What Merchants Want in a Payment Processor

Merchants typically want five things from a payment processor: straightforward pricing, security, support, reliability and experience. Let’s look at these five areas and how they’re essential for exceptional merchant services.

Transparent Pricing

Payment processor contracts are necessary, but these contracts don’t have to be full of jargon and “gotcha” print. Merchants deserve straightforward, transparent pricing. Contracts should clearly address factors such as these:

• All fees
• Contract length
• Fees for early termination
• Fees for optional services such as Tokenization

Processors tend to offer basic levels of service with varying degrees of add-ons, but merchants shouldn't have to pay for value-added services that they won't use.

Security

Payment processors handle and store sensitive data. Data breaches wreak havoc in customer's lives and can devastate a business, especially a small one. High security should be a non-negotiable aspect of processors’ merchant services. Consider these elements:

• How the processor follows the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
• The different types of security monitoring and reporting
• A current Attestation of Compliance (AOC)

Support

Payment processors provide varying levels of customer support. Issues to consider include:

• The different service levels for support
• How support is delivered (email, phone, live computer chat, etc.)
• Availability of support

Also, consider the resources the processor gives to your business. Are user guides and quick reference guides clear and easy to follow?

Reliability

Does the processor have a history of frequent or extended service outages? If an outage occurs, how does the processor minimize the impact? A good merchant services company should be able to explain why and how it is reliable.

Experience

It’s ideal to work with processors who have experience with your business type. Ask the processor how it works with your specific vertical and what products and services to support your business.

Here at National Merchant Advisors, we pride ourselves on excelling in all five of these areas.

Click here to schedule a call with one of our experts - We'll help guide you to the best, most cost effective solution for your business.

Credit: Paragon Payment Solutions