Introducing: Zeller Virtual Terminal

In the service industry, taking payment hasn’t always been as straightforward as tapping a card. Now it is, thanks to Pay by Link, a handy new feature available with Zeller Virtual Terminal. As service providers, you deal with instalments, deposits, prepayments, higher transaction values, and ultimately, customers who aren’t present when it comes time to pay. Traditionally, this has meant chasing up invoices or making repeated phone calls to accept a payment. Nowadays, technology is affording a much smoother payment experience for these types of transactions. With  Zeller Virtual Terminal , businesses can accept card payments by sending their customers a secure payment link, which lets them enter their card details in their own time. It’s simple, secure, and fast, and businesses from all industries are adopting it. Below, we explain three of the most common uses for Pay by Link and why it’s a handy solution to have in your back pocket to help keep your cash flow healthy, and your customers happy. What is Pay by Link? Pay by Link is a payment solution available on Zeller Virtual Terminal – a web-based tool that allows you to process payments without the need for a physical EFTPOS machine. It enables businesses to generate a secure payment link from their browser and to send it to their customer, who can then enter their card details in their own time. Pay by Link is accessed via Zeller Dashboard, simply by navigating to Virtual Terminal and selecting one of three options: ‘Send Payment Link via Email’, ‘Send Payment Link via SMS’ or ‘Copy Link’. Choosing the latter means you can share the link on whatever platform is most convenient for your customer, be it WhatsApp, iMessage or Facebook Messenger. The link is secure and will direct customers to a page where they can enter their card details and proceed with the payment. Once the payment has been processed, customers will have the option to download a copy of the receipt. What are the most common uses of Pay by Link? For high-value transactions. Whether you’re selling kitchens, cars or wedding dresses: you’ll know how important customer experience is in the transaction process. When a customer is about to hand over a large sum of money, they need to be given the white-glove treatment. Additionally, when your business relies on fewer but higher value transactions, these payments need to be made promptly and securely in order to ensure your cash flow is healthy. For these two reasons, Zeller’s Pay by Link is a great solution. On the customer side, it offers them convenience and peace of mind knowing that their card details are securely and privately shared, as well as the added benefit of being able to pay with American Express, which, for high-value transactions, is particularly advantageous. While for you as a business owner, it keeps fees low and your business protected. With Zeller Virtual Terminal, the transaction fee (1.75% +25c) can be passed on to the customer through surcharging and your business will also benefit from a dedicated anti-fraud team and 24/7 transaction monitoring. When dealing with high-value transactions where you can’t always verify that the customer is who they say they are, this is especially important to avoid falling victim to credit card fraud. For deposits, pre-orders, and pre-bookings. No matter what kind of business you run, there’s likely to come a time where you’ll need to take a deposit or secure a service or item for your customer with a pre-order or pre-payment. Restaurants do it for large group bookings, hotels do it to reserve event spaces or to accommodate special catering requests, and retailers do it to guarantee the sale of high-value or custom-made items. In these situations, not only does Pay by Link help get the payment made fast, but it greatly facilitates the reconciliation process. When you create your unique payment link with Zeller Virtual Terminal, you can enter all the relevant details about the transaction in the notes section, such as the date of pick up, the job number, whether it’s one instalment of many, or the name of the person in charge of the sale. Additionally, if your business has a number of different departments – a hotel might have the office, the pool bar, the corporate space, the rooftop, and the massage room, for example – you can create a different ‘site’ for each, and quickly assign each Pay by Link transaction to the relevant site. When it comes time to reconcile your sales at the end of the month, payments can easily be filtered in Zeller Dashboard by site, date, status (approved, declined or refunded), transaction value, and reference number. For gift vouchers. Many businesses won’t have a formalised process for selling gift vouchers, and yet it’s important not to deny customers this opportunity if they specifically ask for one. Having the option of generating a payment link is an ultra-simple, quick, and professional way to accept gift voucher payments. Simply generate a payment link with Zeller Virtual Terminal, send it to your customer, and ask them to download a receipt once their payment has been processed. This receipt will contain a unique reference number (RNN). Write the RNN down on a gift certificate or ask your customer to send it to the gift receiver. When the recipient comes to redeem their voucher, your staff will simply have to search the RNN in Zeller to bring up the associated transaction and add a transaction note to indicate that the voucher has been redeemed.

