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Case Studies
505-Junk Improves Cash Flow And Sales Efficiency
“The product is great but the service is what really impresses me. I’ve been to their office, met their CEO, and the staff are always available. They have phone, email, and chat support. Honestly, I couldn’t be more happy with Payfirma.”
The Background
505-Junk, a waste management and junk removal service, was using a traditional system for accepting payments that delivered a less than desirable customer experience. When the management team revamped their customer experience by adding scales and weighing equipment at the job site, they decided to leverage the opportunity and look for a better way to take credit card payments on the spot. 505-Junk has been using Payfirma’s payment software since June 2013 to power both on-site and in office payment processing for their entire business.
505-Junk has been in operation since July 2011, providing commercial, construction, and residential customers with waste management and junk removal services across Greater Vancouver. They offer a green alternative to junk removal, making recycling and donating a natural part of their business process.
505-Junk’s mission is to provide a more transparent alternative to the cookie cutter junk removal companies available in the market. Instead of charging by volume, they charge by weight, making their pricing upfront and more accurate. For example, bulkier items such as a mattress and furniture, which take up a considerable amount of space, won’t cost you a fortune to remove.
The Challenge
A key challenge for 505-Junk was pricing transparency. When co-founders Barry Hartman and Scott Foran decided to makeover their on-site operations, they needed to find a process that was efficient, transparent, and delivered the best customer experience possible. The answer was simple: weigh the material, print a weigh ticket, and be able to settle up by taking the payment right then and there on the job site.
With their new strategy of adding scales on-site to weigh items for their customers, Barry and Scott knew something had to change. Their new experience needed a better, more reliable payment system to compliment their new “weigh and pay” business model.
The new system had to allow staff to charge the customer right away, or be able to put a hold on a customer’s card. It needed to be mobile, something they could always rely on to work, and a solution that enabled their guys to access previous transactions with ease.
The Solution
Finding a Reliable and Scalable Payments Solution
The search for their ideal payment system began online. After evaluating five different options, 505-Junk eventually chose Payfirma’s payment software to handle their credit card processing.
“The other companies met our product needs fine, but in our experience, when it takes 15 minutes to get through to a business to purchase their services, it will take 150 minutes when you require customer service. Payfirma answered our calls immediately. They also responded to our questions efficiently and accurately leaving no grey zones.”
Another reason 505-Junk chose Payfirma was because Payfirma’s payment software met their team’s product needs, and didn’t require them to buy or lease clunky point of sale equipment to charge credit cards. Beyond that, 505-Junk was able to live up to their company value of supporting local businesses.
Implementing On-Site Payments
505-Junk implemented Payfirma’s payment software in June of 2013. Their first goal was to get on-site payments up and running. The team started to use Payfirma’s mobile payment app on smartphones and tablets. This payment solution allowed employees to charge customers at the job site, and put a hold on a customer card through an authorization.
“It is an extremely easy to use app that allows us to take payments at the job site rather than having to call the customer for their credit card information.”
Prior to using Payfirma, 505-Junk processed payments manually. When customers wanted to pay by credit card, on-site staff wrote the credit card information on a piece of paper and charged the card when they got back to the office. Now, thanks to Payfirma, the team can charge credit cards safely and securely in any location: in the office, or at the job site.
The Result
Results That Support Future Growth
505-Junk has achieved phenomenal results since they started using Payfirma’s payment system. They have increased cash flow and reduced outstanding balances. Payfirma helped put the cash directly into 505-Junk’s pocket, rather than waiting days or weeks on end for a customer to pay at their discretion. In Barry’s own words, “before, we would have to contact customers and hope they would pay after the job had already been completed.”
Using Payfirma has also saved the business time and money. Barry explains that, “being able to authorize a card on-site gives us peace of mind when it comes to the customer paying.”
Most of their accounts were in bad standing back from jobs when they didn’t have their on-site scale yet, requiring customers to pay after the junk was weighed on a scale elsewhere. With Payfirma’s mobile payment app with authorization, 505-Junk has significantly cut their accounts in bad standing, taking full payment upfront, or by putting a hold on a card.
Lastly, 505-Junk has improved operations. Barry says the Payfirma payment system has streamlined their team’s sales reporting as they are, “able to track where sales are made and for how much, because of the excellent analytics attached to the software.”
Now, their team is able to see the amount of transactions done by location, showing which areas sales are strong in, and which areas need more attention. 505-Junk’s marketing team uses this information to pinpoint what areas to focus selling, and awareness efforts in.
The Next Chapter
505-Junk has goals to expand in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Barry believes Payfirma’s payment software is a vital tool to support those goals: “We now have the right tools, the right processes, and this is the foundation of more growth and success in 2015 and beyond.”
Keep an eye out for 505-Junk’s newest franchise opening up in Victoria, British Columbia by the end of the year.