The manual process most businesses are stuck in
Here's the typical payment workflow for a small South African business:
- Job is completed
- Owner or admin opens the payment platform (PayFast, Peach, Yoco, etc.)
- Creates a payment request for the right amount
- Copies the link
- Opens WhatsApp, finds the client's chat, pastes the link with a message
- Waits to see if it was paid
- If not paid, manually follows up a few days later
This takes time. It's easy to forget. And if your business does 20+ jobs a week, it becomes a significant admin burden. The good news: every single one of those steps can be automated.
The automated payment workflow
Here's the flow we build for clients:
South African payment gateways that support this
All of the major South African payment gateways have APIs that can be called programmatically to generate payment requests:
- PayFast: has a payment request API that generates unique links with pre filled amounts. Well documented and widely used.
- Peach Payments: robust API with webhook support. Well suited for businesses with higher transaction volumes.
- Yoco: payment links can be created via the Yoco API and sent programmatically.
- PayGate: available via API integration for established businesses.
If you're currently using EFT and want to move to payment links, any of the above are good starting points. PayFast is the most common choice for smaller South African businesses due to its ease of setup.
What the WhatsApp message looks like
Your pool service on 12 June has been completed. Here's your invoice for R850.00:
🔗 Pay securely: [payment link]
You can pay by card, instant EFT or any other supported method. Takes about 2 minutes.
Thanks,
Crystal Clear Pool Services
Short, clear, action focused. The link is prominent. The client knows exactly what they're paying for and how much.
Does this require WhatsApp Business API?
Yes. Automated outbound WhatsApp messages require the WhatsApp Business API, not the free WhatsApp Business app you might already be using. The app doesn't allow automated sending.
The API requires an approved template message for the first contact in a 24 hour window. Once a client replies, you can send freely formatted messages in response. We handle the API setup and template approval process for clients as part of this implementation.
If WhatsApp API feels like a step too far right now, SMS is an alternative. Most of the same automation logic applies, and SMS gateways like BulkSMS are straightforward to integrate.
Want this built for your business?
We set up this exact automation for South African businesses. Book a free audit and we'll review your current payment process and show you how to automate it with the tools you already use.
Book a Free Audit