against, instead of starting from the customer. Picking a sale also selects its customer for you.
How to use itType in the search box to narrow the list, then pick a row. The list is a short scrolling window, but the search covers every sale loaded, not only the rows you can see. Sales are ordered by order number from highest down, which stands in for newest first.
What it meansThe list covers the sales fetched when the screen opened, in one capped read, rather than every sale on file.
Payment method
What it is forShows Cash and Debit, but in this version it does not choose anything.
How to use itThere is nothing to fill in. The two buttons do not respond, and the display always reads Cash.
What it meansNo payment method is saved with the payment, so this cannot be used to reconcile the day's takings by how the money came in.
Payment amount
What it is forThe total the customer handed over.
How to use itEnter it in dollars and cents. A malformed entry is refused rather than being read as a number you did not mean.
What it meansThis is the figure that must be fully allocated across the orders below before the payment can be recorded.
Allocation for an order
What it is forSays how much of this payment goes against one particular order.
How to use itType the amount into the order's row, or use the plus and minus controls on it.
What it meansWhat you allocate to an order is subtracted from that order's outstanding balance, so the split decides which debts are cleared.
Allocated
What it is forAdds up what you have assigned to orders so far.
How to use itIt is worked out for you as you set each order's share.
What it meansIt has to equal the payment amount before the payment can be recorded.
Remaining to allocate
What it is forShows how much of the payment still has nowhere to go.
How to use itIt is worked out for you; bring it to zero by allocating the rest.
What it meansWhile it is anything other than zero the payment cannot be recorded, which is what stops money being taken in with no home.
Order column
What it is forIdentifies each of the customer's orders that still has a balance.
How to use itIt is a displayed value, not something you fill in.
What it meansOnly orders with something still owing appear here, so an order that has been paid off drops out of the list.
Status column
What it is forShows where each order stands.
How to use itIt is a displayed value, not something you fill in.
What it meansConfirmed and fulfilled orders are the ones that count as debt; a quote is not owed yet.
Order total column
What it is forShows what each order came to in full.
How to use itIt is a displayed value, not something you fill in.
What it meansIt is the goods plus the tax stored on that order, which is the same figure the credit limit is measured against.
Already allocated column
What it is forShows what earlier payments have already put against this order.
How to use itIt is a displayed value, not something you fill in.
What it meansIt is the running total of every allocation made to this order before today's payment.
Outstanding column
What it is forShows what is still to be collected on each order.
How to use itIt is a displayed value, not something you fill in.
What it meansAllocating today's payment to an order reduces this figure, and it is the sum of these that a credit limit is measured against.
Record payment
What it is forWrites the payment and its allocations.
How to use itIt only proceeds once the amount is fully allocated; a partial split is refused.
What it meansAfter this the customer's balance is lower by what you took in, and the orders you allocated to show less outstanding.
Confirm payment
What it is forThe second step that actually records the payment.
How to use itThe confirmation repeats the customer and the amount; check both before confirming.
What it meansOnce confirmed the payment is part of the record, and putting a mistake right is a further entry rather than an edit.
Catalog questions
The catalog is where you look up what is in stock, what it sells for, and how stock has moved.
Catalog sections
What it is forThe catalog opens on a landing screen that splits it into sections instead of one long page.
How to use itChoose a section to open it, and use the back link to return to the landing screen.
What it meansWhich sections you see depends on your role; the management section is available to the boss only.
Search catalog
What it is forNarrows the stock list to the categories and variants you are looking for.
How to use itEnter a category code, name, specification, or unit, and the list narrows as you type.
What it meansSearching only changes what is shown to you; it never changes stock, prices, or any saved record.
Low stock only
What it is forLimits the list to variants at or below their low-stock threshold.
How to use itSwitch it on to put everything else aside, and off to see the full list again.
What it meansIt is a view filter; turning it on does not reorder anything or mark stock for replenishment.
Clear catalog filters
What it is forRemoves the search wording and the low-stock filter in one action.
How to use itUse it when a search returns nothing and you want the full list back.
What it meansYou are back to the unfiltered list; nothing about the stock itself has changed.
Stock quantity
What it is forShows how many units of a variant the system currently counts as on hand.
How to use itIt is read-only here; it moves when sales, returns and stock corrections are recorded.
What it meansQuantities are whole units in this version, and stock on a confirmed sale is already reserved.
Stock status
What it is forMarks each variant as in stock or low stock so you do not have to compare the numbers yourself.
How to use itIt is set by the system from the quantity and that variant's low-stock threshold.
What it meansLow stock is a warning rather than a block; a variant marked low can still be sold.
Sale price
What it is forShows what a customer is charged for one unit of that variant.
How to use itIt is read-only here; the boss maintains prices in the management section.
What it meansIt is the figure before any customer discount and before tax are applied to a sale.
Reload stock
What it is forReads the stock list again so you are looking at current numbers.
How to use itUse it when someone else may have recorded a sale or a return while you had this page open.
What it meansThe list is read when the page opens and when you reload it, so a number can be out of date until then.
Stock history
What it is forShows how a variant's stock has moved over time rather than only where it stands now.
How to use itOpen it from the catalog landing screen, or from the catalog sections in the navigation.
