Smokeball Payments overview and setup

Smokeball Payments is our integrated payment solution for your firm. Whether you are a brand new or experienced Smokeball user, you can sign up for Smokeball Payments at any time and reduce the time it takes for you to get paid. 

Benefits of Smokeball Payments

Smokeball Payments is designed to make getting your firm paid as easy as possible. With Smokeball Payments, you benefit from:

1. Seamless Integration with Smokeball
   Smokeball Payments is designed to work flawlessly with your current Smokeball setup, and you can securely save client payment information and execute future transactions within one system.
2. Dedicated Payment Links
   You can create reusable payment URLs to share with clients. These URLs link to a customisable page where you can send requests for initial consultation payments, trust replenishments, and accept payments directly on your website.
3. Ability to Surcharge
   You can choose to absorb or pass on card fees to your client without jumping through hoops.
4. Automatic Invoice Reconciliation
   Smokeball Payments matches payments to your invoices to reduce administrative tasks and prevent manual reconciliation errors.
5. More Ways to Pay
   Clients can make payments via secure Payment Links, Pay Now buttons, QR codes, and via the Client Portal.

Pricing

Smokeball Payments is included with your Smokeball subscription; no separate monthly fee required.

Transaction processing fees are as follows: 

Visa/Mastercard Credit or Debit: 1.85% + $1.85 AUD

AMEX: 1.85% + $1.85 AUD

For example, the cost of a $1000 transaction will be ($1000 × 1.85%) + $1.85 = $20.35.

Apply for Smokeball Payments

1. Navigate to Firm Settings and select Payment Provider.
2. Select the Smokeball tab.
3. The application form will be filled in with as much information as Smokeball has on your firm. Complete any remaining fields.
4. Optional: Use the toggle at the bottom right if you wish to nominate your account for monthly billing.
5. Select Save if you wish to finish the activation process at a later date. Select Submit once you have completed all the fields.
6. Your form will be reviewed. You will receive an email upon approval. One of our team members will reach out for more information if Smokeball Payments cannot be activated immediately. 

Enable Smokeball Payments

After your Smokeball Payments application is approved, follow these steps to activate:

1. Select the Settings (gear) icon on the bottom-left corner of the Smokeball Web App, then select Firm Settings.
   
    

2. Select Payment Provider from the left menu and ensure you are on the Smokeball tab.

   

3. Enter your firm details and operating account information into the Smokeball Payments Application Form.
4. Select Activate.
   • Note: This will deactivate Stripe if you currently use Stripe. You will receive a prompt confirming whether or not you wish to switch to Smokeball Payments.

5. Once Smokeball Payments has been activated, link your Trust Account/s to Smokeball Payments by selecting them from the drop-down menu/s.

   

6. Set up your firm's preferred surcharging options under the Card Surcharging section. Learn more about surcharging with Smokeball Payments.
7. Under Invoice Payment Options, choose if you would like invoices to include a link and/or QR code to pay.
8. Select Save.

How Smokeball Payments works

After you enable Smokeball Payments, you will now be able to accept credit and debit card payments for your operating and trust accounts.

You can also embed payment links on your invoices, invoice emails and trust deposit request emails. It is also possible to enter credit card details on behalf of your client within Smokeball.

To view payments across all matters, navigate to the Accounts tab in the Smokeball Web App.

A lump sum is paid to your firm each day for all transactions in that time span. You can view these payouts in Smokeball and track when money is paid out to your bank account.

Store a client’s card information

Smokeball Payments makes it easy to use your client’s credit or debit card for any future payments. Learn more about adding a client's card information to Smokeball and using it on their invoices.

Navigating the Smokeball Payments Portal 

Once you connect your firm to Smokeball Payments, you will gain access to your own Payment Portal provided by FeeWise. To access the Payment Portal, select the Settings (gear) icon on the bottom-left corner of the Smokeball Web App, then select Smokeball Payments.

The Portal will open in a new tab, as the Smokeball Payments (powered by FeeWise) Dashboard.

Transactions tab

The Transactions tab displays a list of all payments made to your bank accounts and more information on individual payments. Click on a payment to view more information and take actions such as printing the payment receipt or issuing a refund.

At the top of the screen, you can filter the list of transactions or look up individual transactions by reference number. 

Click on Download transactions (.csv) to generate an export of transactions.

Payouts tab

The Payouts tab shows all payouts made from FeeWise to your bank account/s.

Payouts are made on a daily basis, combining all payments made by your clients in a specific day into a lump sum. Click on a payout to view the list of transactions included in it. 

You can also export the list of transactions into a .CSV file by selecting Download transactions (.csv).

Payment Links tab

Use the Payment Links tab to create dedicated URLs for clients to pay your firm. Read more about Payment Links.

Feewise Settings

Navigate to the Settings tab to configure your account with Feewise.

• The Firm and Account section allows you to specify an email and/or phone number for your clients to contact your firm regarding payment requests. Set this up under Support details.
  
• The Billing section shows billing-related information such as the email Feewise uses to send billing communications, your last bill, and invoice history. For more information on updating your billing account, refer to Updating your bank account.
• The Branding section allows you to update the Trading name, logo, icon and colours on any payment pages, such as your Payment Links.
• The Payments settings section displays all applicable fees and their rates, as well as a list of your linked bank accounts for payments and payouts.
• The Surcharging section displays all active surcharge rates for every card payment method, along with Feewise disclaimers and merchant terms.

Updating your bank account

Email support@feewise.com if you need to update your nominated Billing account. A form will be emailed back to you that you need to complete. Once you receive confirmation that the accounts have been updated, navigate to Firm Settings > Payment Provider ad then select Refresh Accounts. 

The updated accounts should appear in the dropdown menus. Select the new accounts from the dropdown menus and then select Save. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I use Smokeball Payments with the existing payment plan feature?

A: Yes. Smokeball Payments will also work with payment plans.

Q: How can I process a refund for a transaction made through Smokeball Payments?

A: Click on the transaction you need to refund and select the Refund button in red.

Q: Will I receive any notifications about payments, payouts, or fees?

A: Yes. Learn more about Smokeball Payments notifications.