Getting started - portal overview

When you log in for the first time, you will be taken to the Dashboard. This screen provides an overview of your company's information.

The menu panel is located on the left-hand side of the window. Each menu item represents a different feature or section. Selecting a menu option updates the main window to display the corresponding content.

Take a moment to get familiar with the menu options listed below.

Portal overview and Dashboard

1. The layout

• Main menu
• Main window view
• Header title
• Month selector
• Print option
• User login name and Settings

2. Dashboard

The Dashboard provides a visual representation of several features in the portal.

• By default, the dashboard displays data for a single month.
• Use the drop-down menu in the top-right corner to select the month you want to view.
• You can also print the monthly report to keep a physical copy or include it in audit documentation.

The first section of the dashboard shows various totals for the month selected, for Inbound payments and Outbound payments.

• Inbound Payments: shows the total payments received and scheduled across various methods, including credit cards, direct debits, and both international and local bank transfers.
• Outbound Payments: displays payroll and supplier payments made, as well as any credit card refunds.

Tip : If a feature displays a padlock icon, it means your current licence does not include access to that feature.

• To request access, click Activate Feature.
• This action will automatically send an email to our sales team.
• A representative will then contact you to discuss licensing options.

3. Most used payment links

The dashboard also displays your Most Used Payment Links for quick access.

• To create a new link, go to the Payment Link menu and click Add.
• Once a payment link is used frequently, it will appear in this section.
• For a complete historical view of all payments, navigate to Transactions > Payments.

4. BACS

The BACS view provides a summary of batch activity and related reports.

• Batch Status: displays the number of batches in each stage — created, draft, part-approved, ready to send, sent to the bureau, and discarded.
• Reports: shows BACS reports by status — read, unread, and actioned.
• eMandates: lists totals for eMandates, including active, registered, and cancelled records.

5. Payment graph

The dashboard includes a line graph that displays successful, pending, and submitted inbound and outbound payments for the currently selected month.

• The graph shows the daily payment amounts across the month.
• Hover your mouse over any day to interact with the graph and view the exact payment totals.

Transactions menu

6. Historical payments

The Transactions menu shows any historical payments made, and stores every payment made.

• Payments: every payment taken through esenda, including invoice payments and one-off payments from your Payment links, in one table. Filter by payment link to see only what you need, or download the table to separate invoices from extra payments in your spreadsheet. Where to find your invoice payments
• Unrecognised Payments: any unmatched payments that do not match over 70% of invoice information.

7. BACS transactions

The BACS menus under Transactions — Direct Debit, Direct Credit Payroll and Direct Credit Supplier — are used to view any historical BACS payments made, with full details of each single instruction. The Search option will also help filter and find any payments made.

Reconciliation menu

8. Matched and unmatched records

The Reconciliation menu shows any matched and unmatched records, including a posting report of any payments matched and posted back to your MIS.

Payment links menu

9. Creating payment links

The Payment links menu allows you to create and edit one-off payment links for individual or group payments — admissions, deposits, fees, canteen drinks and food items, for example. It can also be used to chase up debts from an individual, or to book and reserve a table at a donations event.

10. QR codes

QR codes are also available by clicking on the QR logo for each link created. This allows an alternative method of making payments.

BACS Actions menu

11. Mandates and payments

The BACS actions menu allows users to upload mandates, collect from those mandates using Direct Debits, or make payroll and supplier payments.

BACS reports menu

12. Downloading reports

BACS reports are available to download from the menu once a BACS payment has been actioned.

eMandates menu

13. Viewing eMandates

The eMandates menu allows the user to display all of the direct debit guarantees that have been electronically submitted using the eMandates link.

Support menu

14. Guides and contact

The Support menu allows you to view the user guides, email support or make a complaint.

Settings menu

15. Company settings and user management

The Settings option (top right) shows some company-wide settings and account details. The admin can also view the User Management sub-menu, which allows users to be added, deleted and permissions assigned. User accounts can also be reset here if user access cannot be gained.

16. Payment Method

Another important feature of settings is the Payment Method, where credit card payments can be enabled or disabled at the click of a button, and maximum payment limits can be set.