Accounting Website with user accounts

[j1980mac]

I am needing a functionality built into an accountant website via WordPress. The functionality would include the ability for clients to make a login from website front end, pay the fees that they owe (offsite), and download their PDF files (tax docs). I would like the clients to always have the same login so therefore they can repeat the process each year after. I want a system/ functionality that is easy for the accountant to manage, and to post the PDFs.

How could S2 member pro do this?

Thanks

[Harty]

Wouldn't a shopping cart for digital downloads such as wp e commerce fit the bill?

[j1980mac]

Hey, thanks for getting back to me so quickly.

I'm not sure if that would be the only plugin I'd need because I'd have sensitive data that ONLY belongs to the person that is paying to download it. I want the users to be able to go retrieve them at anytime they need them (after they pay). The are tax files in PDF format.

Now what do you think?

[Harty]

Oh I see.
S2member would be a solution for you then.
Simply place protected links to files on member only pages.

[j1980mac]

Yes but how are is there going to be a way to pay a custom amount for that file that is up for download? It has to be for a specific users eyes only...

[Eduan]

What you can do is put the link on a protected page, and then sell the access to that page.

You can do it through specific post/page access, see this link for more info:
http://www.s2member.com/specific-posts-pages-video/

You can also do it through custom capabilities, though they will require a little more job on your side, they are the most powerful way to sell access. See this video for more info:
http://www.s2member.com/custom-capabilities-video/

Hope this helps.

[j1980mac]

Hey guys, thanks for all or your help.

I am still unsure if you are getting the part about how the PDF files that the users need to pay for have to be unique to them, and unable to be paid for by anyone but that person. So it would almost seem like the user would have to have a pre-existing account already set up by the admin. Once the "unique PDF files" are ready for purchase, the admin could then (send an email with a special link) to the client, "telling them that their taxes are done".The user could either activate that account (when clicking on link), thus displaying the file that they need to pay for. Once paid for, they should always have the ability to go and retrieve that file through a front-end login... Would this work?

I really hope this helps.

Happy New Year!

Thanks,

Josh

[Harty]

With s2member pro you can have unlimited membership levels.
Perhaps You can assign a new membership level to each paying client. Ie, customer one, membership level one. Customer two, membership level two and so on up to 1000s etc.
Then each client get a unique log in to a specific membership level unique to them.
That's my best guess, short of creating drop boxes for each client on an FTP server or similar, such as a pro yousendit.com account whereby clients and download PDFs at any time.

[Eduan]

Harty, the problem with this is that client #50 (level 50) will have access to the information of all the other customers (levels 1-49).

I think your best shot at this are the Custom Capabilities I mentioned, you will need a little code I think, to give each user his own user page, even though they all have the same Custom Capability.

Hope this helps.

[Harty]

Quite right Eduan, silly me! Too early for me eh, in new Zealand...
Yes, your suggestion is the best bet.

[j1980mac]

Thanks for all of your replies. It sounds as if S2 Pro is NOT the tool for the job. I wish I could find the right solution. If anyone has a solution they'd like to point me to, I'm all ears.

[Harty]

My friendly advice would be not to place any personal tax docs online at all because you'd need the ssl system of a major bank to stop them being accessed by hackers etc.
If I were you I'd consider some option such as yousendit.com, where by your clients get sent, by you, a unique link to the download which is password protected.
Having said that, you could experiment with wordpress' own password page protection whereby people would need a password to access any given page. Perhaps this, coupled with s2member might fit the bill.
Ie, everyone lgs in to level 1, then searched out their name on a list, clicks their name, opens their page, and then enters the Wordpress page password to open the page, where there would be a link to download their PDF.
Of course, the PDFs would be in the s2member protected folder.
Hope that helps.

[j1980mac]

It kinda helps. When you say Wordpresses very own password page protection, what are you reffering to? Also, there couldn't be a list. I think that would violate some sort of confidentiality and people wouldn't feel comfy with that. Also, if they were to chose a name on the list, they could essentially pay for anyone's tax statement if they wanted to, right?

[Harty]

Hi.
Looks like you will need a very robust system then, like I said earlier, something akin to what a bank uses for online banking.
But, re the wp pages... Create a new page and look top right, you can make a page live, draft or put it behind a password.
Perhaps post your question on the wp forum...

[j1980mac]

Yeah I'm on odesk posting it, and EVERYONE of course says they can do it. lol I just know that there is a way to securely automate this...