Credit System for Inventory

This article describes in detail the optional Credit System for client 'shopping' purposes, and how this can be integrated into the Inventory system. Follow each section, in order, to setup, configure, and implement this system.

Definition

The PantrySoft Credit System is a system for pricing visit items in "pantry credits," and also of distributing those "pantry credits" to your Clients. This system is optional, but fully integrated into the Client Portal and the Inventory system. The Credit System empowers your clients to make their own selections within customizable restraints. You can tailor different Credit Tiers to meet the needs of different households. Each item in your inventory can then be assigned a Credit Price.

Basic Setup & Workflow

Here is an overview of how you set up credit tiers, and how they will then affect your Client Visits:

(Optional) Create Household-Size Tiers
You'll set up brackets of household sizes.
(This is optional because the default tier system is a single tier for 1-99 members)
For instance, 1-2 people, 3-4, and 5+.
Give Each Tier a Credit Budget
You'll set up how many credits (i.e. "Pantry Bucks") each tier/ family size gets on a regular basis.
For example, the first tier (families of 1-2 people) gets 50 credits/ pantry bucks.
Set up a Credit-Refresh Schedule
You'll set up how often those budgets refresh.
For example, that first tier refreshes back up to 50 credits every month, and the remaining credits don't roll over.
(Optional) Price Your Items
You'll price each of your items individually (Inventory->Items).
(This is optional because the default cost of an item is 0 credits)
For example, blueberries cost 1 Pantry Buck.
Visitors "Purchase" Items
Finally, visitors choosing items from the online portal will have to "purchase" each item they select; selecting an item reduces their current purse of credits.
For example, a family of 2 is shopping online, and they were just refreshed up to their allotted 50 credits. They selected a bag of blueberries, and now their remaining budget is 49 credits.

Activating the Credit System

Follow these steps to turn on the Credit System.

Navigate to Storefront Settings
Make sure you are logged in as an Org Setting Admin, then navigate to Setup->Storefront Settings.
Enable the Credit System
Click Yes next to Enable Credit System.

Creating a new Credit Tier

Follow these steps to setup your first Credit Tier:

Open the Credit Tier Screen
Navigate to Setup->Credit Tiers. This table will be empty at first.
Create a new tier.
Click Create a New Credit Tier.
Setup your New Credit Tier
Enter the settings for your new Credit Tier:
- Name. The title of the Tier.
  For example: Three Person Household.
- Value. The number of credits distributed to the client at each Refresh Event.
- Type. The type or style of credit refreshes. There are two Types:
  - Reset. Points are reset to the Value upon each Refresh Event. Any unspent points are lost.
    For example, let's say your points reset at the first of each month. If a client has 50 points and your tier's value is 200, the client's Credit Balance will reset to 200 at the next refresh.
  - Rollover. A given amount of points are carried over each Refresh Event. In this mode, you'll also set the maximum balance that tier can carry in their "purse," using the Rollover Cap Field.
    For example, a client has a balance of 100 credits when the next Refresh Event occurs (say, the first of each month). They're slated to receive their tier's Value (say, 200 credits) at the next Refresh Event. On the first of the month, the client receives the Value (200) into their account, which brings their balance to 300. If you set the rollover cap to 275, however, their new balance would be 275 instead of 300.
- Refresh Events. The point(s) of time when Credits are reset or rolled over for clients. There are several ways to set this up:
  - Manual. Credits will only refresh at the user's discretion. Click the Manual checkbox to enable this. Selecting this option removes the options to select an automatic refresh. Also, setting Manual Refresh will delete all previously made recurring events for the tier. Manual Resets are the default option if no Refresh Event date is set. Manually Refreshing Credits is covered in more detail in Credit System for Inventory
  - Weekly. Credits refresh automatically on a given day recurring each week. Click the Plus button to save the entry, adding to a new table below. Click the Trash Can icon to delete the entry.
  - Monthly. Credits refresh automatically on a given day recurring each month. Click the Plus button to save the entry, adding to a new table below. Click the Trash Can icon to delete the entry.
  - Multiple Events: Multiple Refresh Events can be added by clicking the Plus button after entering each date.
    For example: You could schedule an event refresh for the 1st and the 15th of every month.
Finalize the New Credit Tier
Click Save and Exit to record your new Credit Tier. Verify your new Credit Tier appears in the table.

Editing, Deleting, and Manually Refreshing a Credit Tier

Follow these steps to Edit, Delete, or Manually Refresh an existing Credit Tier:

Open the Credit Tier Screen
Navigate to Setup->Credit Tiers.
Choose a Credit Tier to Edit or Delete
There are several tools to help locate a particular Credit Tier:
- Show 'x' Entries. Click the drop-down entries menu on the left above the table, and change the value to limit the number of rows displayed on the page.
- Search Field. Locate a Tier by typing any search criteria into the Search field above the table on the right.
  For example: You could search by a specific Tier name, or type monthly to limit the table to only Tiers with monthly Refreshes.
- Column Sorting. Click the up/down arrow at the top of a column to sort the table by that column (ascending or descending).
- Previous / Next Page. Click the Previous or Next buttons at the bottom right of the table to switch to a different page. Alternatively, click a page number to jump directly to that page.
To Edit a Credit Tier
Click the Edit button in that Credit Tier's row. This will load the Edit Credit Tier screen which is functionally the same as the New Credit Tier screen.
To Delete a Credit Tier
Click the Edit button in that Credit Tier's row. Click Delete in the top right corner. Confirm the deletion in the pop-up window by hold-clicking the red Delete button. Click Cancel to return to the previous screen.
To Manually Refresh a Credit Tier
To Manually Refresh a Credit Tier, click Manual Refresh in that Tier's row. On the pop-up, click Distribute to refresh and distribute Credits to those clients assigned to that Tier. Click Cancel to return to the previous page.

