- A focus on direct-debit payments using the proprietary online platform
- Solution reduces administrative effort and transaction costs
- Global payment network with currency conversion facilitates international transactions
(powercloud, Offenburg, Germany, 1/27/21) To automate and radically simplify payment transactions between utilities and their customers – these are the goals of a new partnership between powercloud and the British fintech company GoCardless, who together have developed an innovative means of making direct debit transactions online. The solution can immediately be integrated into utilities’ websites as a white-label solution and comprehensively dovetails with the innovative powercloud accounting system.
The next steps are as simple as they are effective: End-customers agree to an online direct debit agreement. It is then possible for the utilities to launch, monitor and optimize all payments directly from the powercloud via an API interface. Any reimbursements to the customer at the end of the year can be easily initiated. “The entire transaction process is effectively automated in the blink of an eye, while the associated administrative effort is reduced to a minimum,” explains Mario Boehm, Partner and Alliances Manager at GoCardless. “In concrete terms, the automation covers initiation of the direct debit, real-time examination of the payment status and follow-up attempts for failed postings. Our solution not only minimizes the administrative effort, but also significantly lowers transaction costs. Furthermore, the number of errors that occur during transactions are scaled down massively.”
“We are very excited about the new powerApp, which gives us a basis from which we can offer our customers a new solution for their transaction process,” says Marco Beicht, CEO of powercloud. “The technological know-how provided by GoCardless in the field of direct debit transactions and our accounting expertise fit here like hand in glove.” What’s more, by teaming up with GoCardless, we have established a global payment network for direct debits. That is why the partnership aligns with the powercloud strategy, of bringing the advantages of the comprehensive SaaS solution into international markets in a more intense manner, which will also allow utilities to draw payments in different currencies, and convert them into the desired target currency automatically. “Over 55,000 European businesses are already taking advantage of the solution – from small fitness studios to large tourism companies. Together with powercloud, we now want to use the expertise gained to make further inroads into the European energy market. We are convinced that both large and small utilities stand to benefit greatly in terms of their complex payment transactions,” says Mario Boehm from GoCardless.
GoCardless is the perfect match for the comprehensive powercloud approach aimed at driving digital transformation in the energy industry using innovative solutions. We are focused on developing new products as well as sinking costs through the automation of business processes. Decisive here is that the end-to-end system from powercloud contains all processes involved in the “energy supply utility room” of the utilities – although suppliers can expand its core functions with customized, ready-to-use solutions from the powerApp store to meet their specific needs. Similar to other app stores, users will find ready-to-use and tested extensions for the powercloud, which are connected through certified interfaces. Precisely that is now also possible with GoCardless.
About GoCardless
GoCardless is a leading fintech company in the field of recurring payments. Thanks to its platform and global payment network, it enables companies to draw payments from customers all over the world. More than 55,000 companies globally, from multinational companies through to small and medium-sized enterprises, effect GoCardless transactions to the amount of 18 billion USD in over 30 countries each month. Headquartered in the UK, GoCardless has four further branches in Australia, Germany, France and the USA.
