Latest updates from the Dubsado team
Hi there,
We recently made an update to the copy that appears on client payment receipts. Previously, the receipt stated: "For any questions about this payment, refunds, and more, please reach out to [Company Name]." We have simplified that language and removed the part around refunds.
We included this copy originally to encourage clients to reach out directly to the business they hired with any payment-related questions or concerns. However, we received feedback from some of our users that mentioning refunds specifically could be misleading for businesses that have a "no refund" policy or no policy for refunds in general.
We hear that concern have updated the receipt copy to remove the reference to refunds. The updated copy now reads: "For any questions about this payment, please reach out to [Company Name]."
We believe this change will reduce potential confusion while still encouraging your clients to contact the business directly with payment inquiries.
This situation highlights the importance of clearly communicating your refund policy to clients. Even if your policy is not to offer refunds, we recommend explicitly stating this in your contract terms and/or invoice terms. Transparency around refunds helps align expectations and avoid misunderstandings (This can help you with any potential credit card disputes as well).
If you don't yet have a refund policy, now is a great time to create one. Consider what makes sense for your business and client relationships. Once you've settled on a policy, make sure to communicate it clearly and visibly to clients.
Hi there,
We are excited to announce two new features on the Dubsado mobile app: Emails and Push Notifications. These updates are designed to make your experience with Dubsado even more convenient and efficient while you're on the go.
You can now send and receive emails directly through the project view in the Dubsado mobile app.
To access your emails, simply click on the "Projects" button at the bottom of the app, select the desired project.
Note: The "Inbox" tab is not ready for beta just yet. This beta release focused on email communications within the project.
Once in the project click on the new "Emails" tab.
There you'll be able to view your email history with your client for that specific project.
You can easily see if an email has been viewed by your client by that checkmark indicator on the right side of your email message.
To reply to an email, click on the email and then click "the white space below the client's name to reply (psst. in the mobile app, we are introducing "drafts". You can start composing a message and exit away and when you come back to the app, you can pick up right where you left off. This will also be coming to the web version of Dubsado in the future).
You can also compose a new email by clicking the "Compose" button at the top right.
Never miss a beat with real-time alerts for contracts, forms and appointment scheduling. Say goodbye to the constant need to check your emails or log into Dubsado. With push notifications, you'll be the first to know about any important updates, giving you the power to react quickly and keep your business running smoothly. 💪 We got the rest of the push notifications coming with future beta releases (like invoice paid notifications).
Let's dive in and take a look at this update:
Notifications can be found under the "Notifications" tab in the mobile app. The notification icon will show a red dot when you have an unread notification, like below.
Once you click notifications, unread notifications will be displayed, and you can always access your older notifications for reference.
To customize your notification settings, click the gear icon at the top right of the "Notifications" tab.
Once in the settings area you can choose which events you want to receive push notifications in app for, such as contract signing, scheduling, etc.
Please note that push notifications when you receive new emails are not available through the app. To receive email alerts, make sure to enable notifications through your email app.
Once you have turned on notifications for your desired events, you will receive push notifications on your phone and connected watch (if applicable).
We also added an easy way to send forms and schedulers manually right from the forms tab within a project. By clicking the three dots next to the form or scheduler, you’ll be presented with the new option of sending an email.
We hope you enjoy these new features and find them beneficial for managing your business on the go.
If you have any questions or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out to our chat support.
Surcharging & Merchant Responsibilities
Thursday, May 9th · 9:30 AM PT
Join Dubsado and our consulting partner, Dan from Redbridge Debt & Treasury Advisory. Discover how Dubsado has simplified surcharging for merchants, minimizing their responsibilities. We'll provide a live demo of our surcharging solution and conclude with an open Q&A session, giving you the opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable insights. Register here.
Pricing with Purpose: Amplify Your Profits
Wednesday, May 15th · 9:00 PM PT
Are you a business owner unable to take advantage of surcharging due to location, business model, or personal preference? Join Taryn, Dubsado's Community and Partnerships Leader, for an enlightening webinar designed to help you strategically price your services, account for credit card processing fees, and maintain profitability. Register here.
As a business owner, you know that every dollar counts, and credit card processing fees can take a significant bite out of your hard-earned profits. That's why we're excited to introduce an exciting feature that not only helps you offset those fees but also ensures your business stays compliant: Surcharging! 💳
We've noticed that many of our users have been using workarounds to apply surcharging to their invoices, such as adding line items, tax items, or even invoicing outside of Dubsado. 🙅♀️ While we understand the desire to offset credit card processing fees, these methods can put your business at risk such as hefty fines, as they may not comply with the strict rules and regulations set by Mastercard and Visa.
