For many small and medium-sized businesses looking for some help in accounting areas, a program called QuickBooks is a lifesaver. A software program that’s very popular among businesses in this size range, QuickBooks is one of the most recognizable names in the accounting industry.

Did you know, though, that QuickBooks can also be linked with merchant services to allow you to accept credit card payments and processing within the program itself? At Merchant Card Advisors, we’ll show you quick and simply ways to add a payment platform to your QuickBooks account, one that is robust and will streamline customer checkout experiences while lowering your processing fees and costs. Our API can integrate with over 220 different payment services. Let’s look at some of the basics of QuickBooks as a standalone product, how you can integrate merchant services, and a few important qualities to be looking for when you do.

QuickBooks Basics

As we noted above, QuickBooks was primarily invented and used as an accounting software for smaller and moderately-sized businesses. It allows for all the basics a company needs here, such as transaction records, project tracking, invoice creation, bill management and all related areas. It’s known for its user-friendliness and simplicity, a big reason why many small business owners look to it for assistance with day-to-day accounting and cash flow areas.

QuickBooks and Merchant Services

Merchant services refer to a related area of business that speaks to the influx of payments. The most common use of the term is within the world of payment processing, primarily credit card payments that must be processed. Other options, though, including cash advances, POS (point of sale) systems, payment gateways and even many loyalty or gift card programs.

So how do QuickBooks and merchant services connect? You guessed it, though services like ours at Merchant Card Advisors. We’re what’s known as a merchant services provider, bringing you processing solutions that can integrate simply and easily with QuickBooks to allow for payments within this program itself.

Important Qualities of Payment Processors

We know we have competition in the merchant services world, and we’re confident our services will stack up to the very best of them. Here are three important qualities to consider when choosing a payment processor with QuickBooks in mind:

• Compatibility: For starters, the processor should be able to integrate with QuickBooks. This allows you to automate huge areas of processing, from posting payments and invoices to marking payments made and much more. Lack of integration will leave you with manual processes that simply do not make sense today.
• Low fees: Some payment processors overcharge, applying fees for all sorts of random areas that fool merchants. It’s important to work with a processor that’s both transparent and fair in pricing, including multiple package options and limited fees.
• Customer support: You want a payment processor with in-house customer support that’s dedicated to your satisfaction. As such a processor, we’ll provide you with services like a relationship manager (point of contact), chargeback notification and resolution, and other quick-response areas our team can assist you with.

For more on integrating payment processing into QuickBooks, or to learn about any of our merchant credit card processing solutions, speak to the staff at Merchant Card Advisors today.