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If you run a native accounting integration (Sage Intacct or NetSuite), you can create brand-new customers through the Upflow API. Upflow writes the customer back into your accounting system for you and returns its ID, so you can then send them a portal link and capture a payment method before their first invoice is ever raised. This is designed for self-serve and sales-led motions, where you want a card or direct debit mandate on file up front. For example, to secure a payment method as part of closing a smaller account.
This flow is API-driven. It’s typically triggered from your CRM (for example Salesforce) or your own application. For a general overview of the API, see Integrating with the Upflow API.

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How it works

  1. Your CRM or application creates a customer through the Upflow API.
  2. Upflow synchronously creates that customer in your accounting system (Sage Intacct or NetSuite) and returns its ID (externalId) in the API response.
  3. You generate a customer portal link for that customer through the API and send it to them.
  4. Your customer saves a payment method on their portal, which Upflow verifies with Stripe.
  5. You poll the customer through the API to check whether a payment method has been saved. Once it has, any invoice your accounting system later raises for that customer can be collected — manually or with Autopay.

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Prerequisites

  • A native accounting integration: Sage Intacct or NetSuite. This flow is only available on native integrations, because Upflow creates the customer directly in your accounting system.
  • Online payment methods enabled, so your customers can save a card or direct debit — see Managing online payment methods.
  • Your API key and secret, available under Settings → API (see Integrating with the Upflow API).

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Creating the customer

Create the customer with the Import Customer endpoint, the same endpoint used elsewhere in the API. 
POST https://api.upflow.io/v1/customers

{
  "name": "Acme Corp",
  "primaryEmail": "billing@acme.com",
  "address": {
    "address": "25 Passage Dubail",
    "zipcode": "75010",
    "city": "Paris",
    "country": "France"
  },
  "vatNumber": "FR12345678901"
}
Do not pass an externalId when creating a customer on a native integration. The ID is owned by your accounting system, so Upflow generates it and returns it to you. Sending your own externalId will return an error.
A few things to keep in mind:
  • A name and an email are required. Both Sage Intacct and NetSuite need contact information to create a customer, so provide at least the customer’s name and email, plus any other fields your accounting system requires.
  • New customers are created with a customer status (not prospect).
  • Subsidiary: the customer is created in the subsidiary that corresponds to the organization you call the API on.

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Capturing the payment method

Once the customer exists, generate a portal link for them with the Create customer portal endpoint, then send it to your customer. See Generate a portal URL via the API for the full details. Your customer opens the portal and saves a card or direct debit, exactly as described in Capturing payment methods without outstanding invoices. Upflow verifies the method with Stripe, and the customer sees a confirmation screen once it’s saved. The customer portal confirmation screen shown after a payment method has been saved and verified

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Checking whether a payment method was saved

Poll the customer through the Get Customer endpoint to see whether a payment method has been saved. The customer carries the saved payment method status and type, so you can detect when the method is on file and ready to use. Once a payment method is saved and verified, any invoice your accounting system later raises for that customer can be paid — manually from the portal, or automatically with Autopay.