I already have a Stripe account. Do I need to create another one?
Otto uses Stripe Express rather than a normal Stripe account. So if you do not already have a Stripe Express account, you will need to create one to take payments in Otto.
Will terminals work offline?
No, terminals must always be connected to the internet to function properly. Normally, this is done by connecting the terminal to wifi. However, if a clinic has a poor wifi signal, a dock can be purchased that will allow the terminal to be plugged in via an Ethernet cable for a more consistent connection.
If needed, terminals can work off a cell phone's personal hotspot.
Will terminals work if they are not plugged in?
Yes, terminals have an internal battery and can function without being plugged in. They do still need to be connected to the internet to function.
When selecting a terminal to have a client pay with via Otto, there will be a green dot next to the terminal name if it is ready to receive payment, or a red dot if it is not. The most common reason for a red dot next to a terminal name is that the terminal is out of battery and needs to be plugged back in to charge.
Can I provide a refund through Otto if the payment was accepted through a different merchant?
No, Otto can only refund transactions that were processed by Stripe.
How do I refund a client?
There are two ways to issue a refund to a client through Otto:
- From the conversation: Open the conversation with the client. Beneath the paid invoice confirmation, click Issue Refund.
- From the Payments Report: Go to Reporting → Payments. Find the invoice you want to refund, click the three-dot menu on the right of the line item, and select Issue Refund. (If a refund has already been issued, the option will be grayed out.)
The client will be alerted in their conversation that the invoice has been refunded.
Note for Care clinics: Refunds that exceed a single monthly payment are processed across multiple invoices, so a single refund may appear as several transactions in the Payments Report.
How long does it take for a refund to process?
The amount of time that it takes for a refund to process depends on the method of payment. For example, for Visa and MasterCard, the refund should be almost instantaneous, but for American Express, the refund can take a business day or two.
Why is a service fee being charged on a debit card payment?
Debit cards are only excluded from client fees if your clinic has surcharging enabled. If surcharging is turned off, both credit and debit card payments are subject to the standard transaction fee.
To check what card type a payment was made with, look at the Card Type column on your Payments Report. Hybrid debit/credit cards are treated as debit.
To enable surcharging for your clinic, see Surcharging Fees.
Is inputting a client’s email required when sending an invoice?
An email is required when requesting payment so that Otto can send the receipt for payment. Stripe, our payment processor, requires that an email or printed receipt be provided, and our terminals do not currently support printed receipts. However, if the client has an email address associated with their account, that email address will pull automatically into the payments field as the destination for the receipt.
If the client’s settings specify that they should not receive email alerts, they will still receive the emailed receipt. An alternate email address can also be given at the time of invoicing if the client wants the receipt sent somewhere besides the email in their client profile.
Can Otto generate itemized receipts?
That depends on your practice management software. We can currently support itemized receipts for clinics that use Cornerstone or Impromed. There is some backend configuration required to set up itemized receipts, so if you are interested and use one of our supported PIMS, speak to your customer success manager (CSM), and they can start that configuration.
Are Apple/Google Pay terminal payments considered 'card present' or 'card not present'?
Apple and Google Pay are considered to be card-present when paying at a terminal. “Card not present” will refer to payments that are sent digitally, rather than paid via a terminal.
How will I know that a payment was successful in writing back?
In Otto, go to Reporting → Payments. This report shows all payments taken in via the Otto terminal or digitally. If invoices look like they're missing, click the filter icon in the upper-right and confirm the date and time range.
Make sure the Invoice # column is visible. (If it's not, click the Show icon in the upper-right and select it.) When the column is visible, each invoice shows the writeback result:
- Green — writeback succeeded.
- Red — writeback failed.
For the full list of writeback statuses (including Pending, Retrying, Invalid, Disabled, Invoiced, Refunded, Partial Refund, and Canceled), see Payment Writeback Status.
Our clinic is noticing a discrepancy between what Otto reported as Net Proceeds and what was deposited into our bank account. What should we do?
The Net Proceeds will be accurately reflected when viewed from the payout. To view this, go to Settings>Payments, then click on the Disbursements tab, and choose the date by clicking on Date/Time Range.
Then click on the 'View' link under the View linked transactions column. A list of transactions will appear that match the disbursements.
How back-dated are our clinics' bank deposits?
Your payout schedule depends on whether your clinic is on Stripe-managed payouts or Otto-managed payouts.
Stripe-managed payouts batch on a nightly 24-hour window:
- March through November: 7pm–7pm CST
- November through March: 6pm–6pm CST
Otto-managed payouts use your clinic's local timezone with midnight as the cutoff. This keeps your daily totals aligned to your business day instead of a fixed CST window. The tradeoff: payouts typically land one business day later than the Stripe-managed schedule.
Want faster payouts? Expedited payouts are available for an additional fee. Reach out to your Clinic Success Manager or Support to discuss whether they're a fit for your clinic.
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