Introduction to Pay What You Feel (PWYF)
Pay What You Feel, commonly known as PWYF, is an innovative service recently integrated into our platform. This feature allows your customers to contribute any amount they deem suitable for a selected event. PWYF provides two distinct options based on your organization’s setup: Payment BEFORE – customers can pay a desired amount from pre-set options or any random amount they choose before attending an event, OR Payment AFTER – customers can pay a desired amount for a ticket after attending an event. Additionally, if a customer makes a contribution before attending an event and later perceives the event as more valuable, you can send them an extra email and/or SMS prompting them to make an additional contribution. This comprehensive guide will elaborate on the nuances of these two processes.
Option 1: Pay What You Feel- Payment Before the Event
Under the Marketing Tab, find the Pay What You Feel Menu to access settings, and campaigns associated with this feature.
Settings
By default, this feature is turned off. Activate it by selecting the option ‘Do you want to activate the Pay What You Feel (PWYF) Settings?’ Once YES is selected, you can edit all associated settings.
Confirmation Email
Edit the PWYF confirmation email to suit your organization’s preferences.
Additional Templates
We’ve introduced a few new templates within the email/sms templates for the Pay What You Feel (PWYF) feature. Under the BEFORE option, three additional templates are now available. These include the PWYF order confirmation email (similar to a donation email, sent alongside your confirmation email), the Paid Before Show: Extra payment request/donation, and the Paid Before Show SMS: Extra Payment Request/Donation (similar to the post-event email). To explore additional revenue opportunities, you can use these emails to inquire if customers are interested in making extra contributions or donations.
We’ve included extra tags, including the Confirmation Heading/Description and Pay What You Feel Terms & Conditions tags. These tags will showcase the heading from the confirmation email you’ve configured in the PWYF Settings. Once selected, these tags can be filled in the general confirmation email.
Quantity Limits
You have the ability to establish quantity limits (both maximum and minimum per session, date, and time) while assigning the price structure to an event or activity. This includes controlling the maximum quantity per date and time, along with other features inherent to the event or activity process. For instance, you can specify a maximum of 20 Pay What You Feel (PWYF) tickets for your event. All the existing functionalities applicable to general ticket types will also be applicable to PWYF ticket types.
PWYF Campaign
The Pay What You Feel Campaign process closely resembles the donation process. To create a campaign do to Marketing > Pay What You Feel > Campaigns/Contributions and follow the steps to create your campaign. (add intro)
After entering your details, you can copy the private link and insert it into your post-event email/SMS. When customers click the ‘pay now’ button, they’ll be redirected to this link, allowing them to contribute as they wish. This campaign is associated with the Paid BEFORE Show: Extra payment request/donation and Paid Before Show SMS: Extra Payment Request/Donation templates found in the Email/SMS templates mentioned earlier.
Once the “Pay What You Feel” date concludes for additional contributions, we redirect customers to the below page. We also highlight any ongoing donation campaigns that may be available.
PWYF Ticket Type
In ticket type creation, you can designate whether it’s a PWYF type. Similarly, to member tickets wheerby you must activate it as such when creating the ticket type for it to apply, for PWYF tickets, enable the PWYF question during ticket type setup.
To create a Pay What You Feel (PWYF) ticket type, navigate to Events > Tools & Templates > Ticket Types. Click on “new ticket type,” and the setup process remains consistent with general ticket types. However, you will encounter an additional question, “Activate Pay What You Feel?”—opting for ‘yes’ transforms it into a PWYF ticket type. After selecting ‘yes,’ you can generate a unique code in the Ticket Type Short Name text box (e.g., PWYF). If you have multiple PWYF ticket types, differentiate them using unique modifiers like PWYF 1, PWYF 2. Both the ticket type name and short name will be visible in your sales process.
Once the PWYF settings are configured, assign the ticket type to a pricing template, just like any other ticket type (e.g., adult or child). This pricing template can then be applied to any event or session in the third step of the event setup.
PWYF ticket types function similarly to regular ticket types, with the key distinction being the activation of the “Pay What You Feel” question. Otherwise, you manage them like any other ticket type, including adding them to pricing templates, combining with promos, setting on-sale/off-sale periods, and customizing ticket templates and questionnaires at the ticket type level.
Note that the internal description is solely for internal reference and won’t be visible to customers online. When employing the before-payment process, three exclusive options appear for PWYF ticket types:
Minimum Value Accepted:
Specify the minimum amount customers can contribute.
Maximum Value Accepted:
Set the maximum amount customers are permitted to contribute.
Suggested Values:
Provide suggested contribution amounts for customers to consider.
Pricing Template
When creating a PWYF pricing template, there will be no changes in Step 1. In Step 2, your PWYF ticket type will be displayed with all other ticket types; however, you cannot enter a ticket price, as there is no static price and no ticket fee. Customers have the option to input the ticket price either from the provided suggested values or specify their desired amount as part of the sales process.
