Challenges
We assist private equity-backed businesses in unlocking value through:
- payment cost reduction
- enhancing operational efficiency in payments
- ensuring revenue protection
- legacy provider contracts and processes
These issues often remain unchallenged and quietly erode EBITDA, cashflow and operational efficiency.
Where Payments Hide EBITDA Leakage
Merchant & Processing Costs
Merchant & Processing Costs
Merchant & Processing Costs
Legacy merchant contracts often lead to unchallenged interchange and acquiring fees, which can hinder operational efficiency in payments. Additionally, inefficient payment routing further complicates payment cost reduction efforts, making private equity payment optimisation vital for businesses.
Collection Performance
Merchant & Processing Costs
Merchant & Processing Costs
High collection failure rates can significantly impact operational efficiency in payments, while poor retry strategies contribute to payment cost reduction challenges. Additionally, implementing sub-optimal collection timing can hinder private equity payment optimization efforts.
Operational inefficiencies
Merchant & Processing Costs
Operational inefficiencies
Manual reconciliation can hinder operational efficiency in payments, leading to fragmented payment reporting and complications with multiple legacy providers. Focusing on payment cost reduction and private equity payment optimization can help streamline these processes.
Customer Payment Experience
Merchant & Processing Costs
Operational inefficiencies
Friction in payment setup can hinder operational efficiency in payments, leading to limited payment options and resulting in increased payment failures and churn. Addressing these issues can contribute to payment cost reduction and enhance private equity payment optimisation.
Graytide addressing the Challenges
Value
Graytide helps PE-backed companies:
- Reduce card processing and merchant service costs
- Improve Direct Debit collection success rates
- Reduce payment failures and operational inefficiencies
- Optimise payment provider contracts
- Improve reporting and payment visibility
- Identify the most effective payment methods for new products, services or revenue models.
Result: Improved cashflow, EBITDA, customer retention and operational efficiency
Ideal Portfolio Company
- Recurring or subscription revenue
- £2m - £250m turnover
- High transaction volumes
- Direct Debit, Open Banking or card-heavy collections
- Growing or scaling payment operations.
Typical sectors:
- Technology / SaaS / subscription businesses
- Membership & Education organisations
- Charities & fundraising platforms
- Utilities & Energy
Typical Value Creation Opportunities
Common opportunities identified during payment reviews:
- Reduction in merchant fees (often 10%-30%)
- Direct Debit success rate improvements
- Faster Direct Debit setup and collection cycles
- Removal of legacy providers, risks and inefficiencies
- Improved reporting and reconciliation
These improvements often require no major system changes.
Even modest improvements in payment performance can deliver meaningful EBITDA impact across a portfolio.
Why Graytide?
Your Trusted Payments Value Creation Advisor
With over 25 years of experience in UK payments, I have led some of the country’s largest Bacs Bureaux. As a CEO with a track record of successful exits to trade buyers and experience in private equity payment optimisation, I have worked across various sectors including Payments, Finance, 3PL, Contact Centre, Tech, and Not-For-Profit. My deep operational and commercial expertise allows me to focus on operational efficiency in payments, providing practical recommendations for payment cost reduction based on real operational experience.
Importantly, I remain independent and not tied to any specific payment provider.
Contact Us
Payments value creation advisor to Private Equity portfolios
Please contact us to arrange a call or in-person meeting to discuss strategies for enhancing operational efficiency in payments and explore opportunities for payment cost reduction and private equity payment optimization.
Hours
Open today | 09:00 – 17:00 |
