For years, ISVs and VARs have been helping their customers streamline back-office procedures with integrated payments. Payment solutions that automatically share data with the point of sale (POS) and accounting systems save time, reduce errors, and can even improve cash flow because initiating deposits doesn’t have to wait until an employee enters information from paper credit card receipts.

In 2020, the value of integrated payments grew even more as the “back office” transitioned to a “home office” or a “field office.” When merchants needed to adapt their operations to restrictions and evolving consumer behaviors due to the pandemic, integrated omnichannel payments became key in a wide range of vertical markets, including:

Restaurant and Retail

Integrated payments add flexibility to retail and restaurant solutions as business owners shift from brick-and-mortar operations to online ordering and curbside pickup. Streamlined processes and time-savings also contributed to a more efficient operation and the ability to make the best use of labor. Also, integrating an omnichannel payments platform with the business’ POS system and cloud reporting enables managers to maintain visibility of transactions on all channels.

Healthcare

Healthcare has seen a spike in telehealth and electronic communications with patients during the pandemic. Integrated payments enables patients to settle their copays or pay invoices from those same solutions. Also, doctor’s offices are deploying kiosks for patient check-in; with integrated payments, patients can pay their copays at the same time while minimizing contact with other people in the office.

Veterinary

Veterinarians are leveraging mobile solutions with integrated payments to adapt their operations. Vets that visit ranches, farms or stables can use those solutions to accept payments when they care for animals onsite, eliminating the need to invoice and wait for payment.

Also, at the office, veterinarians have offered pickup from pet owners’ cars and return pets after care and complete payment transactions so that owners can avoid waiting rooms where it may be difficult to distance socially. 

Grocery

Like retailers and restaurateurs, grocers have benefitted from integrated payments by making back-office processes more streamlined and accurate. However, during the pandemic online ordering and delivery increased, making grocery solutions with integrated payments even more important as grocers looked for ways to provide their customers with the safest and most convenient payment experiences. Also, customers’ aversion to waiting in line increased with warnings that they needed to minimize their time indoors with other people. Mobile POS with integrated payments gave grocers the ability to line bust with in-aisle payments, enabling their customers to quickly pay and go.

Parking

Parking facility managers leveraged integrated payments to offer drivers the convenience of unattended parking solutions, allowing them to pay by simply inserting their credit cards when they entered and exited the lot or garage. Integrated payments also enabled greater customer convenience with solutions including text-to-pay, meter payments through a mobile app, and online payments for parking.

Hospitality

The hotel and hospitality sector recovering from the economic shutdowns wanted to make their guests’ stays as safe and comfortable as possible. Hospitality management solutions with integrated payments enable guests to check in and pay on kiosks, make payments online, pay their bills from QR code or text-to-pay.

Nonprofit

Integrated payments enabled nonprofit benefactors to continue to support their favorite organizations to make contributions online, at kiosks, or responding to texts by making donations via text-to-pay.

Municipality

Municipal service offices also needed to find socially distanced ways to pay rather than walking up to a desk each quarter with a check. Furthermore, when offices closed, staff may not have been able promptly to get to payments in the mail. Online payments or payments integrated with a call center solution or payment kiosks at an office helped solve those issues.

Field services

Field services businesses, such as those that provide home repair, HVAC service or landscaping, needed practical ways to collect payments while keeping field tech safe and healthy. Mobile solutions capable of accepting contactless payments eliminated the need for customers to touch payment devices. Also, integrating payments with a field service management system can enable the business to set up recurring payments for regular maintenance or services, giving customers greater convenience and helping the company maintain cash flow at a critical time.

Maximize the Value of Integrated Payments

Each of those industries has leveraged integrated payments in additional, innovative ways as they adapted their operations and worked to maximize revenue under difficult circumstances. You can help your customers by working with a partner that understands the vertical markets and industries you serve and help you secure and integrate payments with your solutions. Integrating the right payments solution with your software and solutions may be the key to differentiating your business as the one that knows how to provide exactly what your market needs.