VendMAX 5.0.13.5 Release Notes

July 2020

Summary

This software release includes bug fixes and enhancements to various applications within VendMAX, VendMAX client, Cashless & Market reporting as well as simplifi MOBILE.  Read below for more information.

Cashless Improvements

• Cashless integration improvements for unassigned or deleted POS’ that had a cashless device assigned to the POS 
• Improvements to cashless synchronization when there are a high number of failed cashless transactions

Report Improvements 

• Canadian Sales Tax Ranking report – aligned the displayed tax amount to the sales invoice amount
• Product Sales Ranking report –  added the ability to rank by Machine type
• Corrected a Micro Market  Inventory Various discrepancy
• Service Order Audit Report – Improved the report header
• Sales Report by Type – fixed issue with sort parameter
• Sales Tax Report – Tax Basis parameter was updated for final data set calculation

Micro Market Improvements

• Some Micro Market providers are using a mobile app in place of a physical Kiosk to check out customers in the market.  In this scenario, the market sales do not contain a Kiosk ID in the VDI Feed.  Crane has made improvements to handle this type of scenario.
• Improvements have been made to handle :
  • Import of Non-planogram products from simplifi MOBILE to VendMAX
  • Exceptions if a micro market visit was left in an open state
  • Exceptions to handle a rare case of when a full product catalogue only has one product in the planogram
  • Improvements to the reporting of cash collections when a single operator has multiple Markets providers integrated with VendMAX
  • Some performance optimization for product sales in quickview sales on a Micro Market POS
  • Improved the handling of duplicate Micro Market visits if there’s a poor connection and the upload fails the first time
  • Improvements in handing Micro Market scheduling of partial inventories
  • Improvements to handle mms-sales Cash total amount without a breakdown of bills & coins
  • Improvements to Micro Market POG when adding 10 or more areas that use the same column prefix

POG OTA Improvements

NOTE:  When a POS in VendMAX has a Crane Cashless device assigned, the POS is able to receive and send OTA planograms or prices (dependent on the device type).  Once the OTA license is activated, two actions will occur to ensure the current POG in VendMAX and the Portal are in sync:

1. Two new Online Device settings for OTA will become available but will be set to inactive (unchecked) by default. You need to manually activate these settings.
2. The VendMAX current POG will be send OTA to ensure that all POG’s are in sync (VendMAX/Portal/Machine).

The OTA Settings are located on the “Online Device Settings” tab and are applicable after the OTA License Box is enabled on the POS.   

• Auto Update:  Allow Planogram updates from machine – enables VendMAX to receive planogram updates from the machine.  The changes will take effect in VendMAX during a configuration update that occurs during the nightly telemetry call, if power is cycled at the machine and when the door is closed, trigger a configuration update.
• Auto Update: Allow Product and POG changes to machine – enables VendMAX to automatically sync the new product information to the Crane portal, which in turn triggers a POG push to the machine to update the new product info and pricing. The changes will take effect in VendMAX during a configuration update that occurs during the nightly telemetry call, if power is cycled at the machine and when the door is closed, trigger a configuration update.

NOTE:

When the two settings are activated, changes are intended to keep VendMAX planograms and the machine planogram in continual synchronization.  In many cases due to timing of changes or availability of the product at the time of visits a change is one location translates into an unexpected change in the other.  Many VendMAX operators prefer to manage the changes in a single direction as pushing the POG from VendMAX to the machine but do not want the machine changes to overwrite VendMAX.

 The process to Auto Update: Allow Product and POG changes to machine is as follows:

1. The POS has to have the OTA License box checked.

2. Select “Create OTA”

3. Create New – make needed changes to the planogram. 

4. Save the planogram in one of two ways.

a. Save & Send OTA (recommended)

The Planogram in VendMAX will not update to “current” until the pending planogram is accepted by the vending machine. 

b. Save as current

The planogram changes will be set to “current” in VendMAX immediately and the changes to the vending machine planogram will not take effect until the nightly config is completed & successful.  Note:  If the nightly telemeter call fails, then the planogram at the machine will be pending until there is a successful configuration call. 

Miscellaneous

• The ability to conduct a partial visit is a function meant for Micro Markets only.  We have removed the partial visit text from the drop down list on the Vending POS schedule screen.
• Added additional support for Simplifi mobile and using Lightspeed EA Prekit ZTZ functionality
• Handling of an exception that was occurring during the copy of a POG from another POS
• Disabled partial visits for Vending POS.  Partial visits are only available for Market POS.
• Improvements to prevent the setting of a schedule on a POS that has not been assigned to a route. 
• Cashless Accountability/Cashless total revenue issue was resolved – Processor Cashless was not applying correctly when using Cashless Accountability screen.
• Resolved a CE Handheld server crash issue
• Delivery Sales Hotlinks was not displaying correctly if Payment Type = ACH
• Resolved timeout that occurred during MM product catalog export.
• Invoice Statements Sort By parameter now work with Statement Format
• Fixed the ordering of products on CE for DeliveryMAX
• Masterfile Alerts Tab performance optimization
• Removed an unnecessary “recalc needed” message from Dynamic Dispatch
• Fixed the Permanent adjust % at the POS level
• Prekit estimates corrected to handle an odd calculation when ending inventory is greater than par/cap
• Equipment Placement history tabs for Non Vending & Vending Equipment have been updated to be more descriptive with “Moved To/From Code” & “Moved To/From Description”