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Company Membership with Seat-Based Dues: Admin Workflow on the Backend
Company Membership with Seat-Based Dues: Admin Workflow on the Backend

How admins can manage seat-based memberships, including adding and removing seats, and editing dues invoices with multiple seats.

Melanie Dupont avatar
Written by Melanie Dupont
Updated over a week ago

This article specifically relates to member types with a Member Type Category of Companies with Individual Seat Dues. (To check this setting, navigate to the Details tab of the Member Type on the backend.)

Topics in this article:


Member Type Setup for Companies with Individual Seat Dues

Before you can start adding new members in Novi, you'll need to set up a member type so the system knows all of the rules to follow, related to renewals, dues, and much more. One of the key settings on each member type is the Member Type Category. If you need help choosing from the 3 options, check out these tips on selecting the right category.

Member Type Category

If a member type is setup with a Member Type Category of Companies with Individual Seat Dues, the membership belongs to the company and the settings below will apply...

Member Benefits

  • The membership benefits flowing to people under these companies can be unlimited or limited.

  • Restriction settings allow for a Minimum and Maximum Seat Count, but one or both of these options can be left unrestricted.

    • Note that admins cannot override these limits on specific member records - the rules on the member type apply to all records with that member type assigned.

  • This Member Type Category allows people with management access to add and remove seats in their Member Compass.

Dues Rules

Also, these 3 types of dues rules will be available:

  1. Company

    • Dues are applied at the company level, one time per company.

    • This is the most common type of dues rule and includes items like New Member Application fees, which should only be paid once per company (not once per seat/person).

  2. Seats - Incremental Pricing

    • Dues for each seat are added together.

    • There is no limit to the number of seats a member can purchase.

    • Additional seats will be billed the same as the highest seat number.

  3. Seats - Tiered Pricing

    • Quantity discounts are applied across all seats.

    • There is no limit to the number of seats a member can purchase.

    • Additional seats will be billed the same as the highest seat.

Example Set of Dues Rules for a Seat-Based Member Type

Example of Incremental Pricing

Member Type Description:

Dues Rule Setup for the Incremental Seat Dues:

Example of Tiered Pricing

Member Type Description:

Dues Rule Setup for the Tiered Seat Dues:


Add New Company Member With Seats

Once the member type is setup you can start adding new members by following the steps below.

Scenario 1: The company does not have a record in Novi yet

If you've searched your database and determined that the company does not already have a record in the system, then follow these steps to create a new record and assign membership benefits:

  • On the backend, go to the Members list and click the Add Company button (top right).

  • In the pop-up modal, fill out the required fields and select the appropriate Designated Member Type.

  • Click the Save & Create Membership button.

    • If this company should just be a Prospect (not a current member), then click the Save as Prospect button instead.

  • At this point the new company record has been created and the modal now shows the membership information, based on the member type selected in the previous step. (similar to the screenshot above)

    • Quantity - this represents the number of seats the company will be purchasing to assign to their associated people; the default value is 1 (unless the member type has a higher minimum seat setting)

    • Review the dues rule(s) and product add-on(s), if applicable, and select Invoice or Credit/Debit Card in the Payment section

  • Once everything is correct, click the Save button at the bottom of the modal. The system will then assign the Member Since & Expiration dates and also create the transaction (an Invoice or a Sales Receipt).

  • Now that the company's membership is setup, follow the steps to add people and assign seats.

Scenario 2: The company already has a record (with a Non-Member, Prospect or Expired status)

If you've found that the company already has a record in the system, follow these steps to convert them to a current member:

  • On the backend, go to the Details tab on the company's record.

  • Check the Designated Member Type field. If the value is already correct, move on to the next step.

    • If the value is "None Designated" (or the member type is incorrect), select the appropriate member type and then click the Save button. This will convert the record from a Non-Member to a Prospect. Go back to the Details tab and then continue to the next step.

  • Click the Convert Prospect To Member button.

