New HTML5 Responsive Invoice Templates

StudioCloud has released new functionality that allows you to create email and print templates for invoices, estimates, and quotes using responsive HTML5 technology. The new HTML5 templates are designd to replacing emailing or printing pdf invoices. The HTML5 templates also include many new features that are listed below.

HTML5 Invoice Setup

New HTML5 Invoice Template Features

The new HTML5 invoice, estimate, and quote template system contains all of the following features:

• Auto Adjusting Features
• Automatically adjusts based on the screen size of the device so that the invoice looks great on a computer, smartphone, or tablet. 
• Branding Features
• Unlimited Branding if you have a PartnerBoost or EmployeeBoost subscription
• The new HTML5 invoice templates support having different logos and business information for each template.
• PDF invoices only supported 1 type of invoice with 3 different logos
• Printing Features
• Supports printing the invoice using a default invoice template 
• Emailing Features
• Supports emailing the invoice using a default email template
• Supports having the invoice link inserted directly into the email
• PDF invoices required being attached to the email
• New easily customized sample email templates are available which include the link to the HTML invoice in them.
• Auto Updating Features
• The invoice automatically updates so that when the client views the invoice in their browser they will see the latest information for their invoice. 
• PDF required sending a new invoice to see the updated information 
• Payment Features
• Supports having a client pay their outstanding balance directly from the invoice 
• Supports having a client pay for a payment plan directly from the invoice 
• New Email Templates
• New sample email templates have been added to StudioCloud to speed up creating email templates that have the new HTML5 Invoice templates built into them.
• Supports having a link added to email templates that the client can click to view their invoice 
• Cloudform Integration
• Supports having the invoice automatically emailed to a client when an invoice is created from a CloudForm
• Supports having the invoice automatically emailed to the client when they make a payment from a Cloudform

Does the HTML5 Invoice Template Require a Subscription?

Yes. A StudioCloud subscription is required to use the new HTML5 invoice templates. PartnerBoost and EmployeeBoost subscriptions get unlimited templates. Add-on subscribers get 3 HTML5 templates.

Can I continue using the PDF Invoices?

Yes. You do not have to use the new HTML5 invoice, estimate, and quote templates.

Can I use the PDF Invoices in StudioCloud but have the CloudForms use the HTML5 invoices?

Yes. You can add the html5 invoices to email templates but still use the pdf invoices in StudioCloud.

How do I turn on HTML5 Invoice Templates in StudioCloud?

• Click on the Settings component
• Click on the Manage StudioCloud Settings button under the Settings tab
• Click the Print Using HTML Invoice Template radio button

Can I try out the HTML invoices and then switch back to the PDF invoices if I don't like them?

Yes. Do the following steps to switch back to the PDF Invoices.

• Click on the Settings component
• Click on the Manage StudioCloud Settings under the Settings tab
• Click the Print Using PDF Invoice radio button

How do I setup HTML5 Invoice Templates

Click here for a tutorial on how to setup HTML5 invoice templates

New Scheduled Messages System

Scheduled messages allow you to schedule emails and text messages to be sent on specific dates and times. The power behind scheduled messages is that they can be used in connection with pipelines. When a specific pipeline stage has been activated there can be unlimited personalized emails and text messages scheduled and, if desired, all of the unsent emails and text messages can be automatically cancelled when the pipeline stage is marked completed.

Lead Pipeline Example

Previously if a business wanted to send 10 emails to a client on specific dates and times to convert them to a paying client they would need to setup 10 different pipeline stages where each pipeline stage would create the email based on the email template. In addition, the business would have to click the "pipeline stage completed" button before the emails were sent.

Now, with scheduled messages, only 1 pipeline stage is necessary and all of the emails will be automatically scheduled for the client. Each personalized email will be sent at the desired time and, if desired, you can have all of the unsent scheduled emails automatically cancelled if the client books a session.

Employee Lead Pipeline Example

Scheduled messages also support sending messages (email or text) to employees. Using the new system, messages can be scheduled and sent to employees on a specific date and time. Many businesses do direct phone calls with potential customers and this is a great way to remind an employee that it is time to do that call. In addition, the message can contain all of the client's contact information.

Client Pickup Example

Remind clients to come and pick up their order with an automatically scheduled personalized email or text message that is created using an order pipeline.

Does this replace CloudAlerts?

No, Cloudalerts are still the ideal way to send email and text message reminders and thank you's for a session, appointment, or event. CloudAlerts are designed to automatically adjust when they are sent based on the session, appointment, or events scheduled time slot. On the contrary, scheduled messages have a specific date and time based on when the pipeline stage is activated when they are scheduled to be sent.

How to use it

Click here to view the tutorial for scheduled messages

New CloudForms/CloudBooking Look and Feel

StudioCloud has released a new responsive look and feel for the CloudForms and CloudBooking. The new look and feel auto adjusts based on the size of the clients screen. To use the new look and feel update to the latest version of StudioCloud.

Click here to view samples of the new look and feel

All new Cloudforms will automatically use the new look and feel by default. Existing CloudForms will only use the new default if they are updated to use it. To update to use the new look and feel do the following steps:

• Click on CloudServices
• Click on the CloudForms & CloudBooking tab
• Click on the Manage Forms button
• Edit the desired CloudForm
• Click on the Style tab
• Click the Modern Theme radio button

CloudForms & CloudBooking also include the following new changes that have been introduced over the last few updates:

• When creating a new CloudForm a popup window will appear showing a lot of pre-built cloudform options that can be used to speed up Cloudform creation.
• A new tab called "Form Settings" has been added to the top when you create or edit a cloudform which includes all of the form settings.
• CloudForms now support being adjusted how they match new clients with existing clients. You can have strict matching, loose matching, or no matching.
• The popup message when a client submits a form can now be customized under the form settings
• The forms now support having you add third party tracking code to the forms, such as google analytics, under the form settings
• CloudForms can be included in the client portal
• A CloudForm can be set as the default "Update Client Info" for the client portal. If a cloudform is set then an "Update Info" button will appear when the client logs into the client portal which redirects to the CloudForm.

