Getting Started
Welcome to Pointa! It’s so great to have you join us.
Here is a full article on the initial setup for your business. If you would like to view a breakdown of each of these steps then visit our Help Center for a more easy-to-digest selection of articles.
But otherwise, let’s dive in:
Before Pointa is useful day-to-day, set up the business details, appointment book defaults, payment methods, and at least one register. Most of this setup is done by a Manager or Administrator from Settings.
1. Business Details
Go to Settings > Business.
Complete the main business information:
Legal name
Trading name
Structure
Tax registered
Tax number, if applicable
Add the contact details:
Contact name
Email
Phone
Website
Add the address details:
Street
Suburb
City
Post Code
State
Country
To upload a logo, use the Logo section and select Add or Change. The logo must be an image file and must be under 5MB. You can also remove an existing logo.
The logo is used in customer-facing areas where Pointa displays business branding. It is used for online bookings, customer emails, invoices, and printed/exported invoice or gift card PDFs. If no logo is uploaded, Pointa shows the business name instead.
Scroll to the bottom and select Save changes.
2. Branch Details
Go to Settings > Branches & Registers.
A branch is the business location Pointa is operating from. Most businesses will only have one branch.
Use the menu button in the top right of the branch card and select Edit Branch to check or update the branch name, address, and contact details.
Branch details override the main business details. If branch-specific details are left blank, Pointa uses the business defaults instead. This applies to branch contact/address information used in places such as online booking branch details, invoice PDFs, and customer emails.
For example, if the branch phone number is blank, Pointa uses the business phone number. If the branch address is filled in, that branch address is used instead of the business address. This is also where registers are created, which is covered below.
3. Appointment Book Defaults
Go to Settings > Appointment Book.
These settings control how the appointment book behaves and displays.
Set the general appointment book options:
Time format: choose 12-hour or 24-hour time.
Change colour when paid: bookings change colour once paid.
Show start time: displays the booking start time on the appointment book.
Slot interval: Administrator only. Controls appointment slot/grid intervals.
Allow booking outside rostered hours: Administrator only.
Scroll to Roster.
The roster times here are default start and finish times. They are not public business opening hours. They provide default roster times for each day.
If the business is closed on a particular day, the times entered for that day can usually be ignored, because these default times are not visible anywhere for closed days.
Scroll to Staff Order.
Drag staff into the order you want them to appear on the appointment book.
If staff have not been set up yet, there will be nothing to drag here. Staff setup is covered in a separate section of the manual.
Select Save changes.
For detailed staff roster setup, see the staff/roster section in our Help Center.
4. Payment Types
Go to Settings > Payment Types.
A payment type is a payment option available at checkout, such as Cash, Manual EFTPOS, Account, Online, or an integrated EFTPOS provider.
Select Add Payment Type.
Complete:
Name: this is the name visible at checkout.
Type: this controls how Pointa treats the payment.
Common examples:
Manual EFTPOS: use this when the EFTPOS payment is handled outside Pointa.
Smartpay, Verifone, or Windcave: use these for integrated EFTPOS terminals. See the Integrations section before setting these up.
Account: used when charging to a customer account.
Online: used for online payments.
Other: used for another payment method. This can require a note at checkout.
Account is used when the business allows customers to run debtor accounts in Pointa. This means a sale can be charged to the customer’s account instead of being paid in full at the time of sale.
The Global payment method option makes that payment method available on all registers by default. Integrated EFTPOS methods cannot be global, because they need to be paired to a specific register/terminal.
Select Save.
Some built-in payment types, such as Cash, Gift Card, Rewards, or Referral, may already exist and cannot be edited or deleted. See the relevant payment type, gift card, rewards, or referral sections for more information.
5. Registers
A register is Pointa’s version of a till or cash register. It is a virtual till used to process sales and track payments for a trading period or shift.
Most businesses only need one register, usually named something like Front Desk, Reception, or Main Register.
Go to Settings > Branches & Registers.
On the branch card, select the menu button in the top right, then select New Register.
Enter a register name and select Save.
After the register is created, select the blue register name.
Open the Payment Types tab and switch on the payment types that should be available on that register. Global payment methods are already available and cannot be switched off from this screen.
If you enable an integrated EFTPOS type, Pointa may prompt for pairing details, such as a Smartpay pairing code, Verifone serial number, or Windcave credentials.
For opening, closing, and cashing up registers, see the POS/Register section of the manual.
6. Float And Cash Management
A float is the starting cash kept in the till so the business can give change. For example, a salon may start the day with $100 in small notes and coins.
Best practice is to enter the float when opening the register at the start of the day. Register opening and closing should ideally line up with end-of-day cash up and EFTPOS settlement.
If cash needs to be adjusted after the register is already open, use Cash Management.
Go to Sales > Cash Management.
To add cash:
Select Add Cash.
Choose Cash in for extra float or general cash added to the drawer.
Enter the amount.
Add a note if useful.
Select Add Cash.
To remove cash:
Select Remove Cash.
Choose the appropriate reason, such as Cash out, Petty cash out, or Cash banked.
Enter the amount.
Add a note.
Select Remove Cash.
Cash Management is useful for petty cash, adding extra float, removing excess cash for banking, and tracking cash movements when the business does not close and cash up the register every day.
Setup Checklist
Before using Pointa properly, check that:
Business details are saved.
Branch details are correct, or intentionally left blank to use business defaults.
Appointment book defaults are set wide enough for normal rostered hours.
Staff have been added. See the Staff setup section.
Products and services have been added. See the Products & Services setup section.
Payment types have been created.
At least one register exists.
Payment types are enabled on the register.
Float and cash-up process are understood.