Accelerate Checkout with Ferbz’s Fast Counter Billing and Instant GST Invoicing

Below is a step‑by‑step walkthrough of using Ferbz’s fast counter billing in a typical Indian retail environment. Imagine Sharma’s General Store in Bhopal, selling groceries, household staples and stationery. The shop has a single cashier and uses a modest laptop at the counter.

1. Log in and open the Billing dashboard

• From the Ferbz home screen, click the Billing tab on the left navigation pane. The New Sale screen appears, showing a blank order grid, a customer search box, and a GST summary panel at the bottom.

2. Select or create the customer

• In the Customer field, start typing “Ramesh Kumar”. The system pulls up his existing profile (phone +91 98765 43210, GSTIN 07AAAPL1234C1ZV).
• If the customer is new, type the full name and phone number, then hit Create New. Ferbz automatically adds a fresh CRM record under Customers, ready to store order history and future reminders.

3. Add items to the order

• Click Add Item and search the inventory list (imported earlier via CSV).
  • Select Basmati Rice – 5 kg pack – the system shows GST 5 % (branded pack).
  • Select Atta – loose – the system shows GST 0 % (unbranded staple).
  • Select Ballpoint Pen – 12 pcs – the system shows GST 12 %.
• For each line, enter the quantity. Ferbz instantly calculates line total, GST amount, and updates the Subtotal, GST, and Grand Total fields in the GST summary panel.

4. Verify GST calculation

• The GST panel displays:
  • Subtotal = ₹1,250.00
  • GST = ₹62.50 (5 % on rice + 12 % on pens, 0 % on atta)
  • Grand Total = ₹1,312.50
• The cashier can click View Tax Breakdown to see each item’s tax contribution, satisfying any audit requirement.

5. Complete the sale

• Press the Complete Sale button.
• Ferbz instantly generates a PDF invoice named INV‑2024‑09‑00123.pdf and stores it in the cloud.
• A short link (e.g., https://ferbz.in/receipt/abc123) appears beside the Share via WhatsApp button.

6. Send the receipt through WhatsApp (official API)

• Click Share via WhatsApp. Ferbz uses the WhatsApp Business API (Gupshup) to push the message to Ramesh’s phone. The message template includes:
  • Store name, order number, item list, GST breakdown, total amount, and a “View Receipt” button that opens the PDF link.
• The status of the WhatsApp send (sent / delivered / read) appears instantly on the Reminders board under the Orders tab.

7. Automatic enrollment in follow‑up automation

• Because the order just completed, Ferbz checks the Automation tab for any journeys with the trigger “order completes”.
• Sharma has set up a journey titled “Rice Restock Reminder – 15 days”:
  • Trigger – 15 days after order completion.
  • Message – “Hi Ramesh, it’s time to restock your Basmati rice. Visit Sharma’s General Store for a fresh pack. Reply ‘YES’ to reserve.”
• The customer is automatically added to this journey. The reminder clock starts, and the next status will appear on the Reminders board after 15 days.

8. Review the order and reminder status

• Navigate to the Reminders board. The new entry shows:
  • Order ID – 2024‑09‑00123
  • Customer – Ramesh Kumar
  • Reminder – Rice Restock (15 days) – Scheduled (date & time).
• If the reminder fails (e.g., phone number invalid), the board flags it in red, allowing Sharma to correct the contact instantly.

9. Credit consumption check

• Open the Wallet icon on the top right. The dashboard shows:
  • Credits balance – 1,000 credits (from a ₹799 top‑up).
  • Credits used – 2 credits for this PDF receipt, 1 credit for the WhatsApp send, 0 credits for the automation enrollment (enrollment itself is free; only the eventual reminder message will consume credits).
• This transparent view helps Sharma know exactly how many credits each transaction consumes.

10. End of day reporting

• At closing, go to Reports → Billing. Choose the date range “Today”. The report lists:
  • Total orders: 27
  • Gross sales: ₹34,876.00
  • GST collected: ₹2,543.80 (breakdown by rate)
  • Credits spent: 84 (PDF + WhatsApp + reminder sends).

By following these steps, Sharma’s General Store can process a checkout in under 30 seconds, issue a GST‑compliant invoice, and set up a future reminder—all without leaving the Ferbz dashboard.

Time saved – Before Ferbz, Sharma’s staff spent an average of 2 minutes per sale calculating GST manually, writing a paper receipt, and later entering the same data into a spreadsheet. With fast counter billing, the same sale finishes in ≈30 seconds, a reduction of ≈75 % per transaction. Over a busy day of 30 sales, that is ≈45 minutes reclaimed for stock checks or customer service.

Revenue recovered – The automatic “Rice Restock Reminder” journey has a measurable impact. In a pilot of 100 customers, 18 % replied “YES” to the reminder and placed a follow‑up order within the next week, generating an additional ₹7,200 in revenue that would otherwise have been lost to competitors.

Error elimination – Manual GST tables often lead to rounding errors or mis‑classification, exposing shops to audit risk. Ferbz pulls the GST rate directly from the product master, ensuring every invoice matches the statutory 0 %, 5 %, 12 %, 18 % or 28 % rates. The PDF receipt provides a legally acceptable proof of sale, eliminating the need for handwritten bills.

Credit‑controlled cost – Because each receipt and WhatsApp message draws from a prepaid wallet, Sharma knows the exact cost per transaction. For the example day above, 84 credits were used, costing ₹8.40 (₹99 = 100 credits). That is ≈0.024 % of the day’s gross sales, far cheaper than hiring a part‑time accountant to reconcile GST manually.

Stock visibility – Every order automatically reduces the on‑hand quantity in the inventory list (imported via CSV). When the stock of a fast‑moving item like rice falls below the reorder threshold, the Automation tab can trigger a “Low Stock Alert” to the owner, preventing stock‑outs that previously caused customers to walk away.

Overall, fast counter billing turns a fragmented, error‑prone checkout process into a single, auditable, and credit‑transparent workflow that directly addresses the core pain points of Indian general retail shops: repeat‑customer drift, paper‑based invoicing, and lack of timely re‑order reminders.

Ready to cut checkout time, issue GST‑compliant invoices instantly, and keep your customers coming back? Sign up for a free trial, top up your wallet, and start processing orders in seconds. Visit the dashboard at https://dashboard.ferbz.com/ and explore the Billing module today. If you have questions or need help setting up your first automation, email us at support@ferbz.com – our team is happy to walk you through every step.