Monad employs a Parent-Child folder hierarchy structure which allows for a great deal of flexibility when creating default settings. A “Parent” in this sense is a node on a file tree that has subsidiary nodes (“Children”) branching off from it. Options such as ticket-pricing schemes which are created at a “Parent” level in the file-tree of folders are available to any “Child” folders below that point, so e.g. a price scheme set up at show level is available (but not compulsory) for all performances of that show.
Options which have been created at individual folder or product level can be dragged and dropped to different locations within the hierarchy to increase or decrease access to this option. For example, if a new price scheme called “£2.50” is created for an item within the Retail folder, the price scheme can be moved from the item folder up to the parent Retail folder so that any other item which requires a £2.50 price scheme can use the existing one, rather than having to recreate one each time a new item costing £2.50 is created.
The basic rule is: if the option that has been created can be used again by other folders or products, then move it further up the folder structure. It can always be overridden locally if necessary.
It is advisable to set up all the Schemes you think you may need before adding tickets or other products to an event, as you cannot create a fully functional ticket without first setting prices, discounts etc, and doing so from inside the ticket product’s own properties pages may be inconvenient.
To set up schemes and options of this kind, select the “Parent” folder on the file tree, below which you wish your scheme to be available. On the right-hand half of the screen, you will see a bar of options, beginning on the left with a small + sign and the word “Add”, which can be used to add different items to a folder.
There are many items such as Schemes which are frequently set up at root folder level or high up in the folder hierarchy so that they can be easily accessible to child folders and products. Some of the more commonly used Schemes are detailed below:
Delivery Scheme
Delivery Schemes are found under Delivery & Access Control, and control how purchased items are delivered to the customer. The simplest method of delivery is by email, but there are many different methods available. For example, “Immediate print”; “Email ticket”; “Collect from the box office (online)”; “Collect from the box office (phone)”; and “Skip delivery”. This last is useful for payment on the door, where it is not necessary to print out tickets on the night, and also for tickets that are retrospectively entered into the system.
Discount Scheme
Discount Schemes, found under Pricing & Finance, are arrangements such as membership discounts for tickets or a staff discount for retail items, e.g. STAFF10 (10% off all items or events).
Price Scheme
A Price Scheme, found under Pricing & Finance, is effectively a price tag for a product that specifies a particular sum. It may be product-specific or it may be placed higher up the folder hierarchy in order to be available to multiple products. For example, if there is a standard ticket price of £10 for theatre events, the price scheme for £10 may be placed in the Events folder and therefore be available to multiple events, rather than having to create a separate price scheme for each event. This also applies to retail where e.g. a £1.95 price may be used for several products.
Ledger Code Scheme
A Ledger Code Scheme, found under Pricing & Finance, allows an accounting code from an external accounting system such as Sage to be applied to a product. When this product is purchased by a customer, the finance department can run a report from Monad and easily identify which product types have generated revenue.
On Sale Scheme
The On-Sale Scheme, found under Folders & Products, defines how the product can be purchased e.g. whether it will be generally available via all ticket outlets until performance start, or only available for sale by staff at a particular location. It takes you first to a page that is divided into two sections, “On Sale Rules” and “Allocation Auto Release Rules”. Under each of these, clicking on Add will take you to a form where you can fill in the details of your scheme, and then click OK at the bottom right to save it.
Product Limits
This section, found under Folders & Products, allows you to configure how many items a customer can purchase or the quantity of discounted purchases allowed.
Item Fee Scheme
This section, found under Pricing & Finance, sets a handling/booking fee that will be charged on every item which is purchased and to which the Item Fee Scheme has been applied.
Transaction Fee Scheme
This section, found under Pricing & Finance, sets a handling fee that will be charged just once on every qualifying purchase, regardless of how many items that purchase includes.
Donation Scheme
A Donation Scheme, found under Other, can be configured to solicit donations specifically with online purchases and includes a text-entry box where you can format the text which is to be displayed.