#15 – From the Trenches - MSP AR Automation & Cash Flow (Nicholas Reimer)

Josh sits down with Nicholas Rhyme of Alternative Payments to unpack how MSPs can automate accounts receivable, reduce DSO, and protect margins. From ACH-first policies to responsible credit-card surcharging and short-term financing, Nicholas shares practical levers to speed quote-to-cash without adding admin drag. In this From the Trenches conversation, Josh welcomes Nicholas Rhyme (Alternative Payments) to explore the gritty, real-world side of MSP accounts receivable (AR) automation and cash-flow discipline. Nicholas traces his entrepreneurial roots and dives into why many MSPs still struggle with aging AR despite “set-it-and-forget-it” tools: inconsistent activation, overreliance on checks, and unclear payment policies. You’ll hear how top operators standardize payment expectations on Day 1, drive ACH-first adoption, and use transparent credit-card surcharging—while still giving clients options that maintain goodwill.   They also break down a powerful, often overlooked lever: short-term B2B financing for projects, hardware bundles, and blocks of time. By offering installment terms (with immediate payout to the MSP), teams can eliminate cash-flow dips, smooth large invoices, and keep sales momentum high—without taking on collections risk. Nicholas explains how a clean portal experience, clear communication, and quoting-to-payment integration compress quote-to-cash and reduce DSO.   Whether you’re wrestling with disputed charges, legacy processors, or manual reconciliations, this episode gives you a checklist to modernize your billing: push activation rates toward 100%, minimize check volume, track processing fees correctly, and align payment options with your ideal client profile. If you want faster cash conversion cycles and fewer AR headaches, this is your playbook   For more resources on MSP finance, pricing, and operations, visit https://beringmckinley.com MSP AR automation MSP cash flow ACH payments for MSPs Credit card surcharge policy Quote to cash Reduce DSO MSP billing automation Accounts receivable for MSPs Alternative Payments MSP finance best practices How MSPs automate invoicing B2B financing for MSP projects Improve AR activation rates Eliminating checks in MSP billing Payment portal best practices Passing credit card fees to clients Short-term installment options B2B Reduce aged receivables in MSPs MSP pricing and margins   Payment policies for new clients MSP, managed services, accounts receivable, AR automation, cash flow, DSO, ACH, credit card surcharge, financing, payments, billing automation, quote to cash, Alternative Payments, Bering McKinley, From the Trenches, #msp , #managedservices , #cashflow , #arautomation , #DSO, #ACH, #finops , #QuoteToCash, #MSPFinance, #billingautomation #msp , #managedservices , #accountsreceivable , #arautomation , #cashflow, #DSO, #ACH, #creditcardsurcharge, #financing, #payments, #billingautomation, #quotetocash, #alternativepayments , #BeringMcKinley, #fromthetrenches