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Process and Manage Electronic Payments

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Overview

Through Aspire’s integration with Fiserv, you can process electronic payments in Aspire to collect funds from your customers. This article walks you through how to create electronic payments, view payment records, resend receipts, and void or refund payments.

There are several places in Aspire where you can initiate an electronic payment: the quick menu, the payment list, the Process Electronic Payments search list in the navigation bar, the Invoices module, the Invoice screen Actions menu, and the customer portal.

Things to know

  • Don't select the generic Credit Card option in the payment method menu to process electronic payments. That option doesn't process anything through Fiserv. Instead, select a specific card listed on file.

  • Aspire automatically assigns a reference number to each electronic payment when you save it. This reference number matches the one in the Fiserv portal.

  • Electronic payments can take up to five minutes to process. The status updates from Pending to Successful once processing completes.

  • Use the Electronic Payments Log instead of the Payments list when you need detailed error information.

  • A Delete option is available on payments, but voiding or refunding is the recommended approach so you keep a record of the transaction.

  • If you're unsure what an error means, contact AspireCare with the reference number from the payment. The team can help you troubleshoot.

Requirements

  • You need to set up your Fiserv integration to process electronic payments. For more information, read the Electronic Payment Set Up article.

  • You also need to understand the basics of applying payments in Aspire. For more information, read our article on Applying Payments to Invoices.

  • You need the following role permissions added to your user role before you can process electronic payments.

  • Process Electronic Payments — Lets you to open Process Electronic Payments from the quick menu and initiate payments on behalf of customers.

  • Void Electronic Payments — Lets you use the Void option on the payment screen.

  • Refund Electronic Payments — Lets you to see and use the Refund option on the payment screen.

  • Expiring Electronic Payment Method Alerts — Allows you to view expiring payment method alerts in the Alerts section of Aspire.

  • Rejected Electronic Payment Alerts — Allows you to view rejected payment alerts in the Alerts section of Aspire.

Note:

These permissions only display on the User Roles screen in Administration if electronic payments are turned on for your system.

Video

Watch this video or keep reading to learn more about electronic payments.

Create an electronic payment from the quick menu or payment list

You can create electronic payments from two places: the quick menu or the payment list. Both options open the same payment screen.

From the quick menu

  1. Select New Payment from the quick menu.

  2. Enter the billing contact name. If the contact is linked to a company, Aspire populates the company for you.

  3. Select a Property to filter the invoices for that specific property. This helps keep your accounting records clean.

  4. Select a Branch. Even if you only have one branch, filling this in helps with your accounting later.

  5. Open the Payment Method menu and select a card on file. Don't select the generic Credit Card option — it won't process electronically through Fiserv. If no card is on file, you can add one from this screen.

  6. To record a down payment or prepayment, enter the payment amount but don't select any invoices listed at the bottom of the screen. The amount saves as a credit on the contact's account.

  7. To pay an invoice, select the checkbox next to the invoice you want to apply the payment to, then enter the payment amount.

  8. Select Save.

From the payment list

  1. Go to the Invoicing module > Payments.

  2. Select New > New Payment.

  3. Complete the same fields described in the quick menu steps above.

Process electronic payments from the navigation bar

Users with the Process Electronic Payments permission have a Process Electronic Payments option in the quick menu on the Aspire navigation bar. This opens the Process Electronic Payments screen, where you can initiate payment for open invoices individually or in bulk.

  1. Select Process Electronic Payments from the quick menu.

  2. Select the checkbox next to each invoice you want to pay. You can also use the select all checkbox at the top to select all invoices.

  3. Scroll to the right to review the payment amounts. Aspire auto-populates the full invoice total, but you can adjust it to a lesser amount for partial payments.

  4. Select Bulk Actions > Process.

    1. The electronic payment process will begin, and will take some time to complete, but payments will be applied to the invoice batch after it is complete!

Interface for processing electronic payments with invoice details and bulk action options.

Process electronic payments from the Invoice screen

You can initiate an electronic payment directly from an individual invoice.

  1. Open the invoice you want to process a payment for.

  2. Select the Bulk Actions menu on the Invoice screen.

  3. Select Process Electronic Payment.

Set up an autopay workflow

The next section discusses a workflow you can set up to get close to auto transactions in Aspire.

Note:

Aspire doesn't have a fully automatic recurring payment feature, but you can create a streamlined workflow using the Process Electronic Payments screen and a custom payment term.

