Retainers
Collect an approved amount before or during an engagement when the business model uses a retainer or deposit.
Professional Services
The work has a timeline.
The work has a timeline.
So does the payment.
Agencies, accounting firms, legal practices, consultants, IT companies, and other service businesses can collect retainers, send project invoices, bill recurring services, or request payment remotely.
We start with how the firm bills and collects today, then fit the payment setup around that workflow.
How the firm gets paid
One client relationship
One client relationship
can have four payment flows.
A retainer is not collected like a project invoice. Ongoing monthly work is not billed like a one time engagement. Start with the ways the firm actually gets paid.
Project invoices
Request payment for completed work, approved milestones, or another amount the firm has determined is due.
Recurring services
Use approved recurring billing when clients have agreed to ongoing services that are charged on an established schedule.
Remote payment requests
Send an invoice or payment link when the client needs to pay from a phone or computer instead of making payment in person.
You may use one of these. You may use all four. The payment setup should follow the way the firm bills.
What has to work
The work may be done.
The work may be done.
The payment still has a process.
A firm may collect before the work begins, invoice after a milestone, bill on a recurring schedule, or request payment remotely. These are the payment workflows we ask about before recommending anything.
Retainers and deposits
When the firm uses an approved retainer or deposit, the payment setup should make the amount easy to request, collect, and record under the business process already in place.
Invoices and payment links
Clients should have a clear way to pay an approved invoice remotely when the business wants to collect without taking payment in person.
Approved stored payment methods
When the merchant setup supports it and the client has provided the required authorization, an approved payment method can be available for future authorized charges.
Recurring billing
Approved recurring payments can support ongoing services when the client has agreed to charges on an established schedule.
Refunds and payment records
Refunds, adjustments, payments, and disputes should leave useful transaction records that help the firm understand what happened.
Invoice and payment reconciliation
The firm needs a clear way to connect payments, refunds, and remaining balances back to the invoice or billing record the business already uses.
If the current billing and payment workflow already handles these well, we should not replace it just to create a project.
Before we replace anything
Like the system that runs the firm?
Like the system that runs the firm?
Keep it if we can.
The firm may already have accounting, billing, CRM, project management, practice management, or another system that works well. A payment problem does not automatically mean the rest of the business software needs to change.
The business system is fine
If the existing system works for the team and the payment relationship is the problem, we first check whether the approved payment setup can change without replacing software the firm already knows.
The payment flow needs work
Retainers, invoices, remote payments, approved stored payment methods, recurring billing, or payment reconciliation may need attention even when the business system itself is doing its job.
You are not sure which it is
Show us how the invoice and payment move through the business today. We will separate the software problem from the payment problem before recommending either one.
Keeping the right business system is a good outcome too.
Pricing programs
The firm type does not pick
The firm type does not pick
the pricing program.
Your payment mix does.
One firm may bill cards every month. Another may collect project invoices by ACH or check. Another may use retainers, remote payments, cards, and several methods at once. We model what clients actually use before recommending a pricing change.
How clients pay
Cards may be only part of the picture. ACH, checks, recurring payments, retainers, project invoices, and other approved methods can change how much revenue is actually exposed to card processing cost.
Card mix and current cost
Debit, credit, prepaid volume, and the fees on a recent processing statement give us the real card numbers needed to compare the options.
Billing model
A firm billing recurring services may need a different payment workflow from one collecting retainers, milestone invoices, or one time project balances. The billing model matters separately from the pricing program.
Client experience
The pricing structure changes what the client sees on the invoice, payment request, payment screen, or receipt. The lowest modeled cost is not automatically the best operating choice.
We do not assume the payment mix from the profession
An agency can collect very differently from an accounting firm. A consultant can collect differently from a legal practice. We use the actual billing flow and merchant statement before recommending a pricing program.
Special client funds need a separate review
If the firm handles trust, escrow, client fund, or another restricted account structure, confirm that payment and account setup separately before changing processing.
