Click-to-Pay™ Technology Earns SofterWare Inc. its First Patent

Innovative system speeds and simplifies online payments resulting in greater convenience for parents while improving cash flow and lowering administrative burden for child care center owners.

December 6, 2011, Horsham, PA – SofterWare Inc., the developers of EZ-CARE2, a leading childcare management software solution for daycare centers and school-age programs, announced today that they have been awarded a US government patent on their system for email based invoicing and online payment. The system uses “smart-links” to provide one-click access to a personalized online payment form that is automatically populated with all the data necessary for customers to make credit card or e-check payments. The technology minimizes data entry and eliminates the need for payers to log in to a customer portal, making it fast and easy for the payment transaction to be completed.

Doug Schoenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of SofterWare, Inc., stated “We have a long history of providing innovative solutions to help daycare directors improve billing and payment collection, and Click-to-Pay was an immediate hit with our clients and their customers. Having seen many of our past innovations copied by competitors, we’re delighted to have our technology protected by this patent.”

Click-to-Pay Research Study

A study conducted shortly after Click-to-Pay was released analyzed the impact of this now patented technology on the timeliness of child care payments. The study, conducted by Rudolph & Associates, analyzed actual payment data from organizations that had implemented Click-to-Pay. The study found dramatic improvements in speed of payments being made as well as significant reductions in administrative time spent on payment posting and collections.

The study reported the following results:

• Increased adoption of online payments (86.4 % of revenue collected online)
• Reduced receivables at due date (42.6% reduction vs. prior year)
• More immediate payments (32.6% increase by billing date)
• Reduction in time spent on payment processing (75% reduction)

Mr. Schoenberg noted, “With the challenging economy, most child care providers are experiencing increasing payment delinquencies. This study clearly demonstrates that e-invoicing and online payments can have a dramatically positive impact, and help centers keep their money coming in on time.”

Susan Rudolph, of Rudolph & Associates, confirmed: “Beyond the quantifiable results, my research and interviews found that the introduction of online payments generated extremely positive feedback from parents. They clearly appreciated the convenience and reliability of making payments anytime they want and without the need to send or drop off checks.”

Read the Online Payment of Childcare fees study results. For more information on EZ-CARE2’s electronic payment processing tools, please visit: www.EZCareSoftware.com.

About SofterWare, Inc.

SofterWare, the parent company of DonorPerfect Fundraising Software, has been developing and supporting software that is easy to learn, use, and customize since 1981. For over 30 years, SofterWare has grown exponentially from a small entrepreneurial business to a $40 million+ company with over 10,000 nonprofit, childcare, camp, school, and payment processing clients.

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