  • A pop-up modal will show the membership information, based on the member type selected in the previous step. (similar to the screenshot above)

    • Quantity - this represents the number of seats the company will be purchasing to assign to their associated people; the default value is 1 (unless the member type has a higher minimum seat setting)

    • Review the dues rule(s) and product add-on(s), if applicable, and select Invoice or Credit/Debit Card in the Payment section

  • Once everything is correct, click the Save button at the bottom of the modal. The system will then assign the Member Since & Expiration dates and also create the transaction (an Invoice or a Sales Receipt).

  • Now that the company's membership is set up, follow the steps to add people and assign seats.


Overview of Seat-Related Fields & Information on Member Records (Backend)

If a member type is set up with a Member Type Category of Company with Seat Based Dues, the following fields/information will be visible on the company's record...

Top right summary of seats

  • The first number is the total seat count for the company. In the example screenshot below this member has 3 Seats.

  • The second number shows how many of the total seats are unassigned. In the example below, this member has 2 Unassigned seats available that can be assigned to other people associated with this company.

Total Seats Field

While the number of total seats a company has on its membership is reflected in the summary at the top right of the record, this number actually lives in a field on the Details tab.

This field is located under the Membership Information section, and much like the Member Since and Membership Expires dates, we do not recommend that admins make any manual edits directly to the Total Seats field (in most cases). Instead, this number should be increased and decreased by following the steps in the sections below (to add seats or remove seats).

If a situation arises that requires an edit to the Total Seats field, an admin can click the pencil icon on the right side of the field to open edit mode. Note that any implications related to financial transactions or managing seat assignments will need to be taken care of separately by the admin.

Timeline Activities

When applicable, the following activities will automatically be added to the member's Timeline as a "membership" activity type.

  • Company

    • Seat(s) Added

    • Seat(s) Removed

  • People

    • Started Inheriting Member Benefits From (Company Name)

    • Stopped Inheriting Member Benefits From (Company Name)

People/Seats

When viewing the People sub-tab on the company's record, there will be a Member Benefits column that shows if each person is receiving benefits from the company's membership or not. Note that this column is only shown if the company's membership status is Current.

Example #1

  • In the example screenshot below:

    • Jon has been assigned a seat and his membership status is Inheriting. This is shown as a green checkmark in the Member Benefits column.

    • Lance does not have a seat so his membership status is Non-Member. This is shown as a red circle in the Member Benefits column.

  • We can see in the top right summary that this company has 3 total seats and 2 unassigned seats. This means an admin could assign that seat to Lance or add another person to the family and give them a seat. Jon could also manage this in his Member Compass since he has management access as the Primary & Billing Contact for the company.

Example #2

  • In the next example below, there are a couple of people associated with this company who have been assigned their own Individual member type. This means they are not eligible to inherit benefits from the company's membership and that is why the Member Benefits column has "N/A" for Molly and Phillip.

  • If a person in this situation should be assigned a seat, you will first need to go to the person's record and remove their member type (which will change them to a Non-Member). Then come back to the company's People tab and assign the seat by clicking on the red circle (which will change them to Inheriting).


Managing Seats for an Existing Company Member

Note: Adding/removing seats is different than assigning/unassigning seats. To increase or decrease the overall seat count for an existing company member, you can either add seats or remove seats.

Once a company has the number of seats they want, the seat(s) can be assigned or unassigned to people who are associated with the company.

Assigning & Unassigning Seats for People

To assign or unassign seats, go to the Family Tree tab on the company's record and then make sure you are on the People sub-tab.

The People list will show all people who have this company as their parent (i.e. Children), and you can expand this list to include other related people (like Grandchildren) by clicking on the "Show Related Contacts" link (next to the Filter). If applicable, seat limits will apply across all records/seats in the family.

  • Assign a seat: In the Member Benefits column, click on the red circle to change it to a green checkmark. This will change the person's status from Non-Member to Inheriting.

    • Note: If the member type is set up to allow seats to be assigned to grandchildren, this will only be available if the grandchild's parent company does not already have its own membership with benefits that flow to children.

  • Unassign a seat: In the Member Benefits column, click on the green checkmark to change it to a red circle. This will change the person's status from Inheriting to Non-Member.

