Within BusyPaws service credits are service-specific. This means that when a client purchases a given service the credit associated with that purchase can be used towards that one service only. This helps to prevent clients from purchasing a less expensive service option then trying to apply their credit towards a more expensive service.

Depending on your service selections, you may however find yourself wanting to allow your clients more flexibility in their credit usage. Service collections allow you to set up credits that your clients can use to mix and match your services. Collections represent credits that can be applied to multiple different services within that collection. They may be purchased directly, included in packages, or provided through your memberships.

In this guide we will take a look at everything you need to begin using service collections on your BusyPaws account.

A full list of your existing service collections can be accessed from your main Services page. To get there, start by clicking/hovering your mouse over the ellipses in the left-hand menu then selecting "Services" from the menu.

Alternatively, click the gear icon at the bottom-left corner of any page.

Then select "Services" under "Product Configuration".

At the top of your main Services page, click the "Actions" button then select "Service Collections" from the drop-down menu.

This will take you to your main Service Collections list. This list includes all of the Service Collections you have created on your account. Each collection is shown with its name, a list of its applicable services, and a trash can icon. Select any collection's name (in blue) to edit its settings. Click the trash can icon to delete the collection.

To create a new service collection, start by clicking the "New Collection" button located at the top-right of the main Service Collections page.

This will open the New Collection page. Here you can add a name to your collection as well as a brief description and a default price.

Use the "Included Services" section to determine the services towards which credits for this collection can be applied. Click the "Select a Service" field to open a service selection drop-down. Click the "Add Service" button to add more service selection fields.

Select the trash can icon next to any included service to remove it from the list.

When you're ready, click the "Create Collection" button to add the collection to your account.

After creating your new collection, you will be redirected to your main Service Collections page, where you will see a green "Collection created" banner.

Once you have created one or more service collections, you can begin selling them to your clients to use towards their bookings with you. In this section of the guide we will explore the various ways your clients can purchase credits of this type from you.

Packages are one of the most common ways collection credits are sold. This format is perfect for those looking to set up a "punch card" system for their clients, where they can pre-purchase a set number of credits, use them up, then choose to re-purchase at any time. Packages allow businesses to group set numbers of credits together to give their clients special pricing.

To include service collection credits in a package, you'll want to locate the Included Services section on the New/Edit Package page.

The "Select a Service" field is used to control the type of credit included in the package. Select this field to open a drop-down with a full list of your services, series, and service collections. Your service collections will be found at the very bottom of the drop-down, after all of your services and series.

Use the Quantity field to set the number of credits included in the package, then adjust the price field to reflect the amount you want to charge. Select the "Add Service" button if you want to include more credits of another type.

When clients purchase the package they will receive the number of credits you have chosen to include. They can then use those credits to cover their pet's bookings with you.

For more information on building/editing and selling packages, check out our Packages help guide.

Memberships are another great way to group your service credits together for clients to purchase. This format works well if you want to set clients up on a subscription with automated billing on a set schedule. Through an active subscription, they can get a set number of credits on a fixed schedule as well as extra perks like members-only services, special members pricing, and online course access.

To include service collection credits in a membership, you'll first want to locate the Credits section on the New/Edit Membership page.

Click the "Add Credit" button to add at least one credit type to the membership.

Select the credit type field to open a drop-down with a list of all your services, add-ons, and service collections. Your service collections will be found after your services but before your add-ons in this drop-down.

Once you have set the credit type, select a credit allocation frequency and set the number of credits subscribed clients should receive at that frequency. Use the Enable Expiry toggle to determine whether or not the credits expire on the same frequency.

With those settings in place, clients with an active subscription to the membership will receive those credits on your chosen schedule. They can then use those credits to register their pet for bookings with you.

For more information on building/editing and selling memberships, check out our guides on Membership Basics, Creating & Editing Memberships, and Membership Subscriptions.

If need be, you can also manually invoice clients for service collection credits. This method is slightly more involved from an administrative standpoint, but does allow you to customize the number of credits and the amount paid by the client, especially if you are charging on a case-by-case basis.

When building your invoice, use the "Add Line Item" button to open the item selector. Alternatively, click the pencil icon next to any existing line item to edit it.

Use the search bar at the top of the pop-up to find service collections by name.

You can also use the filter option to view just your collections. Click the filter button at the right-hand side of the search bar, then select "Service Collections" from the drop-down menu.

Once you have located the service collection you wish to include on the invoice, click the "Add To Invoice" button.

When the invoice is saved and sent to the client, the credit(s) associated with any selected service collection will be listed as Pending on the client's profile. Once the invoice is paid the credits will become available for use.

For more information on creating custom invoices and payments, check out our guide on Invoicing From Customer Profiles or the "Process Payments" section of our guide on Processing In-Person Payments.

Should you ever need to provide clients collection credits free of charge, you can do so by adding them directly from the customer's profile page. Start by navigating to their profile and locating the Credits section. Click the "Add" button.

This will open a pop-up with options for setting the type(s) of credits you wish to add.

Select the "Choose Type" field to open a drop-down that includes options for cash credits, as well as all of your services, add-ons, and service collections. Your service collections will be found after your services but before your add-ons in this drop-down.

Once you have chosen a credit type set the quantity and expiry (optional). If desired, the "Add New Line" button can be used to add more credits of another type. When you're ready to add the selected credits, click the "Save and Add Credits" button.

After saving, the credits will be listed as available on the client's profile. They can then be used towards the customer's booking registrations.

Since service collection credits have the potential to apply to multiple different services, they display slightly differently on client profiles when compared with regular service credits. When a client has a pending or available credit for a service collection, that credit will appear under all of the services towards which it could be applied.

Counts of collection credits will be indicated by the collections icon and will be shown as a count separate from the regular service credits.

If a user clicks the information icon to view more details on a client's available credits, the Credit Details pop-up will indicate any collection credits with the collections icon.

When a client applies a collection credit towards one of their bookings that credit will move from available to reserved. The system will automatically deduct that credit from the count for each applicable service, and the reserved credit will be listed under only the specific service towards which it has been applied.

As for the available credits, the Credit Details window for reserved credits will list any collection credits with the collections icon.

If the client's registration is cancelled, their collection credit will be moved back to the available count for all relevant services. If the client remains in the booking until it has passed, the credit will be listed on the Used credits list under the booked service only.

Though they differ in some ways, collection credits function much the same as regular service credits. For more general information on credits in BusyPaws, check out our help guide on Creating & Using Customer Credits.