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PatronManager September 2023 Release: https://help.pm.leapevent.tech/a/1720687
Check out the latest PatronManager features going live this month, including some of our top Product Ideas! We're thrilled to bring you Apple Pay and Google Pay for online transactions, automatic stored credit card updates for recurring donations (plus the ability to edit recurring donation records), a quick way to check on box office sales for the current day, and more.
Plus, have you heard about Leap Merchant Services, our exciting new payment processing solution? Read on to learn all about:
- Apple Pay and Google Pay for online transactions
- Automatic credit card updates
- Other improvements
- Leap Merchant Services
Let's take a look!
Prefer watching to reading?
Check out the release webinar recording below.
Apple Pay and Google Pay online
Many of us are using digital wallets these days, paying for purchases with a credit card stored in our Apple or Google Wallet. Now your patrons can buy tickets and make donations online using Apple Pay or Google Pay! If they're using a device/browser with a wallet available, the appropriate option will appear automatically.
And it's not just online, of course. The latest payment terminals are fully compatible with contactless payments, which means your patrons can tap their phone or their watch to pay in person, too.
Best of all, this feature is included automatically with Leap Merchant Services, and there's no additional cost (for you or the patron) to use a digital wallet for payment.
Apple Pay and Google Pay for online transactions is only available with Leap Merchant Services. Submit a case via the Community to get started today!
Automatic stored credit card updates
PatronManager supports storing payment methods securely for future use, so that your patrons can donate on an automatic recurring schedule and check out quickly with a card on file. The only problem with that? Those payment methods have an annoying tendency to expire.
Well, they used to, anyway! When a patron's credit card expires (or is lost/stolen), of course their bank replaces it with a new one. But did you know that most US banks (and many international banks) allow payment processors to update stored card details when a credit card is replaced?
We've built this feature into Leap Merchant Services so that it happens automatically, and included it at no additional cost. That means most stored credit cards will never stop working!
Automatic stored credit card updates are only available with Leap Merchant Services. Submit a case via the Community to get started today!
Now in beta: sell tickets on the go from any tablet device
Have you ever wanted to sell tickets from an iPad? Or maybe a Windows tablet? Now you can!
PatronManager's mobile box office has previously been limited to Android devices, but with this exciting new feature you can use pretty much any tablet. If you'd like early access to try it out, get in touch with us by submitting a case in the Client Community!
This early-access beta is only available with Leap Merchant Services. Submit a case via the Community to get started today!
Other improvements
With each release, we enhance elements of PatronManager features and tidy up bits of unexpected behavior. Here's what else is new this month:
You can now edit recurring donation records directly to do the following:
- Check or uncheck the "Send automatic thank you emails" box
- Adjust the End Date
- Change the Payment Method
You can also adjust the Status for old recurring donations to "Completed" by setting an appropriate End Date.
Some direct edits are not permitted, such as changing the amount (to do that, you would cancel this recurring donation and create a new one).
For complete instructions on editing, suspending, canceling, and creating recurring donations, check out this article.
To use a brand new Payment Method, first click the "New Stored Payment Method" button at the top of the page to securely place the card on file. You'll then be able to select that newly-added Payment Method when editing the recurring donation.
Have you heard? Patron Technology is now Leap Event Technology! That means PatronManager's parent is the same great company, but with a great new name. You'll see our branding shift a little over the coming months, but don't worry - PatronManager isn't changing (except for the better, with more exciting new features coming soon).
If your contract with us is based on per-ticket fees, you'll notice a small naming change with this release. Formerly those per-ticket fees were called "PatronTech Fees" or "PTech Fees" (since our parent company was called Patron Technology), but now we're simplifying the name to just "PM Fees".
An easier way to reconcile your PM Fee Settlements
Previously we had recommended using a version of the Credit Card Reconciliation Report to match up those PM Fees in the Settlement Report you received from us. That doesn't always make sense, though, since PM Fees are ticket-related, not credit card related. In other words, not all credit card transactions are subject to PM Fees, and some non-credit card transactions can be.
Therefore, we now recommend using the Transaction Summary Report (which is also in the Financial Reports tab) to reconcile your PM Fees. That report has all the same details you found in the old report (and a bit more, in fact).
The Credit Card Reconciliation Report is still the best report to use when you're reconciling payouts from your credit card processor.
Want a quick way to check up on sales in the box office thus far today? Maybe you're closing out the first shift of the day and would like to pull a report without typing in the specific date/time range.
Now you can set the option for "Today" and click Submit - easy and quick (and no need to worry about mistyping the time)!
This option has the same effect as manually entering a date/time range of today from 12:00 AM to the current time.
Leap Merchant Services
You've probably noticed that we're talking a lot about Leap Merchant Services in this release. If you're not already aware, this is our exciting new in-house payment processing solution! It's powered by Stripe's robust, best-in-class technology and built by us to serve your unique needs. By switching to Leap Merchant Services, you will:
Streamline your operations
We save your team hours of time and effort by handling PCI compliance paperwork, making the reconciliation process easier, and protecting your business from chargebacks.
This means less time spent on paperwork, and more time to focus on your mission.
Ensure the highest security standards
We protect your organization and your patrons with industry-leading fraud mitigation incorporating machine learning trained on millions of transactions, 3D Secure 2.0 technology, and top-notch security for both in-person and phone transactions.
Get simple, all-in-one pricing and faster payouts
We help you strengthen your cash flow and get quicker access to the funds that power your work, with transparent pricing and faster payouts. There are no monthly charges, no setup fee, and no hidden fees; just a simple, per-transaction percentage rate. Plus, we automatically update stored cards to keep your recurring donations going.
Simplify your tooling
We improve your efficiency and cost savings by seamlessly integrating merchant services with PatronManager, eliminating extra systems and logins to manage, and only requiring payment terminals for in-person transactions.
The terminals for Leap Merchant Services are also a big improvement over other devices. They work on both wifi and ethernet, run on battery or plugged in, are securely end-to-end encrypted, accept chip, swipe, and contactless payments, and move easily between computers. And as noted above, you don't need a terminal at all if you're only processing transactions over the phone!
Maintain your day-to-day experience in PatronManager
Leap Merchant Services comes with tons of benefits and new functionality, but your experience in PatronManager remains otherwise unchanged.
Processing Donations and Ticket Orders works the same way, and your patrons' experience buying and giving online won't change (other than the ability to use Apple Pay and Google Pay, of course).
Get started with Leap Merchant Services today!
Ready to switch to Leap Merchant Services? Submit a case via the Community and our team will walk you through the steps.
The onboarding process is quick and easy:
- You'll sign an addendum adding Leap Merchant Services to your PatronManager agreement.
- You'll set up your account with our quick and easy online wizard.
- You'll schedule your cutover date, and we'll flip the switch for you. There's no need to pause online sales; the changeover is instantaneous.
- You'll pair your new terminals and migrate your recurring donations, and that's it!
For more info, check out a recent webinar recording and FAQs here, or submit a case and we'll be happy to help.
That's all for this release!
Want to be part of the product development process? Log in to the Client Community to suggest and vote on Product Ideas, track suggestions your organization has given us in the past, see what's planned and in progress, and much more. Read All About Product Ideas to get started!
