How to Keep Costs Low For Your Mail Order Business: Part 1
Find a Provider to Navigate You Through the Getting-Started Phase
There are enough complexities involved with running a mail order business. Not only do you have to constantly market your products to your customers, you also must continuously work to develop new products. Then, when customers buy the product from you, you have to excel at order fulfillment, customer service and more. Because there’s so much involved with not only running a mail order business but any kind of business, savvy business owners hire an expert merchant account services provider to handle credit card processing. To keep costs low for your mail order business, find a company that will navigate you through the getting-started phase of your business and provide you with cost-effective, smart solutions for processing online payments.
As a new business owner, you should research merchant account providers with a well-known reputation for providing outstanding customer service. Many companies want to merely satisfy customers. However, some merchant account services companies want their customers raving about and applauding their service. Look for these companies by checking against the Better Business Bureau or reading testimonials on the provider website. Also, check the merchant account provider’s website to see if the business has a section specifically geared toward offering customer service. Such attention signals the company really cares about the customer experience that they offer.
Once you get a feel for the merchant account provider you want to work with, call the company and chat with the person who picks up the phone. Ask about the process for getting your merchant account started and what it will take to get you up and running – this is particularly important for the “getting-started†phase. Getting things right the first time will eliminate time-intensive troubleshooting and keep your attention on growing your new business. Otherwise, you could end up spending time and money correcting mistakes in your credit card processing setup or integration. If you’re a merchant that also goes to trade shows, make sure to ask questions about low-cost mobile credit card processing options.
You want to come away from the phone conversation with confidence in the merchant provider, not only in their great rates. Finding a knowledgeable, patient, reliable and experienced partner for your credit card processing is very important and can help your business start to bring in sales quicker and at a lower overall cost.
Other Posts by Zachary Smith:
- Global Payment Requirements for International Merchants
- It’s all about the People (in Payments)
- The Difference in Merchant Account Rates  Why Not all Credit Card Processing Accounts Are the Same
- The Importance of Interchange for Global eCommerce and SaaS Businesses
- New NaviGate Modules for Magento, CS Cart and More