Streamline your Business with our Invoice and Recurring Billing Automated Payments Platform:
Are you looking for an easy-to-use system where you can create proposals, invoices and accept automated payments all in one place? Well, look no further because with FintechMerchantAccounts you can! And in addition, enjoy HUGE savings on processing fees! In this post, I will break down all of the features and benefits that your business will have by having our system in place.
Automate Proposal & Invoice Payments:
Does your business prepare proposals, estimates, or scope of work for your potential customers or clients? If they accept how do you move forward with the payment? Does your business send out invoices out to clients that are on net payment terms with you? Think of the time and stress you would save if you could streamline that process and automate payments? We took this into account when we were designing our platform and as result developed an easy feature function.
Firstly, our merchants create a proposal or quote from the dashboard of our API with an embedded “Pay Now”button. You then either email or even text it to your prospective client or customer, in turn, they just click Pay Now, and they are done! Meanwhile, on our end, we verify and authorize the transaction in real-time. Subsequently, you will receive the deposit in your bank account either the same day or by the next day. We have found that this creates a positive experience for your client by allowing them to make a frictionless payment with no pressure. In addition, it also is a professional reflection on your business.
Secondly, if your business offers payment terms to certain accounts and sends out invoices, we can automate that. You can either send out an e-invoice manually or schedule it in our system. The same process described above takes place and our API will alert you when the payment is made and when the funds are deposited into your bank account. Once again, deposits are made to your bank account the same or next business day.
Automated Recurring Billing:
I will start by saying that the majority of the businesses that I work with use recurring billing. Therefore I can bring my experience to the table. If you have a subscription or membership-based business you realize the importance of having a system in place the specializes in continuity payments. The recurring billing business is popular for those who want to generate a monthly revenue income stream. You should be aware of the various options in place to capture your recurring payments.
FintechMerchantAccounts provides credit cards, ACH e-check, and e-debit processing. Depending on the product or service that you offer, some options are better than others. I always tell my clients that the more payment options you offer, the greater your sales. However, if have a restricted business that can limit your options. I will break down the pros and cons for each option below.
Credit Cards
Pros:
Credit cards are easy. They are the path of least resistance. If you work with consumers it is their preferred method of payment. You can now store them on a smartphone and laptop and they are easy to use. Click HERE for an online quote for credit card processing.
Cons:
Customer Retention. Credit cards have a habit of getting lost and replaced. When that happens guess what happens when you have them on recurring payments. Yup, you guessed it.. it gets declined! This can have a negative impact on your business’s revenue stream.
Fees: Credit card fees are high. This is particularly true when it comes to high-end reward cards. I tell my merchants that when their customer pays them with a reward and says, ” My points paid for my last vacation.” Well, guess who is paying for those points? Right again! You pay for those fees. Just look at your most recent merchant statement and see the extra fees you paid in Reward and Merit points. I want to warn you that you probably are not going to be happy! This can dramatically have an effect on your margins and you should review it. If you need help with that I would be happy to provide your business with a complimentary merchant rate analysis.
Automated ACH Payments 
Pros:
In my professional opinion, ACH payments are the best way to accept payments for recurring billing. Your fees will be a lot less than credit card processing and your retention will be much greater. Unlike a credit card, your customer changes their bank account on a less frequent basis. Subsequently, this is going to increase your retention which is the name of the game in the automated payments business model. Equally important, there are no reward points for you to pay with ACH payments. The flat fee cost of ACH makes it easier for you to gauge your profit margin.
So if you own a low-risk business such as a fitness center offering memberships or an answering service or a landscaping company that manages accounts; you are likely to save a great deal of money converting your automated billing to this method. I know this because the national companies are already doing this. It is usually wise to follow their lead. Click HERE for an online quote for ACH payment processing.
Cons:
Some of your customers may be reluctant to disclose their banking information. However, the reality is there is no more risk than sending a paper check. They will only be disclosing the same information that is present on a paper check, and consumers have no problem sharing that information. Of course, the potential reluctancy only exists on the B2C level. On the B2B level, ACH still remains the most common method of payment. (With FintechMerchant Accounts API you can also accept a photo of a paper check with our image capture feature.)
e-Check and e-Debit Payments
Pros:
A good solution for higher-risk businesses. I use e-check and e-debit frequently for businesses that do not qualify for credit card processing or ACH payments. I personally work with many high-risk businesses and they have had a great deal of success using this payment option.
