Adaco Mobile: Ordering App

Overview

The Fourth Ordering app, when paired with Adaco – or Fourth Inventory for Hotels - easily allows users to manage the process of requesting products and recipes needed in their Outlets. Crucially, it enables the process to be carried out on a mobile device, away from the back-office environment. Ordering can be accessed via the main Fourth app on a mobile device, or through supported web browsers on a desktop/laptop computer.

This article contains screenshots taken on a variety of devices but the general look, feel, and functionality remains the same regardless of whether using a mobile device or web browser.

In Adaco, there are two types of requisitions, Purchase Requisitions and Outlet Requisitions. Each requisition is created separately from different screens using different templates.

In Adaco, an Outlet Requisition is different from a Purchase Requisition. By contrast, in the mobile ordering app, there is no such distinction.

The mobile ordering app is used to create a basket of items which a user needs. When creating a basket, the user can select the Outlet for where they want the goods, the date on which they want the goods, and the items that they want.

Within the app, it is not specified whether the items should be requisitioned internally or purchased from an external vendor. This is all dealt with by the ‘smart ordering’ functionality in the core application. Within the Ordering app, the user selects the items required, when they are to be delivered, and then Adaco completes the rest of the process.

Please Note: This article is for using the Ordering app for Adaco only.

Application Launch and Selecting Location 

To open the Ordering app: 

• Log into the Fourth app on a mobile device or go to https://secure.fourth.com/ (or https://secure.na1.fourth.com/ for the North American Fourth Platform) in a web browser
• Select Ordering from the list of connected apps

Fig.1 – Selecting the Ordering app

Depending on the user’s Location access (single or multiple outlets within one or more properties), the application will either: 

• Open directly into a single Location 
• Present a choice of Locations to be selected 

To choose a Location: 

• Make a selection from the Location drop-down and then select CONFIRM

Fig.2 – Selecting a Location

Please Note: If a user has access to multiple properties, they may see multiple locations with the same name, e.g. STOREROOM. We recommend appending a property reference at the end of such Outlets in Adaco, e.g. STOREROOM [Tampa], STOREROOM [London], etc. for easier differentiation via Property > Setup > Location > Outlet.  

Placing an Order

There are three methods of placing orders – by individual products, by market lists (templates), and by favourites (user-specified).

Ordering by Product

There are four ways for finding individual products to be ordered:

1. Searching for Products by name
2. Searching for products by category
3. Searching for products by supplier/vendor*
4. Scanning products' barcodes

*Please Note: Due to the structure of Purchase vs. Outlet Requisitions within the core Adaco application (further detail follows below in this article), the Supplier/Vendor option will only show ‘Adaco’ and will display all products associated with the Location/Outlet chosen.

Searching for products by name

• To quickly find a product by its name, use the search bar. It is displayed on top of every page in the application - see Fig.1

Fig.3 - The Search bar

• Type the name of the product in the search bar and select the magnifying glass (or use the Enter key on the keyboard) to get the results

The page will refresh, and a list of the products which contain the text entered will display.

Fig.4 - Results after searching by name - including unavailable product

Table.1 - Fields and descriptions of search results as seen in Fig.4.

Item Number	Product: Product Number – Detail Number Recipe: Recipe Number - 0
Vendor	“Adaco”, as all Mobile Orders are processed into Purchase Requisitions and/or Outlet Requisitions
Item	Product: Product Description Recipe: Recipe Name
Cost	Product: Last Purchase Price (or Purchase Cost if there is no Last Purchase Price) or Inventory Cost, based on unit from the Product Master Recipe: Portion Cost from the Recipe Master
Unavailability	If the item is Inactive in Adaco and/or has been manually unflagged as In Order Guide in the Outlet's guide, then the message "This product is currently unavailable" will show (see Fig.4)
Unit	Product: Purchase Info/Unit or Inventory Info/Unit from the Product Master Recipe: Portion Unit from the Recipe Master
Quantity	Quantity to be ordered by – or + buttons or using number keys on the device
Buy	Adds quantity to the mobile ordering cart Can be pressed multiple times to add the same item repetitively
On Hand	Current inventory stock in the outlet displayed in the defined inventory unit
On Order	Current stock on order in the outlet* *(currently displays “0” for all items with future development planned at which point the calculation will be provided)
PAR	Purchase Par Stock from Outlet Guide Details
Quantity in Cart	“You have X in your cart” will only be visible if quantities have been added to the cart and not yet checked out

 

Searching for Products by Category

• Select the CATEGORIES option from the left side menu

Fig.5 - CATEGORIES option on the left side menu

A list of all the Subcategories (set up via Segments > Categories > Subcategories) to which the user has access to will then be displayed in the left side menu.

