SCHEMES

Discount schemes can be configured to allow discounted and/or free products/services for animals that are enrolled in a scheme. The complexity of the scheme can vary – you can simply allow a set discount on all, or grouped, items of stock and fees, and/or you can allow a maximum number of items of stock/fees to be discounted in a specified period of time.

Invoices can be generated for the subscriptions to the scheme and subscription payments allocated against those invoices so that payments do not interfere with balances for animals that are not included in the scheme. The scheme can also highlight subscription payments that have been missed and warn when registration needs to be renewed.

JOINING/SUBSCRIPTION FEES

You will need to set up a standard-type fee to be charged as an enrolment/joining fee, and another to be used for a monthly subscription fee for each scheme that you create. They can both be for the same amount, ie your enrolment fee should show when they joined the scheme but it is also the first month’s subscription to the scheme.

SCHEME DEFINITIONS

You can set up as many different schemes as you wish. To create a new scheme:-

Click the Schemes tile on the Assisi Desktop.

Click New Scheme at the top of the Scheme Code window.
Enter a code and description for the new scheme.
Specify the joining fee for the scheme. Type in the fee code if known or search if required.
Specify the subscription fee for the scheme. You can use the same fee for both if you wish although separate fees will give a more explanatory description on the invoice and in the animal’s history.
If you already run a scheme when you first transfer to Assisi, you > can choose to not charge a scheme enrolment fee (user permission > applies - Allow not charge Scheme Enrolment) when backdating > enrolments for existing scheme members.
You can set up a threshold for eligibility for the scheme on species, weight and age. This gives a warning if the animal is outside that threshold but they can still be accepted onto the scheme if you wish.
Duration: Type in the duration of the scheme in months – usually 12. This will be used to calculate the expiry date for the scheme.
Fee/Stock Benefit %: If you wish to give a discount to all fees and stock, type in the respective discounts, otherwise leave these fields blank and set up your discounts as Grouped, Service or Stock Benefits once the basic scheme details have been saved.

Note: Service or Stock Benefits added to the scheme take precedence over Grouped Benefits and Grouped Benefits take precedence over standard discounts.

Description: What is typed in here appears, in brackets, after the description of the stock item or fee on an invoice to show that the discount has been allocated.
Registration Document: You can link a form to the scheme (it should be set up as a consent form) and this can be used as a Scheme Certificate. This document will be printed automatically upon enrolment.
Accepting Members: This indicates that the scheme is active for new members. Click the box to tick. If this is unticked, this will prevent any more members being enrolled into the scheme.
Can Roll On: The auto enrolment box can be ticked to indicate that membership can be rolled on from the Manage Enrolment option.
Click Save to save the scheme details so far. Grouped Benefits and Service/Stock Fee Code Benefits can now be added at this stage, if applicable.

Group Benefits

This option allows you to specify discounts to groups of stock and/or fees by Sales Analysis Code. You are able to specify a discount amount and a quantity allowed in the period of the contract.

If you wish to add Group Benefits, click on the scheme in the scheme name window and click the Group Benefits tile.

Type in a stock or fee analysis code and set the percentage discount that applies to this group of fees or products.
In the Quantity Allowed field, type in the maximum number of transactions allowed for that percentage in a period interval, ie the following configuration would allow four individual transactions of products with a Sales Analysis Code of ECTO in the contract period.

If the client exceeds this maximum quantity, then:

If there is a standard percentage discount in the Fee Benefit % > or Stock Benefit % on the basic Scheme Configuration > Screen, then the client would be charged this discounted amount > for any additional transactions in the contract period.
If there is no standard percentage discount in the Fee Benefit % > or Stock Benefit %, then the client would be charged full > price for any additional transactions in the contract period.
If you leave the Quantity Allowed field blank, then there would > be no maximum quantity, ie the discount would apply to all > transactions in the contract period.

Transactions are defined as follows:

If you sell a quantity of 3 on one transaction line, this is counted as one allowable transaction.
If you add 3 transaction lines for the same product, each with a quantity of one, this is counted as 3 allowable transactions.

