The Deposit Payments feature allows clinics to collect a deposit when pet parents book certain appointment types, helping reduce missed appointments and ensuring commitment. Deposits can be configured per visit type and are collected during online appointment requests via the Public Calendar.
π Benefits for Your Clinic
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Reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations.
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Secure revenue upfront.
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Improve scheduling efficiency.
Setting Up Deposit Payments
π Deposits only work with Digitail Secure Payments (DSP).
If you have DSP enabled, set up your deposits by:
Navigate to Profile Icon β Administration β Visit Types
Click expand the Visit Type dropdown and click Edit on the type you wish to add a deposit for
Scroll to the Payment Deposit field and enter the deposit amount as a fixed fee
Click Confirm
Collecting Deposits
There are 2 flows for collecting deposits:
Collect Deposits via Pet Parent-Initiated Appointments (via Public Calendar or Pet Portal)
Pet parent selects an appointment time.
If the appointment type requires a deposit, they are prompted to enter their payment details immediately before sending the appointment request.
The deposit is securely processed via Digitail Secure Payments.
The appointment request is sent to the clinic. The deposit information is displayed on the appointment request.
Multiple Pets Booking: If a pet parent books multiple pets in the Public Calendar, a deposit will be required for each pet. The shared payment deposit information will be visible on the Appointment Request Card.
Collect Deposits via Clinic-Initiated Appointments
Clinic must Add an Appointment and select the Status as Pending, then and ensure the Require payment deposit button is checked. If you want to Email or Text the Client, ensure the via Email or via SMS buttons are also checked
The client will receive the appointment request; if the appointment requires a Deposit, they will be prompted to pay the deposit to confirm or reschedule the appointment
Staff can also choose to send the Deposit Payment link via email or chat.
Once the deposit is paid, the Payment Deposit status on the Appointment card will change from Due to Paid
π Clinics can manually refund deposits if needed from the Payments report.
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π Paid deposits are added as a Credit Note to the Client account. This is not automatically applied to the appointment record.
Payment deposit visibility
Deposits are recorded on Client statements, Payments Report, and the Appointments Report.
π Clinic initiated appointments with deposits can only be created in pending status.
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π Refund:The pet parents might cancel the appointment. They won't get a refund automatically. They will need to contact the clinic for a refund. The clinic can choose to refund the payment from the payments report.
π Deposit Not Paid? If a pet parent does not complete the deposit payment, the appointment request will not be submitted in the public calendar. For the clinic initiated ones, the appointment request will remain in pending state.
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π Does the pet parent get anything after they pay the deposit? Yes, they get an email with the receipt, or they can choose to download it from the appointment requested confirmation screen.
Best Practices with Deposits
β Set Deposit Amounts Wisely β Choose deposit amounts that deter no-shows without discouraging bookings.
β Monitor your deposits' status - You cand do this from the calendar list view. This is a great way to check what are the pet parents that have still to pay your deposits. You can contact them back to remind them of the deposit and the fact that you are going to cancel the appointment if they do not pay.
