XU: It’s great to finally have the chance to sit down with David Urry, Co-founder and Chief Experience Officer at IntegraPay. David, I wondered if you could start by telling our readers a bit more about IntegraPay and how it can benefit them?‍

DU: Thanks, it’s great to be talking with you.

IntegraPay is a payments technology company specialising in recurring billing and real-time payments. We’re a service provider in Australia, New Zealand and the USA, and have direct processing capabilities in the UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Our focus is to provide businesses and organisations with secure payment processing and merchant services. We give them access to the full range of preferred payment options, including all major credit and debit cards, and direct debit – plus BPAY in Australia, and ACH in the USA.

As you would expect from a technology company, our payment solutions can be fully integrated with business management and accounting systems for a seamless customer experience. One of our most popular integrations is our payments add-on for Xero, which automates invoice payments and reconciliation.‍

XU: You are one of the innovators behind IntegraPay. It would be great to hear the story of how you and Chris began IntegraPay?‍

DU: My brother Chris and I have been working in payments for over twenty years. We founded IntegraPay in Brisbane in 2009 – we’re looking forward to celebrating our company’s tenth anniversary next year. Prior to this, we had already started two other successful payment companies, both of which are still thriving today.

So, back in 2009 we decided to create something new, focusing on three key principles – integration with other systems, international reach, and most importantly, integrity. Hence the name IntegraPay. We wanted to create a better, more efficient and more connected solution than before.

We’ve achieved this by being one of the most heavily integrated payment solutions in Australia and globally.

One thing I’m delighted we’ve been able to do is help so many Australian clients launch overseas. Working with us they’ve been able to avoid having to start all over again whenever they’ve entered a new market.

Integrity is a core value across the entire company. Trust, honesty and transparency are so important when processing payments. It’s central to how we deal with our partners, clients, banking and technology partners, and our staff. ‍

XU: It’s amazing to see how ideas can become reality. In the last nine years, how have you seen IntegraPay develop and grow to benefit its customers?‍

DU: The business has grown the way we thought it would, and our product offering has developed further than we expected. We’ve enhanced the idea we started with.

We’ve always embraced new technologies, and there’s been a lot of change in financial technology over the last decade. We’re constantly looking at changes and innovations in different countries, and how they can benefit our clients.

We’ve delivered solutions that our clients have wanted. We’ve listened to their feedback and delivered enhancements and new solutions that have helped them grow.‍

XU: IntegraPay has been integrated with Xero for quite some time. How has this integration helped your customers?‍

DU: As a recurring payment specialist, our initial focus was on direct debits as we found a lot of Xero users were wasting time managing external debit systems and manually reconciling payments. So we made it easy for any Xero client to accept payments by direct debit from bank account, credit card or debit card, by simply sending a Xero invoice. Direct debits are set up and controlled within Xero and all payments are automatically reconciled.

We then increased the types of payment options customers can choose to pay. We introduced bank debit and BPAY for single invoice payments alongside traditional card payment options. More ways to pay increases the chance of being paid on time.

And finally, IntegraPay’s reconciliation capability is a major time-saver for Xero users. Our automatic reconciliation of invoices and payments, and one-click bank reconciliation for multiple payments makes it so much quicker and easier for our clients to balance their books. We’ve transformed a tedious task into a joy.‍

XU: We all love getting paid quickly and on time. How can IntegraPay make this happen?‍

DU: Using IntegraPay’s direct debit processing, our clients are getting paid on the due date. Forget nine or thirteen days faster – IntegraPay gets you paid on time, on the due date.

Without a payment add-on, sending out an invoice is no guarantee of getting paid. Our auto-debit technology enables a business to take payments exactly when they need it.

And ultimately, accepting all the major payment methods is always going to speed up payments – we’re enabling our clients to do that.‍

XU: How can IntegraPay help accountancy firms that are coming away from time-based billing and moving towards monthly fixed-fee billing?‍

DU: As experts in direct debit processing, we’re enabling businesses to automate their recurring payments. This is perfect for monthly fixed-fee billing.