Event Build
Changes in the event build include the option for the Additional Contribution request Email and SMS for payments made before the event (Use this email/SMS template for additional payment requests for Pay What You Feel (PWYF) ‘BEFORE’ scenario. E.g., If a customer has already paid $20 for PWYF in advance, these communications can be configured in the event setup to be sent post-session date/time, similar to post-event emails. The message requests additional payment, asking if the customer found the event valuable and inviting them to contribute more if you believe it warrants additional support). Also, under Options & Add-Ons, select a campaign template for your Pay What You Feel contributions (when a customer receives an email/sms to make a contribution, they will receive the campaign information created in your templates).
Backend Sales
Note: Ticket type ordering will not work for PWYF; it will always be listed last on the backend and online sales page. Even if your ordering specifies it first, it will still be displayed last.
Event Build Set-up
Online and Backend Display
General Admission
When finalizing a sale on the backend, you have the option to either pick a suggested value or input a different amount in the designated field, aligning with the customer’s preference and within the specified minimum and maximum values. Afterward, indicate the quantity and add the items to the cart.
It’s possible to choose distinct quantities of tickets at a preferred amount and another set using suggested values. For example, you could opt for 3 tickets at a customized amount of $12 and acquire an additional 2 tickets at the suggested value of $20. To accomplish this, select them individually and then click ‘add to cart.’ The total quantity of Pay What You Feel (PWYF) tickets will be aggregated in the cart, and the overall cost will be presented.
Upon reaching the order summary page, the price tab will indicate ‘Various Price’ to accommodate such selections. Subsequently, you can proceed to complete the order in the usual manner.
Reserved Seating
Important: PWYF tickets can only be chosen under Multiple Seat Selection, not in Single Seat Selection. Remember, you can edit this by going to Settings > Event/Product Settings > Seat Map > For the option: For online, allow customers to Select by: Choose Multiple Seat Selection and save.
To select PWYF tickets in the multiple seat selection, just pick the seats you want, click on “ticket types,” and then choose the PWYF ticket type. You have the option to specify a custom amount or utilize the suggested values, similar to the General Admission (GA) process. Proceed with the regular steps to finalize the process.
Fast Sales
The process is identical for fast sales; however, unlike standard sales, you cannot buy tickets at various prices in a single transaction. If you wish to purchase two tickets at a customized price and an additional two at the suggested values, you must complete separate transactions.
Online Sales
Proceed with your typical steps to choose a session, date, and time. Select the PWYF ticket type, input your preferred payment amount, or choose a suggested value and quantity. Add the selected items to your cart and proceed to checkout. It is possible to select various tickets at different price levels during online sales, and these details will be visible in your order summary.
Before finalizing your transaction, make sure to select the confirmation for the Pay What You Feel Terms & Conditions. After completion, the customer will receive either both the PWYF confirmation email and the general confirmation email or only the general email, depending on your preference selected in the settings.
Pay What You Feel Confirmation Email
Below is an example of the confirmation email customers will receieve after purchasing Pay What You Feel Tickets.
Option 2: Pay What You Feel – Payment After the Event
IMPORTANT: ONCE YOU MAKE AN INITIAL SELECTION, YOU CANNOT SWITCH PAYMENT PREFERENCES FROM ‘AFTER‘ TO ‘BEFORE‘ AND VICE VERSA.
Payment
Note: If your organization uses SecurePay as your payment gateway, only then can you allow customers to pay AFTER attending an event. If you use Stripe or authorize.net, paying before the event will be the only available choice due to SecurePay’s card storage functionality. You have the flexibility to implement a no-show charge feature, applicable when a customer indicates intent to pay post-event but fails to attend, leading to a forfeited seat; however, this functionality requires access to card details.
If you choose ‘After,’ you will be prompted to specify the number of days after the session/performance that the payment link will remain valid.
For instances where a customer fails to attend an event after making a purchase, you can implement a ‘No Show Fee’ by activating this option in your PWYF Settings.
It’s crucial to note that the No Show Fee can only be applied after the specified number of days for your payment link validity has passed. For example, if you set the payment link validity to 15 days, the No Show Fee can only be applied once this period has elapsed without payment.
Once the No Show Fee is activated, you can choose whether to charge it per ticket or per transaction by selecting the appropriate option from the dropdown menu. Subsequently, enter the associated value. For instance, if you opt to charge the No Show fee per ticket type with a value of $5, and a customer purchases two tickets, they will incur a total fee of $10.
No Show Fee
Activate the option to charge a ‘No Show Fee’. To do this, simply go to Marketing > Pay What You Feel > Select YES for the question: Activate a no show fee if the customer does not attend?, enter you desired No Show Fee amount, enter a description letting customers know that they will be charged this fee if they do not attend the event and save. Through the Secureapy gateway, you can securely retain card details. After the session or performance concludes, simply navigate to ‘Door List- Mark Non Attendance’ to facilitate the no-charge fee processing. The fee can be collected after the specified days for your payment link validity have elapsed.
