How to accept online payments for your pool service company.

Business tips
Jereme Sanborn


When pool cleaning and servicing season is in full swing, the last thing you want is to spend hours calling around to chase down customers with unpaid invoices. Accepting online payments is easier, faster, and more reliable. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to grow your business with credit and debit card sales. So take the plunge and get your online payment portal up and running with just a few quick steps today!

Choose a payment service provider.

Payment processing providers like Payanywhere provide all-in-one solutions for small business owners, including access to a virtual terminal and a credit card machine if you want to collect payments from customers at the time of service over the phone. Keeping your typical transaction volume in mind, be sure to compare monthly and per-transaction fees from different providers to find a cost-effective solution for your pool business. Check security policies and breach histories as well, so that you can be confident your customers’ information will be well-protected from malicious cyber criminals.

Integrate with invoicing.

Most of the popular payment service providers include invoicing as part of their packages, which is a huge help when you’re inundated with clients. Once you design a branded invoice, input customer information, and add pricing data for your most common services, you can automate most of what would otherwise be a laborious process. Invoices come together with just a few clicks and zip off to customers’ inboxes for easy online payment.

To ensure customers pay on time, you can also set reminders to send your invoices automatically a few days before and the day the invoices are due. If late payment fees are part of your policy, include a note in the final reminder to let customers know they’ll be charged more if they miss the payment date.

Set up recurring billing options.

When customers prefer to have you service their pools on a regular schedule throughout the season, using recurring invoices makes collecting payments easier. Some providers make it possible to automate recurring payments; others send an email invoice with a link to send customers directly to your payment gateway. Both options free you from the monotony of preparing separate invoices. Automatic payments are particularly useful for minimizing delinquency and busy customers appreciate the ease of letting bills, in essence, pay themselves.

A reliable payment processor takes the headache out of accepting payments and empowers you to grow your business by improving cash flow and increasing your customer base. With a more reliable way to get paid, you can stop worrying about losing income and stay focused on delivering quality pool services.

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