Within TutorCruncher, Subscriptions can be used to charge a monthly recurring fee to your Clients. They can be customised to be charged per Client or per Student, and the date that the charge goes out each month can also be specified.
Subscriptions work by generating either Ad Hoc Charges or Credit Requests for all of the Clients who have been selected for the Subscription on a specified day of the month, so when you regenerate and raise Invoices, the Clients will be charged for their subscriptions alongside any other charges they might have (typically Lessons).
Note: Subscriptions will not automatically bill a Client; you will still need to regenerate and raise Invoices once the Subscription charges have been created.
Before you can use subscriptions, you will need to enable them via the ‘Use Subscriptions’ checkbox found in System > Settings > People and Activity > Activity. Once enabled, the Subscriptions page will appear in Activity > Subscriptions, which includes a list of any Subscriptions already created alongside their rate, the day of the month they’re charged, their item type, how many Clients are subscribed, and whether or not the subscription is active.
An example of a Subscriptions page.
To create a new subscription, select Create Subscription to open the Subscriptions panel, from where you can:
Use the ‘Name’ text field to give the subscription a name.
Use the ‘Rate’ number field to specify the subscription’s charge rate.
Specify the day of the month the subscription will generate the charges on. Choose whether the subscription applies on a per Client or per Student basis.
Specify the subscription’s item type - enabling ‘Create Ad Hoc Charges’ will charge the Client’s balance, whereas enabling ‘Create Credit Request items’ will top the Client’s balance up.
Specify an Ad Hoc Charge Category for the subscription (if ‘Create Ad Hoc Charges has been enabled).
Toggle the ‘Active’ checkbox to determine whether the subscription is still active or not.
Creating a new Subscription.
Note: If you specify a date before the 15th of the month, TutorCruncher will assume that these charges are for the previous month; if you select a date after the 15th, TutorCruncher will assume that the charges are for the next month.
What's the difference between ad hoc charges & credit request items on subscriptions?
Utilising subscriptions is a great method for sending a monthly charge to your clients. However, before proceeding, it's important to become familiar with the two different charge types that you can use: 'Credit Request Items' and 'Ad Hoc Charges.' Let's delve a bit deeper into each of these charge types:
1. Credit Request Items:
Much like conventional credit requests in TutorCruncher, this type of subscription operates by sending a monthly charge to the client, which is subsequently credited to their account.
As lessons take place, these lessons will be invoiced, and the corresponding credit will be deducted from the client's account.
2. Ad Hoc Charges:
Ad Hoc Charges differ slightly from credit request items. Instead of adding credit to a user's account, they represent a one-time charge applicable for that specific month of usage.
As an example, Ad Hoc Charges on Subscriptions are similar to a gym membership. Much like a gym membership, Ad Hoc Charges entail a one-time payment that grants you unlimited access to the service during the specified timeframe.
Familiarising yourself with these charge types will help you choose the most appropriate approach that aligns with your specific needs and preferences.
"Applies to" Subscriptions: Client vs. Student
To clarify the differences between the two options:
Applies to Client:
If you select "Applies to Client" for your subscription, it means that the client will pay a fixed amount, regardless of how many students are associated with their account.
For instance, if your subscription charge is £100 and you apply it to a client, that client will pay £100 whether they have one student or multiple students associated with their account.
Applies to Student:
On the other hand, if you opt for "Applies to Student," each student will be charged individually.
For example, if a client has two students and your subscription charge is £100, choosing "Applies to Student" means each student will be charged £100 separately. Therefore, the total charge for the client with two students would be £200.
These options allow you to tailor your billing method to your specific needs, ensuring that you can charge clients and students in a way that aligns with your pricing structure.