Automated Payments is an Excellent Way to Collect Your Receivables

Everyday companies across America are realizing the benefits of automated payments. There are literally billions of electronic payments being processed each year through the ACH (Automated Clearing House) System. Since 1974 this nationwide network has provided business and government agencies with a fast, inexpensive way to move money.

In the same way that technology has had an impact on the way we live and work, so it has changed the way in which we make payments. Increasingly, we are choosing to use automated payments rather than paper based payments such as checks and bankers’ drafts.

In 2004 there were a record 4.8 billion automated payments (4.5 billion of those were processed by BACS). 93% of automated payments are bulk transactions generated by organizations and businesses both large and small and are: direct debits, used mainly to pay utility bills, life and general insurance premiums and various subscriptions; direct credits, used mainly for salary payments, pensions, annuities and child benefit.

The remaining 7% is made up of inter-bank telephone and online banking payments and standing order payments.

Even with the best intentions, some of your customers will have difficulty making every monthly payment to your office on time. You can continue spending a small fortune on sophisticated billing and collection systems, or you can switch over to one of the fastest growing methods for receiving monthly payments from your customers.

With proper authorization, you can collect money from your customers in one banking day, no matter where they bank in the United States (given funds availability). Gone forever are the days of manually processing payments. No longer will you wait for a check in the mail. No more printing or processing paper items. No time, money or administrative energy spent on doing things the “old way.” And, no more excuses for late payments.

These systems also include the use of Electronic Check Recovery. If a check or pre-authorized payment is returned for non-sufficient funds, your transaction will automatically be re-submitted. Not only does this ability save you time and money, it saves you and your customer the embarrassment of collecting the NSF items.

Virtually any business can benefit from electronic payments, including health clubs, home security companies, internet service providers, leasing companies, insurance companies, merchants on the Internet, wholesale distributors, catalog companies, collection agencies, phone companies, city utilities and many others. Your company is no exception.
What Are The Advantages of Automated Electronic Payments?

Timely Funds Settlement
Less Expensive than Mailing Invoices
Streamlines Your Billing Department
Built-in Recovery for NSF Items
No Cost for NSF Checks
Reliable Cash Flow
Custom Payment System Tailored to Your Business
Internet Payment Solutions
Ability to Take Checks Over the Phone
Direct Payroll Deposit
Software Available
No Cost for Special Equipment
No Customer is too Small

Imagine a future where all payments will be automated…Companies will simply collect the money owed to them by electronically debiting their customer’s bank account…Welcome to the future.

“Automated payments improves cash flow by eliminating the time lag between billing and payment, and saves invoice costs. It also spares clients the hassle of writing and mailing checks. There was a 100% increase in the number of checks cut since 1992 due to small-biz growth…”

Business Week Enterprise/June 22, 1998