SaaS vs. BPO for charge point operators: why a Merchant of Record model matters 

Auf einen Blick:

• Becoming a Charge Point Operator (CPO) can turn EV charging into a recurring revenue stream, but it also means taking responsibility for the operational side of the business.
• A CPMS platform you choose shapes how billing, collections, roaming, reporting, and customer support will run day to day.
• The difference between SaaS and BPO in EV charging is simple but important: one gives you the software, the other helps you run the operation behind it.
• A Merchant of Record model matters because it determines who carries the financial liability when a payment fails, a charge is disputed, or an end customer does not pay.
• For new CPOs, choosing the right setup helps avoiding unnecessary back-office complexity while keeping control of the customer relationship.

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More and more EV charging installers are hearing the same question from customers: can you also help us run the chargers? That question opens up a great commercial opportunity: instead of getting paid once for the installation, installers can build a recurring revenue stream from the charge points they have already installed. 

That is the appeal of becoming a Charge Point Operator (CPO).  

But once installers start exploring what that move actually involves, the same concern usually follows: does becoming a CPO mean building a whole back office from scratch? 

This is where the difference between SaaS and BPO starts to matter. 

At first glance, many EV charging platforms can look similar. They all promise connectivity, transactions, dashboards, and control.  

But the operating model behind the platform can make a huge difference to how much work, risk, and complexity lands on your side. 

That becomes even more important when you look at one of the least talked-about topics in EV charging operations: Merchant of Record. 

If you are an installer considering the move into CPO operations, this is one of the most important distinctions to understand before choosing a platform partner. 

Why installers are looking beyond installation 

With EV charging becoming a usual sight in Europe, more site owners want charging infrastructure on-site, whether for employees, tenants, visitors, fleets, or customers. But most of them still do not want to operate it themselves. 

They do not want to manage billing, nor deal with failed payments, driver disputes, roaming access, or tariff questions. They simply want to offer charging as a service. 

That creates a natural next step for installers. 

You already know the hardware, manage the installation, and own the customer relationship. Becoming a CPO allows you to extend that role and create revenue long after the installation is complete – month after month, for years.  

That is the upside. The challenge is that operating charge points involves more than just connecting chargers to software. 

What a CPO actually needs to manage 

Once a charging site goes live, someone needs to manage everything that happens behind the scenes. In practice, that includes: 

• billing drivers for charging sessions 

• processing and reconciling payments 

• setting and updating tariffs 

• enabling roaming access 

• handling disputes and failed sessions 

• reporting to the site owner 

• managing collections when end users do not pay 

Ideally, becoming a CPO is like adding one more service to your business. In reality, if you choose the wrong setup, you may end up carrying a finance workflow, support burden, and risk model that your business was never built to handle. 

That is why the SaaS vs BPO question matters so much. 

SaaS vs BPO: what is the difference? 

In simple terms, a SaaS platform (Software as a Service) gives you the software to run charging operations yourself. 

A BPO partner (Business Process Outsourcing) gives you the software and handles key operational processes behind the scenes. 

That difference may sound small, but in reality, it’s essential. 

In a SaaS model 

A SaaS platform typically gives you access to the tools you need to run your charging operation. That may include transaction processing, charger management, reporting, and invoicing support. 

But in most cases, you are still the one responsible for operating the system. 

That usually means: 

• you run billing and collections 

• you manage disputes and chargebacks 

• you reconcile payments 

• you absorb the operational burden when things go wrong 

• you carry the financial risk when an end customer does not pay 

This can work well for businesses that already have a dedicated back-office team, strong finance processes, and the appetite to run the complexity in-house. 

For many installers – or Charge Point Operators in general – that is not the case. 

In a BPO model 

A BPO model is built differently. 

You still get the charging platform and the operational visibility you need. But instead of leaving the difficult backend work with you, the partner handles key financial and operational processes on your behalf. 

That can include: 

• billing runs 

• collections 

• dispute handling 

• reconciliation 

• back-office administration 

In other words, the platform powers the charging operation, while the partner provides the engine behind it. 

