And these days, everyone wants to pay with credit cards or debit cards. If you want to take those cards, you have to have a way of processing them.
Though the payment card industry can be difficult to understand, having the right credit card processor at your side can make that journey a lot easier. Finding that “right credit card processor” means that you pay less in fees, and it assures that you get paid promptly.
In many circumstances, Easy Pay Direct is that “right credit card processor.” We’ll talk about why later in this piece.
If you think you don’t need to find the best processor, that you’ll be okay having your current bank take care of this for you, think again.
It might seem easier to take the proverbial path of least resistance, but most banks charge way too much for processing fees, so they seldom offer the best deals.
At the same time, though, the market is jammed with a lot of credit card processing companies. Many of them look very much alike. There are lots of grand claims in the air — about customer service, pricing, flexibility, and more.
So how can you make sense of the market? How do you find the credit card processor that’s best for your small business?
That’s exactly what we’ll talk about in this article.
But Why Does My Small Business Need a Credit Card Processor?
The answer is simple: You need to accept credit cards if you want to do business in 2022.
In the U.S., most payments are taken through cards — the majority of those being credit cards.
So if you want to take credit cards, you have to have someone to process those cards so the money changes hands properly.
And if you don’t have a payment processor, you’re missing out on all the business you could potentially do by taking payment cards.
So How Do I Find the Right Credit Card Processor for My Small Business?
There’s a lot to consider as you look for the right credit card processor for your small businesses. Some good questions to ask are:
- What’s their customer service like?
- How many technologies are they integrated with?
- How high (or low) are their fees?
These are just some of the things to keep in mind as you shop among different providers.
Customer Service
Customer service may well be the most important thing to consider when looking for a credit card processor.
Sure, technology compatibility and low rates are great to have, but what’s going to happen if you’re unable to process credit cards, thereby depriving you of sales?
It’s pretty safe to say that no one is going to want to have any trouble reaching customer service, should they happen to encounter any setup or payment difficulties.
So it’s a good idea to find out what kind of customer support a provider offers.
The best thing to do is make sure they offer both phone and email support. You’ll want to find out what hours they’re open, as well as the level of support they might provide.
But great customer service is not the only thing you’ll want from your credit card processor.
Technology Integration
As you search for the best credit card processor for your small business, you’ll want to look at the technologies they’ll work with — since you want to find one that will work with the way your particular business is set up.
Here are a few technology-related considerations.
Payment Types
Depending on who your customers are and what their purchases look like, you might want to accept payments other than regular old credit cards.
A few examples of these alternative methods are layaway purchases, digital wallets, and mobile payments. If your customers want to pay with those methods, then be sure to choose a processor that offers them.
Equipment
What kind of equipment do you use to take payments? Do you have a point-of-sale system you want to use, or do you already have some credit card terminals? In a best-case scenario, the provider you choose will work with what you already have. Even so, sometimes providers have equipment they prefer to use and will give you a great deal if you switch over.
Sales Channels
Another thing to know before you start contacting providers is what channels you plan to sell on. Do you sell online? Offline? Both? Will you need to take mobile, on-the-go payments at a trade show or food truck?
Be sure your payment processor can work with you and your business requirements.
Fees
As you look for the right credit card processor for your small business, one thing that’s on everyone’s mind is fees. It’s important to choose a provider that offers low fees because as your business grows, higher fees can cost you hundreds of dollars a month — if not thousands.
There are three major types of fees that factor in when a business owner accepts a credit card payment. They are:
- Assessments — This is how the major card networks, such as Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Discover make their money.
- Markup — This is how your payment processor makes money. Some providers charge a flat rate, whereas others take a cut of each transaction.
- Interchange — These fees are paid between the customer’s bank and the business owner’s bank. They cover the cost of processing the payment and are deducted from the total amount processed.
Sometimes you can negotiate the markup fees with your processor. However, none of the processors control the assessment and interchange fees. Those are set by the card networks and banks, so they are not negotiable.
Take Your Time to Find the Best Credit Card Processor for Small Businesses
Finding the right credit card processor for your small business doesn’t have to be difficult.
A good way of starting your search process is to consider the level of customer service you’ll get with a given payment processor.
Next look at the technology integrations they offer — will they work with the equipment you already have, or will you need to get new gear?
And you also need to take into account the fees they’re going to charge you. Among these are assessment fees, markup, and interchange fees.
But it doesn’t have to be a difficult search.
You can contact Easy Pay Direct today, and let us do the hard work for you. We’re experts at servicing merchant accounts, especially for businesses that are considered “high risk.”
Call Easy Pay Direct at 800.805.4949 today and start earning money by letting us handle the credit card processing for your small business!
