# Counter mode

URL: https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/sales-ordering/counter-mode

Serve trade customers in person with Counter mode: a full-screen till to pick the account, scan or tap products, check credit and pay on account or by card.

> **Counter mode is in early access.** Request it for your sales team. [Request early access](https://feedback.sparklayer.io/get-started?choice=now).

> **Quick summary**
>
> - Counter mode is a full-screen till for sales reps serving customers face to face: at a trade counter, in a showroom or on a trade show stand.
> - Open it with the **Counter** button on the [Catalog](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/sales-ordering/catalog.md) tab. It's for sales reps only; customers' **Quick Order** tab doesn't have it.
> - Pick who's buying, scan or tap products, and watch the account's credit position as you go. Then check out on Net terms, send a card payment link, or submit a quote.
> - It works with a barcode scanner, and on a tablet or phone as well as a desktop. Counter mode needs the Starter plan or above.

## How it works

Counter mode is the same ordering you do as a sales rep, laid out for speed at a counter. It has large tap targets, a scan field that's always ready, and the account's credit in view. Prices, credit and order history all follow the account you pick, so the customer gets their own prices and payment terms.

Serving a customer at the counter:

1. **Who's buying?**: Search for the account, or pick a recent or held order
2. **Add products**: Scan barcodes, tap products or their usual buys
3. **Check the order**: Lines, discounts and the credit position in the order panel
4. **Check out**: Details, then Review & Pay, or submit a quote
5. **Done**: Print a receipt and serve the next customer

## Before you start

You need:

- **A sales rep account** that can [order for customers](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/sales-ordering/order-for-a-customer.md). Your store owner or admin sets this up: see [Sales rep setup](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/sales-reps.md).
- **A barcode scanner (optional)** that types into the computer like a keyboard, such as a USB or Bluetooth scanner. A scan matches a product's barcode or its SKU.
- **Payment methods** for the customer's group: **Pay with Net terms** needs payment on account; **Pay online by card** needs upfront card payment. See [Payment methods](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/payment-methods.md). 

## Open Counter mode

1. Open the SparkLayer widget and go to the **Catalog** tab.
2. Click **Counter** in the header. The till opens full screen.

**More detail**

Click **Exit** at any time to go back to the widget, where you're ordering for the customer you were serving. The till keeps the order you were building: click **Counter** again to pick it up.

## Choose who's buying

Start each sale by choosing the account. The till opens on **Who's buying?**, where each account shows its account number and where it stands:

| Shown | Means |
| --- | --- |
| **Nothing outstanding** | No unpaid invoices. |
| _amount_ **on account** | Unpaid invoices, all within terms. |
| _amount_ **overdue** | At least one invoice is past its payment terms. |
| **Recent** | You served this account recently, so it's near the top. |

1. Type in **Search accounts…** to find the customer by name or account number.
2. Tap the account. The order screen opens at their prices.

**More detail**

Orders you've put on hold are listed above the search, under **Held at this counter**, with how long ago they were held. Tap **Resume** to carry on. If you go back to **Who's buying?** with an order open, **Order open for** shows it: tap **Back to this order**, or **Clear it**. Choosing another account moves the open order's items to them.

## Add products

The order screen has the products on the left and the order on the right. Add products in any of these 4 ways:

| Way | How |
| --- | --- |
| Scan | Scan a barcode at any time. The till catches it even when the scan field isn't selected. A banner confirms the product, or says no code matched and shows search results instead. |
| Search | Type in **Scan a barcode, or search the range…**, or narrow the products with the collection filter (**All collections**), which on Shopify follows your [navigation menu](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/platforms/shopify/catalog-collections.md). |
| Tap | Tap a product's tile or price to add one. The tile flashes and the total updates. |
| Usual buys | The **_account_ usually buys** strip shows up to six products the account orders most. The first tap adds their usual quantity (shown as "usually 36"); each tap after that adds one. |

### Choose a variant

A product with more than one variant opens **Which one?**, so you choose the variant the customer is holding rather than a default.

1. Tap the variant. Out-of-stock variants can't be chosen.
2. For a product with many variants, such as shoes in several colours and sizes, tap the colour first, then the size. Sizes that are out of stock are struck through and low ones are marked.

**More detail**

To jump straight to one, type in **Search size, colour or SKU**, for example "black 9". **Show all** lists every variant at once.

## Check the order

As you add products, the order panel on the right keeps track. It works like [My Cart](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/storefront/interfaces/my-cart.md):

| Part | What it shows / does |
| --- | --- |
| **Account** | Who you're serving. Tap **Change account** to go back to **Who's buying?**. |
| **Actions** | **Hold this order**, **Discount the order**, **Open invoices** and **Clear the order**. |
| Credit position | The account's balance against its terms and credit limit, updated as the order grows (see below). |
| Lines | Each product with its price each, line total, quantity stepper, SKU and a bin to remove it. |
| Volume break | Under a line, a nudge such as "+4 more → $5.10 each (Save 15%)". Tap it to take the line to that break. |
| **Discounts & codes** | Discounts on the order, with a count of those applied. |
| Totals | Subtotal, tax and the total, with the number of items and lines. |
| **Submit Quote** and **Checkout** | The two ways to finish. |

Volume breaks apply as you go: a line is priced at the break its quantity reaches, as in the cart.

