Processing a Sale: From Scan to Receipt in Under 60 Seconds
Walk through the complete AskBiz POS checkout flow — scanning, cart review, payment, and receipt — step by step.
Key Takeaways
- A complete sale in AskBiz POS takes under sixty seconds from first scan to receipt delivery.
- The checkout flow has four steps: scan, review cart, accept payment, and issue receipt.
- Every sale automatically updates inventory, revenue tracking, and staff performance metrics.
Step 1 — Scan or search for items
The sale begins the moment a customer places items on your counter. Tap the scan button to activate your camera and point it at the first barcode. The product appears in the cart within a second, showing its name, price, and VAT status. For items without barcodes, tap the search icon and type the first few letters of the product name — AskBiz uses fuzzy matching, so you do not need to spell it perfectly. If a customer wants multiples of the same item, you can either scan the barcode repeatedly or tap the quantity field in the cart and type the number directly. Both methods are fast, but for large quantities (say, twenty of the same item), typing the number is quicker. You can mix scanning and searching within the same transaction — there is no mode to switch between.
Step 2 — Review and adjust the cart
Before accepting payment, you and the customer can review the cart. AskBiz shows each item with its name, unit price, quantity, and line total. The running total and VAT breakdown appear at the bottom of the screen. If a customer changes their mind, swipe an item to remove it or tap the quantity to adjust. Need to apply a discount? Tap the discount button to enter a percentage or fixed amount — it applies to the entire cart or to individual items, your choice. The cart is also where you would add a note to the transaction (for example, 'customer requested gift wrapping') or link the sale to an existing customer record for loyalty tracking. This review step takes just a few seconds for a typical three-to-five-item basket, but it prevents errors that would otherwise require a refund later.
Step 3 — Accept payment
Tap the Pay button and AskBiz presents your payment options. The most common choices are cash and card, but you can also split a payment across multiple methods — for instance, the customer pays part in cash and the remainder by card. For cash payments, enter the amount tendered and AskBiz calculates the change due. For card payments, process the transaction through your card terminal as normal and then confirm in AskBiz that the payment was received. AskBiz does not replace your card terminal; it records the payment method alongside the transaction for your records. If you use a card processor that integrates with AskBiz (support for major UK processors is growing), the confirmation can be automatic. The key point is that AskBiz needs to know the payment method so your reports accurately reflect the cash-to-card ratio.
Step 4 — Issue the receipt
Once payment is confirmed, AskBiz generates a receipt. You have three delivery options. First, you can display it on screen — the customer sees the itemised list and total on your device, which works well for quick transactions where a paper record is not needed. Second, you can print it via a connected Bluetooth receipt printer. Third — and this is the option most AskBiz users love — you can send the receipt directly to the customer's WhatsApp. Just enter their phone number (or select them from your customer list) and the receipt arrives as a formatted WhatsApp message within seconds. Digital receipts reduce paper waste, give the customer a permanent record they cannot lose, and create an opportunity for future engagement. After the receipt is issued, the cart clears and AskBiz is ready for the next customer.