Building a Modern Payment Engine for Field Services: The Finix Contractor Plus Case Study
Getting paid shouldn't be the hardest part of a contractor's job, but for many, managing cash flow is a constant headache. The partnership between Finix and Contractor Plus was built to solve this, creating a payments engine that allows independent professionals to offer a sophisticated financial experience that streamlines the payment process for all involved. By integrating Finix’s infrastructure directly into the Contractor Plus CRM, the two organizations have created a suite of specialized payment solutions tailored for the build and service sector.
Beyond the technology itself, the deep, collaborative energy between the two teams is what sets this partnership apart. This has allowed both companies to develop features at incredible velocity, ensuring that as the needs of contractors evolve, the payment technology powering them is always one step ahead.
This case study explores how Finix and Contractor Plus are modernizing the field services industry by prioritizing human relationships and technical innovation to deliver a seamless, secure financial experience for both contractors and homeowners.
Background
Contractor Plus is a leading provider in field service management, empowering over 57,000 contractors with a robust field-service CRM to manage projects, client relationships, and finances. Founded in 2020, the platform processes approximately $20 million in annualized GMV, acting as the specialized financial infrastructure that facilitates seamless billing and payments between homeowners and contractors.
The Challenge
The field services industry has long been underserved by traditional financial institutions and legacy payment processors. For many contractors, their skills are in high demand, but their growth is held back by financial systems that weren’t built for their specific needs. Before finding Finix, Contractor Plus cycled through multiple providers, searching for a partner that understood the nature of contractor-homeowner transactions.
As they weighed their options, it became clear that the industry was held back by the same consistent roadblocks. Rigid risk models often treated all merchants the same, leading to an unpredictable and frustrating onboarding process. A lack of clarity and transparency in payout data made it a struggle for contractors to reconcile their books, which was an added pressure on top of their work day. On top of that, the field service industry operates around the clock. The slow and impersonal communication from legacy providers often left businesses without answers, while a lack of developer-friendly documentation made it nearly impossible for organizations like Contractor Plus to build custom, high-growth features for their customers.
Without transparent data or a responsive customer support team, the Contractor Plus team was essentially flying blind while trying to help their contractors navigate a 24/7 industry. They needed a partner willing to get in the weeds and build with them. This search for a deeper technical and human connection eventually led them to Finix. Together, they redefined Contractor Plus’s approach to payments.
The Solution
Contractor Plus chose Finix not just for its technology, but for their eagerness to support an early-stage company and build a genuine relationship. This partnership enabled the launch of Contractor Plus Pay in 2024, a fully embedded payments engine within the product. Contractor Plus Pay transformed payments from a fragmented backend function into a core part of its platform. Contractors can now accept payments, manage billing, and access funds directly within their existing workflows, without relying on multiple external systems.
The Finix-Contractor Plus partnership has evolved from standard processing into a collaborative development process that meets the evolving needs of the Contractor Plus team. Central to this evolution was a responsive hardware collaboration: when Contractor Plus and other Finix customers needed an easier way to manage in-person transactions, Finix developed a Mobile Card Reader that was fully optimized for seamless, in-person tap-to-pay transactions in the field.
That same level of collaboration has made the platform much more flexible, allowing Contractor Plus Pay to support advanced flows like passing card fees to end customers, recurring billing, and progress payments for long-term projects. As an early adopter of Finix’s Instant Payout feature, Contractor Plus also gives its users faster access to their funds, providing the liquidity needed for field service businesses. This innovation on the product side is supported by a collaborative relationship with open communication lines to Finix's sales, product, and engineering teams.
"We evaluated everyone in the payment processor space, and I wouldn’t recommend anyone other than Finix,” said Justin Smith, CEO & Founder, Contractor Plus. “Finix is the best backend partner for payments-led, contractor-focused businesses and has moved us ahead several years in our development. Their team goes above and beyond to solve problems in real-time, which is something you just don't get with other processors.”
Results & Impact
The transition to Finix nearly two years ago has improved Contractor Plus’s operations and merchant trust. The impact is clear not only in the high volume of transactions flowing through the system but also in the security and reliability that now defines the Contractor Plus Pay experience.
Today, the reliability of the system has led to a total elimination of payment-related complaints from users. By aligning their internal operations with Finix’s sophisticated risk monitoring, Contractor Plus has maintained a highly secure environment with minimal fraud rates. This stability changed how contractors view the platform. Contractor Plus now reports a significantly higher merchant willingness to switch from other generalist providers and local banks in favor of the specialized, integrated experience offered by Contractor Plus Pay.
In the near-term, Finix and Contractor Plus’ ongoing partnership includes the launch of subcontractor collaboration and contractor-to-contractor payments, both of which will be primary growth drivers that make the Contractor Plus’ platform even more essential to the construction ecosystem.
"Partnering with the Contractor Plus team has been a perfect example of why we do what we do," said Richie Serna, CEO and co-founder of Finix. "When you strip away the complexity of payments and give a platform the right tools, they can finally focus on what matters for their business: helping their customers grow and succeed. We’re proud to be the engine behind that."