If you wish to be more specific than this and specify your discounts by Fee/Stock Code and not grouping them by Sales Analysis Codes, then you should use the Service/Stock Benefits.

Service & Stock Benefits – By Fee/Stock Code

This allows you to configure a discount benefit by individual Stock/Fee Code. It also allows more control on the allowed quantity. For example, you can specify that the client is allowed 4 transactions in a date range, but spread out over four three-monthly intervals, ie one every three months. If the client bought two in one three-month period, then only one would be discounted.

To add discount for a specific stock item or fee:

Select the scheme in the Scheme Name box, and click the Service or Stock Benefits tile.

Click the Add Code tile at the bottom left-hand side of the screen.
Select the code for which the discount is to be applied.
Enter the Transaction Quantity Limit, Percentage Discount and Time Window in months, ie the maximum number of transactions that will be discounted within that period of months (as with the Group Benefit option). The following example would allow 4 transactions at any time within the 12-month contract period.

You do, however, have the option of spreading out those 4 transactions and allowing only one transaction in each three-month period – see the following example.

To do this:

Add the first band as outlined above, with the quantity specified as > 1 in 3 months.
Select the code in the left-hand side of the screen and click the > Add Band button.
Add a second transaction quantity limit to be 1 in 6 months.
Repeat this by adding 2 more bands – 1 in 9 and 1 in 12 months.
Max age in days for this scheme: You can set a maximum age for which this discount is to be allowed. Type in the age in days. When the animal reaches this age, the discount will cease to apply.

Copy a Scheme

You can copy a scheme – ie set up a new scheme based upon an existing scheme and edit the details where applicable. To do so:

Select the scheme that you wish to copy on the Scheme Configuration Screen and click Copy Scheme.

Type in the Code and Description for the new scheme and click the tick.
Click Yes when prompted to copy the scheme and you will again be prompted when the scheme has been copied successfully.
Click on the new scheme on the Scheme Configuration Screen and edit the details as required.

JOINING A SCHEME

Select the scheme in the Scheme field on the animal record to display the Scheme Enrolment Screen. The selected Scheme Code will be displayed.

Joining Fee/Monthly Fee: The joining fee and monthly fee will be confirmed on the screen. Once the enrolment is complete, an invoice for joining the scheme will be raised, which effectively becomes the first monthly payment. Details of the enrolment will be displayed in the animal’s history.

If you have permission to Allow not Charge Scheme Enrolment then, when backdating enrolments for existing scheme members, you will be able to remove the tick on the Scheme Enrolment screen and the joining fee will then not be charged.

Tax Date: Specify the tax date for the joining fee invoice. This will always default to today’s date but can be overwritten.
Scheme Start Date will default to today’s date – this can be edited if required.
Scheme Expiry Date will be displayed based upon the duration entered when configuring the scheme – see also item no 7 below.
First Monthly Payment will become due the month following the enrolment date.
Number of Monthly Payments will be one less than the duration in months as specified in the scheme definition, as the joining fee will be classed as the first month’s instalment
Username/Password: There is a user permission associated with enrolling animals onto a scheme. Select your username and enter a password if applicable.
Auto Renew: If you click this box, you will be able to select this animal’s membership for auto-renewal without the client being first contacted. The client would need to give permission for this option to be ticked.
Click Enrol
You will be prompted to print a Scheme Enrolment Certificate if this has been specified in the scheme definition.
The scheme enrolment details will be displayed on the animal’s history screen.

SCHEME SUMMARY

You can review a summary of an animal’s Scheme membership which shows total entitlements, entitlements already taken and those still remaining. If an animal is enrolled in a Scheme, there is a link to this summary on the right-hand toolbar of the animal’s history screen. If an animal is not enrolled in a Scheme, this link will not be displayed.

Today’s date is displayed by default and this displays the discounts applicable today. You can edit the date to see how the discounts allowed will change for future dates.
Scheme membership details are displayed, ie the name of the Scheme, Enrolment and Expiry dates, and basic applicable Stock and Fee discounts as specified on the front Scheme Maintenance screen.
There are separate tabs for applicable Service Benefits, Stock Benefits and Group Benefits.

