Setting up payment terms
- Dmitry Finkel
- Carin van de Velde
- Ian Nijssen (Deactivated)
The goal of this article is to explain what are payment terms and how to configure them in Maxxton software.
Definitions
Payment Term Set
For increased granularity, payment terms are created using payment term sets. Payment term sets are a blueprint on which you can base payment terms that can be grouped together per customer or group of customers. The payment term set can therefore be considered the 'set of applicable rules' for a reservation (e.g. booked >60 days before arrival).
Payment Terms
Payment terms are a set of rules that establish at what moment(s) a customer (or a group of customers) need to pay for the provided service.
Rules
Within a payment term, rules are created to define what needs to be paid.
Conceptual example
Payment term set:
Booked >60 days before arrival
Payment terms:
1st down-payment at book-date
Rule: 10% reservation amount
2nd payment at arrival
Rule: 2nd payment: Remainder
Payment terms as a concept is linked to Notifications, as these are needed to be able to send the relevant information about when and how much is due by the customer. You can find more information on this through the article.
Payment term sets are configured on Distribution Channel level in Newyse.
Configuration
Payment Term Set Setup Instructions
This section will explain how to setup a payment term set in Newyse.
First, open the Payment Terms menu in Newyse. For this, go to the Marketing tab and click on “Distribution Channels”.
Navigate to the respective Distribution Channel. Before selecting the respective Distribution Channel, you need to decide if the payment term should be valid to multiple Distribution Channels or not. If this is the case and those Distribution Channels are covered by the same Parent Distribution Channel, you can select the Parent Distribution Channel. If this isn’t the case, you can also select only one Distribution Channel at the time.
For example:
When the payment term should be applicable for all Distribution Channels according to ‘Directe Boekingen’, like ‘Callcenter' and ‘Internet’, you can configure the Payment term under 'Directe Boekingen’.
When the payment term shouldn’t be applicable for all Distribution Channels according to ‘Directe Boekingen’ and it should only be applicable for ‘Callcenter’ and not for ‘Internet’, you can configure the Payment term under ‘Callcenter’.
Once there, click on the “Payment Terms” tab.
See Setting up a distribution channel for more information about the payment terms
To configure a new payment term set, click on the “Add” button under the “Sets” table as shown below.
You should get the following pop-up:
Mandatory fields
Name of this payment term set
Priority: This represents the importance of your payment term set compared to other payment term sets. Priority really comes into play when you have multiple payment term sets for the same validity period. The priority has to be a positive number and . the payment term set with the lowest number as priority will be valid for the respective reservation. When there are payment term sets configured on the Parent and the Child Distribution Channel, the system takes the priority number into account when deciding the set in the reservation
Some examples:The Parent Distribution Channel has a payment term set with priority 10. The Child Distribution Channel has a similar set with the same conditions, but with priority 2. The reservation module will take the set from the Child Distribution Channel.
The Parent Distribution Channel has a payment term set with priority 2. The Child Distribution Channel has a similar set with the same conditions, but priority 10. The reservation module will take the set from the Parent Distribution Channel.
The Parent Distribution Channel has a payment term set with priority 2. It has a similar set with the same conditions, but priority 10. In that case the reservation module will take the set that is set on priority 2.
Optional fields
Description: Here can you add some extra description to the payment term
Extra costs: Here u can choose to add a commission (they need to have been already configured) to add extra costs (or decrease the bill) when this payment term is used.
Example: when the reservation is made on via a TO, there are extra costs added of 5%
Example: when the reservation is made on via Internet, there is a discount of 5%
Extra costs fall under what is called “commissions” in Maxxton Software. This can be configured in the Configuration menu in the Channel Manager. See Commissions for more information.
Choose a reminder set: This field allows you to link a reminder set (a set of conditions that apply to when a reminder should be sent about the booking).
Autopay: This is used when a script collects the money automatically from a saved credit card.
Once this part is finished, click on “Next>>”. The following new set of fields to fill in should pop-up:
Minimum / Maximum number of days before arrival: These fields are used to create the deviation that you want for your payment term set based on reservation date and arrival date. They are used to decide the time frame in which the payment term set should activate.
