What do you think white-labeled merchant portals means to the payments industry? Is it just as safe to use an unlabeled portal?
Not so Fast …
The fact, that an independent sales organization (ISO) offers their customer (the merchant) a white-labeled portal, should be reassuring to the merchant from the get-go!
White-labeled merchant portals are a recognizable barrier to ensure the merchant that they are on their merchant service providers (MSP) secure site. Therefore, the presence of the ISO’s logo is actually a features security benefit as opposed to using an antiquated processor portal that does not have the ISO logo on it.
On the contrary, not all ISOs are created equal. In order to reassure a potential client, prerequisites for an ISO agent in the field are as follows: exemplary credentials from the recognized MSP being represented, testimonials or references from other customers, and most especially–the name, length of time in business, and the affiliations of their ISO company.
Recognizing a Portal from a Website
Sometimes the difference between a website and a web portal are confusing to new merchants.
A web portal is a dynamic website, which constantly pulls in information from an array of sources, thus, every time you visit the portal–the latest information is available.
A website is fluid, or static (remaining the same all the time); and it can be changed or interacted with (by a webmaster), as in a membership site or forum. A website is generally limited to a niche and to the engagement of those interested in a specific niche.
A merchant portal does not have to be white-labeled. In fact, sometimes they are not white-labeled–as previously stated. When this is the case, the merchant does not always have the same, effectual assurance of security, but they do still have access to their information.
On the other hand, White-labeled merchant portals are normally a highly secured framework–enhanced by a theme–where the merchant can enter unguarded, from a variety of platforms, to view their transactions, statements, chargebacks, retrieval notifications by text message, and reconcile their books.
Some Reported Facts on Portals
As a precaution, it is relevant to make clear to merchants that portals are not always safe. Just because a company offers a portal through which a merchant can conduct business with them, does not mean the merchant can expect the same level of security offered by their ISO company.
In fact, there have been reports, as recently as the past month, where it was learned that an easily recognizable car manufacturer’s content delivery (CD) web portal was highly vulnerable and could potentially allow attackers to actually interfere with a customer’s automobile settings. Albeit this is an unrelated market segment, but it can, and does happen to merchants who are not using their ISO’s secure payment solutions.
Features and Benefits
Specifically, ISO account executives do not create the products that they sell, and most of the time, neither do their companies.
However, these agents are entrusted with the job of taking the best products to their merchants (customers) and educating them regarding the features and benefits of particular payment solutions, software, updates, etc.
Usually, it is not until a salesperson has worked directly with a product that they have that believability factor working for them, gain a high comfort level with the product, and can verify that the product is as good as the affirmation of the manufacturer, or a distributor, behind the product.
Since a sale is not really a sale until the customer relays how that particular item has benefited their business, we look for that feedback. If customers report that an item or service has saved them time and money, then it is a sale because it has built loyalty and relationship.
Hence, we report that our clients say that with IRIS CRM you have the best of the best-integrated reporting, hosted software available in the payments industry today.
To be sure, your time spent unpacking your customer’s needs with them–in order to sell them the complete suite of your company’s solutions to meet those needs—is golden!
Contact us and learn all of the ways we can help you optimize the time you require to spend on learning your product offerings, analyzing and lining them up with target customers, and drilling down for deeper penetration in your market.
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