Staff Training¶
This page explains all checkout procedures in the order of a normal working day — intended for the first shift at the new POS.
You don't have to memorize anything
In the POS, the book icon 📖 at the top of the screen always leads to help. It briefly explains what the currently open screen does, opens the matching page in the manual and also leads back to this training page. When in doubt: tap it.
Practice First: Practice Mode¶
New staff don't have to learn during live operation. In practice mode, a POS workstation works for a limited time on its own practice business with practice data. Nothing is created in the live business: no receipt, no revenue, no stock movement, no report to any authority.
Where to find it: POS → Settings → Practice mode
How it works:
- Log in at the POS workstation — only an administrator may start practice mode. A workplace does not have to be selected: if there is none, the practice applies to this device
- Enter the duration (default 60 minutes, maximum 240) and tap "Start practice mode"
- The POS workstation switches to a fresh practice business. A colored frame and a bar with the remaining time make this permanently visible — the bar cannot be dismissed
- Five practice tasks are ready: order with two courses, split an invoice, void, redeem a voucher, view the end-of-day report. The order is free
- Five minutes before the end, the bar warns you. When the time runs out, a notice screen appears with the button "Back to live operation" — the POS does not silently switch back from the middle of an open receipt. You can end early at any time via "End practice"
Receipts from practice carry an imprint
Every receipt printed during practice gets the imprint "PRACTICE — not a receipt" across the sheet. It cannot appear on a real receipt.
What practice mode cannot do
In practice mode you work with full permissions. Voiding and splitting an invoice therefore always succeed there — even if you don't have these permissions in live operation. So practice does not tell you what you are actually allowed to do later.
If practice mode does not start, the POS stays in live operation
If the practice business cannot be reached, the POS says so explicitly and does not start. This is intentional: a silent fallback to live operation would be dangerous, because staff trust the practice frame. If no frame and no bar appear, you are not practicing — then every booking is real.
Off by default – how to switch it on
Practice mode is off by default. While it is off, the Practice mode section is missing from the till settings altogether – there is nothing to start there.
An administrator can switch it on themselves: Admin → Settings → Operations → Practice mode → tick "Allow practice mode" and save. The Practice mode section then appears in the till settings. More under Settings → Practice mode.
If the checkbox is greyed out and says that no practice system is set up for this environment, practice mode cannot be switched on: write to support@dikas.de – support will set up the practice system.
Every practice session starts with fresh practice data. You won't see what a colleague practiced yesterday — and what you practice is gone after the session.
The practice data matches your business: a club practices with guest cards and admission, a business with tables with a restaurant menu, a counter business without tables with a simple checkout. What counts is what you have actually set up — not what the license would allow.
Shortcuts You Won't Find on Your Own¶
A few operating steps are fast but not visible. These four are worth knowing:
| Gesture | What happens | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Press and hold an article (about half a second) | the selection for side dishes and variants opens | pizza with extra cheese, steak medium |
| Tap the finger icon at the top of the screen | the next article you tap opens the selection; afterwards the mode switches off by itself | when press-and-hold is awkward on a touchscreen |
| Press and hold quantity or "+" | a field for the quantity opens | 12 beers at once, instead of tapping twelve times |
| Press and hold the red "−" | the whole line item disappears | wrong article — don't count down one by one |
The finger icon switches itself off again
After one article the mode is off again. This is intended and not an error. On small screens the button is hidden — press-and-hold works there.
Logging In and Starting a Shift¶
Tap the (staff) name in the header at the top, select yourself from the list (via "Show all" you also find colleagues who are not among the last five) and enter your PIN. If an NFC card reader is available, it is even faster on the login screen — for example after a restart: hold the card to the reader, done.
On the very first booking of the day, DiKAS automatically opens a shift for you — you don't have to do anything extra.
Quick Sales over the Counter¶
For everything without table service — counter, snack bar, kiosk: tap group → tap article → "Pay". Whether a receipt is printed automatically is controlled by the print switch in the footer — it is off by default.
Opening a Table and Ordering¶
Tap a free table, select articles — the items collect on the right in the booking list. Then tap the green button at the bottom right, not "Pay": this keeps the table open and further orders can be added.
The Order Goes to the Kitchen¶
As soon as you tap "Order", the job is sent automatically to the responsible station — printed on the kitchen printer or as a card on the kitchen display, without any action on your part. The kitchen sees new orders in real time, even without you coming by in person.
Reordering and Courses¶
Tap the occupied table again, select more articles, "Order" again. If the kitchen should start the next course, switch via the "Course" button — the kitchen is informed.
Moving a Table, Merging, Splitting the Bill¶
If guests change tables, tap the table → "Transfer table" → select the new table. Two tables can be merged the same way: first table → "Transfer table" → tap the second (occupied) table, and both orders are combined.
To pay separately, simply select the items of each guest when paying — nothing is preselected.
Checking Out: Cash, Card, Mixed¶
Tap "Pay", select the payment method. For card payment via a connected terminal, DiKAS sends the amount there automatically — no manual entry needed. Via "Split" several payment methods can be combined in one transaction, e.g. part cash, the rest by card.
Tips arise in three ways: via a separate tip article, when the guest gives more cash and waives the change, or when the guest enters the tip directly at the card terminal — DiKAS detects the difference automatically.
Vouchers, Credit and Points¶
You redeem a voucher in the payment dialog via the field "Voucher no…" — the amount is deducted automatically. If a customer with credit is selected, DiKAS also deducts it automatically when paying, without you having to tap a separate payment method for it. Points accumulate by themselves with every purchase; reward articles with a negative point value "cost" points instead of money.
When Something Was Wrong: Void¶
At the table: briefly tap the red "−" of the wrong item (this marks it) → gear button → "Void" → select or enter a reason — this is mandatory.
Ein Storno ist kein Drama
Jeder Storno wird von der TSE mitgezeichnet und ist damit sauber nachvollziehbar. Wichtig ist nur, ihn zu buchen und nicht zu vertuschen.
Invoice to a Company¶
Before paying, select the business customer and tap "House account" when paying instead of cash or card. The amount is booked to the customer account — no money changes hands immediately. The actual invoice is created and sent later in the admin area.
Reprinting Receipts and Digital Receipts¶
Is a guest missing the receipt or should they get it digitally? In the POS open Menu → Invoices, search for the receipt and tap the printer icon. In the print dialog you can output the receipt again on a connected printer or open it as PDF — if email sending is set up, you can also send it directly to an email address.
Ending a Shift and Settling Up¶
Menu → "Settlement" (this requires the checkmark "Settle cash register" in the staff record): the End-of-day report screen opens, and under "Open registers" your own row is shown. Tap "Settle" there and enter the actual amount for each payment method — DiKAS compares expected and actual and reports surplus, shortfall or "Register balanced". Optionally add a remark, then "Close".
End-of-Day Report¶
The end-of-day report (Z-report) finally closes the business day and is performed by employees with the permission "End-of-day report" — usually once a day, after all shifts of the day have been settled. It is irrevocable: afterwards no bookings can be entered for that day.
When Something Is Stuck¶
Printer out of paper, terminal not responding, no internet — it happens, and usually you can simply keep checking out anyway. The emergency help shows short steps in plain language for each of these cases.
The Help Button¶
The book icon 📖 at the top of the screen is your constant safety net: it shows a short description of the currently open screen, jumps to the detailed manual if needed and leads from there back to this training page.
If you can't get any further with a problem, tap "Report problem" there — DiKAS automatically attaches the technical info (device and signature status, version) and, if you wish, a screenshot.