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Get started with splink in three simple steps

splink makes it easier than ever before to start accepting online payments. Our suite of features ensures you can fully customise the payment journey for your customers and manage your invoices.

With splink we give you 3 payment features

Take card payments instantly in person or over the phone. No more terminal costs and fees, with splink your device becomes the terminal. As long as you have a desktop or mobile device, splink has you covered; allowing you the flexibility to take card payments from your customers right when you need to. It’s as simple as adding your customers name, the amount they need to pay and their payment details.

With our Payment Request link you can send requests by SMS, email or both. Input the amount owed, a description and the customers contact information and we’ll take over from there. If the request isn’t paid, we’ll send gentle automatic reminders so you don’t have to.

Our Shop feature allows you to have one central page, to create unlimited links, for all of your products and services. The customer simply selects what they want and fills in any additional information you want to collect.

How to Get Started for Free in 3 Easy Steps

01

Sign Up

Visit splink.io and navigate to Get Started. You’ll be directed to the sign up page where you can select your currency, input your business name and select the appropriate colours to suit your branding.

02

Take a Payment Instantly

Take a Payment, Send a Payment Request or set up a Shop. Taking and Requesting Payments is as easy as inputting the name of your customer, their contact details and the amount owed. Want to set up a shop? No problem. Just type in the name of the item, the price and any additional information fields you need to collect such as size or address. This will generate a simple payment link that you can share with your customers. 

03

Get Paid

Take payment, Request Payment or share your Shop link. You can quickly and easily track, review and manage payments from your dashboard. We’ll notify you when a payment is received and if a payment is overdue we’ll send a nudge to your customer.  

Did You Know

92% of all payment requests get paid within 3 days with splink? Our reminders work on a sequence so you don’t have to spend time chasing payments

Start your 14 Day FREE Trial here!

Not sure yet? Contact us to set up a demo to get you started!

Meet the Irish startup helping businesses thrive during lockdown

Entrepreneurs are no stranger to adversity and change but it’s fair to say that 2020 threw curveballs that even the most discerning of business owners couldn’t have prepared for. 

The pandemic has not only changed how we do business but has also the kind of services we can offer. Dozens of restaurants have adapted to create cook-at-home boxes, live events providers have migrated online and service providers and SaaS companies have created bespoke packages. Bricks and mortar retailers have moved online (some for the first time) and course providers, lecturers and other skill sharing businesses have commenced online training.  

The move online has saved hundreds of businesses and one Irish start-up in particular has been at the forefront of helping businesses adapt to trading online. 

Pre-pandemic, businesses like Keane Auctioneers required face to face meetings.  

“With restrictions on movement and the necessity to reduce contacts, we knew we’d have to conduct most of our meetings and viewings remotely. This provided a set of challenges and one major one was coming up with a way to take payments for deposits quickly and easily. We needed a simple system that our clients could use without fuss,” says Edel Keane. 

Keane’s main concern was finding a payment system that all users (even the most technically adverse) could use easily. Due to the nature of payment being deposits, the value of each transfer could be large. Keane needed a system that would still allow clients to use their credit or debit card and one that would not incur unnecessary processing fees.  

“Splink was perfect and allowed our clients to make payments quickly with their credit or debit card. We’ve had great feedback about Splink and how easy it is to use.”

Finding the right payment provider needed to be quick and easy for Tall Tales Podcasts. When their schedule of live events was cancelled due to lockdown, the small team immediately turned to streaming. Whilst time was spent figuring out and investing in the right tech and equipment, founder Cassie Delaney knew Splink was the perfect payment journey for users. 

“We had to learn to adapt really quickly and figure out how to run live streams, how to manage different audiences and how to very easily distinguish revenue between shows. With Splink we were able to create a payment link for each show and began selling tickets within minutes. We were also able to personalise each one to match the shows branding and automate the payment message to include a link to the show. It was so simple and gave us one less thing to worry about during this crazy year,” said Delaney.  

Delaney has since utilised Splink to begin selling merchandise and digital subscriptions.  

