What Are E-Check Payments?
Enabling E-Check payments in SmartMoving via our partner, Remedy Payments, offers a streamlined and secure way to process digital transactions, allowing your business to handle electronic checks (e-checks) effortlessly. By integrating E-Check payments, you can give customers the flexibility to make payments directly from their bank accounts, which offers more benefits over credit cards, including more secure and consistent processing of large transactions.
This guide will walk you through the process of setting up E-Check payments, using the feature within your system, and understanding how it enhances your integrated payment offerings in SmartMoving.
Why Enable E-Check Payments?
Integrating E-Check payments provides several benefits:
Cost Efficiency: E-Check transactions typically have lower fees compared to credit card payments.
Secure Payments: E-Check reduces the risk of fraud by using bank account verification processes.
Seamless Customer Experience: E-Check payments can be made just like any other form of payment in SmartMoving, making the process frictionless and easy for you to manage.
Setting Up E-Check Payments
If you are interested in enabling E-Check payments in SmartMoving, contact our partner Remedy Payments.
Phone: 714.461.2200
Email: [email protected]
Remedy will handle the initial process and communicate all necessary information with your SmartMoving Customer Success representative, who will get you setup in SmartMoving.
How to Take an E-Check Payment
Once E-Check is set up, you can begin accepting payments through multiple workflows. Here’s how to do it from both the web app and the invoice portal.
Method 1: Using E-Check Payments in the Web App
Open an opportunity and click the Payment button.
Select Take Payment.
A new E-Check card will appear on the screen.
E-Check payment options now display as cards rather than drop-down lists, making them more visible.
Click on the E-Check card to proceed.
Read the customer authorization script provided by Remedy, which appears in-app and is also provided here. This script complies with legal requirements unique for authorizing over-the-phone transactions for E-Check payments. It is recommended that you record these calls for auditing purposes.
Script: “[Full Name], by providing your bank account information and verbal authorization today, [DD/MM/YYYY], you [Full Name] are authorizing [Company Name] to create an E-Check debit to your account and that this Check by Phone may be drafted from your account as early as today. In the event your Check by Phone is returned from your bank unpaid, you further agree that a fee of $25.00 or as allowable by law shall also be charged to your account via draft or E-Check debit. Do you authorize [Company Name] to proceed with this Check by Phone?”
Ask the customer to confirm their authorization for the E-Check payment, then select Yes.
Enter the payment amount and click Next.
Collect the customer's Routing Number, Account Number, and Account Type (usually checking).
Confirm the payment.
Method 2: Taking Payments via the Pay Your Invoice Portal
Customers can also pay via the Pay Your Invoice portal. Here's how it works:
The customer accesses the Pay Your Invoice link.
A one-time passcode (OTP) will be required (delivered via text or email) to verify the customer’s identity.
The passcode is sent to the contact information on file (email or phone number) within the SmartMoving estimate.
Once the customer verifies their identity, they will choose between Credit Card or E-Check as the payment method.
4. The customer enters their payment details, including the account holder name, routing number, account number, and their bank account type.
5. They confirm the payment.
Method 3: Paying Storage Fees with E-Check
Customers can also use E-Check to pay for one-time storage fees. The process is identical to paying for other services:
Log in to the Pay Your Invoice portal using the one-time passcode.
Choose between Credit Card or E-Check as the payment method.
Enter the required bank details and confirm the payment.
Method 4: Using E-Check Payments in the Crew App
While the Crew App does not allow crew members to directly enter bank details, they can still facilitate E-Check payments:
The crew selects E-Check as the payment option in the Crew App.
Once the E-Check payment type has been selected, hit the Send E-Check Request button.
A link is sent to the customer via email or SMS message, guiding them to the Pay Your Invoice portal.
The customer enters their account and routing numbers in the portal. The Crew App will display a loading icon while awaiting confirmation of the payment.
Once the payment is complete, the crew can proceed with closing out the job.
New Functionality for OTP and E-Check Payments in the Customer Portal
We’ve introduced a new feature for E-Check payments and One-Time Passcodes (OTP) that allows you to designate a specific contact as the "Customer Portal Payer" within the Customer Portal.
When a customer has E-Check enabled in their SmartMoving account, you will be able to designate them as a "Customer Portal Payer" by doing the following:
Accessing their contact information through the edit feature or pencil icon
Clicking the Mark as Customer Portal Payer
Saving the changes.
When a contact is marked as the Customer Portal Payer, you will see a tag indicating this status when sending an invoice. This tag helps you identify the designated payer quickly.
On the "Verify Identity" page, the contact information associated with the Customer Portal Payer will be displayed, showing where the audit trail is sent. This ensures that the correct party is verified during the payment process.
This update enhances the efficiency and clarity of the payment workflow within the customer portal.