Assigning Credits to Clients (Default)

Clients signing up in person are automatically assigned a default Credit Tier. PantrySoft will choose the first Credit Tier on your list of tiers, but you can manually choose which of your Credit Tiers is supplied to clients when they register online for the first time.

Follow these steps to manually designate one of your Credit Tiers as the default for newly registered storefront clients:

Go to Credit Tier Setup
Navigate to Setup->Storefront Settings.
Enter Default Credit Tier
Under the Defaults section, find the setting titled, "Default Credit Tier, and enter the name of the desired Credit Tier (e.g., One Person Household).
Save and Exit
Click Save and Exit.

Assigning Credits to Clients (Manually)

Follow these steps to initially assign Credits to your clients, and how to edit Credit Balances to manage exceptions:

Select the Client
Navigate to the Client you wish to register for a Credit Tier.
Access the Client's Credit Tier
Click the Pencil button in the new Credit widget in the lower left of the Client screen.
Select the Client's Credit Tier
Select the Client's Credit Tier from the drop-down menu. Click Save and Exit to record the new Tier, or click Cancel to return to the Staff Dashboard without making any changes.
Access the Client's Balance
The client is now assigned to a Credit Tier, but the client does not yet have any Credits in their Balance. To add Credits to a client from the Staff Dashboard, click the Plus icon on the Credit widget.
Add Credits to the Client's Balance
In the pop-up, enter a "Credit Amount" in the Amount field, and type a memo explaining the transaction in the Comment field. Click Save and Exit to record the transaction and return to the Staff Dashboard, or click Cancel to return without making changes.

Negative Adjustments. You can also subtract Credits from a Client's Balance using this same method. Simply type a negative number in the Amount field, make a notation in the Comment field, then click Save and Exit.
Confirm the New Credit Balance
Verify the new Credit Balance in the Credit widget. A history of all manual adjustments are listed in this section. Hover the mouse over the "i" icon to view who made the manual adjustment.

Initial Balance by Refresh. An alternate method to manually assigning each Client's initial balance is by Refreshing the Credit Tier. Once you have assigned your Clients to Credit Tiers on the Staff Dashboard, return to the Credit Tier screen and Manually Refresh the Credit Tier. This will perform a Refresh Event on every Client, and thus redistribute each Credit Tier's Value to the Client's balance.

Assigning Credit Prices to Inventory Items

Follow these steps to assign Credit prices to your Inventory Items:

Editing Inventory Items: This section narrowly covers how to assign a price to individual credit prices in the Inventory system. For more comprehensive information on the Inventory system, see Inventory Items (Item Templates).

Open the Inventory Items Screen
Navigate to Inventory->Inventory Items.
Select the Item to Price
Locate the Inventory Item to assign a price. Note that the inventory table now has a Credit Price column.
Open the Item's Edit Screen
Click the Edit button in the target item's row.
Enter the Credit Price
Type the desired Credit Price into the Credit Price field, located at the top right of the Online Store section of the Edit Inventory Screen. Credit Prices can be any number up to 1,000,000 with two decimal points places. Whole numbers are most commonly used.
Finalize the Edit
Click Save and Exit to record your entry.

Client Portal Credit Usage

This section will show how the Credit Price system is used on the Client Portal.

Client Portal: This article covers only the additional features added by enabling the Credit System. For more comprehensive information about the Client Portal, see Client Portal QuickStart (Registration, Scheduling and Inventory)

Item Prices. In the Client Portal, your clients will now have visibility to credit prices for each item. Also, their total credit amount is displayed on the top header next to the Shopping Cart button.
Spending Credits. When a client adds or subtracts items to their cart, their credit total in the header instantly updates. The credits are not actually spent from their account until the Client confirms the order in Checkout.
Out of Credits. When a client doesn't have enough credits to select an item, the Plus button on the individual item's card is hidden. Once they remove enough items from the cart to afford that item, the Plus button reappears.

Visit Credit Usage

The section will show how Credits are integrated into the Client Visit window.

Editing Client Visits: Any edits made to a Visit adjust the Client's Credit Balance in real time.

Credits Remaining. The current Credit Balance for the client is displayed on the right side of the Visit screen under the Credits Remaining header.
Price (Sub Total). Each item's Credit Price is displayed under the Price (Sub Total) header. The first number is the Credit price for each inventory unit. The second Price in parentheses is the Sub Total, which is the base Credit price for that Item multiplied by the quantity ordered.
Total Price. The total Credit cost for all Inventory Items in that Visit is displayed below the Total Price header on the Item table. Each Item's subtotal is display in the corresponding rows below.