“We’ve since used Splink to take payment for all aspects of our business. We have subscription payments, ticket sales and merch sales. It’s great to know that with Splink, we can go from concept to live as quickly as we want.”

ML security have too been utilising Splink to power their subscription services. 

“Splink has transformed the way we collect payment!  Splink’s ability to easily capture recurring payments for our subscription model has been essential to our business, particularly for predictable cash flow, especially during these Covid times. The ability to take contact-free payments has ensured our business is fully equiped and our customers and staff remain safe,” said ML Security owner Martin Lappin. 

Impact Gumshields are another company that have relied on Splink to power their online store.  

“Our online sales are powered by Splink. It’s quick, effective and uncomplicated. We’ve been able to add new products or quickly add a sale product to boost income. It’s really easy to set up payment links for specific clubs, teams and schools which saves us a lot of admin time,” said CEO & founder James Murphy.

A key benefit for Impact Gumshields is the simple checkout process. With Splink, payors don’t need to create an account.  

“It’s also great for selling products over Instagram or social media. When someone DM’s us, we can quickly throw them over the payment link and they can complete a purchase,” said Murphy.  

For others, Splink has provided consistency in a time of change. Nobó founders Brian and Rachel Nolan have always relied on Splink to send payment requests to stockists.

“We’ve used Splink to send payment requests to customers and stockists over the past year and it has proven to be an invaluable tool for the team. Not only is it the quickest method for collecting payments, the automated follow ups saves us time previously spent chasing payment as well avoiding awkward conversations. I would recommend it to any business owner,” said Brian Nolan.

Improve your business cash flow with these simple tips

Maintaining a positive cash flow is a challenging part of any business but one that can be easily achieved with the appropriate structures and payment systems. Here are some easy and quick ways to improve your company cash flow this year.

INVOICING AND IMPROVED CASH FLOW

1. Send out invoices early

Companies need to invoice to receive payment. Unfortunately invoicing does not equal payment and cash flow issues often arise from delayed payments, absent payments and difficulties invoicing.

To avoid this as much as possible, be consistent in invoicing and set out clear terms of payment. Invoicing at the same time of the month each month helps for planning, financial forecasting and tracking overdue payments.

If your invoicing process is manual, switch to an automated system. Splink is a simple payment tool that allows you to send payment requests easily. Your splink dashboard will also present a quick view overview of the status of all payments, their due dates and whether the invoice has been viewed.

2. Provide customers with different payment options

Providing your customers with multiple payment methods will decrease complication when it comes to receiving payment. Ensure you offer card payment and online transfer so your clients can default to their preferred payment method easily.
With splink, you can accept any time of payment at any time. Our frictionless payment system doesn’t require account creation or login so your clients and customers can pay immediately without hassle. It’s so effective that 92% of splink users receive payment within 7 days of sending a payment request.

3. Track payments and send reminders

Chasing payments is uncomfortable and not an efficient use of your time as a business owner or financial controller. Put consistent prompts and gentle reminders are beneficial as it simply becomes less difficult to ignore outstanding debts ultimately improving cash flow.
Luckily this process can be easily automated, reducing the time you need to spend sending emails and finding the words to politely demand payment.

Splink will send automatic gentle prompts when a payment is overdue, reminding your customers to access the payment link and make payment.

 

Splink payment processing tips

 

4. Consider incentivising early payments

If you’re a B2B service chances are your clients are just like you, looking to manage their cash flow and avail of ways to save money. If you’ve built a good reputation with your clients or customers consider offering a small discount on early payments. This will improve immediate cash flow and build positive loyalty with your customers.

Again, this is something that can be automated with splink. Simply create a payment link for the agreed amount and set a limit on when the payment terms expire.

5. Take deposits and establish a payment plan

If the work that is commissioned it due to occur over several weeks or months, or is divided into different stages, ensure you request deposits from your customers and receive payment when key milestones are met. This will improve your month to month cash flow and generally improve the consistency of your monthly operations. In terms of workflow, it can also be hugely beneficial as it helps you maintain a healthy flow of income as projects continue.

