Set an "Umbrella Policy"
To choose your cancellation policy for all classes or all appointments, click Settings (bottom left) > Cancellation policy.
(Note: we'll cover how to override cancellation policies for certain classes and templates later in the article -- use the side navigation to get there).
Then choose your cancellation policy preference for both classes and appointments. Then, set your 'Cancellation credit cut-off'.
Example:
In the photo below,
the Classes cancelation policy is set at 'credits back for everything'; and
The 'Cancelation credit cutoff period' is set at 24 hours
This means that:
If a customer first makes a class purchase with a credit card,
then cancels 25 hours before the class starts,
they'll get Momence credits back, keeping the revenue in your business.
And, if they made the purchase using a class pack, they'll get the class credit back
Late cancellation period and auto-charge rules
Next, set a 'late cancellation period'. This allows you to track customers that cancel extra late (search your reports for 'late cancellations'). It also allows you to add Rules that auto charge for Late Cancels and No-shows.
After setting the late cancellation period (say, 60 minutes), then click 'Add new rule.'
Next, we'll break down each section of this pop up menu, and what it means.
First, choose what the penalty rule is for (Either a late cancellation or a no-show)
Then choose which membership this rule applies to
Next, choose when the penalty will be charged. Try hovering over the question mark for an explanation of each option.
Notice how the hover over language updates for each option ('Every', 'Minimum' & 'Exactly') as you change the 'number of times' field.
Pro tip: Changing the number from 1 to 2 can help make the result more clear. (ie. 'Penalty will be charged every 2nd no show' as opposed to 'Penalty will be charged every 1st no show'. 'Every 1 times' just means 'every no show'.)
Lastly, choose the whether to have this rule look back x amount of days/months, or...
... choose to only look at during a specific membership renewal period (ie. if its a one month renewal, the rule will apply to just that period, then restart at the beginning of next renewal.
Then set the penalty that will be charged and click Create rule.
How to deal with failed payments: use Auto-retries for No-show and Late Cancellation Fees
We’ve eliminated the need to manually follow up and retry charges for customers who's cards have failed to be charged.
If you toggle this option on, Momence will automatically attempt to re-run a client’s card up to three times if their first payment fails for a no-show or late cancellation fee.
To turn this setting on, navigate to Settings > Cancellation Policy > Settings > Enable auto-charge retries. From there, you will be able to adjust the number of days between failed payments in any way you choose. Note that this setting can be turned on for both classes and appointments fees.
How to set up a late cancellation policy for a specific class template
In other words, how do I make sure that classes scheduled from this template have a different cancellation policy than the umbrella policy I set up from Settings > Cancellation Policy?
To edit a templates cancellation policy, click Classes > Class Templates > locate the template and click the dropdown to the right > Edit.
Scroll to the bottom, click Cancellation Policy > toggle on Override
Choose your settings > Save.
You'll be prompted to choose whether to apply this change to:
all future classes created from this template, or
only to future classes created from this template that are scheduled after a certain date of your choosing
"Override" Cancellation Policies for Classes and Templates now contain access to Rules
The Rules you've created on the "Umbrella" Cancellation policy page are also available for classes and class templates -- just in case should you need to set a different policy.
To override a cancellation policy for a class or class template, edit either one, and scroll to the 'Cancellation Policy' section.
Remember, when editing a template, you can propagate the changes to all classes created from that template.
To override a cancellation policy for a class or template, navigate to either > click its dropdown menu > click Edit and scroll to the bottom.
Remember, when editing a template, you can propagate the changes to all classes created from that template.
How do I create a new Rule that's only active in the Override Cancellation Policy?
New rules can first be created on the Umbrella cancellation policy page (from Settings > Cancellation Policy). You can leave these rules off or on from the Umbrella Cancellation page, then toggle them on from the Override Cancellation Policy page.
After creating the rule in the Umbrella Cancellation page, locate the class or template > use a dropdown menu to edit the class > scroll to the bottom > click the caret for cancellation policy.
After making changes that override your main cancellation policy, a green check will appear to indicate this class or template's policy is overridden.
Umbrella vs. Override terminology: what's the difference?
A Cancellation Policy is first set from Settings > Cancellation Policy. It's your "Umbrella" policy that applies to all classes -- unless you choose to also set individual cancellation policies at the class template or class levels (by editing a class or template).
Within each class or template, if a cancellation policy is set, it overrides the umbrella policy.
Until now, Rules -- settings that charge for scenarios like 'no-shows' or 'late cancellations' -- were only available on the "Umbrella" Cancellation Policy page.
They're now being rolled out to the "Override" Cancellation Policy pages, allowing you to set special circumstances for individual classes or all classes created from a specific template.