How payments work in ConnectWise Manage
ConnectWise lists an Authorize.Net integration on its marketplace. It lets your clients pay outstanding invoices online through the Customer Portal, and paid invoices show up in ConnectWise Manage. Clients can also manage recurring payments for monthly invoices.
The listing says an Authorize.Net account is required for the integration. It does not say whether you or your client holds that account, so we confirm that for your setup.
ConnectWise Manage is business management software for IT service companies.
This guide covers online and invoice payments, the ones ConnectWise Manage takes through its payment connection.
What changes and what stays
What changes
- The payment connection inside ConnectWise Manage: either a new gateway login, or a new account behind the gateway you already use. We tell you which after we read your statement.
- Who settles your card money and sends your monthly statement.
- Your fees. We show you the real numbers from your own statement and never predict them.
What stays
- ConnectWise Manage itself, with your customers, records and the way you work.
- What your customers see when they pay, in most cases.
Who this suits
Best fit
- An IT service company that bills clients monthly and collects by card in the Customer Portal.
- Your processing contract is near its end, or you can time a change around it.
- You have not looked at your statement in a while and want a person to read it with you.
Not a fit
- A company that mostly collects by bank transfer or check and rarely sees card fees.
- Your statement is already clear and you are happy with it. Then the honest answer may be to stay where you are.
- You are in the middle of a contract with a large early cancellation fee and cannot time a change.
What a switch involves
- Send your latest statement. A person reads it with you and works out your effective rate. This is free and there is no pressure to switch.
- We check what ConnectWise Manage allows for your setup. Plans and settings differ, so we confirm what your ConnectWise Manage account can do. If the honest answer is to stay, we say so.
- Apply for the new account, if a change makes sense. This takes business and bank details. How long it takes varies with the account review and with any hardware involved.
- Update the payment connection in ConnectWise Manage. Enter the new connection details in your payment settings and run a test payment before you tell customers anything.
- Move saved cards and recurring payments, then close the old account. Do this when your contract allows it. Closing the old account too early can stop recurring charges.
Timing varies. We give you a realistic timeline for your setup when we read your statement.
What to watch
- Clients who manage recurring payments for monthly invoices will see any change, so plan how you tell them.
- Cards your customers have saved on file. Ask whether they can be moved to the new setup, or whether customers would need to enter them again.
- Recurring billing and subscriptions, which are tied to those saved cards.
- Gift card balances, if you sell gift cards.
- Card surcharges. Card network rules and some state laws limit them, so check before you add or keep one.
- Your current contract end date and any early cancellation fee.
Questions merchants ask
Where do my clients pay?
The marketplace listing says clients view invoices in the Customer Portal and pay online there. After payment, the invoice is marked paid in ConnectWise Manage.
Do I need my own Authorize.Net account?
The listing says an Authorize.Net account is required but does not say who holds it. Ask us to check before you change anything.
What about clients on recurring payments?
The listing says clients can manage recurring payments for monthly invoices. Moving those takes a plan so nobody is billed twice or missed.
How do I see what I pay now?
Open your monthly processing statement and add up every fee. Divide that total by your card sales for the month. The result is your effective rate, the real percentage you pay after every fee. Our free statement review walks you through it.
See what you pay, for free
A person reads your statement with you and tells you what each fee means and whether a different processor is even possible with ConnectWise Manage. There is no pressure to switch.