With splink, you can create payment plans to facilitate a better cash flow throughout the project timeline.

6. Introduce late payment fines

Late payments or absent payments can be devastating to a business and increase stress month on month. Avoid incurring late payments by introducing a late payment fine and ensuring that it is clearly laid out in the terms of service and payment conditions.

SYSTEM CHECKS AND IMPROVED CASH FLOW

1. Focus on high value, highly purchased goods and services

Take an honest stock take and inventory check to examine what products and services drive success for your business.
If you have a bulk of stock that does not sell well, consider selling it at bulk and reducing the amount offered in future.

For small services performed regularly, consider automating these processes and reduce the man-hours where possible.

Ensure your marketing, website and sales conversations move customers towards high-value items. Developing a strong upsell narrative will help here.

2. Review agreements with vendors

Periodically review terms with your vendors and suppliers to make sure agreements are still competitive in the current market. Similarly, regularly negotiate with suppliers and vendors to ensure your goods are the highest possible quality at a favourable rate. Like before, suggest favourable payment terms by asking for reductions if payments can be made earlier.

3. Renegotiate credit options

At points when interest rates are low and borrowing terms are favourable, consider accessing credit to ensure your operating costs are covered. This security will help in emergencies and also enable you as the business owner to think about the bigger picture rather than becoming too focused on the day to day running or worrying about monthly cash flow issues.

4. Examine running costs and everyday expenses

Establish all your day to day costs like rent, subscriptions, services, vendors as well as staff costs. Working through each, consider any alternative options and ask whether each system is completely necessary.

People cutting or reducing salaries consider the benefits offered to customers like coffees, lunches and travel expenses. Reduce these where possible, and reserve travel for necessary meetings and project work.

5. Lease don’t buy

If cash flow is an issue, consider leasing equipment rather than buying. The downside is that you do not possess the equipment as a company asset but the benefit is that a small monthly payment can improve overall cash flow temporarily and place the business in a better position for growth.

Splink payment processing tips

 

SALES AND MARKETING TIPS TO IMPROVE CASH FLOW

1. Develop recurring revenue or subscription models

Examine any patterns in customer behaviour and consider offering a subscription model for customers. This helps again with financial projections as well as building customer loyalty. A guaranteed or predictable source of revenue will make the business overall more attractive and more appealing to potential investors and credit applications.

The subscription model is something that can be easily developed and replicated throughout your business.

With splink you can set up recurring payments and monitor their status from your dashboard.

2. Re-consider your pricing

Reconsidering and re-evaluating your pricing seems daunting but it can be hugely beneficial to your business and monthly cash flow. There are many methods to successfully raising your prices without losing customers.

Check out our blog on pricing and strategy to see more.

3. Utilise your marketing and retargeting customers

There’s one adage that’s very true in business; you need to spend money to make money.
Spending on advertising when you’re low on cash may seem like a risky move but with the right considerations and planning your advertising will result in a huge return of investment.
One quick way to get started is to retarget the customers that have already bought from you. Simply put, this involves installing a small piece of code on your website that will enable you to reach the people who have visited your site previously on Facebook, Instagram and the associated Facebook advertising network.

You can upsell these customers with new goods and services or retarget them with similar products.

4. Lean on your previous customers

Happy customers are your best friend and will help you to reach and engage new ones. A strong referral programme that is mutually beneficial for existing customers and new customers will help with this.

To find out about our referral programme read more here.

5. Expand sales markets

Expanding into new markets can be easily achieved by understanding the routes to entry, likely customer behaviours and considering the additional costs.

Using data available to you and understanding customer behaviour could massively help in entering new markets. A simple test is to run some low-cost advertising in these new markets and create a duplicate sales page on your website in the relevant currency with additional charges to cover any added postage or service costs.

Operating in this manner will allow you to test the market before committing to hiring additional staff or locating suppliers in new countries. Use the information available to you to test your most successful and sought after products and services.

