This article will cover building out vending machines in the VMS from scratch.
Machines can be built as online or offline, but if you already have a machine built that you need to convert from offline to online, or vice versa, you can refer to the Implementation article. Scroll to the bottom of the article and you will find instructions for converting previously-created machines on a PC.
Creating an Online Machine
1. From the Vending > All Machines page, you can click New Machine on the top right corner, or you can go to Vending > Implementation.
2. On the Implementation page (or Non-Assigned Devices), you can click the Device ID for the device you would like to attach to your new online machine, seen in the image below.
- In order to attach, the Last Known Status must be OK. A Breakdown status must be resolved before the device can be used in the VMS.
- If you do not see the device that you're looking for after entering its ID in the Search bar, you may contact Parlevel Hero Support with the full Device ID to check if the device has reported in and is pointed to your VMS.
3. On the following Machine Info page, you can enter the identifying details for the machine.
On the left-hand column, you can ignore the Merge with Machine dropdown, as this is for converting an offline machine. You can fill in the details below that, as needed:
- Machine Name - The name of the machine, often a secondary location + machine type (ex. 2nd Floor Bev)
- Machine Model - The manufacturer and model for the machine (example, Crane 147)
- Machine Serial Number
- Machine Layout Type
-
Machine Location - The location of the machine, which populates from your list in
> Customers > Locations.
- Asset Number - This is an optional field to enter a custom ID by which you can identify the machine.
- Has Credit Card Reader / Cashless Capabilities - Check this box if the machine has a Credit Card Reader attached. If checked, an additional field Two-Tier Pricing will allow you to indicate whether the telemeter already has Two-Tier fees (or "convenience fees") enabled and set.
- Has High Gain Antenna - Check this box if the machine has a high gain antenna attached.
In the right-hand column, you can enter the following information:
- Device Vendor and Device ID are pre-populated according to the device you clicked on the Implementation page.
- Add Machine Note - Add a Machine Note in this field that will be saved to the machine once created.
- Take or Select Photo(s) - If available, add machine photos here. We generally suggest a photo of the machine layout and planogram, the telemeter attached, and the machine sticker displaying the machine model and serial number.
4. Click Continue to Layout.
5. The following screen has the layout reported by the machine through Dex. If this layout does not match the planogram intended for the machine, you may Activate or De-Activate slots by clicking them, or selecting Activate All Slots or Deactivate All Slots from the Layout Options dropdown menu in the top left corner.
If the layout slots are completely incorrect, then the machine will need to have all of its selections vended from and a fresh Dex sent in order to have the correct slots populate here. You may need to refresh the page in order to have them appear.
6. Click Create and Return to List to create the online machine.
- Click Back to Machine Info to modify the machine's identifying information.
- Create and Continue is not normally used and can be ignored.
7. Your online machine has been created! To load products and details into its planogram, please see the Modify Inventory / Prices article, or to view and edit the machine info, see the Machine Edit article.
Creating an Offline Machine
1. From the Vending > All Machines page, you can click New Machine on the top right corner, or you can go to Vending > Implementation.
2. On the Implementation page (or Non-Assigned Devices), you can click the Build Offline button in the top right corner, seen below.
3. On the following page, you can use the left-hand column to select the machine layout.
- Click the number of selections in the first row of the machine, followed by the second row, and so on until you have built the entire layout. See the image on the right for an example.
- Use Add Machine Note if you need a note added to the machine upon creation. This is not a service note.
4. Using the middle column (see above), you can enter the following information, as needed:
- Machine Name - The name of the machine, often a secondary location + machine type (ex. 2nd Floor Bev)
- Machine Model - The manufacturer and model for the machine (example, Crane 147)
- Machine Serial Number
- Machine Layout Type
-
Machine Location - The location of the machine, which populates from your list in
> Customers > Locations.
- Asset Number - This is an optional field to enter a custom ID by which you can identify the machine.
- Has Credit Card Reader / Cashless Capabilities - Check this box if the machine has a Credit Card Reader attached. If checked, an additional field Two-Tier Pricing will allow you to indicate whether the machine already has Two-Tier fees (or "convenience fees") enabled and set.
- Has High Gain Antenna - Check this box if the machine has a high gain antenna attached.
5. On the right side, Take or Select Photo(s) will allow you to add machine photos, if available. We generally suggest a photo of the machine layout, planogram, and the machine sticker displaying the machine model and serial number.
6. Click Create and Return to List to create the offline machine.
7. Your offline machine has been created! To load products and details into its planogram, please see the Modify Inventory / Prices article, or to view and edit the machine info, see the Machine Edit article.