Express checkout via email or text

Express checkout enables customers to pay for invoices, bills, products and services from an email or text message. During the Covid crisis, many businesses have searched for solutions, but not nearly enough have implemented solutions. As a customer, I’m still stuck trying to reach people in different time zones that are not in the office, or solutions that are frequently down or not compliant with card acceptance rules, which puts my card security at risk.

Checklist for B2B card not present express checkout:

  1. Must offer the ability to store a card (which will be managed by the third party provider).
  2. Storing cards must comply with current rules for storing and managing stored cards, including the ability for the customer to manage on demand which cards are on file, delete on demand, etc. See Visa stored credential mandate.
  3. The process to store a card should include a checkbox to opt-in to store the card.
  4. Merchant should secure the transaction with 3-D Secure to ensure lowest fees and chargeback protection.
  5. If not using an integrated solution, it should include the ability to attach invoice on demand to send with payment request.
  6. Solution must support level 3 processing, again to reduce merchant fees and maximize profits.
  7. Optional: partial payments. Some merchants may want to allow partial payment so at least collecting some money while other portion is in dispute or for other reasons.
  8. If omnichannel, the ability to use the same gateway for all services simplifies security management and accounting.
  9. Solution should be compatible with any merchant account so if you make a change, it does not disrupt consumer or merchant.

eipp payment requestIf merchants follow all the above rules, they will get paid faster, increase customer satisfaction, and incremental sales and profits.

Both EIPP and EBPP refer to electronic bill presentment and payment and the term can be used interchangeably. E-invoicing and Ebilling started out as a way to electronically deliver invoices. But now merchants can simply send a payment request, send an invoice, or send an account sign up for the customer to self-input their card on file so the merchant never, ever inputs cardholder data.

Don’t wait. Your customers will walk away when it’s easier to do business with someone else, especially for product lines available from multiple distributors.

Christine Speedy, Founder 3D Merchant Services, is a credit card processing expert with specialized expertise in card not present and B2B payment processing technology. Christine is an authorized reseller for Elavon and CenPOS products and services, in addition to other solutions and is QIR certified by the PCI Council. Call Christine for all merchant services related needs.

CenPOS Hosted Pay Page vs EBPP

I’m advising my CenPOS clients with card not present transactions to use either the hosted pay page or Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP), also known as electronic invoice presentment and payment (EIPP) due to increasingly complex rules. Plus cardholders are weary about giving out card data over the phone, and paper or digital credit card authorization forms should be abolished. Reducing friction to collect payments, while putting cardholders in control of their data, is proven to increase sales, profits and cashflow so updating procedures is a win win for you and your customers.

What is a hosted pay page?

A hosted pay enables customers to passively pay bills online via a secure web page hosted on a CenPOS server. The form can be embedded on your web site secured with an SSL certificate or you can direct customers to your custom CenPOS URL. The most common payment types CenPOS users enable are credit cards, Paypal, and ACH (echeck).

  • The burden for completing data fields to make a payment is on your customer.
  • Customers can optionally create an account and store and manage all payment methods.
  • Depending on your customer agreement, either you or the customer can use a stored token on file to initiate future transactions.
  • Customers can view prior payment history, but not actual invoices.

What is EBPP?

With EBPP, the payment request is delivered to the customer via email or text. The message includes a custom link to pay a specific bill or invoice and some of the fields are pre-filled. Customers prefer EBPP vs hosted pay page. The most common payment types CenPOS users enable are credit cards, Paypal, ACH (echeck) and wire transfer. The last is very important for international businesses to streamline bank reconciliation and match deposits to invoices.

  • Data fields, including invoice number and amount, are pre-filled to save your customer time.
  • Customers can optionally create an account to store card data, pay multiple invoices, review payment and invoice history in the CenPOS hosted portal.
  • Depending on your agreement with your customer, either you or the customer can use a stored token on file to initiate future transactions.
  • With a CenPOS ERP or accounting software integration, your records are automatically updated with payments, and reminders are automatically delivered.
  • Optional 2-way texting service has many benefits, including communicating with customers via their preferred methods- whether phone, text or email.

What are the benefits of customer initiated payments with hosted pay page or EBPP?

  • Increased efficiency to comply with new stored credential rules.
  • Reduced merchant fees for some cards (3-D Secure cardholder authentication must be enabled.)
  • Increased approvals with cardholder authentication.
  • Mitigate chargeback risk – with cardholder authentication fraud liability shifts to issuer.

