Overview
This article explains how to configure a payment method for a customer. There are two ways of seeing automated payment methods in Cumulus.
For a single customer under Customer > Payment Methods
Across all customers under Finance > Accounts Receivable > Automated Payment Status
Customer account can have multiple payment methods attached to their account (as many as needed).
Supported Payment Methods
This applies to the following types of automated payments.
- Credit Cards. Our system supports instant transactions or batched transactions, depending on your gateway provider and your Agreement with them.
- Direct debit from a bank account
- BPAY.
Technically BPAY is not an automated payment that can be initiated from our system, Emersion uses our Electronic Payment System ('EPS') infrastructure to deliver the ability to pay by BPAY. Therefore to offer BPAY, a subscription to the automated payments module is required.
Configure a Payment Method
Configure a payment method for a customer by following the steps below:
Customer > Payment Methods
The upper section of this page pertains to the preferred (default) payment method that will be used for the customer and contains settings that control how they are used.
The following options are available:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Status | Choose Enabled to allow the automated payment system to automatically draw funds from the customer's preferred payment method. Enabling the automated payment method will take a payment from the customer immediately if an invoice is overdue. |
| Automated Payment Type | Choose one of the payment method types from the dropdown list. You must have already stored the customer's payment information before setting this field. If you save a payment method without modifying the Status and Automated Payment Type, the system will automatically set the automated payment status to Disabled to prevent accidental automated payments from being taken. |
| Automated Payment cannot take payments using these details until | Use this option to instruct the system to attempt to take a payment once this date has been reached, and not before. This setting adds a level of control to cater for such scenarios. For example:
|
| Minimum Payment Amount | This is the minimum amount that needs to be owing on the account before an automated payment is attempted. This is used typically for accounts that retain very small amounts owing (e.g. below a $1) and it is undesirable to attempt a payment under a given threshold. This setting is an account attribute, so it may have been set globally for all accounts. To override this amount, check the Override? checkbox and enter an alternative value. |
| Automated Payment Terms | Defines when the payment will be taken relative to the invoice due date. Users can modify this so the payment is attempted x days before the invoice due date (-) or x days after the invoice is due (+). Here are some examples: By default, payment will be attempted on the day the invoice is due.
This setting is an account attribute, so it may have been set globally for all accounts. This is not the same as the account trading terms that defines when an invoice falls due. |
| Automated Payment Failure Count | Shows the number of failed payment attempts since the last time the payment method was enabled, or since the Payment Failure Count was cleared. If this number is more than 0, the option Clear Payment Failure Count will also appear. |
| Clear Payment Failure Count | Use this option to reset the Automated Payment Failure Count to zero. This option will appear if the Automated Payment Failure Count above is greater than zero. |
Storing Payment Information
Under the Payment Method Details heading, users will be presented with one or more sub tabs. The sub tabs that are shown are dependent on which payment gateways provider you use and which payment methods you have chosen to enable via them.
The Payment Gateway Map that will be used for this customer with each payment type will be displayed above the payment type options. The Payment Gateway Map may change as you enter details for the payment method.
Store a Credit Card
This tab is used to store the customer's credit card details for credit card payments.
For security and privacy reasons, all credit card data is encrypted.
Once a credit card is stored, only the last 4 digits of the card is shown on screen.
Click the Credit Card List sub-tab, and then select Add New Credit Card.
The options that are available in the Card Type dropdown are dependant on your agreement with the Payment Gateway provider.
If the type of credit card is not in the list, One of the following reasons will apply:
- The subscription to the merchant services from your gateway provider does not include the card type.
- The card type is not supported by the gateway provider.
- Emersion have not received the information needed from you or the gateway provide to configure the service on our end. Click here to see the Onboarding requirements for the Automated Payments module.
Within the Credit Card Details screen, complete the required fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Card Type | Choose the card type appropriate for the card you are storing. |
| Name on Card | Enter the name as it appears on the card |
| Credit Card No. | Enter the credit card number as it appears on the card |
| Expiry Date | Click in the field to show the month/year picker. Use the picker to choose the correct Expiry month and year |
| Security Code / CVV | Enter the security code as it appears on the back of the card |
| Finance Charges(%) | Use this to indicate that you wish to charge a percentage of each payment as a fee for taking the payment. |
| Finance Charges ($ Ex Tax) | Use this to indicate that you wish to charge a flat rate as a cardline each time a payment for this credit card type is taken. |
The Finance Charges (%) and Finance Charges($ Ex Tax) can both apply concurrently. In this case, the system will create a cardline consisting of both the flat rate ($) and the percentage each time a payment for the particular credit card type is taken.