Some businesses are considered restricted or prohibited from a credit card processing perspective. Likewise, ACH is governed by NACHA who is also very restrictive in approving merchants. As an example, if you sell supplements or nutraceuticals and offer a “Free Trial” you will have difficulty obtaining credit card processing or ACH. These business types are a perfect fit for e-check/e-debit. The fundamentals are the same as ACH but without having to answer to NACHA for approval. This allows you to grow your business with automated payments. at FintechMerchantAccounts we also have a built-in verification process to ensure the funds are available. Click HERE for an online quote for e-check and e-debit payments.
Cons:
Due to AML/KYC compliance, it only works in the USA and Canada. So the funds need to come from a USA or Canadian bank account, and the processor must deposit into a USA or Canadian bank account.
Payment Plans Using Automated Billing:
Have you ever considered financing your customers? Since FintechMerchantAccounts enabled this feature I have seen phenomenal growth. In fact, it really blew me away! I was so impressed by the number of sales that my merchants were able to retain by offering this simple solution. If you are in a business that deals with unexpected expenses you have probably experienced your share of lost opportunities because the customer did not have the money to pay. Don’t let them walk! Instead, offer options to them.
With this feature, you can break down the cost and create a simple interest loan right in our API. You then enter the rate you want to charge and schedule of payments and the rest is automated. We will debit each payment from your customer’s bank account on the set date and deposit the payment plus the interest you charge to your bank account. I recommend doing it to get a down payment to cover your hard cost and finance the rest to your customer. My merchants have told me the interest they earned was an added profit that really impacted their bottom line significantly. I have included some examples below.
Automated In-House Financing:
Law Firms: I work with many general practice firms that use our platform for invoicing; however, criminal defense and divorce lawyers use our payment plans on a regular basis to grow their practice.
Dentist, Plastic Surgeons, and Veterinarians: I have assisted these businesses in creating an in-house financing department for their patients. It has become an enormous profit center for them. If you own a healthcare business I can help you set this up for your business.
Auto Repair: Many transmission and muffler shops take advantage of this option and it has dramatically helped them in retaining business they otherwise would have lost.
Plumbing, HVAC, and Electrical Contractors: All of my emergency home contractors do well with this program. If you are a skilled trades contractor it is a must-have tool for your toolbox.
Used Car Dealerships: Most credit card processing companies have restrictions on buy here, pay here cars dealerships. Basically, it violates their TOU for recurring billing. We do not have that restriction with our platform. It works perfectly for this.
Billpay Direct to Bank:
With this feature, you can deposit funds, pay vendors or send money to recipients anytime from anywhere in the world.
Save Time Money and Increase Revenue:
Savings: It will come as no surprise to you that the top two things that every business owner has in common are cutting costs and increasing revenue. There is no question that automating payments and tasks. will help you to achieve that by saving time. However, the merchant rate that you pay to process the transaction is also a factor. With our system in place, merchants save an average of 35%! We are able to do this by cutting out all of the junk fees and replacing them with practical solutions.
Increasing Revenue: The functionality and feature-rich automated payment benefits that we offer will allow you to generate more income. Our technology will show you ways to capture business that were otherwise not possible.
Simplicity Of Our System:
Our robust, feature-rich platform is a 100% cloud-based API. That means there is no software for you to install, and you can access and use our API on any type of device and have unlimited authorized users. We also wanted to design to be very user-friendly. FintechMerchantAccounts has a full live support staff and step-by-step video tutorials to help you get started. We can also integrate with other payment gateways and shopping carts if that is something you need.
Free Trial:
FintechMerchantAccounts is so confident that you grow your business with our automated payments platform that we will allow you to try it free. This way you can putter around with all of our features at no cost. Just click HERE and we will send you a link to log in to your demo account. If you would like to speak to us with any questions just call us at 617-918-7235. (Yes, we still like the personal touch of a phone call!) You can also ask Sandy a question at the bottom of your screen.
Additional Resources are below.