At Dubsado, our top priority is ensuring that our business owners are protected and compliant. That's why we've partnered with a compliance agency to create a surcharging solution that not only effectively offsets your credit card processing fees but also adheres to card network rules and regulations. While other systems in our industry may offer similar features, we've gone the extra mile to ensure that our solution is compliant and safeguards your business from potential risks. Many systems on the market are putting business owners at risk with their “surcharging solutions”. One example, this feature is only available in US and Canada with some US regions restricted from using it. And we put all those safeguards in place for you, automatically. We got your back!
Surcharging is the practice of adding a small fee to credit card transactions to help cover the costs of processing those payments. By implementing surcharging, you can offset a significant portion of your credit card processing fees, ultimately increasing your profitability without raising your prices across the board.
⚠️ It's important to note that surcharging is an optional feature that must be enabled in your account settings. If surcharging doesn't work for your business, there's no need to take any action. However, if you're interested in implementing surcharging, simply follow the steps below to get started.
To use surcharging, you must: be based in US or Canada, have Dubsado Payments connected, and have the payment option for credit cards turned on.
If all the above is true, in Dubsado, click settings >> payment settings click "set up" under surcharging.
Then, enter in where your business is legally registered. We search for area compliance based off of where you have registered your business.
If you business location meets the location criteria and you agree to the terms, you can click "Enable surcharging"
Then, you will be directed back to your payment settings and now surcharging is turned on brand wide. Nothing else you need to do!
For a more detailed guide on setting up surcharging, check out our help article.
Your client will click pay now like usual on your invoices.
Your client will see the new Dubsado Payments payment screen and if they choose card, they will see the surcharge fee pop up. (Reminder, surcharging is only legal to charge on credit cards. If a client uses a debit card, the surcharge will not show)
When they enter in their card and then click review payment, they are directed to a screen to confirm the payment. (This is another compliance requirement with surcharging)
If you client used a debit card, on the confirmation screen they will be shown that the surcharge fee is not applicable. Likewise, if your clients choose the ACH option, the surcharging fee will not apply either (Surcharging is not allowed to be used on ACH transactions)
With the launch of surcharging, we're also introducing automatic transaction receipts. These are receipts that get sent to your clients automatically when they make a payment.
These receipts will be sent to clients from your connected email address and cannot be edited or turned off.
This feature ensures compliance with surcharging regulations and is enabled to all Dubsado Payments users, regardless of whether surcharging is turned on.
Reminder: if you previously had receipts turned on in Stripe, be sure to turn them off so your clients are not getting duplicated receipts. You can adjust that by heading to your Stripe settings, click Business > Customer emails settings and toggle off receipts.
Start optimizing your payment process today with Dubsado’s new surcharging feature. Be sure to head into your payment settings to set up! Click here to begin.
Note: We understand that surcharging might not work for everyone and all business types, or may even not be available in your location. Feel free to take a look at our article about pricing your services to take into account processing fees here.
🎉 Note: If you are an existing Stripe user, Dubsado Payments powered by Stripe is slowly rolling out you. Keep an eye on your email for updates and more info below.
At Dubsado, we believe that a seamless payment process is the cornerstone of your thriving business. We've made it our mission to develop and continuously improve Dubsado Payments, so you can streamline your transactions, boost conversions, and ultimately achieve your business goals with ease. By choosing Dubsado Payments, you're not just gaining a tool; you're partnering with a company that is invested in your success every step of the way.
Dubsado Payments is thrilled to support merchants in 37 countries and process payments from your clients all over the world, featuring the same competitive fees that Stripe offers! Dubsado Payments powered by Stripe offers a new suite of tools that will enhance your businesses payment experience. We all know, a smooth payment experience means happy clients.
Get connected today by logging into Dubsado and accessing the "Payments and invoices" section in settings.
Are you already a Stripe user? Don’t connect to Dubsado Payments just yet! Since you’re already a valued Stripe user, we are working with Stripe to bring your account over to Dubsado Payments. If you have questions around this, please reply back to this email.
Let’s dive in to all the excitement that Dubsado Payments brings to you and your client experience.
Dubsado Payments powered by Stripe, offers the same competitive processing rates as Stripe while delivering a more seamless and user-friendly payment experience. (View processing rates here) By integrating Stripe's trusted technology with Dubsado's intuitive platform, we've created a solution that prioritizes value, convenience, and security. Enjoy peace of mind knowing your transactions are handled by a reliable partner, while benefiting from Dubsado's powerful tools and dedicated support. Our goal is to provide you with a payment processing solution that simplifies your workload and enhances your clients' experience.
