NOTE: This feature is available in the Standard, Professional, and Enterprise versions of myStratus Desktop. Spectra does not include this feature.

Note: Online Payments is currently only available in the U.S. and requires a credit card processing account set up with TSYS and that account must be set up to use E-Commerce. Click here to set up your account today. A blog post will be made when additional credit card processors are available in the future.

Overview

The Online Payments feature allows you to email clients a link to view their invoices online in our mobile-friendly portal and pay their outstanding balances instantly. Allowing your client’s the convenience of paying their invoices or past due payments direct from their mobile device will not only delight your clients, but can also help improve your cash flow.  

These emails can either be sent manually by the user or automatically through the software via a Triggered email. The Online Payments portal has the ability for your clients to view all outstanding invoices, view a specific invoice and pay it, view a specific pending payment and pay it, or allow your client’s to update their saved credit cards on file. In addition, the Online Payment portal can be customized to look exactly like it's part of your website with your custom branding. This means using our Online Booking feature, Online Web Forms, and now using Online Payments, your online portals can all share the same custom look and feel as your public website.  

See below for instructions on how to set up each stage of the online payment process:

• Build the HTML email to send clients
• Set default HTML email in Company Preferences
• Set up Online Portal
• Set up Online Payments
• Manually send the email
• Automatically send the email with a trigger
• What your customer experiences

Here is what your customer’s will experience using Online Payments. 

Using a link to view all invoices with an outstanding balance, they will see the following:



Using a link to view a single invoice with an outstanding balance, they will see the following:



Using a link to view a single pending payment, they will see the following:



If they select to update any saved credit cards on file, they will see the following:

 

Build the HTML email to send clients

The first step in using the online payment portal is to build the HTML email you'll send to clients so they can receive their payment link. See HTML Email Builder for basic instructions on building your HTML email.

To insert the merge field that contains your client's unique portal link, select Insert Data Field > Online. If you'll be emailing the client a link to the online portal as a whole, use the Client Online Pay URL. If you'll be emailing the client a direct link to pay for a specific invoice, use the Invoice Online Pay URL (Note, this merge field can only be used on HTML emails with the Invoices Data Type). If you'll be emailing the client a direct link to pay for a Pending Payment (i.e. Used with Payment Plans), use the Payment Online Pay URL (Note, this merge field can only be used on HTML emails with the Payment Data Type).

PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS...             Need help setting up this email? We got you covered! Click here to download a pre-built HTML email you can edit, OR check out the email located at Tools > Design Tools > HTML Email Builder called "SAMPLE: Online Invoice Portal" and "SAMPLE: Online Payment Portal" in your myStratus Database to edit the emails already available! Switch to the Source tab of the email and find the tag displayed as <!--LOOK AT ME...>. In the line directly below it, find the web URL and replace it with the Logo for your business. A little farther down in the email is the same line where you can insert a web URL for a marketing image from your business.

Set default HTML email in Company Preferences

With the ability to manually send clients their portal link, you can set myStratus to automatically determine which email you're trying to send. Set this up at Maintenance > Preferences > Company Preferences > Invoicing tab. Under the Online Payment section, select the corresponding HTML emails you built in the previous step.

Set up Online Portal

All online features with myStratus follow the same customization settings. These other features include Online Booking, Web Forms, and Online Referral Programs. To set up how your online portal should appear to clients, visit Maintenance > Preferences > Online Booking Preferences > Customization tab. Alternatively, you can also visit the Referral Program Preferences or Web Form Preferences and edit the Customization tab from there. 

Enable taking payments 

If your Tsys merchant account was approved for E-Commerce, it is required that you enable online payments via InspiredByYou Preferences.  You do NOT need to use InspiredByYou to take payments online.  Please follow this link and then go to the Payments Tab link at the top

Manually send the email

To send a link to the online payment portal, you can do so by selecting the option Online Payment Email on the Home tab of the ribbon on the Client record. The email that will automatically be generated here is the one selected in the Company Preferences > Invoicing tab > Default HTML Email Online Payments - Client form.



To send a link that bypasses the general online payment portal and allows the client to pay for a specific Invoice or Payment, select the option Online Payment Email on the Home tab of the ribbon on either the Invoice or Payment record. The email that will automatically be generated here is the one selected in the Company Preferences > Invoicing tab > Default HTML Email Online Payments - Invoice form.

Automatically send the email with a trigger

NOTE: This feature is available in the Professional and Enterprise versions of myStratus Desktop. Spectra does not include this feature.