6. Be flexible with new services and products

Is there a high-frequency automated service you can offer customers? Consider developing a low-risk product that will entice new customers or appeal to existing ones.

7. Work with what you have

Are there elements of your business that you could be utilising better? If cash flow is an issue perhaps consider renting space in your office to a freelancer or liquidating old stock.

These insanely simple email tricks will help drive traffic to your online shop this year

After the seasonal surge, maintaining traffic to your online shop can seem daunting. Luckily, there are some simple email tricks you can adopt to massively increase your traffic and online conversion. 

  1. Speak to a specific target audience 

Get to know your specific customers, their online habits, their tone and how they like to be communicated with. Make sure your emails and content reflects that tone so that your audience knows you’re interested in speaking to them rather than trying to have mass appeal. Being specific and relevant will help boost customer connection and ultimately loyalty to your brand. Having a clear tone of voice will also help you stand out against your competitors.  

In short: Use relevant and engaging language that is specific to your audience. 

  1. Sell benefits, not features 

Connect with new customers by highlighting the benefits of your product as well as a clear description of the item. For example, a candle company selling a lavender scented candle may choose to explain the benefits of lavender and the increased likelihood of sleeping better, feeling relaxed and the calming nature of the product. As an online shop it is also important to specify the product size, colour and even weight so customers can make an informed purchasing decision.   

In short: Email customers about products and their benefits at relevant points during the year.  

  1. Segment your email database 

Don’t apply a one size fits all approach to email marketing. Your customers will have different habits and respond differently to messaging. Bombarding your entire database with the same emails over and over will annoy your customers and decrease the likelihood of conversion. Instead, monitor the open rates and click through rates of your emails and segment the audience into (i) likely to engage, (ii) moderately likely to engage and (iii) unlikely to engage. Consider these as three different audiences that each require their own messaging and communication. For your engaged audience, continue delivering the emails that work for them. For your moderately-likely to engage audience consider leading with a different subject line or a more image focused email. For your unlikely to engage audience consider a reengagement offer or referral programme. 

In short: React to the different habits of your customers.  

  1. Test strong subject lines

A strong and engaging subject line is the key to success. According to Hiten Shah, “33% of email recipients open email based on the subject line alone.” Use online tools like this subject line tester to establish the effectiveness of your subject line. Also pull data from previous email campaigns to understand what subject lines work for your audience.  

When crafting your subject lines, use power words. Power words are emotive words utilised by copy writers and marketeers to evoke an emotional or active response from your audience. These words are considered extremely persuasive and certainly influence your likelihood of conversion. Some examples of power words that inspire curiosity include: 

  •         Secret
  •         Unveil
  •         Discover
  •         Learn
  •         Harness
  •         Uncover
  •         Join
  •         Confidential
  •         Hidden
  •         Insider
  •         Private
  •         Secluded
  •         Covert
  •         Under-the-Radar
  •         Clandestine
  •         Exclusive
  •         Distinct

In short: Write subject lines with strong power words and test them before sending

  1. Create urgency 

 An Experian report found that promotional or emails conveying a sense of urgency had at least 14% higher click-to-open rates, 59% higher transaction-to-click rates, and twice as high transaction rates compared to their average marketing emails. Much like power words, a sense of urgency prompts a visceral or emotive reaction. Many online shops do this well by altering potential customers when a product is low in stock. One way to do this really effectively in email is to let customers know that other customers are also viewing their item. Another tried and tested method is to let customers know that there is a time limit on sale items or other offers. 

In short: Let customers know when demand for certain items is higher than usual or when a sale is ending.  

  1. Send abandoned cart emails 

Unfortunately sometimes we can do all the hard marketing work and a customer will still abandon their journey at the cart stage. The common reasons for abandonment can include high shipping costs, technical errors or a complicated check out process. Luckily, almost 30% of abandoned carts can be recovered with abandonment emails.

When considering an abandonment email address the issue that your customer may have faced. Let them know that they can easily complete the purchase with a few highlighted steps and give them the gentle nudge to return to their cart. 

