When you purchase a car, your journey doesn’t end when you drive out of the dealership parking lot. You buy insurance for your car, you may also opt for additional warranty for better support on repairs and so on. As an end-user, you are merely protecting your investment from situations that can harm it. Payment technology works the same way. If you are in the business of selling goods and services, you need these solutions to securely accept payments from your customers. You also need contingencies in place that will help your operations run smoothly and seamlessly. This is where a strong technology partner with a comprehensive customer care program is beneficial to your business. They can assist you by taking care of these payments-related complexities and help you protect your technology investment. A customer care program can be there for your business at every step of the way:
1. Protecting your investment
Buying new payment technology or upgrading existing one can be scary for any business, especially when your priorities around them are focused on their operability and longevity. Going for an extended warranty program can help you secure your solution’s health for the future. If you find yourself in a situation where the payment solution fails to function during busy hours, you can lose customers as they may abandon their shopping cart. A customer care program can provide you with the tools you need to get technical support and quickly order replacements to maintain the seamless nature of your transactions.
2. Upgrading or adding on to the solution
Payment technology is constantly evolving with the dynamic needs of the consumer. Businesses need to constantly adapt to new expectations – this could mean upgrading or adding to your existing payment infrastructure. It may be as simple as enabling contactless payments in your already-capable solutions. This is where effective help desk and replacement services can help. By easily making these add-ons or replacements possible, businesses will not only improve customer experience but also future proof their solutions for a few extra years. For example, in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, many grocery retail businesses such as Publix enabled contactless payments to provide their customers with a contact-free payment method. This allows retailers to maintain their operational efficiency while managing customer perception of a safe shopping environment.
3. Integration barriers
Payments are complex and integrating your solution into your business can be difficult. However, a customer care program with professional services can effectively work with you to make sure the solution performs seamlessly in your business – setting you up for success.
4. Managing your payment solutions
Just like your smartphone requires regular software updates, payment solutions too, require firmware changes and upgrades. If your business, has multiple locations with many payment solutions in operation, updating the software of each can be cumbersome and time-consuming. This is where a customer care program with a powerful estate management tool can help businesses effectively and easily manage their fleets of payment solutions – right from upgrading the firmware to other maintenance tasks.
5. Adapting to change
Adapting to market trends is critical for any business. While the world deals with the COVID-19 health crisis, many businesses have had to adapt to how they accept payment from their customers. While many restaurants reconfigured a typical Pay-at-the-Table solution to work for curbside pick-up, others turned their digital menu into online ordering tools that also accepts payment for pick-up or delivery. To better adapt to changing market needs and trends, businesses need a customer care program that emphasizes on helping them navigate these complex situations.
Operational Stability is Key
You may have a large retail business or small hospitality chain, the challenges you will face with your payment solutions will be very similar. From adding a warranty to your devices to overcoming integration barriers and managing your fleet, the key to overcoming these obstacles is by working with a payments technology partner that has a strong customer care program. This way your business will get the most out of your payment technology investment and can maintain operational stability during unforeseen circumstances such as the current COVID-19 crisis.
If you are looking for more information around our customer care program, get in touch with us.
Damian Tanenbaum is the Head of Customer Delivery & Chief Operating Officer at Ingenico Group, North America