What it meansIt is a read-only view of movements already recorded; nothing is edited from here.
Low-stock warning
What it is forTells you how many stock items are at or below their low-stock threshold.
How to use itDismiss it to put it away for now; it can be shown again from the same place.
What it meansDismissing only hides the message; the stock levels behind it are unchanged.
Products list questions
This page lists products with their sales information for staff. It is not in the navigation, so you reach it by its address.
Search products
What it is forNarrows the product list to what you are looking for.
How to use itEnter a product name or SKU, and the list narrows as you type.
What it meansFiltering changes only what is shown; no product record is altered.
Clear search
What it is forEmpties the search box and brings the whole list back.
How to use itUse it when a search returns no rows at all.
What it meansThe full list returns, and the count shown beside it follows.
SKU
What it is forIdentifies the product, so two similar names cannot be confused.
How to use itIt is read-only here, and is settled when the product is created.
What it meansThe SKU is how this product is identified everywhere else in EMS.
Quantity
What it is forShows how many units the row covers.
How to use itIt is read-only on this page.
What it meansQuantities are whole units in this version.
Line total
What it is forShows what the quantity on that row comes to at its sale price.
How to use itIt is worked out for you and cannot be typed over.
What it meansIt is sales information, and it is the figure before tax is applied.
Product totals
What it is forAdds the listed rows up so you do not have to.
How to use itIt is worked out for you; there is nothing to enter.
What it meansIt shows a subtotal, the tax, and the total for the products listed.
Sign-in questions
Signing in is what tells EMS who you are, and your account decides what you are shown.
What it is forIdentifies your EMS account.
How to use itEnter the address your account was created with.
What it meansIt is your identity rather than a display name, and work you record is attributed to this account.
Password
What it is forProves the account is yours.
How to use itEnter your own password; it is never shown to anyone else.
What it meansIf it is wrong, signing in fails and nothing about your account changes.
Sign in
What it is forStarts your session and takes you on to the home screen.
How to use itUse it once both fields are filled in; neither can be left empty.
What it meansYour role is settled at sign-in, which is why the navigation differs between accounts.
Forgot your password?
What it is forSends you to the page that emails a link for setting a new password.
How to use itUse it when you cannot sign in; you do not need to be signed in first.
What it meansIt is the only way to change a password, because there is no signed-in change screen.
Password reset questions
One page handles both a forgotten password and a deliberate change, through the same emailed link.
Your email address
What it is forTells EMS where to send the reset link.
How to use itEnter the address your account uses, then ask for the link.
What it meansThe reply is deliberately the same whether or not an account exists for that address.
Send the reset link
What it is forAsks for the email carrying your one-time link.
How to use itRequests are rate-limited, so wait a moment before asking a second time.
What it meansA link works once and then expires, so an old email cannot let anyone in later.
New password
What it is forSets the password you will sign in with from now on.
How to use itEnter the password you want; it has to satisfy the rule shown on the page.
What it meansSaving it replaces the old password straight away.
Confirm password
What it is forCatches a mistyped password before it locks you out.
How to use itEnter the same password again; the two have to match before it will save.
What it meansIf they differ, nothing is saved and you are asked again.
Password rule
What it is forStates what a password has to satisfy before it will be accepted.
How to use itRead it before choosing; it is shown beside the password fields.
What it meansA password that is too short is refused when you save, not quietly shortened.
The link no longer works
What it is forExplains the page you land on when a reset link has been used, has expired, or was altered.
How to use itAsk for a new link from the same page; a dead one cannot be revived.
What it meansReaching that page means no password was changed.
About this help page
This page explains the rest of EMS, and it is written to be printed as well as read on screen.
Searching this guide
What it is forNarrows the whole guide to the sections that mention what you type.
How to use itEnter a word such as refund, credit or stock; it matches the wording you can see, in whichever language you are reading.
What it meansIt only hides sections from view. Nothing is saved, and clearing the box brings the whole guide back.
Contents
What it is forLists every section on this page so you can go straight to one.
How to use itChoose an entry to jump to it, and use the back-to-contents link to return.
What it meansIt lists only what your account can see, so two people may be offered different contents.
Printing this guide
What it is forProduces a paper copy for anyone who would rather not read on screen.
How to use itPrint the page from your browser; there is no separate export to prepare.
What it meansOn paper the navigation is dropped, the contents are kept, and each link prints its address after the wording.
Why your help differs
What it is forExplains why someone else's help page can be longer than yours.
How to use itThere is nothing to set; the page reads your role when it loads.
What it meansSections for work you cannot do are not shown, so the guide matches what you can actually reach.
Links in this guide
What it is forTakes you from an explanation to the page it describes.
How to use itChoose the link at the top of a section to open that page.
What it meansA link inside this guide moves you within the page; a link to a work area leaves it.
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Messages and empty pages
Loading means wait. No matching results means change or clear a filter. An error needs the supported recovery shown on that page. Access denied means return home. Connection unavailable means the browser is offline and connected actions may not complete.
Using a shared device
Use your own account. Select Logout before leaving the device, and never share your password.
Language
Use Language in the header to switch between English and Chinese.