If you’re a micro-sized business owner or manage a non-profit, you may be interested to know that there are powerful and more cost friendly alternatives to PayPal, Square, Venmo and QuickBooks that enable you to send customized invoices to your customers and easily accept payments online. Before we get into the nitty-gritty details, what exactly do we mean by “micro-sized business?”A micro-sized business is a type of small business that typically employs 1-5 employees. Think Etsy shop owners, Amazon suppliers, freelancers, solo consultants, those with home-based businesses, photography businesses, housekeepers, non-profits and more.
At Blackhawk Bank, we know that as a micro-sized business owner or non-profit organization, your time is valuable. That’s why we offer Autobooks, a payment and invoicing solution to help you not only manage your time, but to help you oversee your income and expenses conveniently located in one place. Autobooks hosts two modules: the ‘Send an Invoice’ module and the ‘Accept Payments Now’ module, both of which live completely inside of your Blackhawk Bank Personal Online Banking account.
The ‘Send an Invoice’ module allows you to create and send customized and brand-on professional invoices electronically. There’s no waiting on snail mail and your customers can easily pay you online with a credit card, debit card or electronic bank transfer. You get paid directly into your bank account in two business days and do not have to worry about transferring your money from a third-party app. You will have an easy-access snapshot of who’s paid and who still owes. You also have the ability to set up recurring invoices so you can automate your invoicing process, and automatically add late fees to past due invoices so you don’t have the hassle of tracking down customers. This not only helps protect your time, but your mental well-being.
The ‘Accept Payments Now’ module provides you with a unique payment link that leads to a payment form (displayed in a secure web browser) with your business logo and color for a professional presentation to accept payments. This module lets you accept payments directly inside your online banking account and helps streamline the process of accepting credit cards, eliminating the lockup period with a third-party payment app. You are able to effortlessly track payments received and you can set up recurring payments so you have the reassurance of consistent cash flow every month. What’s more, you can share your link everywhere you communicate with customers – on invoices, via text message, email, your website and more.
Whether you’re a service-based business looking to streamline your operations or a non-profit seeking to collect donations online, Blackhawk Bank’s Autobooks can help. To get started, click on the ‘Accept Online Payments’ module inside your Personal Online Banking account, or call a member of our Client Services team at 608.364.8924.