Let’s face it, clients rarely pay with cash these days— credit cards and ACH (e-check) payments are the new favorite ways to pay. This transition can be a good thing for businesses, as well. Payment processors have made it easier, faster, and more secure for clients to submit their payments digitally, and these digital payments get deposited right into your event company’s bank account. Not only that, but with the right combination of payment processors and software, digital payment processors can save you a lot of time, too.

At Goodshuffle Pro, we’ve found three key features you should look for from a payment processor to help you save time.

Automated Payments

We’ve all had those clients we have to chase down in order to collect payment, whether they’re busy or just forgetful. It takes time and energy out of your day that you could be spending on growing your event company. That’s where automatic payments come in.

Let’s say you have an incredibly busy client who tends to respond to your emails only after 10pm. You’ve tried to get them on the phone during business hours with minimal success, and you have to book appointments to meet at least a week in advance. Collecting payment is probably going to be a pain…right?

Thankfully, automatic payments make it easy for your clients to pay on their own time— even late at night. With Goodshuffle Pro and Stripe, you can send your clients a digital quote that they can approve on the spot, and then pay immediately or at a later date. If there is a deposit due now and the remainder is due closer to the event date, they can click one box and the processor will automatically execute this policy. This also can apply for net payment policies for your regular clientele! This significantly cuts down on the amount of billing “babysitting” you have to do and allows you to focus on more important tasks.

Automated Billing Reminders

So, what do you do when your client decides they need to wait to pay later…and then they forget? Don’t worry, there are built-in solutions for this situation, too.

Automated billing reminders allow you to set up schedules for your payment processor to send out payment reminders on your behalf. Generally, these schedules can be flexible to include a week after a quote is signed, 2 weeks before an event, or whatever schedule works best with your event company’s payment policies. This invaluable tool will reduce the amount of billing-related follow up and save you time. Plus, it’s saving you from awkward conversations that can feel like you’re badgering your VIP clients! You don’t want to break away from being the helpful, lovable business owner to suddenly become a bill collector, so it’s far simpler to allow the payment processing system to send these notices for you.

Easy Client Payment Process

Payment processor features will only save you time if they are easy for your clients to use. No one wants to struggle against a payment form or worry about payment security. For example, have you ever found yourself being redirected to another site you don’t recognize while checking out? This can leave you feeling very uncertain of the security of your information. Find a payment processor that has a straightforward process that is fully integrated into your contract system in an intuitive way to ensure that your clients will be able to pay their bill without a second thought. Having an easy payment process also means that you’ll spend less time on the phone, walking your clients through the process— or resorting to taking payment over the phone.

Bonus Time Saver— Pull It All Together!

If your inventory management system can’t pull these three features together to save you hours of work per week, then you should consider breaking up with that software. Technology is here to help us with our daily tasks, so it’s vital for your sanity to find software that works for your company and clientele. Getting paid is the most essential part of any business, so it should be the easiest for both you and the client.

The good news is, the Goodshuffle Pro and Stripe partnership brings together all of these features— and more.

Not only is billing your client a breeze for your event company— just the click of a button will send them a quote with the options to approve, decline, make changes, and/or pay— but actually making a payment is easy for your client, too. From your client’s quote, they can seamlessly submit a payment immediately, or return to the page when they’re ready to submit a payment. In fact, making a payment is so easy that 70% of clients pay their bills within three days, which also means you’ll get paid faster as a result!

You can also set up a payment reminder right from your Goodshuffle Pro account. To set up reminders for all of your clients, simply navigate to your Account Settings, then Notifications. Reminders can also be set up for individual projects, which is especially useful if you have clients you know will forget to pay their invoice or may need special attention. From there, you’ll be able to specify the type of notification to send to your client, plus set the number and duration for the reminders. Once you’ve configured your payment reminders, Goodshuffle Pro will send out email(s) to your clients, reminding them to pay their invoice, and will include a payment link for easy access. You can set it and forget it!

In addition to their top-rated security, a major factor in Goodshuffle Pro partnering with Stripe as a payment processor is its seamless integration and usability. Bulky websites can make paying bills a huge chore. With Stripe, everything is integrated seamlessly, so your clients won’t feel like they’re bouncing between websites to pay their bills. Everything is in one location and it’s easy to use. We’ve also worked hard to make billing easy for event profs, too. Our goal is to help remove the headache from your workday and to save you time and money.