ACH payments, also known as bank transfers or direct bank payments, are a convenient and secure way to move funds electronically between US bank accounts. With our close partnership with Stripe, we were able to negotiate a higher initial ACH limit than what Stripe normally offers. With Dubsado Payments, you get a $20,000 weekly rolling 7 day processing volume. This is only available in the US at this time. No more needing to worry about hitting those old ACH limits when you choose Dubsado Payments.
Big news! With Dubsado Payments, ACH/US bank transfers are now available with autopay, making it easy for your clients and low on fees for you. Previously, in Dubsado you could only have autopay with just the option for credit cards, but exclusively with Dubsado Payments, US users can unlock the ability to have clients pay via their US bank account. (Psst. ACH fees are .8% with a max fee of $5). Additionally, our new payment screen includes a smoother experience for clients paying with a US bank account. More info on autopay here.
Dubsado Payments is designed to streamline your payment processing and management, saving you valuable time. One of the key benefits of using Dubsado Payments is the ability to process refunds directly from your Dubsado invoice, eliminating the need to navigate to an external platform. This seamless integration allows you to handle refunds efficiently, all within the familiar Dubsado interface. By simplifying the refund process, Dubsado Payments helps you save time and maintain a smooth workflow.
Quick access to funds is critical for businesses today. We’re proud to offer Stripe Instant Payouts to help you get paid fast. Stripe Instant Payouts, with Dubsado Payments, is just 1% in eligible countries (except Australia which is 1.5%). Visit this page for the conditions and eligibility requirements on instant payouts.
Your clients get to experience effortless invoice payments like never before with our new client payment process. We've streamlined the entire payment workflow, allowing your clients to complete transactions in just a few clicks. Your clients can say goodbye to navigating through multiple fields and say hello to a seamless, user-friendly interface that saves time and reduces frustration. By providing a smoother payment experience, you'll build stronger relationships with your clients and create a positive impression that lasts. Check it out!
Our deepened partnership with Stripe gives Dubsado Payments users access to an elevated level of support.
We understand that reaching out for help often means you've encountered a challenge, and that's why we've ensured a dedicated team is ready to assist you promptly and efficiently. To make sure you receive the best possible assistance, we recommend starting by contacting our Dubsado support team first. Our dedicated customer care team will work closely with you to resolve any issues and, if needed, can seamlessly escalate your case to our dedicated Stripe support channel. This approach ensures that your concerns are addressed through the most efficient and effective path. With this enhanced support structure, you can have peace of mind knowing that you're not alone when navigating payment-related concerns.
Keep your business running smoothly with ACH payments through Dubsado! While these bank-to-bank transactions may take a bit longer to process, the lower fees make it all worthwhile. Don't worry about interruptions – even when a payment is pending, your workflows, payment plans, and other automations will continue without a hitch. If an ACH payment fails, we'll promptly notify you via email, so you can address it right away. Enjoy the benefits of cost-effective ACH payments while keeping your operations flowing seamlessly with Dubsado Payments.
We're thrilled about our enhanced Stripe integration, which brings key benefits to Dubsado users. Now, important notifications from your Dubsado Payments Stripe account will be conveniently displayed within Dubsado. With timely alerts, you can stay informed and take prompt action.
If you are an existing Stripe user, Dubsado Payments powered by Stripe is slowly rolling out you. Keep an eye on your email for updates. Please chat in with any questions!
If you are new to Stripe or connected to another payment processor in Dubsado, head to settings >> payments and invoices and click "Get started".
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We are so excited for future plans we have for Dubsado Payments. Somethings that are in the works right now:
That's all for now! We cannot wait to share more exciting updates in the near future.
As we continue to enhance Dubsado's payment features through our partnership with Stripe, we've introduced Dubsado Payments—a white label solution designed to streamline your payment process directly within Dubsado. This innovation offers a broader range of payment tools and options, ensuring a seamless financial transaction experience for both you and your clients. Read more here about the launch of Dubsado Payments and the suite of new tools it brings to Dubsado.
In our commitment to providing a robust and compliant payment ecosystem, we are adjusting how payment options can be managed on a project-by-project basis. With the upcoming release of our surcharging feature in May, the ability to override payment options at the project level will be discontinued (more info on surcharging below). This change is already in effect for those using Dubsado Payments. However, starting in May, with the launch of surcharging, this discontinuation will be applied to all users, regardless of their payment provider.
Previously, users could customize the payment methods (e.g., credit cards, ACH) available for each project. This functionality was primarily used to manage transaction fees, such as preferring ACH for larger invoices to benefit from lower fees.