• These will drill down further when selected, use the Back button to go to the previous level
• Select a Segment/Category/Subcategory from the left side menu to view all products associated with it

Fig.6 - Selected Category

Searching for Products by Supplier/Vendor

Please Note: Due to the structure of Purchase vs. Outlet Requisitions within the core Adaco application (further detail follows below in this article), the Supplier/Vendor option will only show ‘Adaco’, and will display all products associated with the Location/Outlet chosen.

• Select SUPPLIERS/VENDORS (this will be dependent upon user profile language setting) from the left side menu

Fig.7 - Selected Suppliers/Vendors

Scanning Products' Barcodes

• After logging in and selecting a Location, select the barcode scan icon from the bottom-right corner

Fig.7a - Barcode scan icon

• After logging in and selecting a Location, select the barcode scan icon from the bottom-right corner
• Select to use either the Device camera or External scanner
  

Scanning a barcode will generate search results - a list of products - where quantities can be added to the cart as required. This can be repeated as required.

 

Ordering via a Market List (Template)

• Select Market Lists from the left side menu

A list of all the Market Lists a user has access to will appear in the side menu.

• Select a Market List to view all products associated with it

Fig.8 - Selected Market List

Ordering via Favourites

• Select Favourites from the left side menu

A list of all the favourites a user has set will appear in the side menu.

Fig.9 - Selected Favourites List

Adding Products to the Basket

Products are displayed on the page in two different ways, either the Gallery view or the List view.

• These views can be selected by using the toggle buttons, see Fig.10

Fig.10 - Selecting either Gallery or List view

Products are added to the basket in slightly different ways depending on the view used.

Gallery View

The default option is the Gallery view. Products need to be added individually.

• Specify a quantity, either by typing a number into the field or using the + and – buttons
• Select Buy

Fig.11 - Adding a product to the basket using the Gallery view

List View

The second option is the List view. The product list is much more compact, allowing the user to set quantities for all products and then add them to the basket in one go.

• Specify quantities for each product, either by typing a number into the field or using the + and – buttons
• Select ADD ALL PRODUCTS TO BASKET

Fig.12 - Adding products to the basket using the List view

Once the product(s) are added to the basket, a green message will appear on the top of the page - see Fig.13.

Fig.13 - Confirmation of products added to basket

Completing an Order

• Select the basket icon in the top-right corner and then select VIEW CART

Fig.14 - The basket icon and VIEW CART button

This will open the Cart page (see Fig.15) where products are listed in the sequence in which they were added.

Final modifications can be made before checking out:

• Remove all products
• Remove a product
• Edit the quantity of a product 

Please Note: The Delivery Date is the desired date for the Ordering Outlet to receive the goods. However, this is not tied to specific Vendor/Supplier delivery days, as the Ordering App does not determine which items will be added to a Purchase Requisition vs. an Outlet Requisition

Fig.15 - Cart contents

• When all product details are correct, select the CHECKOUT SUPPLIER/VENDOR button to create the order, and send it back to the core Adaco application for processing into Purchase &/or Outlet Requisitions

Fig.16 - The CHECKOUT SUPPLIER/SUPPLIER button

After checkout, a confirmation page will display, showing details about the order.

Fig.17 - Order confirmation message

User access in Adaco for Mobile Ordering 

In order to see the Ordering App button within the Fourth Platform/app, a user must have access to the Requisition Access Right: Create. For more information on this, please see the following article -Purchasing & Inventory - Changing Requisition Access Rights in User Groups

Configuring Outlets in Adaco for Mobile Ordering

There are three options for configuring Outlets. These will display in the Outlet master screen (located via Property > Setup > Location > Outlet), which will only be visible once Mobile Apps Enabled is ticked in Property > Administration.

