Webinar: Overview of the Financial Updates

Overview: What are we talking about?

This article contains the webinar that we provided to overview the upcoming financial feature update coming to your application on August 1st, 2019! We recommend sharing this webinar with any user in your application that processes transactions so that they can be prepared for the upcoming improvements!

Q&A: Let's talk about it.

Q: In the example in the webinar where an owner was prepaying because another person was picking up—could we put a card on the owners profile to use if someone else is picking up?

A: Sure! You could do this as a workflow as well, and run the card at checkout. If you’d like to save time at checkout, however, you could also apply a prepayment on the business side of the app (or the customer portal) so that all staff has to do is check out when the other person picks up.

Q: If a customer is doing cash and cc, does it matter which you choose first as a payment method?

A: It does not matter which order you choose for payment methods, it’s really up to you! The most important thing to remember is to double check your payment amount on each method during checkout to avoid accidentally processing the wrong amount to the card.

Q: If we sell gift certificates will we use the store credit feature now?

A: Yes! Instead of adding a miscellaneous credit for the amount of the gift certificate, you’ll purchase store credit using the Gift Certificate payment method. The workflow for gift certificates is outlined in this article.

Q: We have customers that have daycare packages and want to use daycare while lodging. Can we deduct a package credit in the cart for this? 

A: You can absolutely apply package credits towards additional services in this case! What you’ll need to do is set up the packages for services workaround. With this update, you'll also be able to apply package credits directly to the additional service line item, as well! 

Q: Can we test these new settings prior to August 1st?

A: It’s not possible to test these settings prior to August 1st, but we’ll have documentation on each of these features available prior to the release! Check out that documentation here.

Q: Can we refund prepayments?

A: Yes, but it’s important to remember that you cannot just refund a payment, you must always refund an item as well.

Q: Can we still save cards on file?

A: Yes! 

Q: Do we even need to use deposits anymore?

A: If you are wanting to require prepayment, then you’ll want to use deposits. Additionally, it’s awesome to use deposits if you want to use the automated/actionable messaging to customers about deposits, you’ll want to use that feature. It’s always important to remember that you can use both of prepayment and deposits if you’d like! 

Q: Can I refund a store credit purchase?

A: Yes, so long as the customer still has that credit on their account and has not used it towards another purchase.

Q: What will existing debit balances looks like on august 1st.

A: They will be covered to an open invoice, which can be paid at a later date or comped out. You can learn more about what things will look like upon release here.

Q: Can I turn a paid deposit into a store credit to apply towards a future reservation?

A: Through a process of forfeiting the deposit and refunding the payment to store credit, yes! What you'll do in this scenario is forfeit the deposit on the reservation, then refund the charge to Store Credit. Once the store credit is on the account, you can use it towards any invoice!

Q: Can an invoice be changed after prepayment has been made?

A: So long as the invoice is still in the estimate stage, yes! Invoice charges (items and prices) can be adjusted at any time prior to checkout of the reservation, even if a prepayment has already been made.

Q: Can I partially refund deposits?

A: It is possible to partially refund a deposit once it has been consumed as a payment towards an invoice. 

Q: What if at the end of the reservation, the total is different from the prepayment amount?

A: If the invoice total is greater than what was paid, you’ll just collect payment on the remaining amount due for that reservation. If the amount due is less than what was paid as prepayment (i.e. there was an overpayment on the invoice), you’ll check out the reservation using the existing payments. The overpaid amount will be converted to store credit, which can be left on the account to be used towards a future purchase or refunded.

Q: Can I use more than two payment methods

A: You bet! You can apply as many payments as you’d like on an invoice up to the amount due.

Q: How can we comp an amount on a reservation for a customer?

A: If you are wanting to comp something for a customer, we always recommend applying a coupon in the shopping cart. 

Q: If a customer does a split payment between cash and credit can I refund the whole thing to credit card?

A: It’s only possible to refund what was paid on a credit card to the credit card. This is because only the authorized amount can be refunded by CardConnect.

Q: Can I still see my pricing rules on invoices?

A: Absolutely! Any pricing rules or peak date charges that you have will automatically apply to invoices, just like they display today.

Q: Does the Invoices tab replace the transactions tab? Is there a way to see the full statement history showing balances going forward?

A: The Invoices tab does replace the transactions tab as you know it today. Any transactions that were completed prior to the launch of this project can be found on this page. To see a statement history, use the Payment History option on the owner’s profile » Invoices tab. To see an all-time statement, leave the dates blank when generating the statement.

Q: Does the invoice page look similar on the newer owner/animal details pages?

A: It does! All of the same actions are available on either view.

Q: Does the store credit purchase option work like the current Add Credit option where there is an option to not allow staff to do this, or is this feature turned on for every employee?

A: This option will use the same user permission as today—this can be managed from Left-hand Navigation: Reports and More Icon » Groups » Can Add Store Credits.

Q: Can i use store credit when doing refunds?

A: Absolutely! If the amount to be refunded should go back to the account instead of as money back, choose the Store Credit payment method when doing a refund.

Q: Can I apply package credits or coupons to open invoices when I pay them off?

A: No, coupons and packages must be applied to the invoice at checkout. Once opened, you’d need to comp out the overcharged amount and manually settle with the package on the account. 

Q: Are we able to restrict customers from making reservation requests if they have an open balance?

A: It is not possible to automate this, but if this is your company policy, we would recommend instructing staff to check if an owner has an outstanding balance prior to accepting their reservation requests.