### Credit position

| Message | What you can do |
| --- | --- |
| **Nothing outstanding**, or _amount_ **on account, all within terms** | Any payment method. |
| _amount_ **overdue**, _N_ **days past terms** (14 days or more) | Any payment method, with a warning. |
| _amount_ **overdue**, _N_ **days past terms** (60 days or more) | **Can't go on account — take payment or save a quote.** |
| **Over credit limit** (with this order) | **Can't go on account — take payment or save a quote.** |
| **No credit information for this account** | Any payment method, with a warning. |

To see the account's open invoices, tap the credit position, or choose **Actions > Open invoices**. Each invoice shows its amount, and how many days it's past its terms or how many days are left to pay.

### Discount a line or the order

1. For one line, tap its price ("$x each"). For the whole order, choose **Actions > Discount the order**, or **Discounts & codes**.
2. Choose **Percentage** or **Fixed amount** and enter the value.
3. Enter a **Reason**, such as a damaged box or a price match. It's required.
4. Tap **Apply**. To take a discount off again, open it and tap **Remove**.

A rep's [role](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/sales-reps/roles.md) controls the discounts they can give at the counter, as a percentage or a fixed amount.

## Check out

1. Tap **Checkout**.
2. On **Details**, choose the **Shipping Address**, and add a **Purchase Order (PO) Number**, files and a **Preferred Shipping Date** if the customer has them. Tap **Continue**.
3. On **Review & Pay**, choose the **Shipping Method** and **Payment Method**.
4. Check the **Order Summary**, tick **They agree to the terms and conditions**, then tap **Complete Order**.

**More detail**

- **Shipping Address** lists the account's saved addresses; with more than six, use the search above them. Addresses are edited from the customer's account, not the till.
- **Upload Files** takes up to 3 files, each up to 10MB, such as a PDF of their purchase order.
- **Shipping Method** starts on **Collect from the counter** (free), for a customer taking the goods with them. Choose a delivery rate instead to ship it, or **Add custom rate** to enter a description and price. 
- **Discounts & codes** is in the **Order Summary** too, for a last-minute discount.

### Payment methods

| Method | What happens |
| --- | --- |
| **Pay with Net terms** | The order is added to the account's balance and invoiced on their terms. Unavailable when the credit position blocks going on account. |
| **Pay online by card** | The customer is emailed a secure payment link. The order is confirmed once they've paid. |

### Submit a quote instead

1. Tap **Submit Quote** instead of **Checkout**.
2. Complete **Details**, then **Review & Pay** (there's no payment method on a quote). Tap **Continue**.
3. On **Quote Details**, enter a **Quote name**, and optionally **Valid until** and a **Message to the customer**.
4. Tap **Submit Quote**.

**More detail**

Use a quote when the customer wants a price before committing, or when the account can't go on terms. See [Set up quotes](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/ordering/quoting.md) and [Quotes in Pulse](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/pulse/quotes.md).

## Finish and serve the next customer

The **Complete** screen confirms what happened: **Put on account**, **Send payment link** or **Save as quote**, with the customer, total, number of lines, delivery or collection, and PO number.

1. Tap **Print receipt** to print a receipt with every line, the subtotal, tax and total.
2. Tap **Next customer** to go back to **Who's buying?**.

## Hold an order

Put an order on hold when a customer steps away or you need to serve someone else.

1. Choose **Actions > Hold this order**. The order is parked and the till is ready for the next customer.
2. To pick it up again, find it under **Held at this counter** on **Who's buying?** and tap **Resume**.

**More detail**

Held orders are kept on the device you held them on, so resume them at the same counter. Each account can have one held order: holding another for the same account replaces it.

## Use it on a tablet or phone

On a smaller screen, the order panel folds away. A bar along the bottom shows the customer, the items and lines in the order, and the total.

1. Tap the bar to open the order as a sheet.
2. Tap outside the sheet to close it.

Everything else works the same, and every control is sized for a finger.

## FAQs

**Can customers use Counter mode?**

No. It's for sales reps only. Customers have [Quick Order](https://docs.sparklayer.io/help/sales-ordering/catalog.md), the same product browser without the **Counter** button.

**Why can't I choose Pay with Net terms?**

The account is over its credit limit with this order, or has an invoice 60 or more days past its terms. Take payment with **Pay online by card**, or submit a quote. Tap the credit position to see the open invoices.

**A scan didn't find the product**

The till says no code matched and searches for what was scanned instead. Check the product's barcode or SKU in your platform matches the code on the label.

**What happens to the order if I tap Exit?**

The till keeps it: open **Counter** again and you're back on the order. To serve someone else in the meantime, put it on hold first with **Actions > Hold this order**.