What Software and Payment Acceptance Options will I need for my Small Online Business?
It is vital that you accept credit card payments for purchases made via your online business if you want it to be successful. Online businesses cannot survive if they don’t accept card payments because the whole concept of selling online offers buyers armchair shopping whenever it suits them. This convenience includes card payments for immediate approval and fast delivery. No customer wants to mail a check and wait weeks for delivery; that defeats the purpose!
Offering credit card payment options is safe and easy as long as you choose a reputable merchant card service provider. You will not be able to accept card payments online without the support of a merchant card service provider.
Making good choices
Choosing the right merchant card services provider is vital. With the right merchant card service provider all your questions and concerns will be addressed. Criteria to look for when making your choice is how long have they been in the industry, what is their reputation in the industry, do they offer cutting edge technology, are their security protocols of the best available, do they comply with industry regulations, do they comply with financial service regulations, do they hold the prescribed security certifications, do they keep pace with changes in card security technology and will they keep you updated on matters pertaining to accepting credit card payments?
Once you have made the right choice and selected a merchant card service provider, they will advise you on what software requirements need to be implemented. The software is integrated to the back-end of your website and generally integrated with your shopping-cart option. It will seamlessly take customers to the checkout and if they are going to pay by credit card it will automatically take them through the payment process. Card payments are immediately approved or declined, any time night or day throughout the year. You need not be present or do anything at all in order to receive your customers’ orders and payments.
Successful payments will prompt an email notification and you can pack-up and dispatch the order on arrival at work. Declined payments will not put your cash-flow at risk as the order will be cancelled.
Online payments also include a virtual terminal
Together with the software that integrates with the shopping-cart option on your website, you will also have software for a virtual terminal installed. This allows you to process credit card payments telephonically, via card details sent to you on email or face-to-face if your business has a walk-in store.
To access the virtual terminal, you login to the website of your merchant card service provider from your desktop or mobile device using a user name and password. This will take you to a screen where you manually enter the card details and request approval. Once again, you will know immediately whether the transaction was approved or declined. Integrating software to accept card payments is painless and seamless because it will all be taken care of by the merchant card service provider you have appointed.
For more information about software and payment acceptance options needed for your small online business or to sign up for a merchant account, please call (888) 924-2743 or go to Charge.com.
