Payment processing for professional service firms
Commercial cards, invoicing, and recurring billing. Level 2 and 3 data is where the savings usually hide.
If your clients are other businesses, they pay with commercial and corporate cards, which carry higher interchange than consumer cards. The upside is that commercial cards can qualify for reduced interchange when you pass Level 2 or Level 3 data with the transaction.
Setting that up means sending extra fields such as tax amount, customer code, and line-item detail. It is not difficult, but a flat-rate provider has no incentive to configure it because they keep the difference. This is routinely the single largest saving available to a business-to-business firm.
Where professional services usually lose money
Commercial card interchange
Business and corporate cards cost more to accept. Without Level 2 or 3 data you pay the full rate on every one of them.
Invoicing and net terms
Emailing a payment link beats chasing a check, and it timestamps when the client actually paid. It should be part of your gateway.
Recurring and retainer billing
Monthly retainers should run on stored, tokenized credentials with automatic card-updater support so an expired card does not stop the billing.
Large single payments
A twenty thousand dollar payment can trigger a risk hold if your account was underwritten for smaller amounts. Worth setting expectations in advance.
Industry-specific handling
Legal trust accounts and healthcare privacy requirements both constrain how payments can be processed and stored.
What I would set up for a business like yours
Rate and statement analysis
Send your last processing statement and get a line-by-line breakdown of what you pay today and what it should cost.
Online and virtual terminal
Gateway, shopping cart, and keyed payment setup with fraud tools and Level 2 and 3 processing.
PCI compliance and security
Get compliant, stay compliant, and stop paying non-compliance fees you did not know you were being charged.
POS and in-person payments
Clover, MicroSale, and standalone terminals configured for how your business actually runs.
Other industries I work with
Many owners run more than one kind of business. These cover the rest.
Restaurants and bars
Full-service restaurants, Bars and breweries, Cafes and coffee shops
Retail and specialty shops
Boutiques and apparel, Gift and home goods, Specialty food and beverage
Salons and spas
Hair salons and barbershops, Nail salons, Day spas and med spas
Auto services
Independent repair shops, Tire and wheel, Auto body and collision
Trades and field services
HVAC and plumbing, Electrical and solar, Landscaping and tree service
E-commerce and online
Direct-to-consumer brands, Subscription boxes, Digital products and downloads
Hard-to-place businesses
Newly opened businesses, High average ticket and future delivery, Businesses with prior account closures
See what professional services should be paying
Send your most recent statement and I will come back with your effective rate, every fee explained, and a straight comparison. No obligation either way.
Free. No obligation. Reply within one business day.
How the analysis works
- Send your most recent processing statement
- I calculate your effective rate and break down every fee
- You get a written comparison, and decide from there
Most come back within one business day. Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Texts answered most evenings.