Author: Barry Gideon, Senior Director of Commercial Payments and Channel Sales
Executive Summary
Studio Designer, a leading software platform for interior design firms, partnered with FNBO and middleware provider dhango to modernize its embedded payments infrastructure and improve customer cash flow.
Within one year, the company unlocked $200,000 in new revenue by capturing payment float previously retained by its former provider. The transition also reduced funds availability from 30 days to four days, lowered support volume and positioned Studio Designer to support larger, six-figure transactions.
What began as a payment modernization effort quickly became a scalable growth strategy.
Key Outcomes at a Glance
- $200,000 in new annual revenue generated from payment float
- Funds availability reduced from 30 days to four days
- Support case volume reduced, enabling 50% of service staff to be reallocated to growth initiatives
- Seamless migration of 1,500 accounts with no customer disruption
- 60% of new customers are adopting the white-labeled FNBO payment solution
- Infrastructure now supports transactions exceeding $100,000
For Studio Designer, payment modernization wasn’t just an operational improvement; it was a revenue opportunity.
A software platform built for the interior design industry, Studio Designer helps firms manage projects, track finances and handle client billing all in one place. To remain a go-to resource in the design industry, the company needed to provide customers with payment tools capable of efficiently turning invoices into cash flow.
The Challenge: Outdated Payment Processing and Cash Flow Delays
The original payment platform lacked modern electronic payment capabilities and the backend visibility required for efficient reconciliation.
Designers often relied on physical checks for initial payments, with funds held for up to 30 days due to processor requirements. This created significant cash flow challenges for Studio Designer’s customers and complicated the ability of bookkeepers to track payments made and balances owed.
“We were listening to our customers and hearing about the pain they were going through,” said Risa Dagenhart, Chief Financial Officer, Studio Designer. “They were opening a lot of support cases that had to be managed. We decided we needed to up our game in this payback journey and take a step forward maturity-wise for our customers.”
Studio Designer was also forfeiting revenue, as the payment provider retained most of the interest earned on held funds.
Leadership determined it was time for a strategic payment provider transition.
Implementing a Scalable, White-Label Payment Solution
Seeking greater productivity and enhanced payment efficiency for its clients, Studio Designer decided to partner with FNBO and middleware provider, dhango.
After evaluating multiple providers, Studio Designer selected FNBO because of its mature embedded payments infrastructure, ACH expertise, reliability and collaborative approach to solution design. Studio Designer then paired FNBO with dhango, a white-labeled payments middleware that provides SaaS companies everything they need to launch and run a payments business, including merchant onboarding flow, merchant dashboard, payment orchestration and detailed net revenue reporting.
FNBO implemented integrated electronic payment capabilities that flowed directly into Studio Designer’s existing financial systems. Designers could accept electronic payments on the spot or from the office, and accounting teams had instant and consistent visibility into payment flows. They could track funds across the lifecycle and easily identify fees, deposits and project installments.
Most importantly, Studio Designer was able to eliminate inconsistent holding patterns and provide customers with greater cash flow certainty.
“Now we have this very structured relationship and know that funds will never be held longer than four days,” said Dagenhart. “Our designers can now have very clear and tactical conversations with their customers.”
Studio Designer particularly appreciated how seamlessly FNBO was able to move existing customers to the new payment solution. The company had close to 1,500 accounts, many who had experienced disruptions with the former processor. As a result, Studio Designer demanded a smooth transition that remained invisible to their customers, and FNBO delivered.
“Moving 1,500 accounts was a tremendous undertaking, but our clients have been none the wiser,” said Dagenhart. “Which is frankly tremendous and just what we hoped for.”
Flexibility quickly emerged as another key advantage of the FNBO partnership.
“Our previous solution was out of the box and had very rigid requirements,” said Dagenhart. “FNBO let us innovate and worked with us to create the solution our customers needed. They gave us control, which is meaningful since the solution is on our website and bears our company name.”
Reducing Support Cases and Reallocating Staff for Growth
Beyond control, Studio Designer gained tangible business benefits from partnering with FNBO.
Reduced support inquiries allowed Studio Designer to decrease service staffing by 50%, reallocating team members to support new product expansion.
Turning Payment Float into Revenue
Within the first year of implementation, Studio Designer generated $200,000 in new revenue by capturing float previously retained by its former processor. By monetizing payment float internally rather than relinquishing it to a third party, Studio Designer converted a cost center into a revenue stream.
Enabling Larger Transaction Volumes and Market Expansion
The enhanced payment infrastructure now supports transactions exceeding $100,000, enabling Studio Designer to serve higher-value client segments.
“Not only have we captured the revenue on float, but FNBO has allowed us to capture revenue from a transaction size that would have previously been beyond our capabilities,” said Dagenhart.
Positioned for Growth with Embedded Payments Powered by FNBO and dhango
With FNBO and dhango, Studio Designer has payments capacity and staff to expand into more lucrative market segments. Today, 60% of new customers immediately adopt the white-labeled FNBO payment solution as part of their service package — a testament to its value and seamless integration.
“I can't say enough about the FNBO team,” Dagenhart said. “They want you to succeed just as much as they want to succeed.”
With embedded payments now serving as both a revenue driver and customer experience differentiator, Studio Designer is positioned for continued growth.
About the Author
Barry serves large Corporate Treasury Services clients with complex needs. He is a dedicated source of expertise, helping customers to navigate the continually evolving payments landscape. Barry also serves a significant portfolio of Fintech companies with payment-centric business models, capitalizing on FNBO’s long-standing reputation as one of the nation’s 15 largest originators of ACH transactions with significant experience in the nuances associated with third-party ODFI/ACH processing.
