Vendor Onboarding with Payment Assistant
When a vendor is included in a Payment Assistant payment run for the first time, REPAY — Blackbaud’s trusted payment partner — contacts them to enroll in the disbursement process. A representative may call from 801-679-6044 or 801-762-8772, or email payableshelp@repay.com as an agent of your organization. Once the vendor selects a payment method, Payment Assistant automates future contact.
Note: When paying individuals using Payment Assistant, those payments follow a unique process that differs from the standard process for organizations and businesses. To learn more, see Paying Individuals with Payment Assistant.
Inform Vendors in Advance
It may be helpful to notify your vendors in advance that someone from REPAY will contact them. This helps prevent delays caused by miscommunication.
Use the following template and customize it for your organization:
Vendors Select their Payment Method
This step is required for vendors to choose their preferred payment method for Payment Assistant, even if you already have configured settings in Financial Edge NXT for them.
Payment Assistant first tries to set up a virtual card. If the vendor can’t accept virtual cards, it tries ACH. If the vendor can’t accept virtual cards or ACH, it sends a check.
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Virtual card payments are the fastest, most secure, and preferred method. Vendors can process them as soon as they receive the email. Payments are marked as paid within a few days.
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ACH payments are processed automatically and are marked as paid within a few days.
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Checks are printed and mailed via USPS. They usually arrive within 7–10 business days after payment approval. The payment remains open until the check clears.
Tip: If vendors don’t respond to Payment Assistant’s contact attempts, we don’t hold their funds. After a one-business-day hold, we send the payment by check. For future payments, Payment Assistant contacts the vendor again to set up their preferred method.
If a vendor selects ACH and you’ve enabled EFT sharing, Payment Assistant uses existing banking information from Financial Edge NXT to enroll them. Learn how to set up EFT Sharing with Payment Assistant.
Note: If EFT sharing isn’t enabled, the vendor must provide REPAY with documentation (proof of their bank account, such as a voided check, signed bank letterhead, or a snippet of their bank statement) and sign an authorized form via DocuSign.
After the vendor selects a payment method, Payment Assistant emails them payment and invoice details from your payment run. Unique emails are generated for ACH, check, and virtual card payments based on the vendor’s selected method
Frequently Asked Questions
What if vendors don't respond to Payment Assistant enrollment attempts?
We know that prompt payments are critical to your success! Therefore, we never hold a payment to allow time for the vendor to submit their required documentation. After the 1 day business hold is up on their funds, we send the payments. If a vendor hasn't completed ACH enrollment, a check is sent the first time and then they'll receive ACH for future payments.
Why are payment methods ignored if I use Payment Assistant?
Vendor payment method defaults apply to payments you process manually. Your organization handles those payments directly. With Payment Assistant, we contact vendors and arrange a payment method used only for Payment Assistant. Vendors can choose a one-time virtual card, ACH, or check.