I am tearing my hair out trying to figure out how to handle billing for a few ventures I have.

I have three sites 1) Design 2) Hosting 3) Domains

I am trying to figure out what billing system to use with each one. I had considered using one to cover all three sites, but then I would have to come up with a generic template to cover all three sites/brands.

My initial thought was a different system for each site/brand. I was looking at AWBS for Domains.

For design I was looking at Client Exec. My only issue here is that I am a little hazy on how it handles checks and the problems that ensue if the checks aren't written for the right amount per invoice.

For hosting I haven't really put enough thought into. I was thinking of just using the built-in billing system (I use Helm). The only problem there is that I was planning on adding CPanel hosting and it doesn't have built-in billing. And I know HSPHERE this and that - I know. I'm not using HSPHERE for this particular site.

Any thoughts or ideas? I am leaning more toward seperate systems per site since the sites/brands are different, even if its the same product.

I want something not overly complicated or expensive. In terms of cost, I am more than willing to do a monthly leased license.

I need to accept checks, regardless of amount.

I need to be able to add invoices for Design work.

I need a system with an ENOM API where customers can fully manage their domain.

As for the hosting, I'm not sure I am going to allow auto signups or if I want it all to be approved before the account is created, so both options should be possible in the billing solution.

Thanks for any input. I know their might be other threads and this and that about it. But I have spent alot of time researching and I seem to be hitting a brick wall.

I would receommend that you do an extreme amount oif research and testing on each billing system you intend to consider. We too faced a lot of the same issues you have (only 1 site) and it took a very long time to find the proper fit for us. We started with AWBS, and although the domain system is functionally good, we just deemed the order interface to clumsy for our use. it was costing us alot of customers. We then switched to modernbill and it has been very good, although the learnign curve was fairly steep.

The one thing I can recemmend is to pay whoever you choose (if it is AWBS or Modernbill) monthly. You can download full working versions and if you don't like the integration of the product you have lost only your time and 1 month's payment.

Your hosting and domain system will likely end up being the same product. For me it is a lot easier to merge the 2 into a single platform.
Speaking specifically of modernbill, you could fairly easily adapt it to accept your design work as well.

Hope that gives you some useful info.

I understand you have multiple products, but can I ask if there is one common company (a holding company for example) that you would be able to base a billing system domain on?

If so, I would recommend ModernBill. You can have multiple order forms, all of which are completely customizeable. The only thing, is that the main URL is the same.

Ie.
www.domain.com/order1/
www.domain.com/order2/

I have personally used modernbill and I enjoy it.

However you might wish to do a search as there have been many questions in here about billing centers.

I actually understand what you are trying to do and I know it can be done with Modernbill, if as said you run them all to one domain but different order forms.

Modernbill can handle checks, has tweaks for printing invoices, import to quickbooks, and can handle partial payments of an invoice.

Ok - modernbill can handle themed order forms, but what about the customer interface where they sign in and check out their account details. Can I edit that to with different themes?

Unfortunately, no. You would simply have one interface for the client logins.

Although not being able to customize the client login is a downside, the great features ModernBill offers outweighs its few flaws.

You can customize the client login and the inside of modernbill, even skin it. What you can't do is customize it to each particular site. Although in reality you may be able to buy installing it to different subdirectories, but I would check with MB licensiing first.

Yeah, the subdirectory thing might work if its within their licensing.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that ModernBill is selling licenses "per installation". Not per URL.

First followup question - how robust is Modernbills Domain management. AWBS has full integration. Customer can manage their domains just like they could through enom.

Now if I take my three sites - branded individually - and create a new "superbrand" and include them all under it, then maybe it wouldn't appear all that unprofessional to use ModernBill or AWBS or Client Exec off the main domain of the "superbrand". I can make the designs similar ala how moderngigabyte handles their different products.

Would that come off as professional/unprofessional? Then my customers would have one place to go for all three services seeing as they are kind of tied together.

Any opinions on this. And I still welcome any better solutions. Otherwise I might be stuck buying seperate billing solutions for each site/brand.

I recommend you use LPanel.net

You can try to use three AWBS, 1 for site, but using the same BDD for all.

Originally posted by MyNameSolutions

Would that come off as professional/unprofessional? Then my customers would have one place to go for all three services seeing as they are kind of tied together. [/B]
I wouldn't consider that to be unprofessional (not unless your billing pages looked completely different to your sites - akin to 'transferring you to paypal....' and a white page)

As a customer, I'd much rather have a single point to pay and view my invoices than three different ones. I'd rather have that, and a single userid, by far.

Personally I would go the route of:

Design Site \
Hosting Site - Ordering site
Domain Site /


Have all your sites lead to one site to do the ordering. This would be an optimal site to have your company information on (Example: Where you are based, services you run, contact, investment opportunities, etc).

The pluses of this would:

A) Lower cost of billing software.
B) Professional
C) Customer oriented. Who the hell wants to pay 3 different places?
D) Helps attract current customers to other services you have.

That might be an option but i would have to run it through the domain site because its the only site that has a front end and a back end - the other two can just link to the backend.

I get the one login thing, but on the other hand, is that alot of extra options someone doesn't want or need if they just want one service?

But I do want each site to focus on its service and do it well, instead of being a hodge podge of mediocre services.

Let me tell you one thing for a business. You want to increase the potential for cross-selling. A single payment site will help you there.

Second, if you want each site to focus on its services and do it well, then the same is true of the payments site. Focus it on payments, and do it well.

I use and like clientexe. Its dose everything I need.

I like Client Exec

I need to make sure it does checks.
Plus I don't think it would work for domains like AWBS or WhoIs Cart does.

It dose have check as an option for payments which you can just acsept in signup or just on invoices to customers who are signed up. As far as domains go I have never used AWBS but it dose check avalibility and let the customer select register transfer or self maned based on he resuls of the whois.

Hope this helps.

Lpanel is good when it works well and the tech support..........

Well, agileco.com has a billing solution integrated with support module and works with both cpanel & helm. As well as Enom for domain registrations.
However I didn't use it, but plan to check the 30 days trial. Looks nice and flexible.... I think you can use this for design too. There are lots of expansional modules.