Saving E-Check Payment Details
We've added the ability to save E-Check account details as a saved payment method. This feature streamlines the payment process by allowing customers to securely store their E-Check account information for future transactions.
When a customer makes an E-Check payment, they will have the option to save their payment details for future use. This reduces repetitive data entry and accelerates the checkout process.
Deposits via E-Check Payments
With our latest release, customers can now pay deposits via E-Check! This enhancement provides a convenient, secure way to collect deposit payments directly from customer bank accounts. To ensure added security, One-Time Passcodes (OTPs) are required for any customers choosing to pay their deposits through E-Check.
When processing an E-Check deposit:
Customers will need to enter their bank account details.
A One-Time Passcode will be sent to the customer for verification.
Once the passcode is verified, the deposit will be processed securely.
This feature helps streamline payment collection while maintaining robust security for your customers.
Legal Considerations for E-Check Payments
It’s important to follow legal protocols when collecting E-Check payments, especially during phone transactions. Use the provided script to ensure you are in compliance with laws and regulations governing e-checks. This protects your business and ensures that the customer’s payment authorization is properly documented.
Understanding E-Check Chargebacks
SmartMoving automatically detects and handles E-Check chargebacks and voided transactions. If a customer's E-Check payment is reversed by the bank, SmartMoving will update the job balance and notify the user, reducing the need for manual tracking.
This feature applies to both Moving and Storage transactions.
How E-Check Chargebacks Work
When a customer makes an E-Check payment, it may take a few days to process. If the payment is reversed due to insufficient funds or other issues, SmartMoving will detect this and update the transaction status.
What Happens When a Chargeback or Voided Payment Occurs?
The system automatically marks the payment as Chargedback or Voided.
The job balance updates to reflect the amount still due.
The payment is removed from any invoices it was applied to.
You or the user assigned to the job will receive an email notification with a link to the affected job or opportunity.
Setting Up E-Check Chargeback Detection
To enable chargeback detection, ensure your E-Check integration settings are properly configured.
Steps to Update E-Check Integration Settings:
Go to Settings > Integrations > Integrations Library > E-Check Configuration or click here.
Click Edit on your existing E-Check configuration.
Fill in the required fields.
Save the changes.
The system will confirm if the postback is properly configured.
Once set up, you will automatically receive email notifications for chargebacks and voided payments.
Viewing Chargeback Details
Once a chargeback occurs, you can view the details:
Navigate to Sales > My Leads > Customer > Accounting > Payments.
The chargeback status will be listed under the Payments section.
For storage accounts, chargeback details will also appear in the Storage Payment Records.
Additional Notes
SmartMoving will automatically process chargebacks once your E-Check settings are correctly configured.
Movers no longer need to manually check for bounced payments in external systems.
Chargeback notifications include a direct link to the affected job or opportunity.
QuickBooks Sync for E-Check Chargebacks
When a customer's E-Check payment is charged back or voided, SmartMoving adds a negative payment to reflect the reversal. This negative payment is then queued for sync to QuickBooks.
Retracted Payment Type Setup
A "Retracted Payment" type is available under the Accounts tab.
This payment type can only be mapped to accounts of type "Accounts Receivable".
E-Check Chargeback Sync for Opportunity Payments
When a chargeback occurs on an opportunity:
A negative payment is created and queued for sync.
The sync status updates normally.
Once synced, a green QuickBooks icon appears.
Clicking "View in QuickBooks" opens a new tab showing the corresponding Journal Entry.
Any sync issues will display as expected in the Sync Errors section.
E-Check Chargeback Sync for Storage Account Payments
When a chargeback occurs on a storage account:
A negative payment is created and queued for sync.
The sync status updates as expected.
After syncing, a "View in QB" button opens a new tab showing the related Journal Entry.
Sync errors appear if applicable.
How Journal Entries Appear in QuickBooks
Each journal entry for a retracted payment will include:
Credit Line:
The chargeback amount appears in the CREDIT column.
The ACCOUNT column shows the mapped Accounts Receivable account.
The NAME column shows the associated customer.
Debit Line:
The amount is also shown in the DEBIT column.
The ACCOUNT column lists the Banking account for E-Check.
The NAME column again lists the customer.
QuickBooks Sync Errors for Retracted Payments
You can manage failed retracted payment syncs from the QuickBooks Sync Errors page. Two new error types are available:
Moving Retracted Payments
Shows failed syncs related to opportunity payments.
Click the job link to go to the relevant job’s Accounting tab.
Click "Retry" to requeue the sync.
Storage Retracted Payments
Shows failed syncs related to storage account payments.
Click the account link to go to the storage account.
Click "Retry" to requeue the sync.
Conclusion
Integrating E-Check payments into your system opens up new possibilities for secure, cost-effective transactions. Whether processing payments over the phone, through the Pay Your Invoice portal, or via the Crew App, E-Check provides a reliable and efficient alternative to credit cards.