Check the Default tickbox if you wish to make this the default payment method. This tickbox will be automatically checked if the payment method being added is the account's first. You can change the default card at any time by clicking Set Default, located under the Available Actions column in the Credit Card List sub-tab.
Click Create to save the information. When you return to the Create Card List, the new payment method will appear in the table.
View and Edit a Stored Credit Card
Click the View button, located under the Available Actions column in the Credit Card List sub-tab, to open a new page which shows the card details. Then click Edit to make any changes.
Store a Bank Account
This tab is used to store the customer's bank account details for direct debit payments.
The list of banks that appears is based on the service provider's default country. Due to tax and currency reasons, a service provider's customers are assumed to be located in the same country as the service provider. Emersion does not support the service provider trading in one country and their customers being located in a different country.
If there is a bank missing from the list, please send us a support ticket with the bank name and we will add it to the list.
Direct debit from a credit card is not supported
Click the Direct Debit List tab.
If the Payment Method is Enabled for Direct Debit and subsequently the bank details are removed, the status of the Payment Method will be updated to Suspended By System, and a customer note will be added to the account that records the action.
Within the Direct Debit Details screen, complete the required fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Bank | Choose the appropriate bank from the drop down list. |
| Account Name | Enter the name of the account holder for the bank account in question. This may not necessarily match the account name or primary contact name of the account. Please check with your customer. |
| BSB | Enter the BSB as provided by your client. If you are not in Australia, this may be known as a sort code or transaction code. |
| Account Number | Enter the account number of the bank account. |
| Finance Charges(%) | Use this to indicate that you wish to charge a percentage of each payment as a fee for taking the payment. |
| Finance Charges ($ Ex Tax) | Use this to indicate that you wish to charge a flat rate as a cardline each time a payment is taken from the account. |
Check the Default tick box if you wish to make this the default payment method. This tickbox will be automatically checked if the payment method being added is the account's first. You can change the default card at any time by clicking Set Default, located under the Available Actions column in the Credit Card List sub-tab.
Click Create to save the information.
View and Edit a Stored Bank Account
Click the View button, located under the Available Actions column in the Direct Debit List sub-tab, to open a new page which shows the card details. Then click Edit to make any changes.
Storing a BPAY reference
This tab is used to store a unique reference number that us printed on a customer invoice and is used when the customer makes a BPAY payment via their financial institution.
Before being able to store BPAY information for a customer, your company's BPAY biller codes must be configured.
Click the BPAY Details tab.
If you have BPAY details already stored for your customer, these will be displayed on screen.
To remove the existing details, click Remove Bpay Details.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Biller Code | Choose the Biller Code that you wish to use for this customer |
| Reference | The Reference will be generated based on the Biller Code automatically. This can be overridden if need be. |
| Check Digit Rule | This indicates which check digit rule is based for the generated reference number |
| Finance Charges(%) | Use this to indicate that you wish to charge a percentage of each payment as a fee for taking the payment. |
| Finance Charges ($ Ex Tax) | Use this to indicate that you wish to charge a flat rate as a cardline each time a payment is taken from the account. |
Click Create to save the information.
A bulk import is available for the updating of BPAY reference numbers in bulk. See BPAY Reference Number Import for more information.
Payment Surcharge
Under the Payment Surcharge sub-tab, users can see what payment surcharges are in effect for a particular customer.
To see only past payment surcharges, check the Include Priors tickbox, and to see only current and future payment surcharges, check the Include Future tickbox. Then press Search.
To add a new surcharge for a single customer, click Add Payment Surcharge and then complete the following fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Mark Up (%) | The mark-up amount (percentage) |
| Price ($ Ex Tax) | The mark-up price (dollar amount) |
| Date Effective | The date when the mark-up will take effect |
| Payment Method | The method payment e.g. credit card, direct debit or BPay |
| Payment Subtype | The subtype, e.g. Visa or Mastercard |
Click Save.
Import Tools
To aid populating this information quickly for larger numbers of accounts, the following tools will assist.
Automated Payment Statuses
The statuses and descriptions for the automated payment statuses are listed here on the Automated Payment fundamentals page.