How Do I Configure the Automated Billing – Capture Payments Workflow? – iClassPro Support

IN BRIEF
The Automated Billing – Capture Payments workflow is a pre-built Autopilot billing workflow that automates the capture and processing of customer payments. It allows administrators to preview eligible charges, define a review period, and then process payments automatically on a scheduled basis—independently from other automated billing workflows.

Overview
Accessing the Feature
Step-by-Step Instructions
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Related Articles

Overview

The Automated Billing – Capture Payments workflow is part of the Autopilot Workflow Library and is designed to automate payment capture independently of larger billing workflows.

This workflow captures payments in two stages: Preview and Process, with a configurable wait period in between. This structure allows administrators to:

Review which charges and families will be included before payments are processed.
Customize payment capture criteria to align with specific business practices.
Schedule payment processing independently from other automated billing workflows.

The workflow consists of three sequential actions that must remain in order:

Capture Payments (Preview)
Wait For Action
Capture Payments (Process)

To review important considerations before enabling billing automations, see What Do I Need to Know Before Setting Up Automated Billing Workflows?

Accessing the Feature

Autopilot Workflows are accessed from the Autopilot section of the System.

From the main navigation menu, go to AUTOPILOT.
Select Workflows.
Select Add a Workflow.
Browse the Workflow Library.
Select Automated Billing – Capture Payments.

Selecting a workflow from the Workflow Library copies it into your account, allowing you to customize it without affecting the original template.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Add the Apply Credits Workflow

From the main navigation menu, go to AUTOPILOT.
Select Workflows.
Select Add a Workflow.
Browse the Workflow Library.
Select Automated Billing – Capture Payments.
Confirm the workflow is added.

The System adds a pre-built workflow containing three sequential actions that cannot be reordered.

Schedule the Workflow

For instructions on configuring the workflow schedule, see “Configuring a Scheduled Event” in How Do I Copy and Configure Autopilot Workflows?

Note that each workflow operates independently and can be scheduled separately from other workflows.

Configure the Generate Capture Payments (Preview) Action

This action defines which credits are eligible and how preview summaries are delivered.

Select Generate Capture Payments (Preview).
Configure the available settings:
- Location
- Charge Types
  - Class Tuition
  - Camp Tuition
  - Appointment Tuition
  - Parties
  - Anniversary
  - Other
- Charge Due
  - Due On
  - Due On or Before
  - All Outstanding Charges
- Due Date in X Days -This determines the “Due On” date in the “Charge Due” field above. The Due Date for charges to be considered for this task will be calculated as ‘X’ days from the date the workflow is triggered.
  - For example, if this task runs on September 25th and the “X” days value is set to “6”, the system will consider charges Due On/Due On or Before October 1st.
- Charge Categories
- Send Preview Summary to Email - This field is required and defines which email address(es) should receive an email alert when the “Generate Capture Payments (Preview)” step is completed. Multiple email addresses can be separated with a comma.
- Send Preview Summary to Phone - This field is optional and defines which phone number(s) should receive an SMS alert when the “Generate Capture Payments (Preview)” step is completed. Multiple phone numbers can be separated with a comma.
  - NOTE: If this field is left blank, no summary text will be sent.
- Email Successful Payment Notifications to Families
- Email Failed Payment Notifications to Families
Modify all applicable fields to match your billing requirements.
Save the action settings.

These settings control which payments are included in the preview and who receives summary notifications.

Configure the Wait For Action Step

This step defines how many days/hours/minutes the system should wait after generating the Capture Payments preview before it moves forward and processes the preview results. This period defaults to one (1) hour.

NOTE: Any automated actions taken after the preview has been run will be based on the original preview results (unless the preview is deleted from the Background Tasks during the “Wait for Action” period). This means that charges created after the preview has been generated will not be included when the preview is processed.

Generate Capture Payments (Process) Action

This action is locked and cannot be edited. When accessed, the System displays the message: “This action is locked and not editable.”

After the configured wait period completes, the System automatically processes Capture Payments task using the previewed data.

NOTE: Any emails/phone numbers configured to receive the preview summary will also be notified of the Process action.

Final Steps

After configuring the workflow, Save your changes.
When you are ready, Enable the workflow to begin using it.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Why can I not edit the Generate Capture Payments (Process) action?
- The Process action is intentionally locked to ensure payments are captured consistently after the preview and wait steps. The System confirms this with a non-editable message.
Can I enter a wait time of zero?
- No. All wait time values must be greater than zero. This ensures there is a review window between preview and processing.
Can I reorder or remove actions in this workflow?
- No. The three actions are sequential and must remain in their original order to ensure proper preview and processing behavior.
Does this workflow affect other Automated Billing workflows?
- No. Each workflow operates independently and can be scheduled separately.