What changes
Change the payment flow.
Change the payment flow.
Keep the firm running.
Once we know what the firm should keep and how clients actually pay, we configure the payment setup around the invoices, retainers, recurring services, remote payments, and billing records already in use.
Configure the billing flow
Invoices, payment links, approved stored payment methods, recurring billing, and other payment workflows should be configured around how the firm already bills and collects.
Keep what already works
If the current accounting, billing, CRM, practice management, or other business system can work with the approved payment setup, keeping it may be the better answer.
Test before launch
Test the payment flows the firm actually uses, including invoices, remote payments, refunds, approved recurring charges, and other important transactions before the new setup becomes the normal process.
Know support and terms
Phase 3 payment support is available 24/7 from a US based team. The firm should also understand the processor, gateway, recurring billing, equipment, pricing, and cancellation terms that apply before anything changes.
The goal is not more software. It is a payment setup that fits the way the firm already does business.
Special client funds need a separate review
If the firm uses a trust, escrow, client fund, or another restricted account structure, confirm the exact payment and account requirements before implementation.
Payment tools
Most firms do not need
Most firms do not need
a register.
They need a better way to collect.
A firm may collect from an invoice, a payment link, an approved recurring schedule, an online payment connection, or an occasional card presented in person. The payment tool should follow the billing workflow.
Phase 3 VT
Invoices, remote payments, and recurring billing
Phase 3 VT is our branded virtual terminal for firms that need to request, take, and manage payments without running every transaction through a physical point of sale.
Depending on the merchant setup, it can support payment entry, invoices, payment links, approved stored payment methods, recurring billing, and ACH when enabled.
Online payment connection
When payment needs to live inside an existing system
When the firm needs payment inside a website, portal, invoice flow, or other existing business system, we review the current architecture and determine which approved gateway or payment connection can fit it.
Authorize.Net, NMI, or another approved connection may be appropriate depending on the current system, processor relationship, and compatibility.
Simple terminal
Occasional in person payments
For firms that occasionally take a card in person, a straightforward terminal may solve the payment need without adding a full point of sale system.
Dejavoo or Valor may be options when the approved processor and payment setup support them.
Broader checkout
When the firm actually needs more
Clover or Square may make sense when a Professional Services business genuinely needs broader checkout or point of sale functions in addition to payment acceptance.
A simpler billing and payment workflow should not be replaced with a full point of sale system unless the business actually needs those functions.
Special client funds need a separate review
If the firm handles trust, escrow, client fund, or another restricted account structure, confirm the exact payment and account requirements before selecting the payment tool.
The current payment setup may still win
If the firm already has a payment setup that handles invoices, recurring billing, remote payments, refunds, and reporting well, keeping it may be the better answer. We do not replace a working payment flow just to sell another one.
The best payment tool is the one that fits the billing workflow without creating a new business problem.
The client payment flow
From the engagement
From the engagement
to the paid invoice.
A client may pay before work begins, after a milestone, from an invoice, through an approved recurring schedule, or another payment process the firm uses. The payment setup should support the stages that actually apply.
-
Determine what is due
The firm determines what work, retainer, milestone, invoice, or recurring amount has been approved under its existing business process.
-
Request the payment
Send the approved invoice, payment link, recurring payment request, or other configured payment option the firm uses for that client.
-
Collect the approved amount
The client completes payment through the approved method supported by the merchant setup.
-
Continue recurring billing when applicable
When the client has agreed to recurring charges, the approved payment setup can support the established billing schedule.
-
Match the payment to the billing record
The firm needs a clear record that helps connect payments, refunds, and remaining balances back to the invoice or billing record already used by the business.
The firm decides what is owed. Phase 3 provides the payment tools used to collect the approved amount.
Special client fund or restricted account structures require separate review before this payment flow is approved.
Professional Services FAQ
Before you change
Before you change
how the firm gets paid,
get these answers.
