To help dispensaries maintain a level of security and comfort, Flowhub Maui gives you two ways to mark a customer for unwelcome behavior: Flagging and Banning. In this article, we'll guide you through both so your team knows exactly who to watch for and who cannot be served.
A flag is a warning. A flagged customer can still be checked in and can still complete a purchase, but every employee who interacts with them is clearly warned first.
A ban is a block. A banned customer cannot be checked in or served anywhere in Maui or Order Ahead. They can still place an order on your ecommerce storefront, but your team will not be able to fulfill it. The only way to serve them again is to remove the ban.
đĄTip: A ban is added from the same Flag Customer window, so a banned customer is always a flagged customer as well. The reason and description you enter for the flag are the same ones shown on the ban.
Flag or Ban a Customer in Maui
Banning a customer prevents your team from checking them in or serving them anywhere in the cashier and Order Ahead workflows. Banning is done from the same Flag Customer window in the Maui Desktop App.
Search for the Customer, and select "Edit" on the Customer Profile.
Select "Add Flag" in the upper right corner of the Edit Profile page. If the customer is already flagged, select "Flag Active" instead.
Select a Reason (Violence, Theft, Destruction of Property, Harassment, Unlawful Distribution, or Other).
Enter a brief Description of the reason the customer is being banned.
The ban uses the same Reason and Description as the flag, so include anything your team needs to know when the customer arrives.
If you wish to ban a customer, select the "Banned customer" checkbox.
Enter your PIN, and select "Flag this Customer."
đĄTip: Banning requires the Customers: Update permission and a PIN. If the "Banned customer" checkbox is unavailable to you, ask a manager to apply the ban.
Understand What a Flag Warns
A flag is a warning that follows the customer through the visit. It does not stop check-in or checkout â it makes sure nobody serves that customer without knowing the history first. Your team decides what to do with it.
Customers Tab
Checking in a flagged customer displays a warning message with the reason and description entered on the flag. Unlike a ban, this warning can be dismissed to continue â the user chooses whether to check the customer in.
Cashier Customer Queue
A checked-in flagged customer is labeled "Flagged Customer" in the queue, and their name is highlighted red in both the customer queue and the customer table. The Pickup and check-in buttons stay available.
Open Cart
When a flagged customer's cart is open, the flag displays in the cart so the budtender has the context through the whole transaction.
What a Flag Does Not Do
It does not stop check-in. Your team can still add the customer to the queue.
It does not stop a sale. You will still be able to complete a transaction for a flagged customer.
It does not expire. The flag stays on the profile until someone removes it.
If you need to stop service entirely rather than warn your team, ban the customer instead.
Understand What a Ban Blocks
Once a customer is banned, a "Customer Banned" warning will display anywhere your team tries to serve them, and there is no option to continue. The warning includes the reason and description entered on the flag.
Customers Tab
Attempting to check the customer in displays the "Customer Banned" warning. The warning is informational only â dismiss it with the â. There is no way to proceed with check-in.
Cashier Customer Queue
If a user searches for the customer, the queue item is labeled "Banned Customer" rather than "Flagged Customer," and the Pickup button and check-in buttons are hidden. Attempting to open the customer displays the "Customer Banned" warning.
Order Ahead Detail Page
A "Customer Banned" banner displays at the top of the order, and the button to continue to checkout is disabled with the message "Customer is banned."
Remove a Ban
Only users with the Customers: Update permission can remove a ban, and it must be done from the customer profile. The "Customer Banned" warning that displays at check-in cannot be used to remove a ban.
Search for the Customer profile, and select "Edit Profile."
Select the "Flag Active" button next to "Save."
Clear the "Banned customer" checkbox.
Enter your PIN to save the change.
The customer can now be checked in and served again. The flag remains on the profile until you remove it as well, so your team is still warned.
Remove a Flag
To remove a flag from a Customer in the Maui Desktop App:
Search for the Customer profile.
Select the "Flag Active" button.
Enter your PIN to make changes.
Select "Remove Flag." You can also update the Flag with more current information if desired.
Track Flags and Bans in Reporting
Banning a customer records a "customer banned" entry in that customer's activity history, so you have a record of who applied the ban and when. The same happens for flagged customers.
The Customers report in Analytics includes two columns for bans:
Banned â whether the customer is currently banned.
Banned Reason â the reason selected on the flag.
The customer activity report shows 4 operations (or actions) for bans and flags
Customer Flagged
Customer Unflagged
Customer Banned
Customer Unbanned
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between flagging and banning a customer?
A flag warns your team but still allows check-in and a completed sale. A ban stops check-in and checkout entirely.
Can I ban a customer without flagging them?
No. Banning is a checkbox inside the Flag Customer window, so a ban always includes a flag with a reason and description.
Can I set a ban to expire on its own?
No. A ban stays in place until someone with the Customers: Update permission removes it from the customer profile.
Does a ban stop orders placed online?
No. A banned customer can still place an ecommerce order, but your team cannot fulfill it. The order arrives in Maui like any other, and the "Customer Banned" warning displays when someone tries to check the customer out, so the order cannot be completed. Cancel the order from the Order Ahead board to clear it from your queue.
Can a budtender remove a ban?
Only if they have the Customers: Update permission. Without it, they can see the "Customer Banned" warning but cannot remove the ban.
You're all set! đ Your team now has a clear warning for customers who need watching and a hard stop for customers who shouldn't be served.