The new text-to-pay feature, called Payments, enables businesses to request and collect secure payments through text message.

Business texting software provider Text Request and conversational commerce platform Authvia today announced their partnership to provide text-to-pay services through the Text Request platform. The new offering, called Payments, enables organizations to request and collect secure payments through text message.

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Payments is now available on all Text Request plans, and is expected to be particularly valuable for service-based businesses to collect payments while reducing their workload.

How it works: Text Request customers connect their existing merchant processing accounts securely through Authvia. They then create text message-based payment requests inside of the Text Request platform. The first time a contact receives a payment request, they click a link included in the request to securely enter their payment information. This information is saved for future requests, which are paid by simply texting back a four-digit confirmation code. Transactions are processed in real time.

“Particularly since the pandemic started, businesses have been looking for more and better ways to engage their audiences virtually, including through contactless payments,” said Text Request CTO and co-founder Rob Reagan. “Authvia’s innovation around security and the ability to bring your own payment processor make them a clear leader in this space, and the perfect partner to bring this new feature to life.”

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Authvia connects over 200 payment processors and gateways to messaging with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance through their conversational commerce APIs. Text Request’s software as a service (SaaS) gives business teams the ability to text from their existing business phone numbers for one-to-one conversations and mass messaging. Together, the two companies are helping businesses across the United States and Canada reach customers where they already spend their time—on their phones—to move business forward.

“80% of customers who pay by text one time go on to pay by text every time,” said Authvia CEO and co-founder Chris Brunner. “The brands we already provide payment services for are looking to expand their texting abilities. Text Request brings a wealth of messaging software power and expertise, and this partnership enables us to serve our users better, which empowers them to serve their customers better. It’s a great relationship for everyone.”

Payments comes on the heels of a banner year in 2021 for Text Request, which saw the release of new mobile apps, a new Chrome browser extension, HIPAA compliant texting, and 15 new integrations with other major software platforms, among other improvements. The company also earned distinctions as #335 on the Inc. 5000 list of fast-growing private companies, and #108 on the Deloitte Fast 500 list of fastest-growing technology companies.

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