In the highly competitive merchant services industry, differentiators like customer service and technical support can be critical factors to achieving success. Since many merchant services companies offer the same services for the same price, support can truly make the difference between whether one leaves or stays with the company. Those that have satisfied experiences will be much more likely to encourage others to utilize the company’s service. This means that companies that embrace consultative support will thrive while those that offer poor support services will not be competitive in the marketplace. This article will outline in greater detail the importance of customer service in the merchant services industry.
For Credit Card Processing
One of the largest subsets of merchant services is credit card processing. These services allow merchants to accept payments for products and services directly on their website without human intervention. Additional services allow merchants to accept credit cards through Point-Of-Sale (POS) machines or even over the phone. For processing companies to maintain merchant accounts, they will need to offer exceptional customer service when disputes or other difficulties arise. Firms that give merchants a hard time when something goes wrong may find retention and growth through word-of-mouth to be difficult.
For Accounting Services
Especially for e-commerce, accounting for the sales is very important. Most merchant services companies offer ancillary services that provide high-quality accounting solutions. These can help businesses keep track of their transactions as they are made so that business owners will be able to keep track of cash flows on demand. Like with credit card processing, firms that wish to keep merchant accounts will need to offer exceptional customer service in order to retain these clients. These services usually offer very similar products and customers will quickly switch if they are dissatisfied with the firm’s treatment of customers. Technical support can also be important for these services, as integration with merchant accounts is one of the main reasons why people choose to purchase these accounting services.
For E-Commerce
Many credit card processing companies offer ancillary services that help businesses sell products online. Since many small companies don’t want to invest huge sums of money on an expensive custom e-commerce site, these services can be truly helpful. However, firms that want to keep their merchant accounts in e-commerce will need to back their services up with extensive technical support. Business owners often have little patience for technical difficulties, and will quickly switch if a supplier provides poor personalized service.