Integration Process

Integrating with our platform is a structured, phased journey designed to ensure a seamless experience from planning to production launch. The process is divided into four key phases, each focused on guiding you through specific integration aspects with the support of our dedicated teams.

Integration Journey

By following this structured integration process, you benefit from expert guidance, thorough testing, and comprehensive support at every step. This approach minimizes risks and streamlines your transition, allowing you to quickly go live and start confidently onboarding merchants and processing payments.

Phase 1: Discovery

The Discovery phase is about laying the foundation for a successful integration by understanding your business needs and defining a tailored plan.

• Requirements Gathering Our Solutions Engineering (SE) team collaborates closely with you to gather critical details about your business, including its size, type, and unique payment processing needs. This consultation helps us recommend the best-suited set of integrated solutions to meet your specific requirements.

• Payment Processing Design (PPD) Once the scope of the integration project is agreed upon, the SE team will deliver a comprehensive Payment Processing Design (PPD) document. This document outlines your integration profile, covering business details, technology requirements, existing challenges, and overall project goals. Reviewing the PPD serves as a critical checkpoint before moving forward, minimizing risks and ensuring alignment.

Phase 2: Pre-Integration

During the Pre-Integration phase, we set up the necessary tools and complete essential checks to prepare you for the integration.

• Background Check and Underwriting We conduct a background check and underwriting review to assess your eligibility and compliance. This involves submitting required documents such as a W-9 form and either a voided check or a bank letter (DDA).

• Project Initiation A dedicated Project Manager is assigned to guide you through the process, acting as your primary point of contact and connecting you with subject-matter experts.

• Test Kit Setup We provide a Sandbox Environment along with any necessary test equipment (e.g., terminals) and create certification test scripts for you. Our team supports your development and testing efforts, answering any questions throughout this phase.

Phase 3: Integration

The Integration phase focuses on development, testing, and obtaining certification for your payment solution.

• Integration Support Our integration support team offers hands-on assistance throughout your testing and certification journey. They work closely with you to resolve issues and ensure your integration is on track for a smooth transition to production.

• Certification Testing Before moving to production, your integration must undergo certification testing. This involves the following steps:

  • Preparation: We provide guidance, documentation, and knowledge base resources to help you understand the certification requirements.

  • Self-Testing: You build your integration and conduct self-testing in the Sandbox environment. You perform various test transactions (e.g., successful payments, authorization declines, refunds, etc.) and document details using Clearent's Certification Guide.

  • Certification Validation: Our team reviews your self-test results and validates the final set of test transactions with you on a shared Teams call. Upon successful validation, you will receive a Certification Letter, granting you access to production credentials and enabling your application to onboard merchants and process payments in the production environment.

Phase 4 - Launch

The final phase is the transition to production. Once your integration is certified and code-complete, you can smoothly migrate from the Sandbox environment to our live production environment. This step enables you to deploy your integration securely and begin processing real-world payments, ensuring reliability and compliance from day one.