Consignments
Some customers (patients) leave an amount with the clinic to draw down over several treatments instead of paying each time. That is a consignment: the money sits with the clinic and is used service by service.
Illustration of the Consignments screen
| Area | What it is |
|---|---|
| 1. Search and Consignment date | Search by customer; change the range for another period. |
| 2. Filter, clear, refresh, columns | Filter by branch and customer source. |
| 3. Consignment amount column | What the customer currently has with the clinic. |
The other columns: Customer, Phone, Customer Source, Consignment date and Branch. The last line is the total consigned for the range on screen.
How a consignment differs from a deposit
Both are money paid ahead, but for different purposes:
| Consignment | Deposit | |
|---|---|---|
| Attached to | The customer, drawn down across services | One specific service or appointment |
| Has an appointment date | No | Yes — when they are due back |
| Typically used for | Regulars who come in often | Committing to a large case, holding a slot |
Both are money the clinic owes the customer until it is applied to a service or returned.
Where consignments come from
The voucher is created when the money is taken at the desk, the same way as other receipts. This screen is where you look it up and follow the balance, which is usually what you open when a customer asks "how much do I still have with you".
The total consigned should match the corresponding part of the cash fund. This is the easiest thing to forget when locking the period, because the money arrived long ago while the services spread over months.
Related
- Advance payments — money paid ahead for one service.
- Receipts — the documents behind each collection.
- Accounting Overview — how money moves through the clinic.