Our analysis and user feedback have shown that the main motivation behind the use of payment overrides was to navigate around fees. To address this directly and more effectively, we are introducing a surcharging option. Surcharging automatically applies a fee when your client pays with a credit card to help offset the processing costs. (Once launched, this will be an optional feature. You can choose to have this on or off in your account.) This method not only adheres to compliance standards but also simplifies your financial management—making it a "set it and forget it" feature, as opposed to the manual effort required previously. Surcharging will be exclusively available on Dubsado Payments.
If you're using the project level payment override option now to offset high processing fees, wait to switch to Dubsado Payments until surcharging is launched. If you're not using project level payment override, you can switch to Dubsado Payments whenever you'd like! (Keep in mind, all new features related to payments will only be built out exclusively for Dubsado Payments... and we got some exciting things coming!)
Surcharging as a solution: The launch of surcharging in May is designed to meet your needs more efficiently than the project-level payment override feature. It offers a straightforward way to manage transaction costs transparently and automatically.
Continued customization at the brand level: It's important to note that this change affects only project-level settings. You will still have the flexibility to define your preferred payment options at the brand level, ensuring you can align payment methods with your business strategy.
Transition support: We understand changes like these can be significant. Our team is here to support you through this transition, ensuring you're equipped to make the most of the new surcharging feature and other Dubsado Payments benefits.
This update paves the way for more integrated, efficient, and compliant financial operations within Dubsado. We're excited about the enhancements Dubsado Payments brings to your business and are committed to supporting you every step of the way.
For any questions or additional support, please reach out to our customer care team using the chat bubble or emailing us: hello@dubsado.com
If you’ve ever had a situation where you refunded a client but would have liked them to repay those funds again later, this new feature is for you!
We’ve added a new option to allow your client to pay the invoice again after you log a refund. Essentially, you can decide whether or not you want to add that refunded amount back to the remaining invoice balance!
We wanted to improve how Dubsado handles refunds. Below are some situations where you can use this feature:
Before, logging a refund did not change the remaining balance on an invoice. Now, you can decide whether to reopen that invoice balance so that your client can make the same payment again.
When applying a refund, turn on the option for Allow client to repay. This will change the remaining balance on the invoice after the refund is applied.
For example, let’s say your client paid you $100.00. You then realize you need to refund this amount back to the client, but you do plan on collecting it again later in the future. When you issue the refund in Dubsado, turn on the option for Allow client to repay. The remaining invoice balance will go back up by $100.00 so that your client can make this payment again at a later time.
If you are refunding your client and don’t want them to repay that amount, you can leave this option off and the invoice balance will not reopen. For more information, please check out our help article on allowing clients to repay!
When you refund a client with Allow client to repay turned on, payment plan installment statuses adjust automatically depending on whether or not you set a due date! Your payment plan may change to say Overdue if the due date has passed, or it will say Unpaid if you don’t have a due date or if the due date is in the future. See our help article on allowing clients to repay for more information.
If you set a financial goal on your dashboard, any canceled transactions will no longer be included in this calculation, ensuring that you get the most accurate numbers possible!
For more information, check out the following help articles:
Have questions or need help? Send us a chat message!
Started early-phase testing on our mobile app. We’ve built the first version of our mobile app for a few dozen certified specialists to test out. We look forward to seeing how testing goes so we can later provide the mobile app to everyone!
Watch for new features and submit feedback. We’re happy to share the awesome features we have planned on our roadmap portal! Small disclaimers: Our portal doesn’t cover everything we’re working on, details are subject to change, and features aren’t listed in any specific order.
When editing a form template, sometimes the font colors weren’t displaying the correct color. We’ve updated this and now your font color will appear as you selected.
Setting a currency symbol override in Settings > International settings prevented you from editing a package in a form. Now, setting any currency you’d like will cause no issues in forms.
If you’re on a Starter plan, duplicating an active lead capture form will no longer activate the new copy.
Editing a package in a form caused issues with package smart fields. This is no longer an issue and editing a package will also update package smart fields.
If the scheduler was loading on slower internet, clients saw a message that there were no available time slots. This is fixed, so now a loading spinner will display instead.
Previously, the autopay failed email was only sent if the default template had been edited. Now, these will always be sent for payment plans.
The buttons on a signature field in a form template weren’t updating if you switched whether the signature was for you or your client. We’ve fixed this, so now you can visually see the changes.
We fixed an issue when editing a package element in a form where bullet points weren’t formatted correctly.
We’ve added back the ability to edit the submit button text on questionnaires so it can be customized to you. To do this, you can go to Templates >> Forms and click on Form styling in a questionnaire.