Billing software, accounting, payment tools, recurring services, and special account requirements can all be separate decisions. We figure out which part actually needs changing before touching the rest.
Can I keep the accounting or billing system I already use?
Possibly. If the current system already handles invoicing, client records, reporting, or other business workflows well, we first check whether the approved payment setup can work around the software the firm already knows.
What is Phase 3 VT?
Phase 3 VT is our branded virtual terminal for firms that need to request, take, and manage payments without running every transaction through a physical point of sale. Depending on the merchant setup, it can support payment entry, invoices, payment links, approved stored payment methods, recurring billing, and ACH when enabled.
Can I send clients invoices and payment links?
Yes when the approved payment setup supports those workflows. An invoice or payment link can give the client a way to pay remotely instead of requiring the firm to collect payment in person.
Can clients pay by ACH?
ACH may be available when it is enabled for the approved merchant setup. Availability, transaction requirements, limits, pricing, and funding can depend on the merchant account and payment configuration.
Can I keep an approved payment method for future invoices?
Yes when the merchant setup supports it and the client has provided the required authorization. An approved payment method can then be available for future authorized charges without asking the client to enter the same payment information every time.
Can Phase 3 handle recurring monthly services?
Yes when the approved payment setup supports recurring billing and the client has agreed to the recurring charges. The billing schedule, amount, payment method, and other requirements should follow the agreement already established between the firm and the client.
What happens when a recurring payment fails?
The exact behavior depends on the payment setup, decline reason, processor, gateway, and configured retry rules. Some setups can support retry workflows, but we do not promise that every failed payment can or should be recovered.
Can I collect a retainer before work begins?
Yes when the firm uses an approved retainer or deposit as part of its existing business process and the payment setup supports that workflow. The firm determines what amount is due and how that money should be handled. Phase 3 provides payment tools for the approved collection process.
Can Phase 3 support trust, escrow, or client fund accounts?
Those arrangements require separate review. Trust, escrow, client fund, IOLTA, and other restricted account structures can have specific banking, payment, legal, or professional requirements. Phase 3 must review the exact use case before confirming whether a supported payment setup is available.
Which pricing program should a Professional Services firm use?
We do not choose one from the profession alone. Actual card volume, debit and credit mix, ACH and check usage, current processing cost, billing model, client experience, and business system compatibility all matter. We can model the options from the actual payment activity before recommending a change.
Do I need a point of sale system?
Usually not unless the firm has broader in person checkout needs. Many Professional Services businesses are better served by remote payment tools, invoices, payment links, recurring billing, ACH when enabled, or a simple terminal for occasional in person payments.
How long does switching take?
It depends on what is changing. A simple payment setup is different from configuring recurring billing, moving payment workflows, connecting existing software, reviewing payment credentials, or evaluating a special client fund structure. We review the current setup first and give the firm a realistic implementation plan before anything changes.
Can Phase 3 handle our website too?
Yes. Phase 3 Digital can build and manage the public business website as a separate service. Website pricing is $99 a month with Phase 3 processing or $199 a month as Standalone Digital. Search and advertising services can be added separately when they make sense.
Phase 3 Digital
We can handle
We can handle
the website too.
Services change. Teams change. Industries served, locations, bios, resources, FAQs, careers, and contact information change. We build the website, write it, host it, and keep handling the normal updates after it goes live.
Use Phase 3 Digital on its own, or pay less when you also process with Phase 3.
Website plan
With Phase 3 processing
$99 / month
Standalone Digital
$199 / month
Same managed Website service. Processing customers receive the lower price.
- Written and designed for your business
- Hosting, SSL, and Cloudflare
- Forms, calls, maps, and analytics
- Technical SEO and schema
- Normal website updates by email
Not included in this plan
Client portal, secure document exchange, billing software, CRM, scheduling, and payment tools
No setup fee. Month to month.
Your domain, logo, and original photos remain yours.
Complex software and portal work is scoped separately.