According to Active Campaign, The average ecommerce email open rate is around 15%. Abandoned cart emails are nearly three times as successful however with a 45% open rate.

In short: email a customer that has abandoned cart and ease them through the process.  

  1. Organize your site with a clear payment journey and obvious calls to action

And finally it goes without saying that the user journey is of imperative importance when it comes to ensuring conversion. Make sure there is a clean and clear path from a to be to c and that your customers can move through the purchasing journey without confusion of excessive complexity. 

This also applies to email marketing. Ensure your email has clear CTA’s and that any buttons link to where the customer needs to be. If you are using images in the email, hyperlink to the relevant product or landing page. Ensure buttons are clear and legible and that the customer will understand exactly where they are once they click through.  

Also keep your payment process simple. Allow customers to easily fill in card details and ensure there are no unnecessary data fields that may slow down your checkout experience or concern your customer. 

In short: Ensure your payment process is simple, clear and favourable to your wonderful customers. 

Splink is the easiest way to accept payment online. Check out our fully customisable features now and optimse your online shop for more sales this year.

How to create a foolproof payment journey for your business

The best thing you can do for your business is to implement a clean, easy and user friendly payment system. Focusing on a clear and concise system will increase sales, build loyalty and reduce cart abandonment. 

Understanding reasons for cart abandonment 

Abandonment is an ecommerce term used to describe a visitor on a web page who leaves that page before completing the desired action. The most concerning is cart abandonment which refers to customers who have added items or services to their cart with the intent to purchase but have exited the page before the purchase is complete. 

A Baymard Institute study on cart abandonment found the top reasons for abandonment to be: 

  • Extra costs too high (shipping, tax, fees) 55%
  • The site wanted me to create an account 34%
  • A tedious or complicated checkout process 26%
  • I didn’t trust the site with my credit card information 17%
  • Delivery was too slow 16%
  • There weren’t enough payment methods 6%
  • Card was declined 4%

 How to build a user friendly payment journey 

Creating a user friendly payment journey is easy. Consider the following points when you’re designing the payment process for your customers. 

  1.         Allow payment to be taken without creating an account 

Speed up the payment process and please your customer by negating the need to create an account on site. Your customers want a streamlined payment process and often the need to create an account, confirm email and activate account creates too many frustrating stages to the payment process. Instead, consider what data you actually need to capture and allow your customer to checkout or submit payment with minimal interference. 

With splink the payment process is simple. Your customers are not required to create an account at any stage and can quickly checkout with a few clicks. 

  1.         Offer multiple payment options 

Credit card payment options are a no-brainer, but today, consumers have more choices than ever before of how to pay for goods online. Mobile payment systems such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet are becoming increasingly popular, particularly among younger demographics. Consider a system that accepts these payments as these will streamline and simply mobile payments.  

Splink accepts multiple payment options including Apple Pay and Google Wallet to ensure your customers are always equipped to make a speedy purchase.  

  1.         Be clear about costs upfront – especially shipping. 

Customers who reach the cart or checkout phase and find additional shipping or tax costs may experience price shock and decide to abandon the process. To overcome this, be clear about shipping costs and tax from the point of browsing. This might mean creating a “Shipping and Delivery” page for your site, updating your FAQ to outline your costs, or adding a simple shipping calculator to your product pages. These solutions will help minimize surprises for shoppers at checkout and increase the likelihood of conversion. 

With splink you can input the final cost for your customers. 

  1.         Build trust and safety.

Customers need to know that their online purchase is safe and that their information is protected. Achieve this by ensuring your site has a valid SSL certificate or include logos from reputable security companies e.g. VeriSign, Truste, Norton. Another key component to this is ensuring that your payment process is on brand and connected to your business and is in keeping with the tone and feel of your business. 

Splink is PCI compliant.  

  1.         Optimise page loading times.

According to Visual Website Optimizer, ecommerce shopping cart conversion rates drop 7% for every one-second delay in your page loading. Checkout pages that are slow to load will frustrate customers and likely direct their attention to competitors. 

Splink requires one simple payment page, minimising loading and wait times.