In summary, either method of online payments increases security and enables customers to pay 24/7 to increase cash flow. EBPP solutions have significant additional benefits and the cost to implement is virtually nil, with many businesses experiencing an instant ROI.

Christine Speedy, CenPOS authorized reseller, 954-942-0483. CenPOS is a merchant-centric, end-to-end payments engine that drives enterprise-class solutions for businesses, saving them time and money, while improving their customer engagement. CenPOS secure, cloud-based solution optimizes acceptance for all payment types across multiple channels without disrupting the merchant’s banking relationships.

Quickbooks Payment link on Statements

Is it possible to have the payment link on statements as it is on invoices emailed to customer?

Yes, businesses using a desktop or self-hosted version of Quickbooks Enterprise and other versions can use the custom text field in the template set up to create a link. Customers click from the statement to a self-service portal to pay all invoices. This is not available with Intuit Merchant Services, but is supported with our third party module. The link from the invoice is to pay the specific invoice, no login required.

Are you tired of following up on late or past due receivables? Does it take weeks and months to get paid? Do your customers ‘lose invoices’? Do you want to qualify for low level III interchange rates for purchasing cards? Boost cash flow, efficiency and profits virtually overnight with the best alternative to Intuit merchant services for Quickbooks. Compatible with QuickBooks 2015 and 2016 Pro, Plus, Enterprise versions. (Not Quickbooks online.)

Adding a Pay Now Button Link To Quickbooks Statements

  1. Non-Intuit merchant account required to accept credit cards. Christine Speedy will help you with a wholesale account if you don’t already have one.
  2. Sign up for a CenPOS account with Christine Speedy.
  3. Install the supplied module.

Benefits

  • Send invoices the way your customers want- text or email
  • Automated reminder collections built-in
  • Quickbooks updated automatically when customers pay
  • ACH, wire, and Paypal, also supported
  • 3-D Secure supported to shift card not present fraud liability to issuer
  • For retail, full cashiering supported for 100% financial transparency.
  • EMV chip and pin, chip and signature supported
  • Smart rate selector reduces merchant fees

It’s quick and easy to get started with our Quickbooks credit card processing module so employees can get right to work without disruption.

Note: This article was accurate at the time written. Solutions are continually updated. Contact us for the latest facts.

Christine Speedy, CenPOS authorized reseller, 954-942-0483. CenPOS is a merchant-centric, end-to-end payments engine that drives enterprise-class solutions for businesses, saving them time and money, while improving their customer engagement. CenPOS secure, cloud-based solution optimizes acceptance for all payment types across multiple channels without disrupting the merchant’s banking relationships.

Visa and Viewpost to Accelerate Electronic Bill Payments for U.S. Businesses

Partnership to Simplify B2B Payments with Visa Virtual Credit Cards

SAN FRANCISCO & ORLANDO, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mar. 28, 2017– Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) and Viewpost®, a secure B2B network for electronic invoicing, payments and real-time cash management, today announced an exclusive partnership to bring electronic business payments to Viewpost’s small to medium-sized business clients (SMBs). By using Visa virtual commercial cards through their participating financial institutions, SMBs will increase automation, convenience and security for their B2B transactions.

Viewpost’s SMB customers will be able to benefit from Viewpost electronic payment capabilities and the use of a secure, one-time Visa virtual account number. When a virtual card payment is made through Viewpost, the supplier will receive a one-time virtual account number for posting funds to its merchant account. Viewpost will then deliver data-rich remittance information to both businesses, such as, paid invoices, the amount paid and the due date. If a supplier does not accept virtual commercial card payments, an invitation can be extended through a proprietary automation method, which makes enrollment quick and simple.

“Providing access to simple, secure working capital solutions for SMBs is a critically-important focus for our business,” said Vicky Bindra, global head of products & solutions at Visa Inc. “Our collaboration with Viewpost gives SMBs comprehensive financial management tools in a single portal – right where they bank. We are thrilled to partner with Viewpost and make our customers’ lives easier by significantly reducing time, cost and friction around payment, so they can focus on what is most important – managing and growing their businesses.”

As a trusted, open B2B network available to businesses of all sizes, Viewpost gives financial institutions the tools that enable SMBs to connect and exchange electronic invoices and payments, share transaction data and access working capital on demand with unprecedented ease and visibility. Visa’s partnership with Viewpost will help financial institutions in the U.S. bring to market a fully integrated and optimized SMB finance management solution that seamlessly integrates with their online banking site.

