If your practice utilizes Shepherd Pay, our built-in payment processing system, clients will enjoy the convenience of managing payments directly through the Pet Portal. This includes paying outstanding invoices, saving payment methods for future use, and even providing deposits when booking appointments.
💳 Making a Payment
Once logged into the Pet Portal, clients can access the Payments section to manage their financial interactions with your practice. Here, they can:
View outstanding balances or credit
Review invoice and payment history
Pay invoices securely
When an outstanding balance exists, a “Pay Invoice” button will appear at the bottom of the invoice. After selecting it, clients can choose to:
Use a saved card on file
Manually enter a new payment method
Clients can choose to save any new card used in the portal for future payments. These saved payment methods can be updated or removed at any time, and changes are automatically reflected in the client's Shepherd profile.
Once a payment method is selected, the client will see a confirmation page to review and approve the transaction. Only full invoice payments are accepted through the portal.
After completing the transaction, clients can download and save both a payment receipt and a copy of the updated invoice. Payments made via the Pet Portal are instantly synced with your Shepherd account.
📌 Appointment Deposits
To help ensure appointment commitments, you can require clients to provide a deposit when scheduling an appointment through the Pet Portal. When booking, the system will prompt clients to submit the required deposit amount using a saved card or by entering a new payment method.
This functionality helps:
Reduce no-shows
Confirm client intent
Streamline the check-in and payment process on the appointment day
Deposit payments are recorded in real-time and will appear in the client’s Shepherd payment history alongside other transactions.
📂 Ongoing and Active Invoices
Clients can always view all open and active invoices in the Pet Portal, including those that are still accumulating charges. This visibility ensures clients remain informed about their account status and upcoming obligations.