When it comes to accepting payments from customers, businesses need a system that’s both fast and reliable. Your customers depend on you to keep up with the latest technology and process payments accurately and securely. Regardless of whether you’re running a startup or well-established and growing business, that’s their expectation. So, let’s talk about getting started with merchant services, including best practices and missteps to look out for.
What are merchant services?
Simply put, merchant services involve the hardware, software and services (and people) for businesses to accept and process payments. The merchant services provider a business uses will dictate the forms of payment they can accept, the systems they use to process transactions and more.
You may already know this. However, we’ve seen that most companies take a ‘set it and forget it’ approach with payment processing. By all means, focus on running your business. Ensure you’re talking to your banker to make certain your merchant solutions are keeping up with the fast-changing technology.
Who needs merchant services?
Many businesses need merchant services to process various forms of payment, including debit and credit card transactions. Your specific needs will depend on various factors including the types of payments you choose to accept and how you plan to process payments.
If your customers, be they consumers or business, want to pay with cards or purchase online then you may need merchant services. Here is the litmus test – step back and put yourself in your customer’s shoes. In your day-to-day (of life and business), would you want to pay quickly and easily no matter where you are? If you answered ‘Yes’, you would benefit from reading further.
How to choose the right merchant services provider
As a business owner, you need equipment, software and people you can depend on, especially when it comes to accepting payments. Having someone to call when you need advice or customer service is key. With the right merchant services provider, you can have confidence that payments will be processed accurately and promptly.
Who do you call when you have payment processing needs? Is there a banking officer that can answer questions and provide advice on your merchant solutions? If you cannot answer ‘Yes’ to these questions, then you may want to consider a new provider.
Why rely on First Merchants Bank for merchant services?
First Merchants delivers solutions designed to help you scale business. Our merchant network can serve all industries, including retail, dining, supermarkets, hospitality, education, government and e-commerce. Our network offers authorization, settlement, funding and support, providing a single point of contact for all major debit and credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and more. We also offer a wide variety of processing products including the most up to date hardware and software.
Your Merchant Sales Officer is always available to you when you need advice on payment processing. You’ll always know who to call. If reliable service is what you’re looking for, our merchant services network is powered by Elavon, one of the largest and most reliable payment processors in the U.S. You can count on 24/7 customer service from a team of dedicated professionals and consistent network performance – here for your customers when they need it.
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