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 Payments at any time and avoid juggling separate payment accounts on third party websites. 

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
   • 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. Customizable Payment Pages
   • You can apply your branding to the client's payment experience. You can use payment pages to send requests for initial consultation payments, trust replenishments, and accept payments directly on your website. 
3. Payment Reports
   • You will gain access to a detailed payment report from within Smokeball that will grant you valuable insights without having to switch between platforms. 
4. Automatic Invoice Reconciliation
   • Smokeball Payments matches payments to your invoices to reduce administrative tasks and prevent manual reconciliation errors.
5. Quicker Payments
   • Smokeball Payments is convenient and expedites the payment process to ensure funds are available to your firm as soon as possible.

Pricing

Smokeball Payments is included with no monthly fee or subscription required. Processing fees are as follows: 

Non-AMEX: 2.9% + 20 cents per transaction

AMEX: 3.45% + 20 cents per transaction

ACH: $2 flat. 

Apply for Smokeball Payments

Important Note: The individual submitting the Smokeball Payments application must own at least 25% of the law firm. 

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. Navigate to Firm Settings and select Payment Provider.
2. Select the Smokeball tab.
3. Select Activate. Note: This will deactivate LawPay if you currently use LawPay. You will receive a prompt confirming whether or not you wish to switch to Smokeball Payments.
4. Select Save.

Note: If you use a trust account, you will need to select it from the Trust Account dropdown menu ("Trust Account Test" in the screenshot below).

Using Payments

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

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

View credit card and eCheck payments

You can also view specific credit card and eCheck payments, as well as their associated matters and accounts, in the Accounts view. 

Whenever a payment is taken, 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 credit card

Smokeball Payments makes it easy to store your client’s credit card for any future payments. Follow these steps:

1. Open your client’s contact card and then navigate to Credit Card.
2. Select the Request Credit Card button. 
3. Optional: Select the Edit Email button to change the subject line and message content. You also can choose to have a copy of the email sent to your account by using the provided toggle under the To field.
4. Select Send Now.

Security Note: Credit card details will not be stored nor pass through Smokeball. They are saved with our payment processor, and Smokeball will only save a unique ID which links to the credit card. 

Next Steps

Learn how to save a credit card and process credit card transactions. 

Learn how to create Smokeball Payment Links.

FAQ

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.