For as long as I can remember, I have been getting filtered water in 5-gallon jugs from "water and ice" stores. Living in Arizona, where tap water is as hard as cement, relying on these stores with their massive water filters has become a lifestyle choice for me. However, as I became more passionate about development, I started noticing flaws in the prepaid management systems employed by these stores. This realization prompted me to embark on a project to improve their payment processes.

Having frequented various stores over the years, I observed owners and workers conducting transactions in their own unique ways. Many of them suggested that customers prepay for their products (water or ice) to eliminate the need for card swipes or handling cash every time. Intrigued by this system, I began interviewing store workers to understand their methods of processing payments.

Most stores I encountered used either paper forms or gift cards powered by Square to manage prepaid balances. The paper form approach was akin to a punch card system, with the remaining balance recorded on a simple card. While this method was straightforward, it had drawbacks. As the number of customers increased, it became increasingly challenging to sort through the cards. Moreover, these cards had to be discarded once the balance was depleted, requiring the customer's name to be recorded on a new card if they did not recharge their balance beforehand. I found this counterproductive and time-consuming. Alternatively, some stores relied on plastic gift cards, primarily utilizing Square's system for accepting payments. While these gift cards were typically designed for gifting purposes, these businesses repurposed them to recharge prepaid balances. They stored the cards securely and retrieved them when customers returned.

Initially, I assumed that Square's gift card service would provide a solution to the problem I sought to address. However, upon further contemplation, I realized that Square could not cater to every niche business. Consequently, the gift card system was their best approach for accommodating prepaid balance management in water and ice stores. Nevertheless, I felt there must be more efficient methods available.

To investigate alternative solutions, I researched the cost of setting up an entire point-of-sale hardware system. It turned out to be a substantial investment, with significant upfront expenses. In addition to monthly and transaction fees, businesses had to purchase their own hardware to process these functionalities. For many stores, especially water and ice stores, accepting payment through Square might have seemed like a necessity rather than a viable financial option.

As I contemplated the issue further, I began envisioning more efficient ways to manage prepaid balances. For instance, even with Square's gift card method, store owners still had to physically sort through the cards to process transactions during return visits, mirroring the process of stores using paper forms of balance cards. Moreover, both methods left room for errors, as a different name mentioned at the register could lead to the deduction of another customer's balance, posing a security risk.

During my interviews with store owners and workers, I gained valuable insights into their concerns regarding the prepaid system. One major complaint was the difficulty of understanding or correctly spelling and pronouncing customers' names. Another issue was the sole reliance on a single source for managing prepaid balances.

During a visit to my most frequented water and ice store, I witnessed an incident that highlighted the problems of the existing prepaid system. A customer argued that they had previously paid $100 worth of prepaid balance under their name, but the clerk could not locate the corresponding card. This particular store used paper forms for balance management, and the clerk's repeated search through the cards failed to find the prepaid balance card under the customer's name. No one knew who was at fault—whether the customer was mistaken, attempting to scam the store, or if the store had genuinely lost the card.

Motivated by this incident and armed with my passion for development, I decided to create a web app that would revolutionize prepaid balance management for water and ice stores. By utilizing tools such as React, AWS, and Twilio, I aimed to develop a secure and seamless solution that would be freely accessible to all.

Motivated by this incident and armed with my passion for development, I set out to create a comprehensive web app that would revolutionize their payment processes. Through the strategic integration of various technologies, I was able to build a seamless solution that tackled the existing flaws and introduced innovative features for a better customer experience.

The web app was built using AWS Amplify, which seamlessly paired with AWS Cognito to provide a secure and user-friendly login system. This allowed each user to have their own account, ensuring privacy and access control. To handle the storage and management of customer data, I utilized AWS DynamoDB, a secure database that stored information such as balances and transaction records.

One of the key challenges I aimed to solve was the time-consuming process of searching for customer information and manually managing balances. To streamline this, I integrated Twilio's SMS functionality through AWS Lambda. When customers registered, the web app automatically sent them a text message containing a unique QR code ID. This QR code could be conveniently scanned to instantly retrieve the customer's information and balances, eliminating the need for manual entry and reducing the potential for errors. This not only made transactions faster but also enhanced security by ensuring that each transaction was associated with the correct customer's account, minimizing the risk of using someone else's balance.

By leveraging these technologies, the web app offered a range of benefits. It significantly improved the speed and efficiency of transactions, making the payment process much smoother for both customers and store staff. Additionally, the web app utilized the transaction data to generate valuable insights through a comprehensive dashboard. This dashboard provided businesses with essential information such as daily/monthly water and ice consumption, the number of customers holding water or ice balances, and graphical representations of product sales over different time periods. These insights empowered businesses to make informed decisions and optimize their operations effectively. Moreover, these solutions were highly cost-effective, requiring minimal financial investment while delivering maximum value.

In conclusion, the web app I developed utilizing AWS Amplify, Cognito, DynamoDB, and Twilio's SMS functionality has transformed prepaid balance management for water and ice stores. By addressing the flaws of traditional systems and introducing innovative features, it has created a seamless and secure payment experience. With this solution, water and ice stores can now provide faster transactions, reduce operational costs, and enhance customer satisfaction.

The journey from being a loyal customer of water and ice stores to identifying the flaws in their prepaid balance management systems has led me to embark on an exciting development project. By addressing the challenges faced by these businesses, I streamline their payment processes and enhance their overall efficiency. With the power of technology and my dedication, I had a lot of fun creating a web app that ensures secure and seamless prepaid balance management, transforming the operations of water and ice stores for the better.