Ooooby's customer billing options offer flexibility and efficiency in handling financial transactions. The system facilitates two types of payments:
Billing in advance - Payments are taken before orders are received
Billing in arrears (debt-based billing) - Payments are taken after orders are received.
Advanced Billing Explained
Advanced billing in Ooooby operates similarly to a prepaid account, where customers pay in advance for their subscriptions. A shop might decide to take payments in advance to help manage cash flow, especially if they are required to pay suppliers before delivering to customers.
How It Works:
Billing Period Selection: Customers are billed in advance, usually at the start of the week, for the order they will receive that week
Calculation of Bill: The bill is calculated by considering the subscribed deliveries, products, delivery fees, any discounts, and adjusting for any debt or credit on the account.
Debt-Based Billing
Debt-based billing is most commonly used by shops using Ooooby. It ensures customers are billed only for the debt incurred on their accounts, essentially bringing their balance back to zero.
Operational Timing:
Initiation: Billing is conducted immediately after an Active Order is completed.
Objective: To charge customers for received items, ensuring account balances are cleared.
Billing Process:
Crew Member Action: Billing is started from the Customer Billing page. To bill customers from the Admin Dashboard go to
Billing > Bill Customers > Change the Schedulked Date if necessary > Bill Customers (green button) > Press OKPayment Scheduling: Pending payments are listed on the Scheduled Payments page. Immediately after triggering billing, customers will receive an automated email to notify them that they are about to have a payment taken from their account. The shop will receive an automated email to confirm the total amount that was successfully taken from customers
Payment Execution: Payments are processed early in the morning on the scheduled date, with notifications sent for both failed and successful transactions
Payment Failures: If a card payment fails both the shop and the customer will receive notification. The customer will be asked to get in touch with the shop.
Managing Account Changes and Issues
Automatic Debt Limit Reset: A customer's debt limit may revert to zero if their credit card expires. Updating credit card details resets it to the shop’s default limit.
Updating Card Details: Crew members can update card details on behalf of a customer, typically over a phone call. To update a customer's card details >
Customer Overview > More Options in the Account section > Update Card Details > Save cardDeclined Payments: Customers are generally advised to contact their bank for declined payments, as the reasons are usually outside Ooooby’s control. For further information read this article.
Further Information
For further information on billing read these articles:
Conclusion
Ooooby's advanced and debt-based billing systems offer a structured approach to managing financial transactions, providing benefits to both shops and customers. By understanding and utilising these systems effectively, shops can maintain a steady cash flow while offering customers the flexibility and convenience they appreciate.