Learn How a Simple Text Can Make Payment Collection a Breeze

With the advent of new technologies, payment collection has diversified for businesses of all sizes. Our society has moved further away from cash and checks by relying heavily on debit and credit cards. Now, many businesses are finding that consumers want to use contactless payment options in place of cards.

Contactless payments include both mobile wallets and text payment options. Mobile wallets are available through smartphone providers like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung. Text payment options let businesses send a payment request via text message to their clients for easy collection.

Weave offers its users a complete payment platform that accepts traditional payments (cash, checks, and cards) along with contactless payment options. Text to Pay is our text payment feature. It allows businesses to collect payments in a way that’s simple, secure, and effective at a time when many customers are concerned about the safety of payment portals.

We recently commissioned an independent survey of 750 healthcare providers and their clients. The study revealed some interesting facts about how practices are adapting to changing consumer expectations. This blog post discusses how the simplicity of Text to Pay makes collections easy in any business environment.

Maximize Your Potential

Although texting is becoming a fundamental method of communication for healthcare practices, most providers feel like they haven’t explored the full potential of their text outreach. In fact, only 19% of the healthcare professionals in our survey said they’re using text messaging to its fullest potential. One of the best ways to maximize your office’s texting potential is by adopting Text to Pay.

Our customers are already using text messaging to establish efficient communication with clients, notify them about upcoming appointments, and gather online reviews. Adding a text payment option makes your text outreach more robust and aligns with the growing preference for digital transactions.

Adapt to Changing Customer Preferences

Some healthcare providers feel that their standard mode of operation shouldn’t be altered by shifts in consumer behavior. They’ve always been safe and efficient. That may be true, but customer expectations continue to evolve. 71% of practices in our survey reported an increased demand for Text to Pay.

Even if your office is doing everything in its power to streamline waiting rooms and protect both employees and customers, payment portals can make people uncomfortable. Recognizing that patients want contactless payment options is simply understanding shifts in demand. Text to Pay resolves public health concerns along with changes in customer service preferences.

Prepare for Growth

One of the most interesting statistics in our study is the difference between high-growth and low-growth practices. Those providers that emphasize growth were 40% more likely to say Text to Pay improves the patient experience. High-growth practices are more attuned to market trends and see the value of Text to Pay.

Text to Pay enhances the patient experience in several ways. It gives them more payment options, increasing satisfaction with your payment platform. It meets the communication preferences of younger generations, who often prefer texting over phone calls. It also streamlines checkout by eliminating the need for in-person payment interactions.

Consolidate Your Payments

Contactless payments that aren’t integrated with your traditional payment collection can be more of a hassle than they’re worth. That’s why 69% of the practices in our study wanted payments and merchant services on one platform. The beauty of Weave Payments is that it brings all your payment options together in a complete payment platform.

Payment processing for both contactless and traditional payments is easy with Weave Payments. There are no upfront or monthly credit card processing fees, and once you’ve got a patient’s credit card information on file, you can begin to push for text payments. This payment processing is all powered by Stripe, one of the largest and most secure payment companies.

Install Contactless Options

What types of contactless options do patients want to see in healthcare practices? In our survey, the top ways clients want to go contactless include a credit card tap option, mobile payments, and streamlined checkout processes. While tap options still require some physical interaction, Text to Pay offers a seamless, fully digital payment experience.

When offices add Text to Pay as a payment option, there doesn’t need to be an in-person checkout process. Once patients receive essential services, they can walk straight to their cars without stopping at the front desk. Your team can send them a payment request that clients can respond to at their convenience.

Mitigate Perceived Risk

Payment portals are touched by dozens of people each day, and not everyone takes precautions to keep them clean. Because of this shared surface, 43% of the patients in our survey said they feel it’s riskier to touch a payment portal in a healthcare practice than in other businesses. Whether or not this perception is accurate, providers are responsible for ensuring that clients feel comfortable and secure.

Adopting Text to Pay not only helps healthcare practices demonstrate concern for their clients’ preferences but also simplifies life for both employees and patients. Employees spend less time managing front-desk transactions, while patients enjoy a quick, hassle-free checkout process.

Transition to Contactless Payments

It’s a bad idea to limit your payment options. Studies show that increasing payment methods helps businesses increase their profits. However, 67% of healthcare providers said they want to transition from credit cards to Text to Pay. Successful practices will continue accepting traditional payments while encouraging the use of more efficient contactless payment options.

The benefit of Weave’s complete payment platform is that it supports all traditional payment methods while also enabling businesses to shift toward digital payments. Even with a tap option, in-person credit card processing can feel inconvenient to many customers. Transitioning to contactless payments ensures a smooth experience for both your employees and patients.

Show Clients You Care

Although not all healthcare clients are asking for contactless payments, many would prefer to see a transition away from credit cards. In fact, 50% of patients in our survey want to see a shift from credit cards to Text to Pay. This group likely includes younger generations, who prefer texting for many interactions, including payments.

Another part of our survey showed that older clients prefer receiving calls from their healthcare providers, while younger clients prefer text messages. The divide here is similar: half of your patients may not be eager to switch to Text to Pay, but the other half are ready for a simpler, faster payment experience.

Improve Office Efficiency

Most healthcare practices are always looking for ways to improve efficiency. Many have optimized scheduling, appointment reminders, and communication. Now, it’s time to do the same for payment processing.

It’s possible to train employees to handle payments more quickly, but the easiest solution is to remove unnecessary steps altogether. Text to Pay eliminates the need for in-person checkout interactions, reducing front-desk congestion and allowing staff to focus on more important tasks.

Reduce Payment Delays

Every business faces challenges when it comes to collecting payments. Even when regulations and industry dynamics shift, practices still need to ensure timely revenue collection.

Text to Pay makes it easier for customers to settle their balances quickly. By offering a seamless, digital payment method, businesses can reduce outstanding payments and create a smoother experience for both employees and clients.

Simplify Your Payment Collection with Weave

By creating a complete payment platform within our business toolbox, Weave offers healthcare practices increased payment processing options while simplifying day-to-day collections. Contactless payments like Text to Pay are the future of payment processing.

Text to Pay protects employees and patients from unnecessary delays and gives both groups more freedom, letting them choose how they interact after their appointments. Transitioning from traditional payment methods to Text to Pay is a must for high-growth practices looking toward the future of business communication.