The Setup Tab in Options

When you touch the Set Up tab at the top of the Options screen, the screen will change to that shown below.

inTouch uses the internet to get details of any postcode you input while adding a new customer.

The Postcode Area field and type in the postcode districts that make up your delivery area. The postcode district is the first half, or outward part of the postcode; i.e. if you deliver to M25 1LB, then M25 is the postcode district.

If you type your local STD code into the STD Codes field, the program will strip that code out of the incoming telephone number when it appears on the Order screen. For example, if you type 0161 into this field, when you receive a call from 0161-798 7307, the number will appear on screen as 798 7307.

If you have typed your local STD code into this field, then when you need to search for a customer by their telephone number, perhaps because their incoming number has been withheld, you do not need to type in their STD code.

You can enter more than one STD code into this field if your store is located in an area where you receive calls from two or more STD codes.

Place a tick in the Display Times in 12 Hour Format check box if you would prefer inTouch not to use a 24 hour clock; in other words, to display 17:25 as 5:25.

The second page on the Setup Tab in Options is shown below.

Touch the drop down arrow to the right of the Caller ID Port No field in the “Caller ID” section to tell the program which of the serial (COM) ports on your computer has the Caller ID unit connected to it. Integer usually connect the Caller ID unit to Port No. 2. This field should be set to 0 (zero) if the computer does not have a Caller ID unit connected.

The Caller ID File option is intended for users with a two screen computer system but only one Caller ID unit which is connected to the main computer (server). If this check box is ticked, then when you touch the Delivery button on the Main Menu, this additional button will now appear on the Search screen.

This feature allows you to take a call from a customer on the second computer (terminal), the one without a Caller ID unit connected to it, when the main computer is in use and yet have the benefit of Caller ID.

When you take a call in these circumstances, touch Delivery and then touch Last Number Dialled. inTouch will find the last (or current) incoming telephone number and either display the customer’s details or move on to the new Customer Details screen. From this point, continue with the order in the normal way.

Turning to the “Euro” section of the screen, since Sterling is a decimal currency, the program can operate in any other decimal currency. Where applicable, inTouch can convert figures from local currency into Euros.

If you enter a figure in the Exchange rate field, the program will calculate every amount payable in Euros as well as Sterling, or the local currency, and display that amount at the bottom of the payments section of the Order screen. For example, if you type 1.5570 in this field, as the conversion rate from £1 Sterling to Euros, inTouch will calculate and display the amount owing in Euros also, based on that figure.

If you tick the Display on Receipt box, the program will print the amount payable in Euros, as well as in Sterling, on the customer receipt.

When the Currency drop down displays the different currency signs that can be used, inTouch will replace the £ sign where it appears on screen with the symbol chosen.

The “Map Co-ordinates” section of the screen enables you to synchronise the program with a wall map. If the map on your wall has squares with the letters A to H across the top and bottom and squares numbered 1 to 8 down the sides, then you would enter “H8” in the Bottom Right Cell field (always enter the Horizontal co-ordinate first). Maps do not use the letters “I” and “O” and the program takes this into account.

Using the same system, enter the reference for the square in which your shop is located in the Shop Cell field, e.g. “C5”.

The scale of the map that you are using should be shown; from this you can work out the actual distance in meters represented by one square on the map and enter that figure in the Scale (meters) field, e.g. “100”.

Finally, you need to tell the program exactly where your shop is located within the Shop Cell. The X co-ordinate is horizontal and the Y co-ordinate is vertical. Using the scale of the map that you have established above, enter the distance across the square from the left, and the distance up the square, from the bottom, in meters. For example, if you have established that a square on your map represents a distance of 100 meters, and your shop is 60% across the Shop Cell from the left and half way up the square, enter 60 in the X co-ordinate and 50 in the Y.

A little trial and error may be involved but, when inTouch has been synchronised with your map, as each new customer is added, the reference of the square on your map in which they live will automatically be filled in the Zone field on their details and will be printed on receipts.

If you tick the Display Distance on Receipt check box, the program will use the information entered above to calculate the distance between your shop and the delivery address, in meters, and print that distance on the receipt. Note: this distance is “as the crow flies”!