Many businesses are switching to payment collection by Direct Debit as it is cost-effective, secure and convenient for you and your customers. But which provider is the best for your business?
Direct Debit providers
A Direct Debit provider is a company that enables small businesses to set up and collect Direct Debit payments easily. It is important to research providers as each has different features, fees and workflows that may or may not suit your business requirements.
A good Direct Debit provider for your business should be able to maximise your conversions, minimise failure rates, and act as a trusted advisor on payment collection. It is also helpful to be able to integrate into other software you already use, e.g. Xero, Zuora, and Salesforce.
Direct Debit provider benefits
If you run a small business, a Direct Debit provider like GoCardless can help you manage your customer base and sign-up processes, taking the stress out of chasing invoices.
However, with many specialist firms, finding the right one that suits your business needs can be challenging, so we’ve compiled a list of the best Direct Debit companies for small businesses.
GoCardless
GoCardless is the most popular Direct Debit provider for small businesses in the UK.
We provide a done-for-you, secure, automated way to collect customer payments without extra setup costs or monthly fees. GoCardless also integrates with your current invoicing software, allowing you to collect payments automatically on your preferred dates, meaning no more late payments. We also offer features such as Success+, our intelligent retries product that can bring success rates to 99.5%, and Protect+, our anti-fraud product.
The user-friendly merchant dashboard makes it simple to automate collection, create one-off payments, or edit existing subscriptions. You can get all this done in just a few clicks, and with GoCardless doing all the heavy lifting, you don’t need to spend time managing payments. It’s also cost-effective, with low fees and no setup costs or long-term contracts required.
How to collect Direct Debit payments with GoCardless
1.
Create your free GoCardless account, access your user-friendly payments dashboard & connect your accounting software (if you use one).
2.
Easily set up & schedule Direct Debit payments via payment pages on your website checkout or secure payment links.
3.
From now on you’ll get paid on time, every time, as GoCardless automatically collects payment on the scheduled date. Simple.
Claim your 90 day free trial to automate payment collection and get paid on time, every time.
SmartDebit
SmartDebit is one of the UK’s leading direct debit providers. It offers customisable payment solutions and an award-winning customer service team, with a Trustpilot score to match. The company provides three products: Bureau, Managed, and SEPA, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.
Eazy Collect
Eazy Collect makes direct debit payments easy, with options to set up payments via various channels, including apps, online forms, and over the phone. The company is known for its low-cost solution and flexible payment schedules.
Debit Finance Collections
Debit Finance Collections is part of the Transaction Services Group (TSG), a leading international revenue management solutions provider. The company offers a Direct Debit service that provides analytical data and reporting facilities to help you gain more insight into your customers.
Access Pay
Access Pay offers a flexible and reliable direct debit service that helps businesses manage their payments efficiently. It provides a range of payment options, including one-off and recurring payments, with no setup fees.
Claim your 90 day free trial to automate payment collection and get paid on time, every time.
Case study
Bike Club, the world’s largest kids’ bike rental network, has experienced significant benefits by using GoCardless Direct Debit bank payments for their pay-monthly service. CEO James Symes highlights the importance of hassle-free and efficient payment solutions for the company and its customers.
Initially attracted by GoCardless’ cost-effectiveness, ease of use, and seamless integration into the customer journey, Bike Club chose GoCardless over a mainstream bank’s Direct Debit system.
GoCardless won hands down. It was cheaper, easy to use and plug in, and super easy to build into our customer journey. Through multiple funding rounds, no one questioned GoCardless as a payments provider.
With a majority of customers opting for GoCardless, Bike Club saves on overhead costs:
We’re collecting tens of thousands of payments a month and 90% of our revenue goes through GoCardless, which saves us about three FTE per year, equating to around £100,000 worth of overhead. It’s been really, really valuable for our business – if we don’t have GoCardless, we barely have a business.
Bike Club utilises GoCardless’ Success+ feature to minimise failed payments and support customers struggling with payments. James says,
The intelligent retries in Success+ allow people who have missed a payment to catch up naturally, while the solution’s data allows us to identify the ones who might be struggling so we can proactively help them get to the right place,
James notes that GoCardless’s international payment capabilities have benefited Bike Club’s expansion plans.
We’re excited that GoCardless takes international payments in multiple currencies because as we expand abroad, that’s a whole problem dealt with already,
The partnership with GoCardless provides Bike Club with a secure and reliable payment system.
As a business owner, GoCardless makes me feel secure. I never wake up in the middle of the night worrying about payments.
Claim your 90 day free trial to automate payment collection and get paid on time, every time.
We can help
GoCardless Direct Debit for small businesses automates your payment processes, improves cash flow, and allows you to focus on growing your business. Setting up payment collection is fast and efficient. By automating the payment collection process, GoCardless drastically cuts down the administrative responsibilities of managing and tracking invoices for your team.
It’s quick and easy to get started with no contracts or long-term commitments. You can set up Direct Debit collection in the user-friendly merchant dashboard in just a few clicks. GoCardless automatically creates and sends all the necessary forms, doing all the heavy lifting for you. You can also connect GoCardless to over 350 partner apps, including Xero and Quickbooks.
Discover how GoCardless can automate payment collection, making it easier to concentrate on what matters most – your business growth.