Merchant

Even before the pandemic, almost half of SMB customers were being turned away by their own banks for a small business loan. Enter COVID-19, and banks and credit unions are still not keeping up with the surging demand for capital, says LendingFront's Jorge Sun.

Customers' familiarity and expectations for digital service have risen but customer service strategy needs to adapt to this new playing field, says Majorel's Oliver Carlsen.

Many younger people are looking for financing and are averse to traditional credit cards, says Four's Chaim Lever.

Payment facilitators give the power back to field service companies and allow them to run their business their own way, says WorkWave's Rick Agajanian.

The debate over whether NFC or QR codes is the best technology to adopt persists. So far, there has been plenty of room for both.

The debate over whether NFC or QR codes is the best technology to adopt still persists today. So far, there has been plenty of room for both.

Widespread card acceptance was key to keeping small businesses afloat during the pandemic and will be crucial to helping consumers and businesses get the economy booming again, says the National Taxpayers Union's Thomas Aiello.

While a merchant may choose to run a program incorrectly, it is our responsibility as professionals to fully understand what the rules are and communicate the impact if they are not followed, says Clearent's Phil Ricci.

Merchant service providers need dynamic cybersecurity assessment tools to identify the key areas of risk in their portfolio in near real-time, says ZeroRisk's Neira Jones.

Fraud detection and prevention technology must align with clear return policies and strong customer service ensuring that confused but loyal and well-intentioned customers can continue to purchase from merchants, says Ravelin's Mairtin O'Riada.