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.