“We’re excited to partner with a renowned brand and payments technology leader like Visa,” said Max Eliscu, CEO at Viewpost. “This partnership accelerates our ability to address costly pain points in the multi-trillion-dollar B2B payments ecosystem1 while also, and perhaps most importantly, bringing flexibility, cost savings and simplicity of payment to the massive and underserved small business marketplace.”

“According to our 2016 Small Business Payments and Banking Survey, over two thirds of respondents indicated they preferred to pay bills through online banking tools, rather than a supplier’s website,” said Ken Paterson, vice president of research operations, Mercator Advisory Group. “The Visa/Viewpost partnership promises to offer a seamless integration for banks who are looking to enable their customers to have one centralized destination for all of their corporate payment needs.”

About Visa Inc.

Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world’s most advanced processing networks — VisaNet — that is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, pay ahead of time with prepaid or pay later with credit products.

About Viewpost

Viewpost North America is revolutionizing the way businesses transact with each other. Viewpost built the most trusted open business network to empower businesses of all sizes with real-time cash management for anytime operating decisions. On the secure Viewpost network, companies connect and exchange electronic invoices and payments with unprecedented ease and visibility, accessing working capital on demand. Enterprise clients are using Viewpost to cut costs, increase efficiency and improve cash management, including Accenture, Florida Hospital Medical Center, Georgetown University, the Orlando Magic and Whole Foods Market. With enterprise-grade security, including ISO 27001 and SSAE16 audited certifications and the TRUSTe Privacy Seal and Skyhigh CloudTrust Enterprise-Ready Rating, Viewpost is partnering with financial institutions to bring cash management tools to business customers at U.S. Bank, Bank of America and Fifth Third Bank. Viewpost innovation has been awarded Best in Show by Barlow Research, Best CISO/CSO by FireEye Cyber Defense Summit, CSO50 Award (four-time honoree) by IDG’s CSO, and Best B2B Payments Platform by Tradestreaming. Since Viewpost was opened to the public in early 2015, the total invoices presented and payments processed has reached $71.4 billion across the network. Founded in 2011, Viewpost is headquartered in the Orlando area with additional teams in Boston, Minneapolis and San Francisco.

1 Source: Accenture, https://www.accenture.com/us-en/~/media/Accenture/Conversion-Assets/DotCom/Documents/Global/PDF/Industries_5/Accenture-FS-Payment-Services-Corporate-Payments-PoV.pdf

Source: Visa Inc.

EBPP Improves Dealer Marketshare

Enhancing your customer experience involves many factors, and what happens when it’s time to pay is one of them, whether it’s online, in store or over the phone. The automotive and trucking industries have made significant investments to improve and measure their customer experiences, but failure to change payment technology creates differentiation for consumer choice. Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment, EBPP or EIPP, can create a more pleasant and secure consumer experience and can win dealers more marketshare.

eipp payment request

Body of email containing prefilled payment info, and link to securely pay online.

Let’s explore some examples. A dealer recently installed EMV chip card terminals. When a commercial account calls to order parts here are possible scenarios and repercussions:

  • The card number is key entered on the EMV chip terminal. Since the transaction is RETAIL, and the transaction was not swipe or chip, the dealer has no recourse if it’s fraud. Additionally, it will downgrade to the worst interchange rate, possibly doubling the cost to process the transaction. Some customers don’t like to spend the time going through the phone process, so the last touch with them is less than stellar.
  • The card number is key entered on a separate virtual terminal. If the transaction is MOTO, dependent upon merchant account configuration, the dealer has some fraud protection. Some customers don’t like to spend the time going through the phone process, so the last touch with them is less than stellar.
  • The customer gets a text message, or email, with a click to pay option. This is ideal because the customer is now in control of how and where they want to pay. Additional automated fraud controls like 3-D Secure Verified by Visa (VbyV) can be used. VbyV can mitigate risk, shifting fraud liability to the issuer, and sometimes also reduces the qualified interchange rate, depending on the card type.

If customers have multiple dealers to choose from, which will they go to? Millennial research shows they’ll switch for a better experience, and for them, that includes non-face-to-face interaction. Any dealer that wants to maximize customer satisfaction, and profits, must address the growing millennial demographic; they prefer to minimize personal interaction and use more digital technology as part of their purchasing experience. According to a Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System March 2016 report, purchasing an item on their phone (42%) was one of the top three common mobile payment activities among mobile payments users with smartphones.

Christine Speedy is an authorized reseller of CenPOS, creating efficiencies through payment innovation. The CenPOS EBPP solution is available both integrated to ERP and other software, as well as standalone via a web browser.