Mac PDF Issues

Some Mac users are experiencing an issue where StudioCloud will crash if a pdf is opened. This is an issue with Adobe Air which we have reported to Adobe and are waiting for a fix. Here is the temporary workaround until Adobe fixes this issue.

Step 1: Update to the latest minor update to receive the new pdf viewing options

Refer to the section "Enabling Updates For Minor Release Updates" in the following tutorial. If you have StudioCloud version 3.1.465 or later you can skip step 1.

Click here for instructions on how to update to the latest minor update.

Step 2: Change the settings to open the pdf using your local pdf viewer

Refer to the section "How to Open the PDF File in the Computer's Default Viewer Program" in the following tutorial.

Click here for instructions on how to change how StudioCloud handles pdfs.

European Union GDPR

What is the GDPR?

If you are located in the European Union then the GDPR applies to you. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a set of new rules for handling client information.

How can your client's view their information stored in StudioCloud?

Your clients can view their information stored in StudioCloud by logging into the new Client Portal. The client portal includes their client details, sessions/appointments/events, invoices, and payments as well as many other features.

Click here for information on how to use the client portal.

How can my client's access the client portal?

You can add the Client Portal to your website or email a link to the client portal directly to a client if they ask for their information.

Click here for how to add the client portal to your website or email it to a client.

What do I do if a client requests to have their information deleted?

If a client  requests to have their information deleted and they do not have an invoice then you would delete their client information.

If a client requests to have their information deleted and they do have an invoice then you will need to refer to legal advice regarding how long a client's invoices need to be saved before they can deleted. Please note that deleting an invoice will change the reports located under point of sale.

Does StudioCloud share any of my clients information with any third party companies?

No! Per our terms of agreement StudioCloud does not share your client information with any third party.

Are StudioCloud's facilities secure?

Yes. You can read more about our physical online solutions in the links below.

Click here for information on how StudioCloud stores information online.

StudioCloud stores information using Amazon AWS services. Click here to view Amazon's AWS personal data certifications.

New Mobile Friendly Client Portal

StudioCloud is excited to release its new mobile friendly HTML5 client portal.

Click here to view screen shots of the client portal as well as setup instructions

The new client portal supports the following new features:

• A client can view their contact info.
• A client can update their contact info, if you so desire, using a Cloudform of your choosing.
• You can add additional CloudForms to the Client Portal so that clients can have options to book all sorts of different types of sessions/events/appointments
• Clients can view and esign contracts or view previously esigned contracts
• Clients can view and pay their invoice balances if you have a merchant account.
• Clients can also pay outstanding payment dues

The new client portal supports the following ways of letting customers access it:

• The client portal can be embedded in your website.
• The client portal can be emailed to your clients directly from StudioCloud
• The client portal can be added as a link in your email templates

The new client portal does require a paid subscription. Any subscription will give you access to the client portal.

Resolve Email Issues

Over the the latest few days we have been noticing some minor issues with different email providers such as gmail and yahoo not working with some StudioCloud accounts that are sending emails using SSL encryption. If you experiencing the error message "Can not authenticate" or another error message that you haven't seen before and you have not changed your password recently it might be related to this problem.

Here are the steps to resolve this issue.

• Click on Settings
• Click on Manage Email Accounts
• Edit the email account that is having issues
• Click on the Outgoing Mail tab
• Change the SMTP Port to be 587
• Change the Type of Encryption to be TLS
• Click the save button

If the above steps do not resolve your issue please refer to the tutorial in the following link for other reasons why this issue may be happening.

https://app1.studiocloud.com/support/index.php?/article/AA-00823/63/

Updated Event & Session Window

With the latest minor release of StudioCloud the event/session/appointment window has been updated to streamline workflow. The changes are listed below.

How To Update To The Latest Minor Update

• This update is a minor update. You can update to it by clicking on Help and selecting the "Show Major and Minor Updates" followed by the "Check for Updates" button

Changes For Everyone

• Event Number, Jobs, Assigned Employees, and various other features have been moved to the settings tab
• The clients table dynamically adjusts based on the number of clients to provide more space for the event notes when only a limited number of clients are scheduled.
• The event location is minimized by default to provide maximum space for the event details.

EmployeeBoost Specific Changes

• The event details, event location, and marketing campaigns have been moved to the Settings tab
• The "Show All Employees" checkbox has been moved to an employee options menu where you can select if you want to view all the employees or filter the employees by scheduling role.
• The "Show All Locations" checkbox has been moved to a location options menu located right below the locations table. This new menu lets you select if you want to view all the locations and also gives you the option to filter the locations by a location group.
• The "Show All Equipment" checkbox has been moved to a equipment options menu located right below the equipment table. This new menu lets you select if you want to view all the equipment and also gives you the option to filter the equipment by a equipment group.
• Each of the menus now support having a default set so it automatically selects your preferred options.

PartnerBoost Specific Changes

• The schedule employee section size has been adjusted to fit the space and the event details, event location, and marketing campaign have been added below the schedule employee section.
• The "Show All Employees" checkbox has been moved to an employee options menu where you can select if you want to view all the employees or filter the employees by scheduling role.
• The employee options menu supports having a default set so it automatically selects your preferred options.

Free and Add-On Only Specific Changes

• The scheduling options are not displayed at all for these types of subscriptions