Making a Request for Payment: Everything You Need to Know

Ecommerce tools have surged in popularity over the past nine months as businesses adjust to a changing economy and new consumer demands. Adding omnichannel and online payment solutions makes your business more adaptable and resilient. In this series, we'll share the payment tools you need to get paid online.

Payment Requests -- A no-contact payment solution

Here's a scenario your business has likely encountered over the past six months. You need to collect payment for a product or service, and your customer wants to send you the payment, but both of you are trying to limit the number of people you interact with.

Luckily, increasing popular digital payment tools like Payment Requests make it easy to request and accept payments from customers without having to see them in-person. Sending a text or email Payment Request makes it easy to simultaneously notify your customer that they have a payment due while providing an easy pathway to complete the transaction. When your customer receives the Payment Request, they simply click the link in the message to view the payment details and submit their payment information. Adding Payment Requests to your available business tools helps remove the need for in-person payments while providing a convenient solution for you and your customers.

Why Your Business Will Love Payment Requests

Sending a Payment Request is an easy way to add a contactless payment method to your existing processes. With more customers coming to expect seamless payment options, offering a solution that lets them quickly "pay now" gives you a professional edge and helps steamline those payments.

Using Payment Requests helps make it quick and easy to collect outstanding balances from customers. Instead of trying to catch them on the phone or asking them to come to visit your store, you can send a payment link to their phone or email when it's convenient for you. Because Payment Requests are quick to create, you can send one as an initial payment request and resend as needed if your customer needs an additional reminder to complete their payment.

The requests can be personalized so you can add in whatever details you want to share. When you send your request, you can choose between including a default message or you can create a custom message that provides information specific to each customer or order. Using a default message can make it faster to send a Payment Requests, but most software should also let you create your own customized default message, so you can personalize what your customers receive, without having to type it in each time.

Once you've sent your payment requests, use your payment provider should offer account dashboards that allow you to review your existing requests and quickly see which ones are due and which ones are paid.

Right now, customers are actively looking for new ways to interact with businesses and they are receptive to trying new payment methods and notification types. Adding Payment Requests to your business helps you differentiate yourself from your competitors by showing customers you're invested in using the latest technology to improve their payment experiences.

Why Your Customers Will Love Payment Requests

Customers will appreciate the convenience of receiving a Payment Request because it allows them to quickly pay their bills from their phone, tablet, or computer using the convenient payment link. Instead of having to find time to stop by your location. especially as we move towards a cashless society, or schedule a phone call with you, they can instead pay from wherever they are at any time of day.

The payment link includes a detailed invoice of their purchase so they know exactly what they are paying for and they can be confident their payment information is being securely stored.

Examples of Payment Requests

You can use Payment Requests whenever you want to replace in-person payments with a contactless option. Here are some examples of how your business might want to use them:

To Collect Payment Ahead of Time

• A Drycleaner can request payment when a customer's clothes are ready so the customer can pay before picking up their items.
• Service Providers who are often on the go and need to request payment when a job is complete. For example, Plumbers, Window Washers, Landscapers, mechanics etc.
• Delivery based businesses including florists or catering companies who want to send text payment requests when they have arrived with the customer's order.
• Any service provider who wants to expedite a customer's pick up process from dog groomers, mechanics, veterinarians, and more.
• To speed up the customer checkout process if you're expecting a rush or longlines, this could be particularly helpful during the holiday season if customers are picking up online or phone orders in-person.

To Collect Deposits or Prepayment

• Whenever you need a deposit to complete a service or order products for a customer after completing the initial consultation, for example ordering maintenance parts for a piece of equipment.
• To secure a pre-order or reservation a customer wants to make. An example of this would be a business offering pre-orders for specialty holiday products or accepting pre-payment to secure popular clothing in advance.

To Follow Up on Overdue Payments

• Property management companies can use payment requests to remind tenants when they have overdue rent or need to pay their HOA fees.
• To remind a customer when an invoice has become past due by sending the Payment Request as a text instead of an email.

For Charity or Online Auction Items

• Send a text payment request when an online auction or fundraiser has ended to quickly let them know they have won while also asking for payment.
• These are just a few examples of how you can use Payment Requests to simplify your payment process and get paid faster. If you have a creative use or example of how you've used Payment Requests at your business, we would love to hear from you.

Want to Try Payment Requests?

Looking for invoicing software for small businesses? If your business wants to accept credit and debit cards in-person or online, Helcim provides honest, transparent, and affordable credit card processing that stands out in the industry. Our Interchange Plus pricing is widely regarded as the most honest and affordable billing method in the industry and merchants love our five-star customer service.

Every Helcim account includes access to our full suite of built-in payment tools including online invoicing. Create and send an unlimited amount of fully customizable invoices with integrated payments so you can get paid faster. Learn more about the Helcim Payment Requests.