1. Enable Mobile Ordering- When this is ticked, the Outlet itself will be published to mobile Ordering. This allows the user to prevent Outlets which are used for wastage from being available in mobile Ordering (as orders are not placed against these Outlets)
2. Default Route- This will only be available when Enable Mobile Ordering above is selected. This allows for the selecting of a default route for the Outlet, so that when requisitions are generated from an incoming basket, they will automatically be routed for approval.  This prevents the user having to log into Adaco to route their requisitions, having created them in mobile Ordering.  If left blank, requisitions will be created with a status of "no active routing"
3. Replenish From– This is used to specify the supplying Outlet for the selected Outlet. Typically, this would be the storeroom.  Where this value is left empty, then any orders created in mobile ordering will be converted to Purchase Requisitions.  When this field is populated, orders from mobile ordering will be converted to an Outlet Requisition, with the Replenish From Outlet as the supplying Outlet (subject to the rules specified below).
4. Default Ship To– This is used to specify the Ship To Address Book entry for the selected Outlet. Where this value is left empty, then any purchase requisitions created from mobile ordering will use the Property Default Ship To. When this field is populated, purchase requisitions created from mobile ordering will use this Address Book entry.

Please Note: The Replenish From field may already be visible if the option Property > Administration > Property Preferences > Requisition > Auto Create Outlet Requisitions is selected, as this field is also used for that functionality.

Fig.18 – Configuring Outlets in Adaco

How a Basket from Mobile Ordering is converted into Requisitions in Adaco

When a basket is "checked out" in the mobile ordering app, the list of items will be sent to Adaco, along with the ordering Outlet and the required date.  When the core solution processes the basket contents, it will make the following checks:

Products

• If the Outlet does not have a "Replenish From" Outlet set, then all items will be added to a Purchase Requisition (this is used where an Outlet only ever makes direct purchases, such as a franchise restaurant within a hotel)
• If the Outlet does have a "Replenish From" Outlet set, then Adaco will attempt add the items to an Outlet Requisition as follows:

• Check if the item is within the guide of the "Replenish From" Outlet - if not then it will be added to a Purchase Requisition (i.e. for an item which is not stocked by the storeroom)
• If it is listed in the guide, check if the setting allow requisition more than available stock is enabled via Property > Administration > Property Preferences > Requisition.  If it is, then add the item to an Outlet requisition
• If allow requisition more than available stock is not enabled, then check if there is sufficient stock in the "Replenish From" Outlet.  If there is, then add the item to an Outlet Requisition
• If allow requisition more than available stock is not enabled, and there is not sufficient stock in the "Replenish From" Outlet, then add the item to a Purchase Requisition

In summary, the "smart ordering" logic will attempt to get any items that it can do from the storeroom (where the storeroom is set as the replenishment Outlet).  If it can't obtain an item from the replenishment Outlet, then it will add it to a Purchase Requisition.  This ensures that users don’t purchase items that they should be getting from an internal store, and don’t request things from an internal store that they should be buying from an external vendor.

Recipes

• Recipes that have a “Preparing Outlet” set will be added to an Outlet Requisition with the “Preparing Outlet” populated as the “Supplying Outlet”
• Recipes without a "Preparing Outlet" set will be added to an Outlet Requisition with the “Replenish From” Outlet populated as the “Supplying Outlet”
• If the Ordering Outlet does not have a “Preparing Outlet” set, then any recipes without a “Preparing Outlet’ set will be added to an Outlet Requisition, with the Property-defined “Storeroom” populated as the “Supplying Outlet”
  • The Property-defined Storeroom can be located under Property > Administration > Property Preferences > General: Storeroom

Conversion of Units when Creating Requisitions

As a Market List will contain both the purchase and inventory units, it is possible that an Outlet Requisition could be created for a number of purchase units, and a Purchase Requisition could be created for a number of inventory units. 

