FAQ | Smarter Takeout

The ITPS team members are available 24/7 to answer your urgent questions.

In the following section, “customer” will be used to describe the company/restaurant who has purchased Smarter Takeout. “Online user” or “guest” will be used to describe the users who will be placing the takeout orders.

What process takes place if the internet connection is lost between ITPS and the restaurant?

If there is any communication failure between our hosting environment and the destination POS, the online user is immediately alerted that there was a communication challenge with the destination restaurant, and they are instructed to contact the restaurant directly. If this event happens, Smarter Takeout can be configured to perform any number of predefined workflow actions upon this communication failure. Please see the following list of actions that can be defined for each of the destination stores within Smarter Takeout.

Email & SMS Alerts – Within each location’s configuration panel, the customer defines a notification list of email addresses that will be notified in the event of communication failure. Typically, this would be defined to send a notification to a customer’s help desk and/or IT personnel. In the event that the customer has not subscribed to fax failover (described below), we will not allow the online user to complete their transaction and as described above, we will instruct them to contact their desired restaurant directly.

FAX Failover – If subscribed to, the Fax failover option would allow the customer to actually complete their online order in the event that our hosting center is unable to communicate with the destination restaurant. The only caveat in this situation is that the online user will need to manually tender their transaction when they arrive at the restaurant. Additional workflow rules can be defined to send off both Email and SMS notifications to appropriate personnel as defined above if the Fax Failover option has been engaged.

If internet connectivity is lost, does ITPS guarantee the system will be up within a certain timeframe?

IT Problem Solver, hosts all of its equipment in a state-of-the-art web hosting facility that has multiple redundant connections to the internet, so total internet loss would be extremely unlikely. With respect to our hosting server equipment, if there is any challenge with our Smarter Takeout servers, our commitment is to address any server challenges within 4 hours from the time of notification. Realistically, if there are any significant challenges with our hosting hardware, our teams will know before the customer even realizes there is an issue. Additionally, upon notification of a challenge, our on-call emergency support teams would immediately engage on the situation.

Does ITPS have a guarantee of “system up-time”?

Our standard Service Level Agreement (SLA) speaks to a 99.8% up-time.

When price or menu changes need to be made, do they have to be entered in both the Smarter Takeout & POS systems?

There are two methods of handling price changes. The first method involves the prices existing in both locations, which is useful if the customer offers special pricing for items ordered online. The second method is to not store pricing on the website, but to have each order check for current pricing from the POS system.

If prices are entered onto the website, who is responsible for entering them and what is the cost associated with this?

This can be performed by either the customer and/or ITPS. Smarter Takeout provides the customer with the ability to easily login to their admin console and administer all of their menu pricing and so much more. Therefore, there is really no reason why ITPS would need to administer these changes. However, if the customer prefers, we can make any changes on the customer’s behalf. These fees would be negotiated on case-by-case basis.

If ITPS enters the changes how does the customer notify them (ITPS direct or through our support desk)?

If ITPS is responsible for the updates, we can follow any required notification policies defined by the customer. Since the admin tools already exist within Smarter Takeout and are extremely user friendly, we do suggest that the customer take advantage of these tools to save money and streamline this update process.

We need to have a better understanding of how the credit cards work. Are online order credit cards processed through our current processor or a processor designated by ITPS?

There are a couple of methods for handling credit cards. One method is to setup a Verisign or other secure e-commerce processing account and handle cards for all web orders through that single account. The other method is to use a secure connection from the web hosting center to the POS system and pass card data on for the POS to handle. The second method allows all card transactions for POS related purchases to be handled using the same setup the customer currently has in place (no changes required). One of the primary advantages of the Smarter Takeout software is the direct integration into the POS; we always recommend direct POS integration.

Are there any set-up fees and per transaction fees associated with this?

In the first option above, we would assist the customer with the merchant account setup and integration. ITPS’s responsibility here is to insure that the customer’s direct account is setup and integrated appropriately with Smarter Takeout. All fees associated with the CC transaction are determined based upon the merchant account that is defined by the bank. Furthermore, ITPS will not charge any more or less for this configured option.

Does each restaurant have a separate credit card processing system, or is it done at a corporate level?

If the customer chooses to utilize a merchant account, we recommend using a single unified merchant account that is managed by corporate.

If the customer elects to capture the credit card information online and then allow the guest pay at the restaurant when they pick up, do they have access to the CC info in case the guest is a no show?

Firstly, if the customer chooses direct POS integration, there will be no issues since this workflow is being followed already. The point we want to make crystal clear is that Smarter Takeout does not store the credit card data. We simply submit the CC directly to the POS interface and then the POS holds the CC info with the check. The check is closed and tendered when the customer arrives to pick up their order by the restaurant’s takeout personnel.

If the customer does not choose a total integrated POS option and chooses to utilize their corporate merchant account to tender their transactions, we would need to send a notification to the location takeout personnel that would inform them that the customer’s CC had successfully been charged. Additionally takeout personnel could login to SmarterTakeout to verify this transaction too.

What if I don’t have a website?

ITPS offers two options for companies wanting to create a new website. First, we offer a standard Smarter Takeout package that can be customized to fit the look and feel of your company. Here is a list of just a FEW of the features that this standard package will offer:

User friendly back-office dashboard
Menu, location and customer management
Location search features
Permissions management
Customizable skins, themes, images and navigation
Upload your company logo
Optional add-ons include marketing packages, fax failover, Google™ Maps integration, hosting plans, etc.
And many, many more…

Additionally, we offer complete custom web development depending on your needs and budget. We can create an entire new website, or use your current design to modify the look and feel of Smarter Takeout and seamlessly snap this piece on to your existing site. For more information, please click on “Why Smarter Takeout” at the top of this page and then click the “Features” link. To request a quote, please contact us.

Can you tell me about the custom website?

IT Problem Solver has experts in all areas of design and development. We’ll work with your staff to get a feel for your needs, wishes, demographics and style. We monitor the latest industry trends such as AJAX, mashups, wiki, etc. to be sure we can meet all your specific requirements and preferences.

A custom site can feature the following:

Full website design and slicing
CMS (Content Management Systems)
Seamless, fully integrated menus and Smarter Takeout software
Database-driven web development
Corporate identity (logo and branding design)
E-Commerce/shopping carts

A basic custom design starts at $5000 and increases from there depending on the complexity of the site and needs of your company.

Can you tell me about the standard package?

The standard package is great for smaller restaurants or restaurants that do not currently have a website. Not only will you gain a new website, but also you will be adding Smarter Takeout which will decrease overall costs and increase revenue! You will be able to make changes to your site easily through a back-office admin tool.

The look and layout of the site will remain the same with this basic package, but you will be able to modify logos, colors, images, navigation items, text and more! For more information, please click on “Why Smarter Takeout” at the top of this page and then click the “Features” link. To request a quote, please contact us.

How can I view a demo?

Click the “Demo” link at the top of this page. You can view a flash demo of how Smarter Takeout works, or, click the link to be taken to the website demo where you can view locations & menus, place test orders and view the customer VIP portal.

To view the Smarter Takeout back office, we would be happy to coordinate a demonstration with an ITPS team member. Here you will be able to see how you can modify menus, menu templates, locations, hours of operation, change permission levels, and much, much more!