Why take payment in the chat
Many South African businesses that sell over WhatsApp already take money there, just slowly. Someone sends bank details, the customer pays by EFT, sends a screenshot as proof of payment, and a person checks the bank statement before anything moves. Or the customer reads their card number to an agent over the phone.
A payment link fixes the slow part. The amount is set by the conversation or your system, the customer pays by card on Paystack's or Yoco's hosted checkout, and the gateway tells our platform once it's paid. Nobody has to match screenshots to statements, and the next step (the booking, the unit, the delivery, the receipt) happens straight away.
What already runs, and what we build
The payment side is existing code on our platform. The conversation around it is written for your business by our engineers, because we don't offer a do-it-yourself bot builder.
| Part | Status | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Paystack hosted checkout | Runs | Payment links, confirmed by Paystack's webhook with polling as a back-up |
| Paystack saved cards | Runs | Repeat payments for returning customers, including the bank's 3-D Secure step when it asks for one |
| Paystack split payments | Runs | Payouts split through Paystack sub-accounts. Tell us what needs splitting and we'll confirm it fits |
| Yoco hosted checkout | Runs | Payment links, confirmed by Yoco's webhook |
| Resume the chat when paid | Runs | The conversation pauses at the link and carries on when the gateway confirms payment |
| QuickBooks Online invoice | Connection runs; invoice step is built | You connect QuickBooks; we add the step that raises the invoice on payment. It is built around orders today, so deposits and fees are checked when we scope |
| The conversation | Build | When to ask, how the amount is worked out, the messages before and after, reminders |
| Your booking, job, billing or stock system | Build | We connect WhatsApp to it via its API, to fetch prices or record the payment |
How it works, step by step
- The amount is agreedThe customer accepts a quote, picks an option from a list, or agrees a fee with your team. The amount comes from the conversation, a price list in the build, or your own system.
- We create the linkOur platform asks Paystack or Yoco for a hosted checkout for that amount and that customer.
- The link goes into the chatAs a plain link or as a message with a Pay button. The conversation waits here.
- The customer pays on the gateway's pageThey tap through to Paystack's or Yoco's secure page, pay by card, and come back to WhatsApp. Card details never pass through the chat.
- The gateway confirmsPaystack confirms by webhook, with polling as a back-up if the webhook is slow. Yoco confirms by webhook.
- The chat carries on"Paid, thanks", then whatever comes next: a booking confirmed, a receipt, a QuickBooks invoice, or an update to your own system.
- If nobody paysWe can build a follow-up that sends the link again after a set time. If the customer's 24-hour window has closed by then, it has to be an approved utility template.