Quick Start Guide

Get your first membership program up and running in just 5 minutes. This quick start guide focuses on the essential configurations needed to create a basic loyalty program with points earning and redemption.

What You’ll Build

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a working loyalty program with:

• Single membership tier - “Standard Member”
• Points currency - Loyalty Points (LOYPTS)
• Simple earning rule - $1 spent = 1 point earned
• Basic redemption - 100 points = $1 discount
• Test member account - Ready to demonstrate functionality

Time Required: 5-10 minutes

Skill Level: Beginner

Prerequisites: Access to BigLedger with Organization and Customer Maintenance applets configured

Before You Start

Ensure you have:

• Administrative access to BigLedger
• Organization Applet configured with at least one location
• Customer Maintenance Applet accessible
• Permission to install/configure applets

Step 1: Create Points Currency

Time: 1 minute

Points currency defines the “money” of your loyalty program.

Navigate to Points Currency Module

1. Go to Applets menu
2. Find and open PTS CCY Module (Points Currency)
3. Click the "+" button to create new currency

Configure Currency

Enter these values:

Click “Create” to save.

✓ Checkpoint: You should see “LOYPTS - Loyalty Points” in the currency list.

Step 2: Create Membership Product

Time: 2 minutes

Membership products represent the membership offering in your inventory system.

Navigate to Doc Item Maintenance

1. Go to Applets menu
2. Open Doc Item Maintenance Applet
3. Click "+" to create new item
4. Select item type: FI-ITEM (Financial Item)

Configure Membership Item

Enter these details:

Click “Save” to create the item.

✓ Checkpoint: MEM-STD should appear in your item list.

Step 3: Configure Member Class

Time: 1 minute

Member class defines the tier and associated benefits.

Access Membership Program Applet

1. Navigate to Applets > Membership Program Applet
2. Go to Member Classes section
3. Click "+" to create new class

Create Standard Member Class

Click “Create” to save.

✓ Checkpoint: STANDARD class visible in member class list.

Step 4: Set Up Earning Rule

Time: 1 minute

Define how members earn points on purchases.

Navigate to Earning Rules

1. Within Membership Program Applet
2. Select Earning Rules section
3. Click "+" to create new rule

Configure Basic Earning Rule

Click “Save” to activate the rule.

✓ Checkpoint: Purchase Points rule shows as Active.

Step 5: Configure Redemption Option

Time: 1 minute

Set up how members can use their points.

Create Redemption Rule

1. In Membership Program Applet
2. Navigate to Redemption Rules section
3. Click "+" to create new rule

Configure Points-to-Discount Redemption

Click “Save” to complete setup.

✓ Checkpoint: Points Discount redemption rule is active.

Step 6: Create Test Member

Time: 1 minute

Create a test member account to verify everything works.

Create Customer with Membership

1. Navigate to Customer Maintenance Applet
2. Click "+" to create new customer
3. Enter basic customer information:

Customer Details:

Name: Test Member
Email: test.member@example.com
Phone: (555) 123-4567
Status: Active

4. In the Membership section:

   • Check “Enroll in Membership Program”
   • Select Member Class: STANDARD
   • Points Currency: LOYPTS (auto-selected)
   • Initial Points Balance: 0 (or award welcome points if desired)

5. Click “Save” to create customer with membership

✓ Checkpoint: Customer created with active membership in STANDARD tier.

Step 7: Test the Program

Time: 2 minutes

Verify your membership program is working correctly.

Test Points Earning

Create a test transaction to earn points:

1. Go to POS or Sales module (whichever you use)
2. Create a sale for your test member
3. Transaction amount: $25.00
4. Complete the transaction
5. Check member’s point balance

Expected Result: Member should have 25 LOYPTS (based on $1 = 1 point rule)

Test Points Redemption

Redeem points on a purchase:

1. Create another transaction for test member
2. Transaction amount: $15.00
3. Member requests to use points
4. Apply redemption: Use 500 points (if they have enough)
5. Discount applied: $5.00 (500 points ÷ 100 = $5)
6. Final amount: $10.00

Expected Result: Points deducted, discount applied correctly.

