Connect Claude and ChatGPT to Your Billing Platform

Many questions asked of billing data are one-off: a figure for a meeting, a breakdown by dealer, a customer’s payment history while answering a query. Each one normally means running a report or an export. SAFE includes an MCP server that lets an AI assistant such as Claude or ChatGPT query the platform directly, so those questions can be asked in plain English and answered from live data.

The connection works on behalf of a named member of staff and within that person’s permissions. Changing data needs a separate write permission, which is off by default, and every query and action is recorded.

Key Takeaways

• SAFE includes an MCP server, so Claude and ChatGPT can query billing data directly
• Assistants can report revenue, collections, aged debt and customer growth, and look up individual customers, invoices and payments
• Write access is a separate permission, off by default, and significant actions need confirmation
• Each connection is approved with the user’s own login and two-factor code, and is logged and revocable
• Available now on claude.ai and chatgpt.com once enabled for your platform: contact us

Key terms in this article

What does MCP mean?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard for connecting AI assistants to other software. SAFE’s MCP server gives assistants a defined, permission-checked set of operations on billing data, rather than access through exports or screen-scraping.

What does OAuth mean?

OAuth (open authorisation) is a standard for granting one application access to another without sharing passwords. SAFE’s AI connections use OAuth 2.1 with PKCE, so the assistant receives a short-lived token and the user’s login details stay with the platform.

What the Connection Answers

Reporting questions are answered from the same KPI data as the platform’s own reports, grouped by month, quarter, dealer or payment method. For example:

• “What did we invoice each month this year, broken down by dealer?”
• “How much did we collect by Direct Debit last month, and how much failed?”
• “Show me aged debt in 30, 60 and 90 day buckets.”
• “How many customers did we add this quarter, and how many did we lose?”

The assistant can also find a customer by name, account number, postcode or phone number, then retrieve their invoices, payments, numbers and services. That is useful when answering a billing query, where the account history is needed quickly.

Actions With Write Access

Read and write access are separate permissions. Where a user grants write access when connecting, the assistant works through the platform’s own workflows rather than editing data directly. It can:

• email an invoice to a customer, with a covering note the user approves
• generate a payment link for outstanding invoices
• suspend or reinstate billing on a number
• raise a refund through the refund workflow

Significant actions, such as write-offs, refunds and account changes, require confirmation from the user before they go ahead.

How It Differs From the API

The REST API is for developers building system-to-system integrations, such as a scheduled sync with an accounting package. The MCP connection is for individual members of staff working with the platform through an assistant, without writing code. Both use the same permission model, so MCP exposes nothing the API would refuse to the same user.

Because MCP is an open standard supported by the major assistants, one connection method covers both Claude and ChatGPT.

Access and Security Controls

An AI connection can reach the same data as an API key, so it is controlled in the same way:

• Individual approval: each user approves their own connection with their normal login and a two-factor code, and the assistant works within that user’s permissions.
• Separate permissions: reporting KPIs, reading records and making changes are granted separately, and changes are off by default.
• Standards-based sign-in: connections use OAuth 2.1 with short-lived tokens, so no API key is copied into a chat window.
• Audit trail: every query and action is logged and marked as assistant activity, against the user who made the connection.
• Revocation: users can revoke their own connections at any time, and an administrator can switch off read or write access for the whole platform in one step.

Responses are produced by a third-party AI service, so review your own data-protection position, including what the assistant provider does with conversation data, before enabling it for your team.

Availability

The connection is live and works from claude.ai and chatgpt.com. Once it is enabled for your platform, each user adds the connector in their assistant’s settings; there is nothing to install. Contact us to have it enabled.

The AI Assistants integration page summarises the feature, and the API access page covers the code-based route.