Overview
How to configure the session types for your services. This will include naming the session type and allocating it a billing type and if required a tax rate and if it will be included for session reminders.
Article Sections
- What are Session Types
- How many session types do I need?
- Create a session type
- The Types of Session Type
- Session Reminders
- Automatic Lessonspace Meetings
- Reorder your Session Types
- Unused Session Types
What are Session Types
1. The session type is central to the way Oases operates and performs the following functions:
a. First and foremost a session type is selected when a session appointment is created to indicate the type of service required.
b. The session type has a billing type allocated ( session type type)so that Oases knows where to send the session for invoicing. So session types can be private pay or agency pay (SES or ELT) and the sessions will go to the relevant invoicing modules in Oases.
c. As such the session type will be a line item on an invoice and Private Pay session types have a default invoicing rate associated that may be overridden in the student record or during invoicing. Base rates for each agency program are set on the Locations Program page.
d. Session types also flow to pay groups so within one pay group you can pay the same employee a different rate for working different session types.
e. When a session type is selected in a session when you are scheduling appointments, only the students who have the same enrollment type as the session type type will appear as available to be placed on the session.
How many session types do I need?
2. Simplicity is best so we suggest keeping your session types as generic as possible especially as you start out.
a. SES/ELT style billing - Different programs may have different invoice rates set for the same session type so keep the names generic.
b. Private - As mentioned above the base rate for a session type may be overridden in the student record or when you invoice so you don't need a different session type for each different rate you offer.
c. You will need two session types if you offer the same service to your private pay clients as you do to a contracted program. Remember to name them slightly differently so you can tell the difference in the drop down menus around Oases.
d. You will need two session types if one staff member will get paid differently for doing the same thing so that you can allocate different rates in the pay group.
e. Use a No Student session type to create a session to log time for a tutor that will not be invoiced to a client but you may wish to pay for.
f. Use an Exclude session type to schedule time for an Agency student that will not be billed to the contract.
Create a session type
3. In the main menu select: Setup > Other > Session Types.
4. In a new database you will be presented with the different session type examples as shown in the graphic below. Existing databases will show your current session types.
5. Each session type will have:
- Name - This is customer facing on invoices and calendars. Will appear in menus around the system so don't use the same name twice, always include an identifier for similar items.
- Type - This indicates how the session type will be billed.
- Description - Will appear in the description field for manually created advance invoices.
- Mins/Days Private - For private pay sessions indicate the duration being sold in minutes.
- Rate - The amount being charged for the minutes added.
- Switch button - In Use/Unused
- Switch button - Reminders On/Reminders Off
- Switch button - Auto Lessonspace On/Off
- Switch button - Tax Rates
- Icon trash can - Delete
6. To add a session type simply click ADD NEW ROW. It will drop in at the top. Name your session type and enter additional information as detailed in the rest of this article.
7. You can remove a session by clicking the corresponding trashcan on the right side. You may not delete a session type that is being used or has been used. Instead mark this as unused by pressing the In Use button.
The Types of Session Type
8 You will need to indicate the type of session for invoicing purposes from the following 7 choices:
SES: This session type is for contract tutoring billed per student hour. SUX09. How to Setup an Agency SES or ELT Program
PRIVATE: This session type is for billing a private individual.
PRIVATE DATE RANGE: This session type is for a private individual. The student is not billed hourly but for the date range. They may have as many sessions as they want within the range defined on the invoice. In set up set the range in Days in the Mins/Days column.
How to Invoice Date Range Sessions.
In the example below the charge is 85.00 for unlimited hours for 7 days from the date defined in an invoice.
PRIVATE DATERANGE MAX: This session type is an extension of Private Date Range but with an hours cap. The student is not billed hourly but for the date range. When this session type is selected in set up an additional box appears to put in the maximum time allowed within the date range added in minutes. They may have as many sessions as they want within the range up to the defined time.
In the example below the charge is 150.00 for 480 mins (8 hours) that must be used within 28 days of the date defined in an invoice or remaining time will be forfeit.
In set up, set the minutes in the first small box and then the days included in the range in the second small box Eg. 480 then 28 would allow 8 hours to be scheduled in a 28 day period beginning on the date set in the invoice. Set a description for the invoice and a price for the range. How to Invoice Date Range Sessions.
NOTE: If date range max session types are to be used consecutively keep in mind that not all months have 31 days and we recommend using a 28 day time frame with invoicing every 4 weeks for rolling contracts.
GRANT/B2B: This session type will transfer time to an invoice to a Grant organization or benevolent business. Set name and type only. No other info required. It behaves like SES per PPA style billing and sessions will be invoiced through the SES billing module.
EXCLUDE: This session type will transfer time to payroll for the tutor but will not transfer time to any invoice or deduct from the PPA or service hours of an SES or ELT student. Students will appear as available to be put on the this session type and is normally used for non-billable tutoring or testing services for contracts.
NO STUDENTS: This session type will transfer time to payroll for the employee, no invoice is created and no students will appear as available for the session. It is used for employee training, admin days and Provider Fairs for example.
ELT/AS/21: This session type is for contract tutoring billed per session from a budget.
Choose the appropriate one for how you will be using this session.
SUX09. How to Setup an Agency SES or ELT Program
Session Reminders
9. If you do NOT want session reminders to go out for a particular session type, for example, homeschooling where there are multiple sessions every day or a week of camp and this would become annoying to the recipient, turn the session reminder button to off.
10. Hover over the icons for a popup name.
SX05. Session Reminder Emails (with notes)
Automatic Lessonspace Meetings
11. If you are connected to a Lessonspace account you can set a particular session type that will always be online and will always require a Lessonspace meeting, to automatically create a meeting in standby.
12. Press Auto Lessonspace Off to show Auto Lessonspace On.
13. This will ensure that without taking any other action that a meeting will be created when the session reminders go out. Without session reminders set for at least one recipient (tutor, student or parent) in Setup > Config Settings > Email, and the session type is set to Reminders On, this function will not work and meeting spaces will need to be created manually in the session.
LP03. Create & Manage Lessonspace Whiteboard Meeting Spaces
Reorder your Session Types
14. You may reorder your session types by dragging them with the 3 line icon at the beginning of each row and mark them as unused if they become obsolete to your business.
Unused Session Types
15. If you no longer use a session type do not delete it. Simply mark it as unused on the Configure Session Types Page. It will drop to the bottom when saved, out of your way.
More information: SX08. Unused Session Types
Link To
IP09. Date Range Invoicing For Private Pay Services
IP01. Program Different Invoicing Rates for Different Students
IS06. Setting Invoice Rates for SES style invoices
IE06. Setting Invoice Rates for ELT.AS.21 style invoices
SUX09. How to Setup an Agency SES or ELT Program