Your card is set up and the reward is agreed. Now a new team member takes over the till. One customer wants to start collecting; the next wants to redeem a full card. With a routine you have practised briefly, your team has the right answer ready for both.
This guide shows how to train staff on your loyalty card: three practice scenarios, a routine for a busy counter and a short handover. If you are still deciding on rules and rewards, start with the guide for small businesses.
Before the shift: keep rules and responsibilities handy
Write the stamp rule and the exact reward on a reference sheet, using the same wording your customers see. Add whether a purchase with several qualifying items earns one stamp or several, and how it works when someone only collects a reward. The person responsible settles open rule questions before the shift.
Also agree whom the new team member asks with questions and who covers for that person. A specific name and an agreed contact method on the internal note help more than “Ask the manager”, especially when the manager is away.
Treubar includes individual team logins with Admin, Manager and Scanner roles in every plan. That way everyone has exactly the access their job needs. Stamp corrections are available from the Start plan, and an Admin or Manager handles them. Scanners do not make corrections. Note who handles corrections in your team. The plan overview and correction guide show the details.
A sample workflow to practise together
A fictional training example to practise with: A café gives one stamp per paid visit that includes coffee. Reaching the stamp target unlocks an espresso. Someone who only collects the free espresso gets no new stamp for it. The shift lead handles exceptions. Swap this sample rule for your own terms.
Practise on the device that will sit at the counter. One person plays the customer, the other serves, then you swap. The new team member carries out each step and says how they can tell the transaction is complete.
Use a dedicated practice card rather than a real customer’s card. Scans and redemptions count for real on it too, so have a full card ready as well. Talk through further variations first, then tap.
Practice scenario 1: a new customer wants to join
The server offers the card in a short sentence: “Would you like to collect stamps with us? You can save the card in your phone’s wallet.” If the customer says no, that’s it. One friendly offer is enough.
If they are interested, the server shows the QR code for adding the card. With Treubar, the customer enters their first name, surname and date of birth once, then saves the pass in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. They do not need a Treubar customer account. Then the trainee explains the difference: the counter code leads to the card; to add a stamp using the camera, staff scan the customer’s wallet pass.
The exercise is done when the customer can find their saved card again and has the right first stamp. The server explains, and the phone stays with the customer. The wallet guide helps with questions about adding a card.
Practice scenario 2: a returning customer shows their card
The customer opens their wallet pass. The server quickly checks that the purchase fits the agreed rule and scans the pass with the camera in the Treubar app. Use a card that is not yet full for this exercise. Watch for the confirmation in the app before the next customer steps up. The individual steps are in Stamp a card.
Add an interruption: halfway through, someone asks for a napkin. Afterwards, the server says whether the stamp has already been added. When in doubt, they check the transaction rather than risk a double stamp. This makes picking up after a distraction second nature.
If the customer cannot find the card, help them in their wallet. Google shows, for example, how to open a loyalty card and display its code for scanning. No extra registration at the counter is needed.
Practice scenario 3: the card is already full
Now the customer presents a full card. The server scans it and asks whether they want to use the reward today. Scanning alone does not redeem a reward in Treubar. The app offers three clear actions, and in the café example the actual purchase decides. The app’s German labels are:
- Collecting only the free espresso: “Nur einlösen (kein Stempel)” — redeem only, no stamp.
- Paying for a qualifying purchase and using the espresso reward: “Einlösen & neuer Stempel” — redeem and add a stamp.
- Paying for a qualifying purchase and saving the espresso for later: “Belohnung aufbewahren & neuer Stempel” — save the reward and add a stamp.
Before tapping, the server names the selected action and the number of rewards. A redemption is final and needs an internet connection, so check quickly with the customer before you confirm it. The redemption guide also explains how multiple rewards work. What matters in the exercise is that the trainee matches the action to the customer’s request and only then confirms.
When it is busy: a fixed moment for stamping
Agree where the card fits into checkout. In the example, the person at the till offers it after taking the order and stamps after payment. Even if someone else makes the coffee, stamping stays with the designated person.
New customers can decline the invitation or join later. If someone needs longer to save the card, offer them a spot beside the queue and help as soon as someone is free. A concrete next step beats a vague “later”. If nobody is free right now, say so kindly and agree on how to continue.
If you use the optional NFC counter stand, also agree when customers stamp their own cards. That visit then gets no extra camera stamp. The counter guide has tips on positioning the code.
Exceptions: know when to ask for help
No phone or no usable wallet: Explain calmly that the process runs on the digital pass. Crediting a visit later needs an agreed rule and a technical way to do it. If your business has an alternative, the whole team knows it.
The code will not scan: Ask the customer to open the pass fully. In Google Wallet, the code can be enlarged according to Google’s help guide, and a clean screen helps too. If scanning still does not work, bring in the designated person.
No connection or an unclear stamp balance: Treubar puts offline scans in a queue and adds them once the connection is back. One scan is enough, even if the display only catches up with the next connection. Redemption, on the other hand, needs a connection. If a stamp balance is wrong, an Admin or Manager on Start or above checks and corrects it. This correction is not available on Free.
Open technical cases go to the designated person with the time, action and error message. When you need it, Treubar’s personal support helps by e-mail at support@treubar.de. The loyalty card support guide explains how to phrase a request well. Protection against deliberate misuse is covered in the separate fraud prevention article.
The handover checklist beside the till
Go through these points together when shifts change. The list is your internal working note and stays behind the counter:
- Rule and reward: What applies today, and is the reward available?
- Three routines: Add a new card, stamp an existing card, redeem or save the reward on a full card.
- Device and login: Is the device ready, and can the incoming team member use their own login?
- Responsibility: Who can help now, and who can make a correction if needed?
- Open cases: What happened, what was the customer told, and who takes the next step?
Record only what you need to handle the case and keep the note internal. Tick off resolved cases so the next shift does not pick them up again. The handover is done when the incoming person knows the next step.
After one week: improve the routine together
Ask the team: Where did you need to ask for help? Which sentence did customers misunderstand? Which exception stayed open until the next shift? Discuss specific situations without customers’ names and without ranking staff by stamp counts.
Choose one change, such as clearer wording about the reward or a clear backup contact. Update the reference sheet, practise the scenario again and brief team members who were away before their next shift. The review shows you where the routine can become even clearer.