Door List- Check Off Non Attendance
The Door List- Check Off Non-Attendance report compiles a list of customers/attendees who did not participate in the Pay What You Feel (PWYF) event (specifically applicable to PWYF pay-after scenarios). Utilizing the search filters provided, the operator can identify and filter out those customers/attendees who did not attend the event. Subsequently, the operator has the option to apply a no-show fee to these customers, considering their non-attendance at the event.
Email Templates
The After Event Payment Process introduces additional customizable reminder email templates, comprising three email templates and two SMS templates tailored to your organization’s requirements.
You have the flexibility to configure distribution settings in your event setup, enabling email reminders to be dispatched a designated number of days after your event. If a customer fulfills their contribution after receiving the first reminder email, the subsequent reminders (second and third) will not be sent. However, if payment is not made, the second and third reminders will adhere to your specified distribution settings.
Furthermore, there is a Pay What You Feel- No Show Email Template designed for operators to dispatch when charging a No-Show fee to a customer who neither attended the event nor made a contribution. This email will specify that a no show fee will be charged to the customer’s credit card due to non-attendance.
Regarding the Pricing Template, it mirrors the structure of the Before Payment process, prohibiting the entry of specific prices and allowing only adjustments to the inside fee.
Backend Sales Process – Payment After Event
Similar to the ‘Before Payment Process,’ the ordering mechanism does not apply to ticket types, with the PWYF ticket type appearing last on the ticket selection page. However, no values will be shown; instead, an information icon will be present, providing a detailed description of Pay What You Feel. It will also clarify that a no-show fee, determined by the customer, will be charged if they fail to attend the event. Additionally, customers will be informed that a charge of $0.01 will be applied to their card during the sales process as part of the authorization procedure.
To complete the sales process, select the quantity of PWYF tickets the customer desires, then click ‘add to cart.’ This process applies to both General Admission (GA) and Reserved Seating (RS) events. On the finalize order screen, the price will be displayed as $0. Follow the standard process; only the authorization fee and any delivery charges will be visible.
It’s important to note that a credit card must be provided for authorization charges. If a customer wishes to pay delivery charges via EFTPOS, they can do so separately; however, the $0.01 authorization fee must be paid using a credit card.
Once a PWYF ticket type is chosen, card details will be automatically stored, and there won’t be an option to deselect this feature. After the event date has passed, customers will receive the first reminder email to make their contribution, based on the specified distribution settings in your event setup.
Online Sales – After Event Payment Process
The same procedure is followed during the online sales process. Customers can pick their preferred session date and time, select tickets, choose seats, and then add them to the cart. When selecting the PWYF ticket type, an information bubble will appear, explaining the service and detailing all associated charges. The cart will only show charges for the authorization fee and any relevant delivery fees. If other ticket types are selected alongside the PWYF ticket type, those charges will also be displayed.
When opting to use a new card instead of a stored card, the checkbox to disable stored card functionality will be inactive.
Customers have the option to contribute either through the link provided in reminder emails, their online profile using the confirmation number, or by contacting the box office. Once the confirmation number is added in the backend under Customers & Transactions, the ‘Contribute Now’ button will appear.
The contribution amount, along with the reference number, will be visible against each session. The parent order and subsequent orders will be created as new orders.
Fast Sales – After Event Payment Process
As we do not have the option to store card details in the Fast sales process, the option will not be available for PWYF tickets to be purchased using this method.
Pay What You Feel Confirmation Email – After Process
Below is an example of the confirmation email customers will receieve after purchasing Pay What You Feel Tickets.
Charging the No-Show Fee
If a contribution is not made within the specified time for the payment link validity (e.g., 30 days), the operator must proceed to charge the No Show Fee. To initiate this process, navigate to Marketing > Pay What You Feel > Door List Mark Non-Attendance > Enter the confirmation number in the field providedand select ‘Search’.
Subsequently, search for the desired event, select the performance, and click search. All transactions involving the PWYF Ticket Type will be visible. Customer information will not appear for those who have already contributed; only details of customers who are yet to make contributions will be listed.
If there is no ticket holder information, N/A will be displayed. To charge a no-show fee, select the YES button under ‘Mark As No Show’ for the specific transaction(s). Then click the ‘Charge Fee’ button. After this selection, you’ll be redirected to a finalize order page with no delivery fee, transaction fees, etc. The subtotal will exhibit the No Show Fee as per your PWYF settings. All customer details will be automatically filled in.
Next, choose Credit Card as the payment method, opt to use stored card details, select the designated card, check the send confirmation email checkbox, and confirm the order. A new order will be generated, similar to the exchange or refund process, and the No Show Fee charges will be visible in this transaction. Subsequently, the customer will receive a confirmation email followed by the No Show Fee email, notifying them that their card has been charged.