Accepting online payments makes running an interior design business easier and more efficient, and it’s great for clients, too. When Design Manager rolled out its Pro Cloud, one its most exciting new features was its integration with Stripe, a leading third-party facilitator for online payment processing. With Stripe, Design Manager users can accept payments by both credit card and ACH, making getting paid a faster process for you and a more secure and seamless process for your clients. We’ve recently covered the basics of why accepting online payments with Stripe is the right move for your interior design business, but let’s delve into some of the reasons why Stripe stands out as the best choice for interior design businesses.

Why We Moved From Our Original Processor to Stripe

Design Manager has been accepting online payments for over a decade. We have to admit, the process started out a bit clunky. With our old system, the user had to input the details of each transaction manually, or use a card-swipe machine, and tag the payment to the cash receipt payment type. This type of transaction required real-time interaction with your client, which often entailed a draining game of phone tag. The old system couldn’t process ACH payments either, further removing the client from the ultimate level of convenience. Design Manager wanted to upgrade to a system where clients could pay on their own time through as simple a process as possible, and that’s why we partnered with Stripe. 

Here’s how Design Manager via Stripe works:

• The Design Manager user sends a secure payment link to their client via email
• Through this link, clients are provided with a secure interface to choose their method of payment, either credit card or ACH
• Email notifications are sent to the designer and/or bookkeeper once payment is received
• Design Manager automatically processes all back-end accounting and records that payment into the correct accounts; no manual entry required
• If the Design Manager user wishes to pass on the processing fees to the client, it can be done with a few mouse clicks.

Why Stripe Stood Out Above Its Payment Processor Competitors

Design Manager knew they wanted to provide their users with the best the market had to offer in terms of online payment processing. How did they choose Stripe above the competition? After carefully reviewing everything Stripe had to offer vs. the competition, it wasn’t a hard decision. Stripe offers:

• Stripe’s developer-centric approach made it easy to customize to Design Manager’s platform, therefore offering exactly what interior designers need to get paid according to their business plans, for example, accepting and tracking deposits and then intuitively knowing the balance due. 
• Stripe has the best service for ACH payments.
• What can’t be underestimated are Stripe’s no monthly fees and high transaction limits! Previous processors tack on hidden monthly fees, raise rates unknowingly, and deny large transactions that are deemed too risky; however, with Stripe you are able to process higher amounts at consistent rates.
  

• You won’t have to worry about embarrassing technical glitches when using Stripe to transact with your clients, as Stripe guarantees 99.9%+ uptime of its systems
• Just like Design Manager, Stripe offers 24/7 live chat and phone support if you ever needed to go direct to the source, although Design Manager support is also there to help you with any issues or questions you may have when using the Stripe integration
• Last, but not least, Stripe offers iOS and Android dashboard apps, letting you take your digital payment processing tool wherever you go. 

There is no question that digital payments will continue to be the way of the future. Design Manager is constantly updating its platform with the latest technology to bring its users the best tools on the market for running a successful interior design business. With the level of operational support Design Manager provides its users, interior designers can set their minds to bigger and better things, like making their clients’ dreams come true and growing their business in the process. 

Hear what our designer's say about Stripe: 

"With Stripe, accepting credit card payments is a much more efficient process. I can send one link that covers one or multiple invoices to our clients and they are able to pay at their convenience. The appropriate fees are applied and journal entries are booked in Design Manager all automatically. My old process through TSYS involved many more steps and I’m loving the time savings!”

- Andrea Hipsher, Bria Hammel Interiors

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