For those moving into CPO operations, that distinction is a big deal. 

Why this matters so much for becoming a CPO 

The move into CPO operations is attractive because it creates recurring revenue. But the model only works if the operational side does not swallow the benefit. 

A pure SaaS setup may look simple at first. But it often assumes you are ready to operate like a software-led service business, with all the billing, exceptions, payment flows, and support work that come with it. 

A BPO model is different. It is designed for companies that want to grow a CPO business without building the entire backend themselves. 

That often makes it the better fit for greenfield installers who want to move fast, stay lean, and avoid hiring extra teams just to keep the operation running. 

In practice, this choice affects: 

• how much internal headcount you need 

• how much financial risk sits on your books 

• how quickly you can scale 

• how much operational overhead eats into your margin 

What is Merchant of Record? 

A Merchant of Record is the legal entity responsible for the transaction. This is one of the most important concepts in the whole CPO setup, and one of the least understood. 

In EV charging, that means the Merchant of Record is the party that processes the payment and carries responsibility when something goes wrong financially. For example: 

• a driver disputes a charge 

• a payment fails 

• a customer does not pay 

• a chargeback is filed 

If your platform partner operates under a Merchant of Record model, that liability sits with them, not with you. 

That matters a lot. 

Because without that model, many installers only discover later that even though the platform processed the transaction, they are still the party exposed to non-payment, collection issues, and dispute handling. 

Why Merchant of Record matters in EV charging 

A Merchant of Record model changes how the business actually runs. For installers becoming a CPO, it can mean: 

• less financial risk because you are not carrying non-payment liability 

• less back-office work because your team is not chasing failed payments and collections 

• more predictable cash flow because the charging revenue process is professionally managed 

• faster scaling because you do not need to build a finance-heavy operating model before you grow 

This is especially important for businesses that want to focus on the commercial and technical side of EV charging, rather than building expertise in payments administration. 

Why Merchant of Record is rare in CPMS platforms 

This is where many platform comparisons become misleading. 

A lot of CPMS platforms are built as software products first. Their purpose is to help you run charging infrastructure, not to take on financial liability for your transactions. 

That means they may offer transaction processing, reporting, invoicing, or payment tooling, while still leaving the real collection risk and transaction responsibility with you. 

That is why Merchant of Record is not standard in the EV charging platform market. 

It is also why it is such an important question to ask. 

Two providers can look similar in a product demo. Both may offer dashboards, tariffs, roaming, white-label features, and reporting. But if one leaves billing risk on your side while the other takes it on through a Merchant of Record model, the business impact is completely different. 

For installers, that is not a minor detail, but one of the biggest structural differences between a software supplier and a true operational partner. 

SaaS vs BPO: which model makes more sense? 

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. The right model depends on the kind of business you are building. 

A SaaS model may make sense if: 

• you already have a strong internal back-office function 

• you want to manage financial processes yourself 

• you have the operational capacity to handle disputes, billing, and collections in-house 

A BPO model often makes more sense if: 

• you are moving into CPO operations for the first time 

• you want recurring revenue without operational overload 

• you want to stay focused on site owners, installations, and hardware 

• you do not want collection liability sitting with your business 

For many installers, the goal is not to become a software operator. They wish to be a trusted EV charging partner for site owners and earn recurring revenue from the infrastructure they already install. 

That is why the backend model matters so much. 

Choosing the right CPMS Partner 

If you are exploring how to become a CPO, don’t just pay attention to what it helps you do. 

Ask what it leaves on your plate. 

That is the real difference between SaaS and BPO. And when it comes to billing, collections, disputes, and financial risk, understanding whether your partner offers a Merchant of Record model can save you a lot of complexity later. 

The right setup can help you build recurring revenue from EV charging without forcing you to build a whole back office around it. 

Want to talk through your CPO setup? 

Whether you are getting your first customer questions or already evaluating platforms, a short conversation can help clarify what model fits best and what your setup could look like.