Customers want flexibility and choice of payment processors where possible. This is especially true when looking at business transactions and managing merchant accounts as a cross-border e-commerce shipper.
Generally speaking, the more payment types, rather mobile payment or even with virtual cards, boosts customer experience. And in turn, it means that it’s more likely a customer will complete the transaction. An August 2022 press release detailing the upcoming global decline of cash payments shared that “Cards and digital wallets are the most common payment instruments in most regions worldwide. Digital payments in the Asia-Pacific region accelerated, with China being one of the frontrunners toward a cashless society.”
Important, strategic choices have to be made regarding what payment service provider (also known as merchant of record) to use. Looking at an online payment transaction from the front-end is one thing, but, what about the other side, including direct bank transfers accounts or refunds and chargebacks? How do you choose the right merchant of record (MOR) and what differences do they offer? This article will cover the basics of payment services providers and what to look for.
Besides simplifying the payment process, working with such companies and service providers yields these additional benefits:
- Automation – Payment service providers function as the process operator for your customers’ transactions, using automation along the way. This saves your resources and time, and in turn, streamlines your transactional process. Well-known payment types and popular service providers, such as PayPal, Venmo or Zelle, also enable automated recurring transactions for monthly subscriptions. This removes much administrative and operative work that otherwise went into completing these multi-currency transactions manually, especially for repeat purchases within MOR pay types.
- Reliability and Issue-resolving – A large and experienced merchant of record typically provide guarantees of service and are usually seen as more reliable. They often work to reduce missing revenue following unsuccessful payments or resolve problems themselves. Disputes are handled by the payment service providers which again, contributes to your resource efficiency as you do not need to handle any MOR pay sticky situations yourself.
- Transparency and Clear Communication – Most payment service providers are also fully transparent. Their complete clarity in all activities combines with straightforward communication. More visibility helps build a strong and reliable relationship with the seller of record. Plus, they often provide 24/7 support meaning that issues can be resolved quickly, should they arise. Customers in turn should expect minimum downtime and are less likely to bounce before completing their order.