The following is an example of where one free Annual Health Check is included in the scheme in each 12-month period. Clicking the Service Codes tab shows that this health check has already been carried out. Any further consultations will be charged at the full list price.

CONTROL CENTRE (MANAGE ENROLMENTS)

This screen allows you to search for scheme memberships that will expire in a specified date range. It works as a Scheme recall facility for rolling on membership.

If renewal does not take place when due, the membership will expire and benefits will automatically cease after the expiry date.

You can search for and select those members where:-

Auto Renew has been selected - and use the system to automatically roll them on for a new term. You can use the mailshot facility to produce a letter confirming that their membership has been rolled on for another year.
Auto Renew has not been selected - and use the mailshot facility to produce a letter advising that their membership is due for renewal and asking them to let you know whether they wish to renew.
Membership of the scheme has expired, or is about to expire, so that you can use the mailshot facility to let them know that their animal is no longer covered by the scheme.

To produce a list, select the relevant search criteria and click the Refresh tile.

You can filter your list by Scheme Code, Enrolment and/or Expiry Dates, Active or Inactive memberships and Auto Roll On (renew) or Manual Roll On members. You can also specify a particular client surname/animal name.

Once your list has been produced, select one of the following output options.

Roll on memberships
Print list details
Produce a mailshot
Send text messages
Export to Spreadsheet

Roll On Membership

Produce your list of scheme members and click the Roll On tile. You will be prompted to confirm that you wish to roll on membership for the selected members and confirmation will be displayed once the roll on for each member included in the list has been completed.

Print

Produce your list of scheme members and click the Print tile.

Mail Shot

Produce your list of scheme members and click the Mail Shot tile.

Select your template and click Open.
This routine will populate one letter for each entry on the list.
Check and print the letters.

Send SMS

Produce your list of scheme members and click the Send SMS tile.

Select your SMS template.
Click Send.

Export to Spreadsheet

Produce your list of scheme members and click the Calc tile.

This will display the data in a spreadsheet. Name and save the spreadsheet, as applicable.

TRANSACTIONS

This option allows you to manage your scheme subscription transactions. You can generate invoices for monthly subscriptions and allocate payments to those invoices. This will highlight those members who have not paid when due and their benefits can be suspended until payment has been received.

Each month you should generate invoices for the subscriptions and check whether payment has been made. When you enrol an animal in the scheme, the next monthly payment due date will have been saved. The following routine will select those members whose next monthly payment is due between the dates selected.

Select the Transactions tile from the Schemes Menu.

Select the To and From dates for the current invoice run.
Select the Scheme from the drop-down box.
Specify the tax point, ie invoice date for the invoices to be generated.
The Narrative is the description that will appear on the invoice header. This will default to Health Scheme but can be edited if required.
Select the branch against which the invoices are to be raised.
Mark as Printed: By default, the transactions will be generated as held invoices. If you do not wish to print them, tick the Mark as Printed box.
The Auto Pay the Invoice options will mark each invoice selected as paid. It can be removed if you wish to allocate payments manually.
Select the payment method for auto payment allocations if the Auto Pay the Invoice option has been selected.
Click Select Schemes to Invoice. This will display all of the invoices due in the date range selected.
Select the entries that you wish to process.
You can click the Select All button, select Auto Pay the > Invoice and then later reverse that payment for the ones who > haven’t paid (this is the quickest method).
Or you could complete the run in two stages by clicking the Select > All button and manually deselecting those invoices that have not > been paid and then select Auto Pay the Invoice. You could then > run the routine again for the same date range, which would pick up > the remainder of invoices due and untick Auto Pay the Invoice.
Click the tick to process the selected invoices/payments.

INACTIVE MEMBERSHIPS

If a member of a scheme falls behind with their subscriptions, it is possible to mark their membership inactive until the outstanding balance has been paid.

To do this, search for their membership details in the Control Centre on the Schemes Menu – you can search using the client surname and animal name. When their scheme details are displayed on the screen, click the Active box to remove the tick. This renders the membership inactive until it is manually re-activated once the subscriptions are up-to-date.