Add Seat(s)

This process will increase the total seat count for the company member and also take care of the financial transaction. To add more seats to an existing company's membership from the backend so additional people can inherit benefits follow the steps below.

1. Navigate to the company's record. Before adding a new seat:

  • Confirm that the member has a current membership and does not have any unassigned seats. This can be found in the top right corner.

  • If you find that the company is not a current member, refer to the section above for steps to create the membership and add seats all at once.

  • If the "Unassigned" number is not zero, confirm with the member if they only want to assign the open seat(s) or if they also want to add more to the total seat count.

2. To add seat(s), click the New button (top right corner) and select Seat(s) in the drop-down list.

  • The Add Seat(s) modal will open:

4. In the "Add Seat(s)" modal, the Quantity will default to one - edit as needed.

  • In the example screenshot above, this company already has 1 seat so the modal shows "Adding Seats 2 to 2" with a price of $150 (this amount is based on the dues rule setting on the member type).

5. In the Payment section, select invoice or enter credit card information.

  • Note: If the member already has an open Dues Invoice for the original seats, this action will create a new separate invoice. Both can be paid by the member at the same time in their Member Compass (or by an admin on the backend).

6. Once everything in the modal is correct, click the button to Save.

  • The system will then create an Invoice or Sales Receipt for the dues (on the Transactions tab of the member's record) and also increase the number in the Total Seats field (on the Details tab).

  • If the transaction is an Invoice it is due on receipt. The transaction date and due date on the invoice will be "today" (i.e. the date of creation).

7. The final step is to assign the new seat(s) to the appropriate person.

  • If the person who will be added to the membership does not have a record yet, click the New button (top right) and then select Person from the drop-down list.

  • Once all of the people have records and are listed on the company's People sub-tab, anyone who could be assigned a seat will have a red circle in the Member Benefits column. Click on it to assign a seat (i.e. benefits) and it will change to a green checkmark.

An alternate way to add seats...

If the company's People tab already has more people listed than seats available, there will be an Add Seats link in the Member Benefits column next to any people that would be eligible for a seat (see screenshot below). Clicking one of these links will open the modal and then you can jump to Step #4 above.

Remove Seat(s)

This process will decrease the total seat count for a company that has multiple seats and also take care of the financial transaction, if applicable.

  • Note: If the company should be updated from Current to Expired and no longer have any seats, refer to the steps on how to drop a member instead.

The steps to remove a seat depend on whether or not the company has an open dues invoice or not...

Scenario 1: The company has an open Dues Invoice

First, check to see if the company has an open Dues Invoice with seat-based dues. If yes, check to see if they have more than one open Dues Invoice with seats. If so, you will need to follow the steps below on the newest transaction first.

  1. Find the dues invoice on the Transactions tab of the company's record, and click the View link in the Action column.

  2. In the pop-up modal, find the seat that should be removed.

    • Any seats that are assigned will have the person's name listed next to the seat number. In the image above, you can see that Rosalie Richards is assigned to Seat 1 and Lionel Lincoln is in Seat 2.

  3. On the same line as the Seat # is a link to Remove Seat (in the far right column).

    • Once clicked, the link will change to a spinning message while the system processes the request, and then the modal will update to show the new list of seats and dues.

    • If the "Remove Seat" link is not available on a specific invoice, please note:

      • You cannot remove any seats from an older invoice if there is a newer invoice open as well. To ensure that each seat is assessed the proper dues amount, please process the newest dues transaction first.

      • You cannot remove the last seat on an invoice. In this scenario, please follow the process below to Non-Renew & Credit the invoice (which will remove the seat and issue a credit memo).

  4. Once the seat(s) have been removed, click the Close button to exit the modal.

  5. Refresh your browser tab to see the changes reflected - The company's total seat count and total balance due will be reduced. The system will also add a "Seat(s) Removed" activity on the company's Timeline.

Scenario 2: The company does not have an open Dues Invoice

If Scenario 1 doesn't apply because the company does not have a dues invoice or it has already been paid, then you will need to follow these steps instead:

  1. If the seats you will be removing are assigned to people, you may want to unassign benefits from the appropriate people before removing the seats so the system doesn't update the wrong record(s). This can be done on the People sub-tab (see section above for the steps).

