What Is a Payment Link?

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Today, every business needs to offer a variety of payment options for their products, services and invoices. Furthermore, these offerings need to be fast and secure to meet your customers’ ever-expanding needs. Personalized payment links meet all of the above requirements, and CSG Forte’s payer engagement platform also integrates seamlessly into your existing website setup, messaging platforms and social accounts.

A secure payment link allows you to expedite payments through an easily accessible code or link. Often, these are in the form of “buy now” or “pay now” buttons, QR codes and in-text links. When a customer follows the link, they bypass all the searching, add-to-cart and information-adding steps. Instead, they go straight to a customized invoice that is ready for payment, shortening the conversion process and increasing the chances of them making payment.

Benefits of Using Payment Links

Setting up a payment link can take just minutes—from there, you have an easy-to-use, secure link that you can share with your customer on their preferred communication channel.  A payment link can:

  • Offer a range of payment options: Almost half of all online payments are made through a mobile wallet. An additional 30% of payments use debit or credit cards. Payment links ensure you can work with the digital payment methods your customers prefer.
  • Provide expedited payment capability: Payment links let people complete purchases in as little as one click. That means fewer late payments.
  • Customize the sales experience: Your normal sales platform may be one-size-fits-all, but your payment links can be as unique as the people viewing them. Customize the URL of your payment links with your branding and link customers to a personalized invoice.

Where to Use Payment Links

Perhaps the top benefit of payment links is that you can use them anywhere, online and in person. Consider how a payment link can affect conversions from these avenues:

  • Emails: Getting your customers to open your email is half the battle—the other half is keeping them interested long enough to take action. A payment link at the beginning of your email that takes them straight to a personalized invoice ensures you’re making the payment experience quick and convenient.
  • Text messages: SMS messages are a fast-paced way to streamline reaching potential buyers. Sending a text message requests immediate action, and when you pitch it just right, your customers will be eager to reply.
  • Phone calls: Whether you make calls through a call center or by using interactive voice response (IVR), you can opt to send callers a link for payment via email or text message.
  • In-person connections: New technologies have more and more people paying for services online, even when they visit a physical location. Pay links and generated QR codes allow anyone to make a payment from their mobile device right in front of you, whether you’re in-store, at a pop-up event or even on a home sales call.

Use Cases

From making payments on a product to resolving billing concerns, every business in any industry can find uses for payment links in front-end and back-end operations. At CSG Forte, many of our clients use this versatile tool to:

  • Collect mobile, online and card payments in person
  • Send invoices and collect bill payments
  • Target multiple consumer demographics simultaneously
  • Set up donation accounts or host fundraisers

Why Should You Choose CSG Forte Engage?

When you create payment links for invoicing, online checkouts and donations, you essentially establish a new website that integrates with your existing technology. Your clients’ payment information goes through this secure nanosite and communicates the sales with your platform immediately, simplifying the process for both you and your customers. CSG Forte’s low-code platform allows you to:

  • Automate payments and collections: After customers use your payer engagement platform once, they’ll be able to make automatic payments on future purchases and bills. A faster, easier payment cycle means more business for you and greater satisfaction for your customers.
  • Switch payment channels as needed: Users can choose which channel they’d like to use to make a payment, whether that’s over the phone with your support or completely online. They can also switch between channels throughout the process as their needs evolve.
  • Maintain security and flexibility: Customers can make full payments today or schedule recurring payments for the future based on their preferences. Whenever they pay, the nanosite will maintain their privacy—our site is fully PCI compliant—to a degree that even your staff does not have access to payment information.
  • Orchestrate the payment journey: A/B testing is an excellent method of discovering new ways to market to a range of target audiences. Our platform’s customization options allow you to offer different sites to different people and see which ones yield the best results.
  • Provide fast, on-brand service: Even when you work with CSG Forte’s payer engagement platform, everything is branded for your business. Set up your system in weeks or even days and start collecting immediate, automatic payments using payment links of your own creation.

Take Control of Your Payments With CSG Forte

CSG Forte strives to be your partner in all business payments. Our solutions are award-winning, and we know how to process all types of payments with professionalism and safety—our team has handled billions of dollars for the world’s leading merchants. The CSG platform offers a holistic, customizable approach to everyday payments, and our payment link services are just the next step in making your business a leader in your industry.

Get started with a demo from our experts or take the plunge and open an account with us today. Our sales team will answer all your questions and guide you through everything you need to know.