You can now add images and hyperlinks to both Invoice terms (in the settings page) and to payment reminders as well.
Watch for new features and submit feedback. We’re happy to share the awesome features we have planned on our roadmap portal! Small disclaimers: Our portal doesn’t cover everything we’re working on, details are subject to change, and features aren’t listed in any specific order.
In some cases, the package total at the bottom of a proposal wasn’t displaying correctly, even though the invoice was correct. We fixed this so now the display accurately reflects the total.
Previously, if you pre-selected a package in a proposal, the pre-selected button wouldn’t show on the form. Now, everyone will be able to push all your buttons.
If your form had a short answer element with field mapping, the form wasn’t able to be submitted. We addressed this, so your forms can all be submitted as expected.
Changing the project status in a form wasn’t visually updating on the form settings page, even though the change still happened behind the scenes. This is now fixed, so a changed project status will show correctly.
There was a bug where a questionnaire couldn’t be edited after your client submitted it. This is fixed, so your clients can edit questionnaires after submission.
Before, banners that we placed at the top of Dubsado would sometimes cover the top of the form builder. Now, you’ll still see our important banners and the form builder in its entirety.
We had issues where forms on mobile devices had overflow text, images were being resized, or margins and padding were too large. We addressed these issues so now forms should appear nicely on mobile.
There was an issue where package elements weren’t editable on mobile devices, but this is no longer the case.
New packages created using the package element in a form didn’t save to your templates. This is no longer an issue and created packages will show in your templates.
We fixed an issue where you couldn’t choose a workflow from the workflow element on a form. Now, you can select any workflow.
Redesigned signup and login page. You probably already noticed a difference when logging in. In addition to a redesign, we added single sign on (SSO) to make your life just a little easier. Read more about SSO.
Watch for new features and submit feedback. We’re happy to share the awesome features we have planned on our roadmap portal! Small disclaimers: Our portal doesn’t cover everything we’re working on, details are subject to change, and features aren’t listed in any specific order.
Log out of Dubsado. We fixed the issue where the logout button wasn’t showing if you had a large number of brands.
No save point needed. Duplicating an installment in a payment plan wouldn’t let you save the payment plan. We fixed this, so now payment plans can be saved.
Look at all those clients. If you had a large client list, Projects >> New Project wouldn’t load all your clients. Now, your entire client list will load correctly when creating a new project.
Where do I pay? With Stripe, duplicate payment buttons were appearing on the invoices. This is fixed, so now you’ll only see one set of pay now buttons.
No more mismatched appointments. Sometimes, the “add to calendar” link on an email showed a different appointment time. We fixed this, so adding an appointment to your calendar will always show the correct time.
Resolved Groundhog Day emails. Reminder emails on an invoice’s payment plan defaulted to today’s date. This is no longer the case, so reminder emails will send on the correct date that you choose.
Edit payment plans again. Editing the payment plan used with “after invoice installment paid” in a workflow would remove the payment plan from the workflow. We fixed this, so workflows will either continue normally or you’ll get a warning message.
Fixed duplicate accounts. When logging in with SSO, Google emails with capital letters were creating a duplicate Dubsado account. We fixed this, so SSO is no longer case-sensitive.
First impressions matter.
That’s why we are excited to announce that we’ve redesigned our signup and login page for a more seamless and user-friendly experience. It's the Dubsado you know and trust, now with an upgraded experience!
We’ve made a few updates to Dubsado to enhance your experience:
Single sign on (SSO) lets you log in with one set of credentials (like your Google account). That way, your account stays secure and reduces the number of passwords to remember.
With SSO, it takes just a click to log in and access your account! Plus, you can seamlessly switch login methods. Single sign on or email and password? Whichever method you prefer, Dubsado does both. Read our article for more information.
Being an affiliate means you can share Dubsado with others and make money from it! This is a great opportunity if you already love using Dubsado. With this update, the process is more user-friendly for your referrals.
In the past, a coupon code field was present on the signup page. This created user confusion with those signing up.
Moving forward, the coupon code field is no longer present during signup. Instead, we recommend sharing your affiliate link with your audience.
Clicking your affiliate link will automatically apply the affiliate benefits to your referral's trial account, so they don't need to input the code themselves when signing up. Users may still input the code when upgrading to a paid subscription.
New users to Dubsado will experience an upgraded sign-up flow that guides them in setting up a brand.
Yes, we wanted our signup and login pages to look good. But more importantly, we wanted to increase your login options and improve the experience for new brands.
The redesign assists in helping us create features that suit your business and requires less energy from you to get started with Dubsado!
Read our help articles for more information:
Have questions or need help? Send us a chat message!