Looking for ways to save money in your business? Here are five. The primary purpose of any EFTPOS machine is to enable customers to pay for products or services safely and securely. However, operating a business is expensive — and accepting cards and other cashless forms of currency comes at a cost. Zeller was established to help Australian businesses grow, so it makes sense that together, Zeller Terminal , Zeller Transaction Account , and Zeller Debit Card can save you money. Here are five of the ways Zeller helps keep more money in your business. 1. One low, flat fee. Transaction charges are an expense a business incurs each time an electronic payment is processed. Depending on your payment services provider, these fees can vary widely — making it difficult to anticipate what charges you'll be up for at the end of the month. Zeller processes every tapped, dipped and swiped transaction (including AMEX) for one low rate of 1.4%. Quinton Evens, owner of White Lily Couture , recently made the switch to Zeller. “It started with thinking, how we can use our cash smarter? We looked at other banks and terminal options, but they couldn’t beat our current rate," he says. "When we calculated how much we were paying versus how much we could save with Zeller, it was a no-brainer. Saving $10,000 a year on transaction fees is insane." 2. Automatic surcharging for zero-cost EFTPOS. Surcharging is a part of modern-day life, and an easy way to recoup your cost of acceptance from customers who choose to use cashless forms of payment. The number of customers who carry cash is dwindling, meaning most sales these days come at a small cost — which you can pass on to the customer as a surcharge. For every purchase made with a card or device that is tapped, dipped or swiped to Zeller Terminal, the transaction cost is just 1.4%. As a merchant, you are legally able to pass your cost of acceptance on to your customers – giving you fee-free EFTPOS . Some EFTPOS providers charge merchants an additional fee to switch surcharging functionality on, and make the switch irreversible. This effectively forces merchants to make a definitive decision for their business, one way or the other, and financially commit to it. But how do you know if surcharging is right for your business, and your customers? Zeller Terminal’s surcharging functionality can easily be toggled on from Zeller Dashboard. You can even customise your surcharge amount. With surcharging enabled, your Zeller Terminal will automatically apply a surcharge to every transaction total, after your customer's card is presented, but prior to any card verification and transaction authorisation steps (such as PIN entry or signature). If you decide surcharging is not for you, simply toggle the functionality off. Considering implementing a surcharge at your business? Read our article first to determine if it’s right for your business and your customers, or if there’s another way you can recoup the cost of transactions. 2. Fast settlement. For many merchants, the reality is that funds accepted via their EFTPOS machine aren’t cleared for one or two business days. That means that any payments accepted at the end of the week are often not available to be spent until Tuesday or Wednesday, the following week. The faster you can access your funds, the faster you can put them to work — paying staff, ordering supplies, and investing in your business. That’s why, when you accept funds via Zeller Terminal and have them settled in to your free Zeller Transaction Account, you are able to use your Zeller Debit Card to spend the funds the very next day. 3. Easy tipping. Tipping may not be an ingrained part of Australian culture, but by not offering it you’re removing the opportunity for customers to reward your staff for their efforts. You could be costing your business — especially if you have a large tourist clientele. Some EFTPOS terminals will prompt customers to leave a percentage-based tip, or to key in a specific amount. With Zeller, you have the option to do both, one or the other, or neither. Why not enable Zeller’s tipping functionality, and leave it to the customer to decide whether they want to tip or not? Zeller Terminal enables you to prompt your customers to leave a dip during the transaction flow. This is particularly handy for hospitality-based businesses, however, these days many Australians are also tipping for services rendered. So, how much should you prompt customers to tip? Some sources say 10% is typical. Others say $5 per person, or more if dining at a high-end restaurant. With tipping enabled, Zeller Terminal can prompt your customer to either enter a numerical figure or select a percentage-based tip. You can even customise the percentage-based tip amounts – say, 5%, 10% and 20%. 4. Transaction visibility. In order to appropriately manage your cash flow and identify any opportunities to save costs, you need visibility over your transactions. Any time you have the Zeller Terminal in hand, you can scroll through a chronological list of transactions. Instead of manually counting a cash draw or reconciling your paper receipts, simply tap Transactions from the Navigation menu and a list of transactions will appear. Knowing the state of your takings at any point in time is important. If you operate a food truck, for example, you might have a specific target to meet. With an hour to go until closing time, wouldn’t it be handy to know you only have $150 in transactions to go until you hit your goal for the day? Armed with that knowledge, you might decide to combine some of your items into a special — meaning less food wastage, and a strong end to the day. 5. Fee-free business debit card. Spend the funds settled into your Zeller Transaction Account using the Zeller Debit Card, and you won’t pay any fees for domestic purchases. There’s no annual card fee, either. You can use it both in person and online. We offer this to provide you more affordable business spending. Funds accepted through a Zeller Terminal will be swept into a Zeller Transaction Account overnight, and available for you to spend using your Zeller Debit Card the next business day. You are, however, able to settle funds to an external third-party bank account instead. By sharing your details with us, we may contact you from time to time. We promise we won’t bug you — and you can unsubscribe from communications at any time.

