When you are entrusting the collection
of your funds to other parties, you need to make sure
you will be getting excellent service before and after
the sale. You should be aware that many discount house
Merchant Account Providers are hiring low salary or commission
sales reps who know very little about banking or credit
card processing. In many cases these inexperienced sales
reps are not properly trained to understand your business.
You should be aware of fast talking sales reps that don't
take the time to learn about your business. Here are some
of the things you can look for to rate the provider's
service before and after the sale.
Service Before the Sale
 When shopping for your Merchant Account Provider, you want
to find a sales rep who will be your advocate through
the sales process and beyond. This means answering all
your questions and advising you during the application
process. You should expect a prompt, accurate and professional
response to your questions within 24 hours. If the sales
rep is not asking you questions to learn about your business,
he is less likely to be your advocate during the application
process (this is typical of discount houses with low salary
sales reps). The application should be fully prepared
by the sales rep and delivered to you quickly, by
hand delivery, e-mail or fax. When you read the application
there should be no surprises on start-up fees & recurring
fees. After your application is submitted, the provider
will do a background & credit check on your company.
This could take a matter of hours or 1-2 days. During
this time, you should be able to call for a status on
your application approval. If you are not getting this
typ of service before the sale, this is not a good sign.
Service After the Sale
After you go live, you need the ability the process orders
at any time. Your Merchant Account Provider must have
the staffing and expertise to quickly help you with any
of the following transaction roadblocks:
Chargebacks
Funds Not Transferred To Your Account
Orders Put on Hold by the Processor's Bank
Gateway Server Down
In addition to helping you with roadblocks, here are eight
other things you should look for to assure good service
after the sale:
8 Key Indicators for Good Service After the Sale
1. 24x7 tech support, toll free, multi lingual
2. 100% Money Back Guarantee on upfront costs (if any)
3. Members in Good Standing with the Better Business Bureau
4. No High Pressure Sales Reps (not commission driven)
5. Sale Rep takes the time to fully learn & understand
your business
6. Free lifetime software upgrades for fraud control
7. Ability to call Sales Rep as your advocate if you are
not satisfied with tech support
8. New storefront and internet marketing Ideas.
It's in your best interest to test the customer service
response before you sign up with the Merchant Account
Provider. Try calling tech support on a Saturday and see
how quickly they respond. If you are not confident with
their expertise and responsiveness before you sign up,
you need to keep on shopping. |
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