Streamlining Payments for ISVs: What Success Looks Like

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What if the biggest barrier to your platform’s growth isn’t your code—but your payment system? For independent software vendors (ISVs), clunky payments turn ambition into frustration, making a function that could be a revenue booster into an Achilles’ heel.

While online payment systems are a solid investment, they’re known for being costly to build, tricky to manage and a source of endless headaches for any IT team. But with the right strategy, partner and platform, payments can truly become your strongest competitive edge.

Most software providers start small, adding payment capabilities as they’re developed and needed. But over time, this patchwork approach leads to:

  • Multiple processors with different settlement timelines
  • Fragmented reporting and reconciliation
  • Higher risk of fraud and failed transactions
  • Increased support burden and manual inputs
  • Limited visibility into performance metrics

These issues affect any ISV supporting clients who accept payments—whether that’s an organization that processes fines, fees and other government-related payments, or another type of software company that manages subscriptions, donations or invoices.

Whatever your industry and specialty, you’re likely tired of juggling fragmented systems, chasing down failed transactions and wrestling with compliance. You’re not alone. Want to know how leading ISVs are escaping the friction and finally making payments work for them? Keep reading.

 

A universal problem: payment friction and data silos

ISVs of all sizes and types face a common challenge: how to deliver seamless, scalable payment experiences without building their payments infrastructure from scratch. Whether serving government agencies, healthcare providers or small businesses, ISVs need a payments partner that can simplify complexity, reduce risk and grow with them.

That’s where CSG Forte comes in. Our platform is designed to streamline payments across industries, and has decades of experience doing so. That includes the government sector, where CSG Forte’s payments platform has helped multiple agencies go digital without a heavy tech lift.

One remarkable example is in the story of Intech Apex Court Solutions—a Texas-based ISV that serves justice courts statewide. It serves as a powerful example of what’s possible.

 

Case in point: Intech’s transformation

Intech’s platform offers a practical, reliable way for courts to streamline payments and serve diverse communities. Its intuitive design, flexible payment options and accessibility features have helped dozens of Texas courts transform their payment processes, making it easier for both clerks and citizens to manage fines and fees. Intech embedded CSG Forte’s Engage platform into its court management software, and recently began offering the Text to Pay feature, which allows court clerks to text payment information directly to a person’s phone. The recipient can pay on the spot through a secure payment portal.

This feature is especially useful in Texas, where several counties have a large concentration of non-native English speakers. Prior to implementing Text to Pay, the language barrier often led to dropped calls, abandoned payments and incorrectly entered personal and payment information, costing counties thousands in uncollected fees and payments.

Now, clerks send secure payment links directly via SMS, making it easy for citizens to pay fines and fees from their phones—no logins, no hassle. They can also send the information via email or an interactive voice response (IVR) call if the payer prefers.

Rosie Alfaro, Dimmit County court clerk, says it’s “the greatest thing ever,” and estimates she’s saving as much as 20 minutes on payment phone calls. This convenience not only streamlines the payment process for clerks, but also dramatically improves access for diverse communities, eliminating barriers that previously slowed down collections and increased manual work.

After integrating CSG Forte’s platform, Intech’s clients began benefitting from:

  • Cross-precinct payment enablement
  • Multilingual automated voice calls
  • As much as 20 minutes saved on each payment call
  • Limited visibility into performance metrics

These results weren’t just operational wins—they were proof that a better payment experience leads to better outcomes.

 

Why this matters for ISVs everywhere

Intech’s success isn’t about courts. It’s about what happens when an ISV chooses the a right payments partner.

CSG Forte’s platform is built for ISVs that want:

  • Easy integration via APIs and developer docs
  • Dedicated onboarding and support
  • Flexible processing models that adapt to different verticals
  • Scalable infrastructure that grows with their clients

Whether you’re building a software platform for education, utilities, healthcare or a government agency, CSG Forte helps you deliver payments that feel effortless—for your users and your team.

 

The CSG Forte fix: a unified platform that works for everyone

CSG Forte’s platform solves these problems by offering:

  • Text to Pay and Email to Pay: Send secure payment links via SMS or email, enabling instant transactions without login friction.
  • IVR Workflows: Accept payments over the phone in multiple languages, 24/7, without live agents.
  • Installment Plans: Flexible recurring billing options that reduce missed payments and improve cash flow.
  • Real-Time Verification: Instantly validate account details to reduce fraud and failed transactions.
  • Automated Reminders: Keep customers on track with scheduled nudges—no manual follow-up needed.
  • PCI-DSS Compliance: Built-in security and compliance, so ISVs don’t have to manage it themselves.

These features are embedded in CSG Forte’s payer engagement platform, which integrates easily with ISV ecosystems and scales as your client base grows.

 

Payments shouldn’t be a project

For ISVs, payments should be a feature, not a burden. CSG Forte’s platform makes it easy to embed payments into your product, support your clients and scale your business.

Intech’s story shows what’s possible. Now it’s your turn. Ready to streamline and simplify your siloed payments system? Download our ISV-specific eBook or reach out to one of our payments experts to explore how CSG Forte can support your platform.