With our solution, setting up a schedule for auto-debit is as easy as setting up an invoice. Once the customer agrees to the direct debit, payment is taken automatically each month.

Our solution also works well for the time-based billing model where fees vary each time. By adding a direct debit agreement to a one-off invoice, a business can get agreement from their customer for future payments to be taken from their account. Invoice payments are automated each time, with the customer getting notification of the amount.

Our solution is flexible enough to cater for both billing models.‍

XU: Security is always at the forefront of people’s minds. At IntegraPay, what have you done to ensure secure payments?‍

DU: The security and compliance of client data is integral to our business. Protecting our clients’ business, brand and their customers is our top priority.

We maintain the highest level of compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard [PCI DSS]. All data is tokenized, stored, processed and transmitted within our secure network. IntegraPay also has an Australian Financial Services licence.

Our technology infrastructure is highly secure, reliable and resilient. With three data centres in separate locations, we’re able to keep our payment operations running securely during adverse conditions.

All this gives our clients and their customers peace of mind that their data is in safe hands.‍

XU: I know that customer experience is of paramount importance to the IntegraPay team. How do you ensure your users give their clients quality customer service?‍

DU: As IntegraPay’s CXO, enabling our clients to deliver great customer service through our solutions is my main objective.

Firstly, we’re offering the widest choice of payment options available in a Xero add-on. Customers love the ease and convenience this gives them.

IntegraPay automatically updates a business’s records within Xero as soon as a customer makes a payment. Clients are always up-to-date with their customers’ invoice and payment information. This removes any doubt and confusion.

Great customer service can be harmed by over-eager debt chasing. By automating payments for Xero invoices, a business doesn’t have to chase late-payers. Payments are debited on the due date. We also use technology and processes that reduce the number of payment rejections. And any payments that are rejected can be followed up by an automatic email or SMS reminder, avoiding those awkward conversations with loyal customers.

We’re always looking to enhance our clients’ customer service, relationships and reputation with our payment solutions.‍

XU: IntegraPay is a worldwide solution. How have you had to adapt your solution to deliver IntegraPay to a worldwide market?‍

DU: Our solution is extremely flexible, so it’s always been easy for us to adapt it for different countries. Our commitment to tailoring solutions for partners and clients has enabled us to support the major platforms for each market.

The payment landscape varies for each country we operate in – for instance, in Australia and New Zealand there’s a 50/50 mix of card payments and bank debits; in the USA it’s mostly card payments; and in the UK there’s a lot of bank debits.

We’re able to support transactions worldwide through a combination of our own facilities and an extended network of payment partnerships. Our focus now is to expand our own facilities in each country that we’re involved with.‍

XU: The IntegraPay team will be exhibiting at Xerocon Brisbane. Why is Xerocon so important to the IntegraPay team?‍

DU: For all of us involved in accounting technology, Xerocon is a must-attend event. And we’re delighted that its coming to Brisbane, our home city.

Xerocon gives us a chance to hear about the latest trends and developments in accounting technology. We love hearing from businesses about their challenges, their needs, and how technology is helping them grow.

It’s such an important networking event for us. It’s always good to catch up with our clients that are attending, and with the Xero team. And it’s a great opportunity to introduce ourselves to businesses that are new to us and Xero.‍

XU: I have seen the IntegraPay team at various events and they always seem to have great swag! What’s in store for those attending Xerocon Brisbane?‍

DU: Yes, another advantage of attending conferences is walking away with some great swag. We’ve got a few swag ideas, so you’ll have to wait and see. Make sure you visit our stand - we look forward to seeing you there.‍

XU: Is there anything exciting lined up for IntegraPay over the next six months?

‍DU: We’re now processing over $1.2 billion [AUD] a year, helping thousands of businesses grow through digital payments. We’re looking forward to further growth in this financial year.

Without giving anything away, I can tell you we’ll be rolling out various product enhancements and additional payment security, all of which will benefit Xero users. And as a company we’ll be expanding our global operations – watch this space.

IntegraPay is involved in two rapidly growing and overlapping sectors – digital payments and accounting technology. We’re well-placed to deliver the tools and technology for businesses and organisations to succeed. Exciting times ahead!