  2. To remove the seats from the company's total seat count, go to the Details tab. Scroll down to the Membership Information section and find the Total Seats field.

  3. Click the pencil icon on the right side of the field to open edit mode. Replace the number with the new value.

  4. Click the Save button (top right of the record).

  • Related: If the company has a recently paid Dues Invoice
    In this case, you may decide to give a partial or full refund (depending on the situation). Since the invoice is already closed, the financial portion should be handled in QuickBooks Online and those updates will sync back over to Novi so the member can see it in their Member Compass.


Edit Dues Invoice with Multiple Seats

Scenario 1: The dues invoice has already been paid

If payment has already been received in the system and the invoice is closed:

  1. The financial portion should be handled in QuickBooks Online and those updates will sync back over to Novi so the member can see it in their Member Compass.

  2. Then you can manage any related seat changes manually on the company's record in Novi. This would be one of the few times an admin may need to edit the Total Seats field.

Scenario 2: The dues invoice is still open (unpaid)

If payment has not been received and the seat-based dues invoice is still open, you can:

  • Remove Seat(s) - the company will still have a membership status of Current but will have less seats

  • Drop the Member - the company will have a membership status of Expired and have zero seats


Drop Members with Seats

Note: The steps below will convert the company member from Current to Expired and all associated people will become Non-Members. If this is not correct, you may be looking to un-assign seats or remove seats.

Scenario 1: The company member has an open Dues Invoice

First, check to see if the company has more than one open Dues Invoice. If so, you will need to follow the steps below on the newest transaction first.

  1. Find the invoice on the Transactions tab of the company's record, and click the View link in the Action column.

  2. In the pop-up modal, click the Non-Renew & Credit button. When the button is pressed two things will happen:

    • The member's expiration date is rolled back to the prior expiration date (or removed, making them a prospect, if they were new and had no previous expiration date).

    • Novi tells Quickbooks to create a credit memo to offset the original dues revenue booked when the invoice was created. This adds a layer of detail and transparency to your accounting records, and it keeps your financial reports from magically changing.

  3. Click the Close button (bottom left of the modal) to close without sending an email.

  4. If the company has another open Dues Invoice, repeat the steps above.

Scenario 2: The company member does not have an open Dues Invoice

If Scenario 1 doesn't apply, then you will not be able to use the Non-Renew & Credit process to drop the member. Instead, follow the steps below to switch the company from Current to Expired status.

  1. Go to the Details tab on the company's record.

  2. Determine when their membership should end:

    1. If the member should be dropped effective immediately (usually because they did not pay for the current membership period), click the pencil icon to edit the Membership Expires field. Change the date to the prior period - For example, an annual membership with an expiration date of 12/31/2023 should be changed to 12/31/2022. Having a date in the past will change their status to Expired.

    2. If the member should continue having benefits until the end of their current membership period and auto-renewals have not run yet (for example, they've already paid for 2022 and today is 11/15/22), then you could opt to only uncheck the Auto-Renew box so they will expire on the expiration date and not be renewed for the next term.

  3. Next, click the pencil icon to edit the Total Seats field. The value must be 0 for an expired member.

  4. Once the expiration date and total seats have been updated, click the Save button. The company will then have a status of Expired and all associated people will be Non-Members.


Create Groups & Reports Based on Seats

Groups

The following seat-related member fields are available as Conditions to build your Groups in Novi:

  • Assigned Seats

  • Unassigned Seats

  • Total Seats

Custom Reports

The following seat-related member fields are available as Conditions and Display Columns for your Custom Reports in Novi:

  • General Info:

    • Total Seats

    • Assigned Seats

    • Unassigned Seats

    • Historical Seat Config

  • If Person:

    • Seat > Seat Number

    • Seat > Membership Starts

    • Has Seat

*There are also some additional seat-related options under Parent Info, Company's Primary & Billing Contacts, and Member Type information.


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