Q: Will we have the ability to make debit adjustments to invoices?

A: The Add a Debit button no longer exists as part of this release, so you’d need to create a new invoice for forgotten charges after checkout of the reservation.

Q: How can I comp store credit for a customer?

A: To comp store credit for a customer, you’ll purchase store credit using the Admin - Credit Comped payment method.

Q: Will prepayments account for tax?

A: Sure thing! Any type of payment can be applied directly to an invoice’s charges, including any tax on the charges.

Q: Can I use multiple credit cards on one invoice?

A: Yes! 

Q: How do I handle an overpaid deposit?

A: When you check out in an overpayment scenario, you’ll be prompted to either credit the overpaid deposit back to the account as store credit, or refund the entire deposit and collect a new payment for the reservation in the exact amount. 

Q: Are online payment fees different than if I process it on the business side?

A: Online payments from the customer portal will carry a higher rate.

Q: Can customers use store credits towards invoices?

A: Not today, this would need to be done on the business side.

Q: Can I edit the email used to send an invoice to a customer?

A: You can! When viewing an invoice, you can optionally change the email when emailing the invoice out.

Q: Does the owed balance conversion create one invoice or multiple?

A: It will create a single invoice for the entire debit balance.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Q: Is the store credit method automatically added when this release happens?

A: It is! This is a system payment method that will be added to your app upon release and cannot be edited.

Q: Can I partially refund a deposit?

A: Once a deposit has been applied as payment towards an invoice, it can be refunded partially, yes! 

Q: If a customer defers payment for all services until the end of the week or the month, does each reservation create a separate invoice?

A: Each reservation creates a separate invoice, but they can all be paid off with one payment easily. To do this, you’ll click the Pay Balance invoice from the Owner’s Profile. This will add each of the open invoice balances to the cart which can be paid off. Payments will be allocated from the oldest invoice forward until all payment has been applied.

Q: On refunding, in the example, we did not check the refund tax box, but the tax refunded automatically on the $28? Why did this happen?

A: Tax is automatically refunded for line items where tax was charged. If you used multiple payment methods on a refund, the system will, by default, be split proportionally based on each payment method. If you’d like to refund tax to one payment method when processing a split refund, you’ll indicate which method that is by checking the Refund Tax checkbox next to that refund method.

Q: Can the owner see icons on the customer portal? 

A: No, icons are still business only. 

Q: For customers paying on the customer portal, do they have to login to the portal?

A: Yes, in order to apply a payment, the user must be logged in. 

Q: Is anything changing with how reservation modifiers display on receipts? They confuse my customers.

A: You can determine if your pricing rules or reservation modifiers display to customers on their receipts by navigating to Left-hand Navigation: Admin » System-Wide Settings » Display reservation modifiers on receipts.

Q: How detailed are emailed invoices?

A: The email will provide a link to view the completed invoice, in all of it’s glory. :) 

Q: How can I make an adjustment to an invoice after it is closed out?

A: It is not possible to adjust an invoices charges after it’s been opened. This must be done prior to checkout.

Q: Can I void a transaction?

A: No, it’s not possible to void a charge, you must apply payment (even if it's admin-comp) and then process a refund if the charges were incorrect.

Q: Can I apply coupons to estimates?

A: Not with this release, but someday soon! :) 

Q: Can I use my tablet to show a line item level of detail?

A: Definitely! To use your tablet alongside your EMV terminal, check out this article.

Q: What do multiple pet reservations look like with deposits. 

A: When an owner creates a reservation for multiple pets, they will be combined onto a single invoice if created at the same time. This will combine all of the charges onto one estimate. If the reservations are created at different times, the invoice will be separate, but will combine down to one at checkout. 

Q: How are estimates different from what they are now?

A: Estimates will look very similar to what you are familiar with today, however, there are a few key differences. Prepayment can be applied directly to an estimate, any deposits attached to the reservation will display on the estimate, and estimates can be prepaid from the customer portal with ease. 

Q: Can we update prices on an estimate?
A: You can adjust the pricing on an estimate at any time prior to checkout of the reservation. These changes can include: setting a special rate for services, adding point of sale items, editing the reservation to change the dates or the reservation type, adding more services, etc. 

Q: Today when we check out with the No Payment method, it adds the balance as a debt to the account. If there is a credit balance on the account, it automatically takes that credit away. How is this different now?
A: Owner account balances are separated out with this release. This makes it very clear what a customer owes vs what they have to use as store credit. A customer can have a balance in both ways, and store credit on the account will not automatically settle out an open invoice. To use store credit towards an open invoice, you’ll simply apply payment to that invoice or to the entire invoice balance using the Store Credit payment method.

Q: When should I use deposits vs. a prepayment?

A: Deposits will be used to require payment ahead of check in for a specific reservation. Prepayment is also tied towards a specific reservation, but cannot be required or automated. A great example of that would be requiring a 20% deposit for a reservation that I’m making now for an upcoming holiday where I want to ensure that the customer will show up for their reservation, but then also collecting the remaining amount due for that reservation at check in. You can use either deposits or prepayments individually, or you can use them at the same time.

Q: What is the difference between store credit and prepayments

A: Store credit can be used to apply general prepayment or to put money on account for any item or reservation, whereas prepayment is payment that is tied to one specific reservation. 

Have a question that wasn't asked by another participate? Comment on this article and we'll get back to you! :)