14.1 Payments Overview & Gateway Connection (Setup by The Close Agency)

Purpose:

The Payments section serves as the central hub for managing various financial and contractual elements within Close Master. Key sub-sections include:

  • Invoices & Estimates: Create and send invoices (e.g., for commissions, service fees) and estimates/proposals.
  • Orders: Track purchases made via Order Forms on your funnels/websites.
  • Subscriptions: Manage recurring billing for memberships or services sold.
  • Transactions: View a detailed log of all payment attempts (successful, failed, refunded).
  • Products: Define standard services, fees, or courses you sell/invoice for.
  • Coupons: Create discount codes for order forms.
  • Payment Links: Generate simple links for quick online payments.
  • Documents & Contracts (CRUCIAL for Real Estate): Create, send, and track documents requiring legally binding electronic signatures (e-signatures).
  • Settings: Configure payment gateways, taxes, receipt templates, etc.

Payment Gateway Connection (CRUCIAL - Usually Handled by The Close Agency):

  • Requirement: To collect any online payments through Close Master (via Invoices, Order Forms, paid Calendar bookings, paid Membership Offers), your account MUST be connected to a supported payment gateway provider. Common gateways include Stripe (often preferred for full feature compatibility), PayPal, Authorize.Net, NMI, Square, Razorpay.
  • Setup Responsibility: Connecting and managing the primary payment gateway integration is typically handled by The Close Agency administrators when they set up your account.
  • Verify Status: You can usually view the connection status of the payment gateway(s) in Settings → Integrations. Look for the relevant gateway (e.g., Stripe) and check if it shows as "Connected".
  • Contact Provider if Needed: If no gateway is connected and you intend to use online payment features, contact The Close Agency support to discuss getting it set up.
  • Transaction Fees: Be aware that all payment gateways charge transaction fees (typically a percentage + fixed fee per transaction) for processing online payments. These fees are charged by the gateway provider (e.g., Stripe, PayPal), not directly by Close Master or The Close Agency.