Step 1: Create an autopay payment term

  1. Go to Administration > Application> Lists > Payment Terms.

  2. Add a new payment term and name it something like "Autopay" or "Autopay 10" (where the number represents the aging days).

  3. Select Save.

Administration Payment Terms window with options to add new terms and save changes.

  1. Apply this payment term to your properties you want to include in your autopay workflow. Terms also appear on the invoice screen to reflect the property term assignment.

Step 2: Process payments in bulk

  1. Select Process Electronic Payments from the quick menu.

  2. Open the filter and set the Payment Term field to your autopay term. You can select more than one autopay term if needed, then select Apply.

  3. Select the checkbox next to each invoice you want to pay.

  4. Scroll to the right to review the payment amounts. Aspire auto-populates the full invoice total, but you can adjust it to a lesser amount for partial payments.

  5. Select Bulk Actions > Process.

Example showing an applied filter for Payment Terms and the bulk action to process all invoices with that payment term.

Allow customers to pay through the customer portal

If you use the customer portal, your customers can pay their own invoices directly. This is optional and depends on whether you've set up the portal for your business.

For more details, read our Customer Portal collection.

View electronic payment records

You can review electronic payment records in three places: the Payments list, the Electronic Payments Log, and directly on the Invoice screen.

In the payments list

  1. Go to Invoicing > Payments.

  2. Open the filter and add the field Electronic Payment equals Yes, then select Apply.

  3. View the Elec PMT Status column. Statuses include Pending, Successful, and Error. To see error details, open the list display settings and add the Sync Error column. Place it next to the Status column for easy reference.

Payments overview showing successful and error statuses for electronic payments.

In the electronic payments log:

  1. Go to Invoicing>Electronic Payment Log.

  2. Review the log entries for more detail on each transaction, including specific error messages (for example, an inaccurate routing number). The log shows all electronic payments, including voided and expired records.

Electronic payment log showing successful and failed payment statuses with details.

Resend an electronic receipt

Electronic payment log showing transaction history and options for email receipt management.

  1. Go to Invoicing>Electronic Payment Log.

  2. Select the payment record you want to resend a receipt for.

  3. Scroll down to the Transaction History section.

  4. Select the three dot icon and then select Sent/Resend Email Receipt.

  5. Check the email history to confirm the receipt was sent and view its delivery status.

Void or refund an electronic payment

Whether you void or refund a payment depends on timing.

  • Void — Use this option if the payment was processed recently and hasn't posted to the customer's account. Keep in mind the 5 minute processing time we explained above. Voiding stops the transaction before it goes through.

  • Refund — Use this option if the void option is no longer available, which means the payment has already posted. A refund sends the money back to the customer's card.

To void a payment

Important:

If you've already sent the payment through on a deposit to your accounting system, Aspire locks the refund option. For more accounting related steps, read the Refund Payments article.

  1. Go to Invoicing > Payments.

  2. Open the payment record.

  3. Select Void, then select Confirm.

The payment no longer displays in the Payments list, but it still appears in the Electronic Payments Log as a historical record.

To refund a payment

  1. Go to Invoicing> Payments.

  2. Open the payment record.

  3. Select Refund.

    1. For more scenario related refund details, read the article on Refunding Payments.

Payment related alerts

Aspire shows alerts about electronic payments under the Alerts icon Notifications menu if you have Rejected Electronic Payment Alerts or Expiring Electronic Payment Method Alerts permissions.

  • Rejected Electronic Payments — Displays when an electronic payment is rejected by the payment processor.

  • Expiring Payment Methods — Displays when a customer's payment method on file is approaching its expiration date.

Dashboard displaying alerts for rejected electronic payments and overdue tasks.


FAQ

One of my customer’s payments shows an "Error" status. How do I fix this error?

In Invoicing>Payments, add the Sync Error column to your Payments list to see the specific error message. Common errors include inaccurate routing numbers or expired cards. You can also check the Electronic Payment Log tab for more details.

One of my customer’s payments says it is in “Pending” status. How long will this take to move from “Pending”?

Electronic payments can take up to five minutes to process. If the status doesn't update after that, check the Invoicing>Electronic Payment Log for additional information, or contact AspireCare.

Is customer credit card information stored or visible in Aspire?

Aspire doesn't store customer card information except for the last four digits of any cards used for electronic payments. Fiserv, Aspire's payment processor, handles all card transactions and is fully PCI compliant.