Where an Outlet Requisition is created, the quantity will be either the number of inventory units requested in mobile ordering or, where the user has ordered in purchase units, the number of purchase units converted to inventory units.  For example, if a user orders 2 cases of Coca Cola (24 x 330 ml cans) and this results in an Outlet Requisition, the quantity ordered would be 48 x 330 ml cans.

Where a Purchase Requisition is created, the quantity will be either the number of purchase units entered by the user or, where the user ordered in inventory units, the number of inventory units converted to purchase units rounded up.  For example, if a user orders 19 cans of Coca Cola and this results in a Purchase Requisition, the quantity ordered would be 1 case x 24 x 330 ml cans.

Auto Routing Requisitions for Approval / Releasing Requisitions

When a Purchase Requisition or Outlet Requisition has been created from a mobile ordering basket, it will be treated as follows:

For a Purchase Requisition:

• If none of the items in the PR require approval, release the Purchase Requisition (PR) according to the setting in Property > Administration > Property Preference > Requisition > Release To (i.e. it will be released to either Property or CP)
• If any of the items in the PR require approval, check the route assigned to the Outlet in the Default Route for the Outlet, and route the PR to the first user on the route.  From here onward, it will follow the existing Adaco approval work flow
• If any of the items in the PR require approval but there is no route assigned to the Outlet, then do nothing (leave the requisition as "No Active Routing")
• If none of the items in the PR require approval, and the setting When Requisition Exceeds Budget or Forecast is set to Block User From Saving Requisition, and the budget is exceeded, then route the PR for approval according to the Outlet default route

For an Outlet Requisition:

• If the option Property > Administration > Property Preferences > Requisition > Approval Needed for Outlet Requisitions is not selected, then release the Outlet Requisition (OR)
• If this option is enabled, check the route assigned to the Outlet in the Default Route for the Outlet and route the Outlet Requisition to the first user on the route.  From here onward, it will follow the existing Adaco approval work flow
• If there is no route assigned to the Outlet. then do nothing (leave the requisition as No Active Routing)

Publishing Templates in Adaco as Market Lists in Mobile Ordering

Either Purchase Requisition or Outlet Requisition templates can be published to mobile Ordering as Market Lists. 

Market Lists are generic lists, and do not relate to either a PR or an OR, so once a template from Adaco has been published to mobile Ordering, it will be used to create a basket of goods which may end up creating a Purchase Requisition, an Outlet Requisition, or both. 

Please Note: Market List names in mobile Ordering are based on the Purchase Requisition Template "Description" or Outlet Requisition Template "Comments" fields, so ensure that a name is added in Adaco or users will not be able to see the Market Lists once the templates have been published.

To publish a template for use in Mobile ordering, the option inProperty > Administration > Property Preferences > Requisition > Enable Ordering Appmust be enabled.  There will then be new controls and options visible on both PR and OR templates.

These controls will be visible, but may be disabled if the current template owner does not have a Fourth Account, as when a template is published to mobile Ordering, it has to have an owner. If the owner of the template does not have a Fourth Account, is will not be possible to publish the template. 

• Either assign a Fourth Account to the template owner in Adaco, or change the template owner to a Adaco user who has a Fourth Account

Providing that the template owner in Adaco has a Fourth Account, then the option to make the template available in mobile Ordering will be enabled.

Visibility of Templates as Market Lists in Mobile Ordering

There are also options which dictate the visibility of the template once published to mobile Ordering.  The options are either the template owner only, or anyone associated with the Outlet to which the template is assigned. 

Please Note:The template permissions for mobile Ordering have no relation to the template permissions within Adaco (as Adaco supports three template access levels, whilst mobile Ordering supports two).

Fig.19 – Configuring Templates for Mobile Ordering

Once a template is published to mobile Ordering, it will be visible as a Market List.  Any items added to the template in Adaco will be reflected in mobile Ordering. This synchronization is one way, so changes made to the market list in mobile Ordering will not be reflected in Adaco.

As a Market List can be used to create both PRs and ORs, then for each product, both the inventory and purchase units will be sent to the mobile Ordering service.  For example, if the published PR template in Adaco has Coca Cola by the case of 24, and the inventory unit for this product is 1 can x 330ml, then the Market List will contain both the case of 24 x 330ml and 1 each x 330ml.