CanMonkey

Background

CanMonkey is a logistics-based, on-demand trash service for home owners and property managers. They provide can-to-curb service, arriving the day before trash day to roll cans to the curb, and coming back the following day to return them. Made up of independent contractors, their platform has grown considerably over the past five years and operates in more than 250 cities across 25 states.

We spoke with Nik Svetlak, Operations/CRM Analyst and OnDemand Director, about what made CanMonkey choose Branch to help them deliver fast payments to their platform’s 10,000+ workers each day. 

Looking for Fast Pay Without Delays

CanMonkey knew from the jump that same-day pay was crucial. But with two of the previous payments platforms they used, they ran into the same issue: payment delays. While these platforms claimed they could help CanMonkey pay workers quickly, they often created bigger headaches for the company. 

“We have around 10,000 active workers—who we call can runners—on the platform now, running anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 routes per day,” says Svetlak. “We need those payouts to go on time, accurately, every day. [With our previous provider] we were dealing with delayed uploads and disbursements, as well as inadequate support.”

The CanMonkey team knew that in today’s economy, reliably fast payments have become table stakes. Independent contractors and gig workers have a slew of platforms to choose from, and if they’re not satisfied with one, they can easily switch to another. The payments experience is a critical component of their overall job satisfaction.

“If you have 1,000 runners reaching out asking where their payment is or why it’s taking so long, it creates distrust,” says Svetlak. “Those workers won’t have any incentive to do a route the next day. It’s become crucial in an on-demand economy to provide fast payments.”

Svetlak and his team set out to find a new payments provider: one that could deliver fast payments without delays or hassle.

Saving Time and Money with a Dependable Platform

The CanMonkey team explored a few different solutions, but they had heard about Branch’s work with Uber and other companies and had a feeling it would be the right fit.

“We always had Branch in the back of our mind while with our previous solution. It was a pretty easy decision for us as we were scaling,” says Svetlak. 

Once Branch was up and running, they were delighted with the speed and accuracy of the payments process—and that their workers were no longer dealing with constant delays or concerns.

“Branch has 100% saved us time in the payments process,” says Svetlak. “With our previous provider, we were constantly fielding questions and concerns from our workers about delayed payments. It was taking up quite a bit of time. There haven’t been any delays using Branch so far—it’s saved us a lot of time already.”

Transitioning their workforce to a new payments process went more smoothly than they expected, and Svetlak and his team were surprised at how easy it became to push payments to their workers.

“Our payroll director pulls the full route list from that day and pays it at the end of the day, and then it’s in their account by the next morning,” Svetlak says.

In addition to saving time, switching to Branch has also saved their company money.

“There were fees on our end with our previous provider, so switching to Branch was a more cost-effective option for us, too,” says Svetlak.

Staying Poised for Success By Providing a Positive Payments Experience

So far, CanMonkey’s workers have enjoyed the reliability of Branch and the fact that it delivers on the promise of fast pay. In addition, they like having their own digital wallet and Branch Card, which also comes with cashback rewards and other perks.

“The positive feedback was almost immediate,” says Svetlak. “The can runners really like the Branch Card and the benefits that come with it, especially as 1099 workers. They’re spending money on fuel and are able to use this card and earn cash back for different purchases,” says Svetlak.

From the start, CanMonkey has known that providing fast, reliable pay is a critical component to any gig platform’s growth. Now more than ever, they appreciate the importance of providing that positive payments experience for their workers.

“Ensuring those payments arrive on time is crucial,” says Svetlak. “If someone hears of one bad experience, it will hinder them from applying. Our workers are the driving part of our business—it’s hard to scale without them—so we need things to be accurate and on time.”