Every client in Orchard Stack has a status. The status controls whether the client receives deliveries, whether they are invoiced at month end, and which tab of the Clients list they appear on. This guide explains each status, when to use it, and how to change a client's status today or on a future date.
The client statuses
Prospective
The starting status for every new client. Use it while you are completing intake: entering the meal order, dietary needs, route, and billing setup.
Does not receive deliveries and does not appear on route sheets or delivery reports.
Is not invoiced.
Appears on the Prospective tab of the Clients list.
Active
The client is receiving service. Active is the only status that receives deliveries. Meals are delivered according to the client's order, minus any temporary stops, plus any specials.
Is invoiced at month end.
Appears on the Active tab of the Clients list.
Inactive
Service is on hold for an open-ended period, for example a hospital stay where the client will call when they are ready to resume. The client keeps their order, route, and billing setup, so reactivating them is a single status change.
Does not receive deliveries.
Is still included in month-end billing, so any balance continues to appear on invoices.
Appears on the Inactive tab of the Clients list.
If you already know the date the client will resume, use a Temporary Stop instead of Inactive. A client remains in Active status during a stop, and deliveries restart automatically on the resume date. A client can also have multiple future temporary stops queued on their account.
Discontinued
The client has left the program, but their account is still open. Use Discontinued when service has ended and you still need to bill for final deliveries or collect a remaining balance.
Does not receive deliveries.
Is still included in month-end billing, so the client receives a final invoice and payments can still be applied.
Records a Closure reason and Closure date when you set it.
Appears on the Inactive tab of the Clients list, alongside Inactive clients.
Closed, Closed - Delinquent, and Closed - Credit
The client has left the program and their account is closed. Closed clients do not receive deliveries, are not invoiced, and appear on the Closed tab of the Clients list. All three variants record a Closure reason and Closure date. Pick the variant that matches the account balance at closing:
Closed — the account is settled with a zero balance.
Closed - Delinquent — the client left with an unpaid balance that you are not actively collecting.
Closed - Credit — the client left with a credit balance on the account.
A client in any status is still invoiced for a month in which they received a delivery. For example, a client closed mid-month is still billed for that month's meals.
Choosing between similar statuses
Inactive vs. Temporary Stop — Inactive for an open-ended pause; a Temporary Stop when you know the resume date.
Inactive vs. Discontinued — Inactive if you expect the client back; Discontinued if they have left the program.
Discontinued vs. Closed — Discontinued while the account is still being settled; one of the Closed statuses once billing is finished. A common pattern is to set the client to Discontinued when service ends, then to the appropriate Closed status after the final invoice is paid, credited, or written off.
Change a client's status
Open the client record and click Status Change in the white navigation bar below the client's name.
Select the New Status . Only the changes allowed from the client's current status are listed. For example, a client can only become Discontinued from Active or Inactive.
Choose the Date the change takes effect:
Today — the change applies immediately.
A future date — the change is scheduled and applies automatically on that date.
Select a Reason . The field is optional for most changes but is highlighted for changes that close an account (Discontinued and the Closed statuses), because the reason is recorded as the client's Closure reason .
To keep a record on the client's Notes page, set Create note to Yes and enter a Note .
Click Save .
A client must have a route, billing type, and product rate before they can be set to Active, Inactive, or Discontinued. If any are missing, the status change is rejected. Complete them under Edit on the client record first.
Things to know
Status changes cannot be backdated. Once today's deliveries have been committed, the earliest date you can choose is tomorrow.
An immediate change replaces any pending changes. If you change a client's status effective today, any status changes already scheduled for that client are removed.
Scheduled changes can be edited or deleted from the Status Change page up until the date they take effect. A change that has already taken effect cannot be edited; enter a new status change instead.
Upcoming changes show up across the app. Scheduled status changes appear in the right-hand column of the client record, in the dashboard alerts for clients starting and stopping service, and in the Client Delivery Status Changes report on the Deliveries page.
Starting a new client
New clients are created as Prospective. When intake is complete, schedule a status change to Active for the date of the client's first delivery rather than setting a start date on the meal order. The client then appears on route sheets starting that day. See .
Managing reasons and closure tracking
The options in the Reason list are managed under Admin > Delivery Stops & Changes > Status Change Reasons. The Clients Closed report under Reports > Clients lists each closed client's Closure Reason. If your organization does not use closure tracking, you can turn the closure fields off under Admin > Client Fields.