Instead of manually emailing clients each time they need to pay online, set up a trigger that will automatically send out the link whenever an invoice is ready to be paid. One way to accomplish this would be to build an Invoice Status along the lines of "Online Payment Pending". Then build an Invoice Status Trigger based upon when that status is set. See also: Invoice Statuses & Trigger Types.

What your customer experiences

After receiving the online payment email, your client will be taken to the online portal where they will see a list of all invoices that contain an outstanding balance. They can then select which invoice(s) they'd like to pay and enter their credit card details. If the client has a previously saved credit card with your business, they can select or edit it from here as well.

Manually send the email

Automatically send the email with a trigger

What your customer experiences

Here is what your customer’s will experience using Online Payments. 

Using a link to view all invoices with an outstanding balance, they will see the following:



Using a link to view a single invoice with an outstanding balance, they will see the following:



Using a link to view a single pending payment, they will see the following:



If they select to update any saved credit cards on file, they will see the following:

 

Build the HTML email to send clients

The first step in using the online payment portal is to build the HTML email you'll send to clients so they can receive their payment link. See HTML Email Builder for basic instructions on building your HTML email.

To insert the merge field that contains your client's unique portal link, select Insert Data Field > Online. If you'll be emailing the client a link to the online portal as a whole, use the Client Online Pay URL. If you'll be emailing the client a direct link to pay for a specific invoice, use the Invoice Online Pay URL (Note, this merge field can only be used on HTML emails with the Invoices Data Type). If you'll be emailing the client a direct link to pay for a Pending Payment (i.e. Used with Payment Plans), use the Payment Online Pay URL (Note, this merge field can only be used on HTML emails with the Payment Data Type).

PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS...             Need help setting up this email? We got you covered! Click here to download a pre-built HTML email you can edit, OR check out the email located at Tools > Design Tools > HTML Email Builder called "SAMPLE: Online Invoice Portal" and "SAMPLE: Online Payment Portal" in your myStratus Database to edit the emails already available! Switch to the Source tab of the email and find the tag displayed as <!--LOOK AT ME...>. In the line directly below it, find the web URL and replace it with the Logo for your business. A little farther down in the email is the same line where you can insert a web URL for a marketing image from your business.

Set default HTML email in Company Preferences

With the ability to manually send clients their portal link, you can set myStratus to automatically determine which email you're trying to send. Set this up at Maintenance > Preferences > Company Preferences > Invoicing tab. Under the Online Payment section, select the corresponding HTML emails you built in the previous step.

Set up Online Portal

All online features with myStratus follow the same customization settings. These other features include Online Booking, Web Forms, and Online Referral Programs. To set up how your online portal should appear to clients, visit Maintenance > Preferences > Online Booking Preferences > Customization tab. Alternatively, you can also visit the Referral Program Preferences or Web Form Preferences and edit the Customization tab from there. 

Enable taking payments 

Enable taking Payments

If your Tsys merchant account was approved for E-Commerce, it is required that you enable online payments via InspiredByYou Preferences.  You do NOT need to use InspiredByYou to take payments online.  Please follow this link and then go to the Payments Tab link at the top

Manually send the email

To send a link to the online payment portal, you can do so by selecting the option Online Payment Email on the Home tab of the ribbon on the Client record. The email that will automatically be generated here is the one selected in the Company Preferences > Invoicing tab > Default HTML Email Online Payments - Client form.



To send a link that bypasses the general online payment portal and allows the client to pay for a specific Invoice or Payment, select the option Online Payment Email on the Home tab of the ribbon on either the Invoice or Payment record. The email that will automatically be generated here is the one selected in the Company Preferences > Invoicing tab > Default HTML Email Online Payments - Invoice form.

Automatically send the email with a trigger

NOTE: This feature is available in the Professional and Enterprise versions of myStratus Desktop. Spectra does not include this feature.

Instead of manually emailing clients each time they need to pay online, set up a trigger that will automatically send out the link whenever an invoice is ready to be paid. One way to accomplish this would be to build an Invoice Status along the lines of "Online Payment Pending". Then build an Invoice Status Trigger based upon when that status is set. See also: Invoice Statuses & Trigger Types.

What your customer experiences

After receiving the online payment email, your client will be taken to the online portal where they will see a list of all invoices that contain an outstanding balance. They can then select which invoice(s) they'd like to pay and enter their credit card details. If the client has a previously saved credit card with your business, they can select or edit it from here as well.