Examples :
If you want to have a payment term set that activates for reservations made 120 or more days before arrival, you will have a minimum number of days before arrival of 120 and no maximum number of days before arrival.
On the other hand: if you want to have a payment term set that activates for reservations made 27 or less days before arrival, you will have a maximum number of days before arrival at 27 and no minimum of days before arrival.
Valid from: Select the date from which this payment term set is valid and applicable.
Valid to: Select the date until when this payment term set is valid and applicable. It is possible to leave this empty, if you don not have the intention to shut this payment set off from a specific date.
If you would like to close a payment set from a specific date (so it won’t be attached to new created reservations), you can add a ‘valid to’ date.Minimum number of days of stay: Select the minimum number of days of stay in a reservation for which this set should be applied.
Maximum number of days of stay: Select the maximum number of days of stay in a reservation for which this set should be applied.
Set valid with arrival from / Set valid with arrival till: You can use these fields to further increase granularity in your payment term set. They allow you to have multiple sets for the same minimum & maximum number of days before arrival & the same validity but for different periods (e.g. high season & low season).
After filling in all relevant fields, click on “Next>>”. The following new set of fields to fill in should pop-up:
Here you will be able to select all of the locations for which you wish to apply this payment term set. To do so, select an item from the “Available” box on the left and use the single right arrow to transfer it to the “Selected” box on the right.
When you have made your selection click on “Next>>”. The following new screen should pop-up:
On this screen you can select all of the rate types for which you wish this payment term set to be applied. Once done, click on “Next>>”. The following new screen should pop-up:
Here, you can select all of the reservation categories that should apply to this payment term set. Once you have chosen all of the relevant reservation categories, click on “Next>>”. The following new screen should pop-up:
On this screen, you can select all of the accommodation kinds for which this payment term set will be applied. Once you have chosen all of the relevant reservation categories, click on “Next>>”. The following new screen should pop-up:
Here you need to configure the way of notification to the customer about the payment term(s):
Mail: the guest will be informed via hard copy letters by postal mail.
E-mail: the guest will be informed via e-mail.
At least the e-mail method must be selected. However, we strongly suggest selecting both elements as this gives maximum flexibility. You can also set a priority for each element. We suggest giving a higher priority (so a lower number) to the e-mail method. To setup these notifications, you need to set-up tasks.
Once you have chosen the sending methods, click on “Next>>”. You should get the following new screen:
Here you can configure the payment methods that you want to link to the payment term set.
Post: the guest pays the payment terms via a link that is shared via hard copy letters by postal mail.
E-mail: the guest pays the payment terms via a link that is shared via e-mail
Paymentslip: This option can be used for guests that don’t have the possibility or don’t want to work with online banking. Where most people actually work with online banking, there are still (some) people left that don’t work with this.
We suggest using the post and e-mail methods as this gives maximum flexibility. You can also set a priority for each element. We suggest giving a higher priority (so a lower number) to the e-mail method. You can also set a priority for each chosen element.
Once you have chosen the payment methods, click on “Next>>”. You should get the following new screen:
Here you have the list of all of the existing reservation statuses. By default, all of the reservation statuses are available for payment term sets. Selecting a reservation status in this list does make the payment term set exclusively available for the selected status.
Click on “Next>>”. You should get the following new screen:
In the Correspondence window, you can add the information that the customer will receive when the payment term set will be activated. This information is not mandatory.
Send method: This field allows you to choose in what form the customer will be notified. Via e-mails or via hard copy letters sent by postal mail.
Language: Here you can add the different languages in which you would like to notify your customers. Press “Add” to add a new confirmation text.
Confirmation Text: Here you have a free text field where you can add the message that the customer will receive upon activation of the payment term set.
Confirmation Text on due amount: If an amount is due on the payment term set activation, you can add another specific text that will be sent instead of the regular confirmation text. You can configure this text in this field.
Once the correspondence window is configured, click on “Next>>”. You should get the following new screen:
This is the final window where you have a recap of all of the setup you just went through. You can navigate back if you need to make any changes. You will also be able to edit the payment term set once it is created. Click on “Finish” to finalize the set-up of your payment term set.
