The managed services industry is at an inflection point. As technical service offerings become increasingly commoditized, the MSPs winning market share are those who’ve mastered operational sophistication. They’re not just delivering IT services—they’re orchestrating seamless business experiences that competitors struggle to match.
The best MSPs have built end-to-end automation that spans their entire operation. Every process connects seamlessly to the next, creating a unified system that operates with minimal manual intervention. But there’s been a critical gap in this automation chain: payment processing.
Until now, even the most sophisticated MSPs have been forced to handle billing and collections through manual processes or rigid platform workflows that don’t align with their operational excellence elsewhere. This creates delays, friction, and competitive vulnerability at the most crucial moment—when prospects are ready to become paying customers.
The introduction of programmatic access to payment platforms changes this dynamic fundamentally. MSPs can now extend their existing automation sophistication to include instant payment collection, seamless cash flow management, and billing operations that conform to their unique competitive strategies rather than generic industry practices.
Strategic Implications for MSPs
- Operational excellence becomes a true competitive differentiator when it spans the entire client lifecycle
- Quote-to-cash automation eliminates the delays that allow prospects to reconsider or competitors to intervene
- Custom billing workflows enable client experiences that competitors using standard platforms cannot match
- API-driven payment operations transform cash flow management from manual to automated
Early Adopters Are Already Seeing Results
While many MSPs are still operating with disconnected billing processes, forward-thinking providers have begun implementing integrated quote-to-cash automation—and the competitive advantages are becoming clear. These early adopters aren’t just improving internal efficiency; they’re fundamentally changing how quickly they can move from prospect interest to service delivery, creating client experiences that set new expectations in their markets.
The Power of Quote-to-Cash Automation
Alternative Payments customers are already seeing dramatic improvements in cash flow and operational efficiency. Eric Peterson from Simple Communications dropped their receivables from $80,000 to “next to nothing” in two months. Raffi Jamgotchian from Triada Networks cut their payment cycle in half—from the 50s and 60s down to below 30 days. Gary Allen from TeamLogic IT now gets 40% of receivables in the first few days of each billing period.
But the most operationally mature MSPs we work with have bigger ambitions. They’re using tools like Quoter, QuoteWerks, or heavily customized PSA quoting modules that need to trigger complex downstream processes when quotes get approved. Think about what happens in your business: the opportunity becomes an agreement, sales orders get generated, purchase orders flow to procurement for hardware and software, service tickets get created for onboarding teams, and provisioning workflows kick off across your RMM, security platforms, and vendor portals like Pax8.
Now imagine if that same quote approval could also instantly provision everything in QuickBooks, create the customer in Alternative Payments, generate payment links for deposits or full payments, and collect funds immediately instead of waiting for checks or manual processes.
The API extends that automation capability to your billing operations, connecting your entire quote-to-cash process in ways that eliminate delays and manual handoffs.
Current API Capabilities Available Today
So what makes this level of end-to-end automation possible? The Alternative Payments API provides the foundational building blocks MSPs need to integrate payment processing into their existing operational workflows. Here are the key capabilities available now:
Invoice Operations
Create invoices with line items, taxes, and all the details your accounting system requires. Generate hosted payment links instantly, retrieve signed PDF URLs for documentation, and archive invoices when needed. Perfect for MSPs who want payment collection to happen the moment a quote gets approved.
Hosted Checkout
Generate payment links for existing customers and invoices through the same proven checkout experience Alternative Payments has always provided. Perfect for programmatically creating payment links within your existing workflows while maintaining the familiar payment experience your clients already know.
Customer Management
Create customer records with all the details your PSA already has. List customers with filtering options, archive when needed, and manage customer users who need access to payment portals. Essential for connecting your quoting tools directly to payment processing.
Transaction History and Tracking
Query all payment transactions with filters for status, customer, payment method, and date ranges. Essential for building custom dashboards, automated reconciliation workflows, or business intelligence integration that combines payment data with your operational metrics.
Payout Reconciliation Data
Access detailed payout and transaction data to build your own automated bookkeeping workflows. Query which transactions rolled into each bank deposit, then use this data to programmatically update your accounting platform through your own reconciliation logic.
Self-Service API Key Management
Generate, rename, and revoke API keys directly from your Alternative Payments dashboard. Start building integrations immediately without waiting for access credentials or support tickets. Perfect for rapid prototyping and iterative development.
Integration Scenarios MSPs Are Building
Quote-to-Payment Automation
Connect your quoting tools directly to payment collection. When QuoteWerks, Quoter, or your PSA’s quoting module generates an approved quote, your integration can immediately create the customer in Alternative Payments and generate payment links for deposits or full payment. No delays between “yes” and payment collection.
While complex multi-system orchestration through platforms like Rewst will expand as we add more API endpoints, you can start today with the core workflow: quote approval triggers customer creation and instant payment link generation.
Emergency Service Billing
Build workflows that handle urgent service requests without administrative overhead. Create payment requests on demand for emergency services, generate guest checkout links that don’t require customer account setup, and collect payment immediately while your technician is still on site.
Keith Willis from ECX Systems described exactly this scenario: “Customers are in this situation where they need immediate support because they’re experiencing a system outage. They never bothered to do the paperwork and sign up as a regular client, but they’re really in a hurry and they need help… How do I take payments right away?” The current API makes these emergency payment workflows possible today.
Custom Financial Dashboards
Pull transaction data into your own business intelligence tools. Build custom reports that combine Alternative Payments transaction data with your operational metrics, create client-specific payment behavior analyses, or integrate payment performance into executive dashboards that don’t exist in standard platforms.
Reconciliation Workflows
Access detailed payout and transaction data to build automated bookkeeping workflows. Instead of manually matching bank deposits to individual payments, your systems can query which transactions rolled into each payout, then programmatically update your accounting platform using your own reconciliation logic.
Developer Experience Built for MSP Integration
Sandbox Environment
Test your integration thoroughly before going live. The sandbox includes all API functionality with mock data, so you can verify your workflows handle edge cases correctly.
Practical Documentation
Real code examples, clear error messages, and straightforward authentication. The documentation assumes you understand REST APIs and focuses on Alternative Payments-specific implementation details rather than basic HTTP concepts.
OAuth 2.0 Security
Token-based authentication with proper rate limiting and encrypted API keys. Your integration maintains security best practices without adding complexity to your development process.
Building Beyond Standard Integrations
Alternative Payments has always focused on providing payment automation that works seamlessly for MSPs rather than forcing you to adapt to generic billing solutions. The API extends that philosophy by giving you the tools to build exactly the integrations your business needs—and the integrations that will help us connect with more vendors in the MSP ecosystem.
Whether you’re creating simple payment request workflows or planning complex multi-system orchestrations, the API provides access to the same enterprise-grade payment infrastructure that’s already processing millions in transactions for hundreds of MSPs.
This is the beginning of extensibility we’re building into Alternative Payments—giving you the foundation that works, plus the flexibility to build what we haven’t thought of yet. The API makes that level of customization accessible to any MSP with development resources and automation ambitions.
Start Building with the Alternative Payments API
Ready to explore the technical capabilities? Our comprehensive API documentation includes practical code examples, authentication guides, and detailed endpoint references to get you building immediately.
Explore the API documentation →
Ready to See What Alternative Payments Can Do for Your MSP?
Whether you’re planning custom API integrations or want to experience the platform that’s already transforming cash flow for MSPs, see Alternative Payments in action.
Schedule a demo to see how MSPs are automating their payment process with Alternative Payments →
