How Clients can Sign up for a Subscription or Membership
This article explains how clients can sign up for a subscription or membership without the need of booking any appointments. The idea is to create a recurring payment plan, add a package with no services attached to it, set the recurring payment plan to activate with the package, and then finally add the package for your client or allow them to subscribe for themselves.
Please note that setting up this feature relies on the new Invoicing Module. Accounts created before 2018 may not have this module enabled yet. Please contact us if the invoicing module is not enabled in your account.
Step 1. Setting Up a Payment Plan
If you haven't already done so, you'll need to create your payment plan(s) first. To create a plan, navigate to "Lists > Recurring Payments > Recurring Payment Settings".
In the "Payment Plans" tab, click on "Add New Plan". The fields are self-explanatory, give the plan a name, select a payment frequency, number of periods, and the amount that should be charged on each cycle.
- Optionally, you can add Custom Price Intervals. Notice that clicking on "Add custom price for interval 1" will allow you to have a different price for the first period. Once you do that, the system will allow you to set a custom price for period 2 and so on, giving you the ability to have a different amount for each period.
In the example below, we've created a Payment Plan for Monthly Skype Sessions, and the system will charge $50 for the first month and $100 for all subsequent months.
Step 2. Creating a Package and applying the Payment Plan
To manage your packages, select "Bookings" from the top menu, then click on the top right button "Booking Settings" and navigate to the "Services" tab.
Click on "Add Package" and create your subscription or membership plan, like in the example below:
Now, it's important that no items appear in the lower "Items (Services)" section, as this prevents the client from having to schedule any appointments. If you see a service already in the list, you can remove it by clicking the "X" beside it.
Next, click on the "Overrides" tab and set the "Automatic charge" to "Add to a Recurring Payment Plan". This will reveal the "Select a Payment Plan" section, which allows you to now select the Payment Plan you set up earlier.
Step 3. Signing Up Clients for the Subscription or Membership
Finally, your clients are ready to be added to the subscription or membership plan you've created for them. There are two ways of accomplishing this: either your staff can add them manually, or your clients can subscribe themselves via the Booking Widget. Both options are outlined below:
- OPTION 1. Having you or your staff add the Subscription or Membership for your client
Go to the applicable client's profile, and click on the "Packages" tab. Click "Add Package" and select the package you created for the subscription or membership. Next click on "Add Payment Plan" and select the Payment Plan you created earlier, like in the image below:
Click "Continue" and then on the next page, feel free to adjust the "Start Date" of the Subscription or Membership (or click "Customize" if you want to edit any of the other fields), and when you are ready click "Create Plan".
- OPTION 2. Allow your clients to Sign Up for the Subscription or Membership themselves
If you are using the Booking Widget, your clients will also (by default) have the ability to subscribe by themselves by clicking the "Sign Up" button and filling in fields on the next pages which collects their information.
Click "Continue" and then on the next page, feel free to adjust the "Start Date" of the Subscription or Membership (or click "Customize" if you want to edit any of the other fields), and when you are ready click "Create Plan".
That's it! The subscription or membership has now been created and is ready for use.