Feature Request: Training & Demo Environment for Cloud POS

Purpose:
Create a dedicated Cloud POS training and demo environment for Linga partners. This environment will allow partners to conduct staff training, merchant onboarding, and live product demonstrations without consuming production licenses or generating real transactions.

Overview:

Partners need a way to demonstrate and teach Cloud POS functionality in a realistic setting—complete with full POS workflows, printing, and reporting—without interfering with merchant data or incurring extra licensing costs. A controlled training/demo mode would provide this flexibility, enabling consistent education and sales experiences across partner organizations.

Proposed Enhancement:

1. Dedicated Demo/Training Mode

   • Accessible from both the POS application and Partner Portal.

   • Uses a unique, system-provided login type (e.g., “Partner Demo Login”) that automatically routes to the demo environment.

   • Operates independently of merchant databases—no crossover or shared data.

   • Does not count against partner or merchant license seats.

2. Full POS Functionality in Safe Mode

   • Allows all standard POS actions: menu browsing, ordering, discounts, payments, voids, and cashier-out workflows.

   • Simulates full transaction behavior but prevents live processing or reporting uploads.

   • Displays clear header/footer markings on all outputs:

     • “TRAINING CHECK – DO NOT PAY” on customer receipts.

     • “TRAINING ORDER – DO NOT PREPARE” on kitchen tickets.

3. Simulated Payment System

   • Includes mock tender options: Training Cash, Training Credit Card, Training Gift Card.

   • Emulates the entire tendering and tip process for instructional or demo purposes.

   • Generates mock batch and settlement confirmations for realism—without contacting gateways.

4. Data Reset and Session Controls

   • Each demo session runs in a temporary sandbox.

   • Automatic nightly reset of sales data, cashier-out reports, and tickets.

   • Retains menu configuration, employee profiles, and layouts for re-use.

   • Optional “Reset Now” function for immediate cleanup between sessions.

5. Access and Security

   • Available only to authorized Linga partners via the Partner Portal.

   • POS application detects demo credentials and disables any production integrations (e.g., payment gateways, inventory sync).

   • Prevents export or replication of demo data into live merchant environments.

Use Cases

1. Merchant Sales Demonstrations

   • Show a fully functional Cloud POS register, including order entry, discount handling, and payment flow, without provisioning a live merchant account.

   • Demonstrate hardware integration—printers, cash drawers, barcode scanners—without affecting live reporting.

   • Provide on-site or remote demos for potential clients, ensuring smooth operation even without network or payment connectivity.

2. Partner & Internal Training

   • Train new implementation specialists, support technicians, or merchant onboarding staff in realistic conditions.

   • Simulate end-to-end operations (menu setup, cashier out, reporting) without risk of data contamination.

   • Evaluate POS updates or new UI changes before rolling them into production accounts.

3. Merchant Staff Training & Pre-Launch Preparation

   • Allow resellers to prepare merchants’ FOH staff for go-live using a safe, resettable training store.

   • Enable repetition of key workflows—cashier-out, discounts, refunds, table management—without generating real transactions or reports.

   • Provide the capability to ship hardware to merchants early and begin hands-on training while the partner team continues building their menu and backend configuration.

   • Ensures that staff training and configuration work can occur in parallel, reducing deployment time and go-live friction.

Value & Impact:

• Accelerated Onboarding: Allows training and hardware setup to occur concurrently with backend menu development.

• Reduced Risk: Eliminates accidental live transactions and reporting discrepancies.

• Sales Efficiency: Simplifies demo setup, reduces friction in the sales process, and improves partner presentation quality.

• Operational Flexibility: Empowers partners to ship hardware and begin merchant education before account provisioning is complete.

• Standardized Experience: Provides a unified, professional training tool across all Linga partners.

Example Scenario:

A partner ships POS hardware to a new merchant and launches Cloud POS in “Partner Demo Mode” using a dedicated demo login. While the menu team builds out the merchant’s configuration on the backend, the trainer can walk the staff through real workflows—placing orders, applying discounts, printing kitchen tickets, and closing checks—all without consuming a license or creating any real transactions.