Ability to Charge a House Account
The House Account feature, when enabled, allows for members and hotel guests to charge to their accounts. Upon charging to the house account, this will generate an invoice to track the A/R for the business. Via certain integrations (without real-time) payments, a member's house account will be charged if their card/ach payment fails.
House Accounts can be enabled or disabled on a per-person or per-membership basis. It is automatically added to hotel guests with the idea charges will transfer to their room.
Below is a summary of the desired capability:
1. Enabling House Accounts on a Per Person or Per Membership Basis
House Accounts can be tailored to the needs of individual members or entire membership groups, providing flexibility in managing how charges are applied.
Per-Person Steps:
Access a Person's CRM Settings:
Navigate to the "CRM" section in the admin panel
Select the person you wish to configure
Click "Edit"
Enable House Account:
Scroll down to the "Basics" section
Toggle the switch to "Enable" to activate the House Account feature for the person
Save Changes:
Click "Update Person" to save the House Account settings.
Per-Membership Steps:
Access Membership Settings:
Navigate to the "Membership Programs" section in the admin panel
Select the membership you wish to configure
Click "Edit"
Enable House Account:
Scroll down to the "Settings" section
Toggle the switch to "Enable" to activate the House Account feature for the membership
Save Changes:
Click "Update Membership" to save the House Account settings.
2. Checkout Flow
When the House Account feature is enabled, the checkout process becomes more streamlined, allowing charges to be directly applied to the member’s or guest’s account.
Steps:
Select Payment Method:
During checkout, the system will automatically display the House Account as a payment option if it is enabled.
The member or hotel guest can select the House Account to charge the transaction.
Invoice Generation:
Once the charge is applied, an invoice is automatically generated in the system.
This invoice will track the accounts receivable (A/R) for the business.
Review and Confirm:
The member or guest will receive a confirmation of the charge, and the invoice will be accessible via their account portal for review.
3. Control Panel - Closing Invoices
Managing and closing invoices for House Accounts is crucial for maintaining accurate financial records and ensuring that A/R is up to date. There is an automated job that runs on the 5th of the month that will automatically process House Account charges
Closing invoices in mass
Steps:
Access the Control Panel:
In the admin panel, go to the "Sell > Transactions" section
Select "View Open Invoices" to view all outstanding invoices
Review Outstanding Invoices:
Filter invoices by date as needed
Ensure that all charges are accurate and have been appropriately applied.
Close Invoices:
To close multiple invoices, select it and click "Close Invoices to Wire"
To close a singular invoice, select it, click "Charge", and select the Payment Type used (Wire, Cash, Check, etc.)
Closing invoices for a single person
Steps:
Access the Control Panel:
Navigate to the "CRM" section in the admin panel
Select the person you wish to configure
Click "Unpaid Balance" to view all outstanding invoices for the person
Review Outstanding Invoices:
Filter invoices by date as needed
Ensure that all charges are accurate and have been appropriately applied.
Close Invoices:
To close multiple invoices, select it and click "Close Invoices to Wire"
To close a singular invoice, select it, click "Charge", and select the Payment Type used (Wire, Cash, Check, etc.)
4. House Accounts with Payment Processor vs. Without Payment Processor
Understanding the difference between using House Accounts with and without a payment processor is essential for managing how payments are handled.
House Accounts with Payment Processor:
Real-Time Payments: If a payment processor is integrated, charges to the House Account can be settled in real-time, minimizing the risk of unpaid balances.
Automatic Payment Attempts: The system will automatically attempt to process payments via card or ACH. If the payment fails, the balance will be transferred to the House Account.
Immediate AR Updates: Accounts receivable are updated instantly, providing accurate and up-to-date financial records.
House Accounts without Payment Processor:
Deferred Payments: Without a payment processor, charges to the House Account are recorded, but payment collection is deferred until manually processed.
Manual Payment Handling: Payments need to be manually recorded or processed, which can delay the settlement of accounts.
Potential for AR Delays: Since payments are not processed automatically, there may be a delay in updating accounts receivable, requiring more hands-on management.
Last updated