Main term setup instructions
Now that we have configured a payment term set, we can add payment terms (also called Main Terms) to our payment term set. The main terms define at what moment(s) a customer (or a group of customers) need to pay for the booking. To do so, select your payment term set and then press the “Add” button under the Main Terms board as shown below:
You should get the following pop-up window :
In the finance part of the basic payment wizard you can select the following options :
Payer/payee for this payment term: Select who is going to be payer of this payment term. This also refers to who will be notified when payments are to be made. A selection of one of the 3 options (customer, paying customer or agent) is mandatory.
Spread payments: When choosing this option, you can select to spread the payments that are to be received into multiple, smaller payments.
Do not send reminders for this term: By checking this box, you can choose to not send reminders for this payment term. To setup reminders, please see the Reminder configuration page and it’s sub-pages for more information.
Total term amount has a minimum of: This field allows you to decide if you want your term to only be applied to reservations that exceed a certain amount.
Once all of the relevant information is configured, click on “Next>>”. You should get the following pop-up window:
In the date part of the basic payment term wizard, we can configure the following elements :
Name: This field allows you add a name to the main term.
Priority: Here, you can select the priority of your payment term. The priority will determine the hierarchy of the different payment terms within a payment term set.
Reservation date from/to: Configure for which reservation time frame this payment term is applied.
Last due date: This is the moment when the reservation should be fully paid. In the screenshot above, the last due date is set on 1 week before arrival. If there is a reservation for 08/01/2024, the reservation should be fully paid on 01/01/2024. There are many other parameters on which you can configure the last due date.
Issue date: This is the date when the first payment of the reservation should be completed. In the screenshot above, the issue date is set on day after the reservation is made. If the reservations is made on 01/01/2024, the first payment should be completed on 02/01/2024.
When you have entered all of the relevant information, click on “Next>>”. You should get the following pop-up window:
This is the final window where you have a recap of all of the setup you just went through. You can navigate back if you need to make any changes. You will also be able to edit the payment term set once it is created. Click on “Finish” to finalize the set-up of your payment term set.
Rule Setup Instructions
Once the main term has been setup, we can add one or multiple Rules to it in order to define what needs to be paid. To do so, select the payment term or Main term for which you want to create a new rule and click on the “Add” button as shown below:
You should get the following pop-up window:
In the general part of the bacis payment term rule wizard, you can fill in the following fields:
Kind of rule: This refers to what type of payment will need to be made.
There are 3 possible choices:Absolute: This is a fixed payment amount that is the same, independent of any other factors. The absolute rule is setup with a fixed value (i.e. 200 €).
Relative: This is an amount that depends on other factors such as previous payments made. The relative rule is setup based on a percentage value (i.e. 25%).
Remainder: This refers to everything that still needs to be paid.
Value: When the absolute or relative kind is chosen, you are also required to enter the rule’s value or the amount that needs to be paid.
Valid Resources: This refers to which resources the rule will be valid. Thera are 4 different options here and:
All resources: the respective rule is used for all kind of recources
Resources of type: different types of resources, like ‘accommodation type’ and ‘Product types’
Resources of kind: different kinds of resources like ‘commission’ and ‘cancellation fee’
Resource: selecting this option allows you to browse for a specific resource.
Once all of the setup configured, click “Next>>”. You should get the following pop-up window:
This is the final window where you have a recap of all of the setup you just went through. You can navigate back if you need to make any changes. You will also be able to edit the rule once it is created. Click on “Finish” to finalize the setup of your rule.
Best practices
To properly setup your payment term rules and have the expected output, here are some best practices that need to be followed :
Do not use the rule type “Remainder” in a term that is not the last one within the payment term set.
Example : Within a given Payment Term Set, you have configured the Main Terms as follows :
Main Term 1 : 50% down payment
Main Term 2 : Remainder of what needs to be paid for the reservation
Main Term 1 should not have a rule configuration of type “Remainder” as this type of rule should only be used on Main Term 2, since it is the last term in the Set.
Have the same type for all rules within a given term. if a given type of resource needs to be fully paid, you can use the type “Relative” with a value of 100.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you have successfully setup your first payment term! You can re-run the different wizards that we have seen as many times as needed to create multiple payment term sets, payment terms and rules.