Despite the technology advancements of the past decade, many consumers still provide spoken card details over the phone to company call centers. The practice has triggered
Ingenico Group says it has developed an alternative to handling payments over the phone with LinkPlus, a customer payment portal initiated from an operator at a call center that establishes an electronic payment.
The solution enables online businesses to send a link or QR code to the customer for the initiation and acceptance of payment, removing the need to manually process unsecured credit card details or banking information supplied over the phone, through e-mail or fax.
LinkPlus targets airlines, hotels, retailers and any other services taking single or subscription payments over the phone.
When a customer reaches an operator at a call center, the operator can send a link or QR code to the customer, who can then use the link on a smartphone, tablet or desktop computer. LinkPlus then allows the customer to complete a payment, which is immediately updated in the business billing system and a confirmation note is sent to the customer.
“LinkPlus enables businesses to deliver a premium payment experience to their customers,” Gabriel de Montessus, senior vice president for global online retail at Ingenico Group, said in a Friday press release. “Call centers and customer service teams can now offer multiple payment methods and currencies with high speed authorization and enhanced security and page design."
In addition to being a more secure method than handling payments over the phone, LinkPlus would also serve as "the tipping point that converts many customers from a browser into a buyer and potentially, a returning customer,” de Montessus added.
LinkPlus does not require any technical integration from Ingenico and can be customized in appearance to fit a company brand. No customer payment data is stored at the business.
Ingenico says it will support the complex security procedures and regulations through LinkPlus so that businesses would not have to deal with those processes.
LinkPlus also enables businesses to generate foreign exchange revenue and protects costs and exposure by giving the flexibility to add a spread on top of the daily base exchange rates.
