Having an understanding of the layout and function of a Party Order can help make our jobs simpler, more efficient, as well as provide a better experience for the customer. Below we will go over the format and function of a Party Center Software Party Order.
Table of Contents
Top
The top section of the Party Order shows the order number in blue (Order #40852 pictured above). Below the order number, we see the Order Date, Reserved By, and Order Status fields. Note that the Reserved By field will be absent if the Party Order was booked online. The Order Status can be changed by selecting the available options in the Order Status field. The guest’s contact information is listed below the Order Status and clicking on the guest’s name will take you to their customer profile.
Selecting the Print Customer Invoice button will open a new window with a print preview, and options to show or hide the header and/or footer on the printout. The yellow box allows us to email the invoice to the customer’s primary email address by clicking Send Invoice or to start an email thread with the customer by clicking on their listed email address.
The Top section of the Party Order is fixed (doesn’t change), while the rest of the Party Order is divided into separate tabs: Order, Payments, Contact, Activity Log, and Checklist.
Order
In the image above, we see the Order tab selected, with its accompanying buttons and information. Party Date and Party Time are listed with the Change Date/Time button, which allows us to switch the Party to a separate schedule slot.
The Guest(s) of Honor section shows us the birthday child’s name or associated organization if the Party Order is for a company/corporate event. Guest Counts will be listed and may separate Adult and Child counts if specified when the Party was created.
The Price section lists additional guests and prices for guests over the included guest count and will be added to the total guest count or calculated party price. The Edit Order Items button allows us to change the guest count and/or the birthday child or organization.
The Host(s) section lists the assigned party host and the Change Host(s) button lets us assign an additional or new host for the party.
Any additional information can be added to the Notes section by clicking the Edit button to the right. If your Online Booking page is configured for additional questions, they will show up here (See support article Online Booking Additional Questions).
The grey Product bar contains the Product drop-down menu, Notes, Qty, and Price fields for adding additional products to the order. Select your product from the products drop-down menu and add any notes, quantities or price adjustments you wish to make. Use the Add button when you are ready to add the selected product to the order. Any added products will show in the product list below.
The Product List includes an itemized list of all products on the order with their quantities, individual and total prices. The product description is shown underneath the listed product and has the option to be hidden or displayed on the Party Order - this is done at the product configuration.
Discounts can be applied by selecting the Discounts button in the bottom left of the order and choosing from the available discounts on the Discount Order menu.
A pricing summary is shown at the bottom right of the Party Order and includes Pre-Total, Tax, Tip, Payments, and Balance Due lines. If taxes are not applicable for the Party Order, use the Tax Exempt button to toggle the taxes on or off of the Order. Once the order balance is at $0, the Close Order button is enabled, giving the option to close the order.
Payments
Selecting the Payments tab allows you to process a transaction using the payment options setup for your facility. Above we see Credit, Prepaid, Cash, and Check payment options. Select one of the available payment options, fill in the required information, and press the Submit button to process a transaction.
Once a transaction is processed, an entry will be created under Payment History, which includes a Payment ID, Date, Type, Additional Info, Applied, and Balance columns. Clicking on the Payment ID will open a window with additional information and options that are unique to your payment processor.
If your facility is using gift cards, use the Check Prepaid Account Balance button to check the remaining balances on gift cards.
Click here to view our help article on processing refunds!
Contact
The Contact tab can give us a clear log of any interactions with the customer regarding their order. Please see Using the Contact Log for additional information on how to use this section of the Party Orders page.
Activity Log
The Activity Log tab can provide a timeline for the activity on the order. See the support article How to use the Activity Log for additional information.
Checklist
If Checklist Items are setup, they will appear on the Checklist tab on a Party Order. The Party Order cannot be closed if any Checklist Items are incomplete. Click on the blue text in the Notes column to add comments for your Checklist Item. Clicking the Mark as Complete button in the Completed By column checks off the item, giving it a time and date stamp in the Completed column. See the support article Managing Checklist Items for information on setting up Checklist Items for your Party Orders.