Smarter invoicing software designed for any business. Online invoicing is an essential part of running any type of business, but it can sometimes be a source of stress and frustration. If it’s time to upgrade from sending invoices manually, or if your business is looking to streamline how you track and manage late invoice payments, you’re not alone. What if there was a free, simple-to-use online invoicing software that streamlines invoicing and helps you get paid faster? Introducing Zeller Invoices . With Zeller Invoices, you can create and send professional online invoices in seconds from anywhere. From there, it’s simple to track and manage every invoice from one convenient online dashboard. Whether you're a restaurant owner issuing an invoice for an event deposit; a tradesperson sending invoices to collect payment for work completed; a wholesaler supplying goods to a chain of retail businesses on a recurring basis; or a freelance designer sending invoices to multiple clients  — Zeller Invoices lets you take control of your invoicing from start to finish. Powerful invoicing features Read on to discover how Zeller Invoices works — and what features are under the hood to help save you time, and reduce late payments. Create an online invoice in seconds With Zeller’s online invoicing software, you can create and send as many online invoices as you like for free. You can start the invoice creation process in your Zeller Account in the “ Invoices” tab of the menu bar — you’ll be guided through a step-by-step creation of your first invoice, from attaching a contact (a customer, business or supplier) to your invoice from Zeller Contact Directory , through to adding items and the requisite price, adding a due date, and then hitting send. You can even choose to schedule a specific date in the future for your Zeller Invoices to be sent. If you need to make changes to an invoice, you can easily edit, duplicate or cancel the invoice if required. You can even check a PDF preview of your Zeller Invoices to see how they will look to the recipient before you send them. For detailed steps on creating and sending a Zeller Invoice, follow this guide in the Zeller Support Centre. Accept invoice payments online Every Zeller Invoice can be paid online via Zeller’s secure online payment gateway. Customers can select to pay the invoice online via Visa, Mastercard, American Express or JCB for one low, flat rate . There are no monthly subscription fees to use Zeller Invoices either — you’re only charged if a customer selects to pay their invoice online using Zeller’s online payment gateway. Invoices that are paid online will be settled to your linked Zeller Transaction Account nightly or the next business day to third-party bank accounts. For business owners who don’t have a physical location — such as a freelancer or mobile service provider —online payments are an easier way to ensure you’re getting paid faster, without having to meet in person or chase up cash payments or direct deposits. Streamline invoice creation with item management When creating an invoice with Zeller, you can choose to add one-off line items for goods or services sold. Alternatively, you can create a list of goods or services you sell frequently in your new item management service. Saved items can then be quickly added to future invoices sent. Within item management, you can choose to customise GST preferences or apply discounts for a percentage or dollar amount by item, that reflect your business’ pricing and individual scenarios with different customers. Item management is particularly handy for businesses that regularly sell the same products or services, such as an accountant offering a standard consultation fee, or a wholesaler with a standard purchase price on goods sold to retailers. By saving each item in your item management library, future invoice creation will be much faster. Automate reminders to prompt payment With data from Accenture and Xero estimating a $1.1 billion cost to Australian small businesses as a result of invoice payment delays, it’s essential that business owners are enlisting the right online invoicing software that reduces the impact of late payments on their business. Zeller Invoices enables you to schedule automated reminders to be sent to invoice recipients before, on, and after the invoice due date. A gentle reminder to your customer that payment is due will drive urgency towards payments, combined with the ability to automate reminders which also minimises impact on your busy schedule. You can also choose to send your own manual reminders, or edit reminders for a specific invoice or contact, in just a few clicks, too. Track payment status When you’re busy focusing on running and growing your business, it’s easy to forget the payment status of every invoice sent. Zeller Invoices makes tracking invoice status easier with a built-in activity timeline and next-action prompts. Your invoice activity timeline provides you with a chronological list of all the actions taken on an invoice, including creation, send and payment dates. At a glance, this log shows you detailed information about each action, such as the date and time, which employee performed the action and any added notes or comments — giving you complete visibility over the actions taken to get the invoice paid. With the next action prompts embedded within the activity timeline, you can quickly take action on an invoice; such as sending a reminder or marking it as paid in the event your client made payment outside of Zeller’s online payment gateway. Personalise your invoices Looking professional is paramount for any growing business — and that’s just as important when you’re invoicing, too. With Zeller Invoices, you can add your business logo to your PDF invoice, online payment page, and payment receipt. Adding your logo ensures that your business looks professional, and will make a strong and positive brand impression on your customers. With more invoice customisation coming soon to Zeller Invoices, you’ll always feel confident knowing your business is putting its best foot forward. See all of your business finances in one place with Zeller With the introduction of Zeller Invoices, businesses can now pick and choose from a range of different financial products to suit their business needs. By using the Zeller ecosystem to manage everything from EFTPOS and invoicing, to accounts and cards, you'll soon see a complete, 360-degree view of your cash flow from your Zeller Dashboard. By utilising Zeller Contact Directory to assign invoices, payments and transactions to customers and suppliers you regularly do business with you’ll also gain a stronger understanding of where you’re spending, and who with — to help you do everything from negotiating more favourable payment terms to identifying your best customers. By combining all of your financial solutions within your Zeller Account, you’ll get a better grasp on your business finances as well as be able to make more informed business decisions. Get started with Zeller Invoices today If you’re new to Zeller, sign up for your free Zeller Account online today to access Zeller Invoices. It’s free to sign up for and can be done online in minutes. There are no monthly subscription fees to use Zeller Invoices, either. If you already have an existing Zeller Account, Zeller Invoices is now available for you to try in your Zeller Dashboard. Log in today to send your first invoice. You can also check out Free Invoice Generator if you want to find