Success Checklist

Verify these items are complete:

Configuration Complete

• Points currency (LOYPTS) created and active
• Membership product (MEM-STD) created in Doc Item Maintenance
• Member class (STANDARD) configured
• Earning rule (Purchase Points) active
• Redemption rule (Points Discount) functional

Testing Complete

• Test member account created
• Points earned on transaction
• Points balance updated correctly
• Points redeemed successfully
• Discount applied accurately

What You’ve Accomplished

Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up a basic membership program with:

✅ Loyalty Points System - Members earn points on every purchase ✅ Automatic Earning - Points calculated and awarded in real-time ✅ Flexible Redemption - Members can use points for discounts ✅ Working Test Account - Proven functionality with test transactions

Next Steps

Now that you have a basic program running, consider these enhancements:

Immediate Enhancements

1. Add Welcome Bonus - Award 100 points to new members
2. Birthday Rewards - Configure birthday month bonus points
3. Multiple Earning Rules - Different rates for product categories
4. Minimum Purchase - Require minimum spend to earn points

Advanced Features

1. Multi-Tier Program - Add Silver and Gold tiers with better benefits
2. Points Expiry - Configure expiration rules for liability management
3. POS Integration - Enable member card scanning at checkout
4. E-Commerce Portal - Let members view balances online

Production Readiness

Before launching to real customers:

1. Review Installation Requirements - Ensure all dependencies configured
2. Follow First Membership Program - Build production-ready program
3. Configure Financial Accounting - Set up proper liability tracking
4. Set Up Reporting - Configure program performance dashboards
5. Train Staff - Ensure team understands operations
6. Prepare Communications - Member enrollment and benefit materials

Common Quick Start Issues

Points Not Calculating

Problem: Transaction completed but no points awarded

Solutions:

• Verify earning rule status is Active
• Check member class matches earning rule configuration
• Confirm transaction type is eligible (check trigger setting)
• Review member account status (must be Active)

Cannot Create Member Class

Problem: Error when trying to create member class

Solutions:

• Ensure points currency created first (Step 1)
• Verify Organization Applet has active location
• Check user has appropriate permissions
• Confirm unique class code (no duplicates)

Redemption Not Working

Problem: Cannot apply points discount at checkout

Solutions:

• Verify member has sufficient point balance
• Check minimum redemption threshold met (100 points minimum)
• Confirm redemption rule is Active
• Ensure POS/Sales module integration configured

Member Not Found

Problem: Cannot find member at checkout

Solutions:

• Verify customer membership status is Active
• Check member class assignment
• Confirm customer record saved properly
• Test with customer phone or email lookup

Expanding Your Program

Adding More Tiers

To upgrade from single-tier to multi-tier:

1. Create additional member classes (SILVER, GOLD)
2. Configure different earning rates per tier
3. Set up tier progression rules
4. Define tier-specific redemption benefits

Example:

STANDARD: $1 = 1 point
SILVER:   $1 = 1.5 points
GOLD:     $1 = 2 points

Multiple Points Currencies

Add special campaign points:

1. Create new currency (e.g., PROMOPTS)
2. Configure separate earning rules for promotional periods
3. Set different redemption options for promo points
4. Run limited-time campaigns

Integration with POS

Enable seamless checkout experience:

1. Configure member identification methods (card, phone, QR)
2. Set up automatic points calculation
3. Enable real-time balance display
4. Configure receipt printing with points balance

Resources

Documentation

• Membership Module Overview - Complete feature guide
• First Membership Program - Detailed walkthrough
• Installation Requirements - Prerequisites checklist

Applet Guides

• Membership Points Currency - Currency configuration
• Membership Program Applet - Program setup
• Membership Admin Console - Administration
• Customer Maintenance - Member management

Support

• BigLedger Support - Technical assistance
• Implementation Services - Professional setup help
• Community Forum - User discussions and tips
• Training Videos - Visual learning resources

Conclusion

You’ve successfully completed the Quick Start Guide! Your basic membership program is now operational and ready for testing.

What’s Configured:

• Points currency for your loyalty program
• Member tier for customer assignment
• Earning rules for automatic points
• Redemption mechanism for points usage
• Test member to validate functionality

What’s Next: For production deployment, proceed to the First Membership Program guide to build a complete, enterprise-ready loyalty program with advanced features.