Category: News

4 Best Practices for a Better Payment Experience

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Providing a smooth experience is key if you want to make on-time payments easy for your customers. But meeting their expectations can be easier said than done.

The payment experience is often reported as a source of friction for customers. According to a survey of 400 billing and collections executives, 91% of customers cited the inconvenience of bill pay as a pain point. And 34% received customer feedback that there isn’t enough choice in payment methods.

Fortunately, there are simple solutions to facilitate a better payment experience. Follow these four best practices to deliver a secure and convenient digital payment experience that cuts down friction and meets customer expectations.

4 best practices to improve the customer payment experience

1. Seek seamless integration of payment methods

Simply making a multitude of payment options available to your customers won’t create a convenient experience. You need to integrate those channels if you want to encourage prompt payment.

When the payment process is comprised of disparate solutions, it creates friction for customers who are forced to leapfrog from one to another. A customer receiving an email payment reminder doesn’t want to get on the phone with a call center agent just to provide their credit card information. Imagine instead the convenience of being directed to an online payment platform directly within the reminder email.

By integrating your payment methods and eliminating cumbersome payment journeys, you’ll encourage prompt and repeatable payments.

2. Prioritize CX to limit late payments

Providing a positive customer experience doesn’t stop at the point of purchase. The payment portal is a brand touchpoint that deserves equal consideration.

For customers, the hassle of navigating a poorly designed platform can deter on-time payments. According to a 2022 survey of more than 1,500 bill payers, 14% of respondents prioritize convenience. Millennials go even further, with 23% citing payment ease as a reason to pay some bills before others.

A business that offers a user-friendly payment experience may encourage customers to first pay their bills before tackling—or even disregarding—those that involve more convoluted processes.

3. Gain trust with a secure payment platform

Many consumers are concerned about security, for good reason. Credit card fraud is widespread, and card-not-present fraud is expected to account for 74% of all credit card fraud losses by 2024. Up to 52% of U.S. bill payers rank security as a top feature in the digital payment process.

Here’s the takeaway: if customers don’t trust your payment system, they won’t use it.

It’s critical to demonstrate that cardholder data is protected on your payment platform. Follow these strategies to keep your customers secure:

  • Use payment IVR systems to securely take payments
    Asking customers to read out their credit card information to a call center agent increases the risk of fraud. Leverage Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to add a level of security.

    • Inbound IVR allows customers to call in and manually enter their credit card information via keypad, reducing the risk that someone will overhear the details and jot them down.
    • Outbound IVR lets customers receive a scheduled payment call at their convenience and then enter their credit card details during the call.
  • Keep call center payments secure
    Use a payment platform that makes it simple for call center agents to quickly create custom invoices and send customers a link to securely complete transactions. Customers can pay directly without sharing their account data with anyone, all while removing the organization’s exposure to sensitive payment data.
  • Choose a payment platform that offers Payment Card Industry (PCI)-compliant processing
    PCI regulations change frequently, making it challenging to keep up with complex security requirements. You can spare your business the risk of inadvertent regulatory discrepancies by using a payment platform with built-in PCI compliance. Trusting your payment platform to securely store sensitive customer data lets you stay focused on growing your business.

4. Make it easy for customers to read your reminders

A quick way to increase the odds of late payment is sending a customer reminders on a communication channel they rarely use. Leverage multi-channel communications for reminders to make sure you’re reaching them where they are most likely to respond.

Relying on email won’t always get your message across. Short Message Service (SMS) is gaining popularity. A Statista survey found that U.S. Internet users opened and read 42% of commercial text messages, as opposed to 32% sent by email.

The CSG Forte Payer Engagement Platform allows customers to pay when and how they want

CSG Forte’s Payer Engagement Platform is a revolutionary payments solution that meets your customers where they are. It enables any-time, any-way payment completion on the channel of their choice. Our low-code solution manages invoice creation, payment processing, and payment notifications—all on one secure platform.

Contact us to learn how the CSG Payer Engagement Platform can simplify your customer’s bill payments, improve their experience, reduce fraud exposure and encourage on-time payments.

Invite customers to receive payment reminders, confirmations and late notices on their preferred channels. Then implement a platform with calendar integrations to easily send personalized links to a custom invoice where you know they’ll see it.

CSG Forte Earns Best API Set by The Strawhecker Group in 2023 Best of Breed API Awards

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ALLEN, TX, July 13, 2023 – CSG Forte, a CSG® (NASDAQ: CSGS) company and the leader in complete and customizable digital payments, was recognized by The Strawhecker Group (TSG) as the Best API Set in the 2023 Best of Breed API Awards. The awards are based on TSG’s Global Experience Monitoring (GEM) platform, which ranks the overall API experience of payment gateways across functionality, documentation and integration and development. CSG Forte was highlighted for its user-friendly experience for developers and additionally named a runner-up for Overall API Assessment, API Set: Specifications and Developer Roadmap.

“To attract, retain and forge strong relationships with merchants, gateway and payment technology providers like CSG Forte rely on technology, open-source platforms and the development communities of the future to continuously improve our offerings,” said Jeff Kump, President, CSG Forte. “Our unwavering commitment to adaptability, innovation and investment in our platform allows us to deliver unparalleled payment experiences to our customers. This recognition is a testament to the creative minds and dedication of the entire CSG Forte team, and we are honored to be named a leader by The Strawhecker Group for the third year in a row.”

“We are excited to recognize CSG Forte for its exceptional API Set, which surpassed the average API Set total score by over 13 points,” said Mike Strawhecker, President, TSG. “Our annual awards give payment platforms the data to make impactful adjustments, and the CSG Forte team consistently uses our GEM Suite to improve and set new standards for the industry.”

CSG Forte delivers a single, end-to-end cloud-based payments platform that helps merchants grow their business quickly, scale payments smarter and mitigate fraud risks. With CSG Forte’s award-winning technology, organizations can modernize and simplify how customers pay bills, drive more on-time payments and improve customer satisfaction with a low-code, single unified digital platform. With experience in payment processing across ACH and card payments, acceptance, authorization and management, CSG Forte handles tens of billions of dollars in payments for nearly 100,000 merchants annually.

For more information about CSG Forte, please visit: www.forte.net.

CSG Forte Team

CSG Forte Team

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The Future of Digital Payments for Governments

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Today, you would be hard-pressed to find a retailer that did not offer a form of digital payment. The digital payments sector is well-established and expected to explode in the coming years. A study from Juniper Research has found that the number of unique digital wallet users will exceed 4.4 billion globally in 2025, rising from 2.6 billion in 2020. Not only is this the customer expectation, but it also helps the merchant provide and track customer purchasing patterns and can help mitigate the risk of fraud and cyberattacks. It’s a win-win.

On the other hand, public entities have been slower on the uptake. Between concerns with personnel resources, budget, compliance, and cybersecurity, governments, for example, have historically been skeptical of the value that digital payment options would bring to their municipality.

 

Digital Payment Solutions

Fast forward to this year, government leaders are more excited to explore digital payment options. Most cities have either begun to dip their toe in the digital payments waters or have dived headfirst and are exploring options for expansion. Let’s take a closer look at the roadblocks to adoption and what’s at stake for elected officials and constituents.

For a while, concerns about credit card fees and older processing infrastructure might have slowed a government’s embrace of digital payment options. But that landscape is changing fast. Increased constituent demand for a more seamless online experience and capable tech stacks helps government agencies accelerate the move toward digital payments.

Digital payments also give governments more data that can help them form a holistic view of all customer transactions and enable them to create a more seamless experience. This, e.g., means that constituents can log in to one portal and see all due payments. They can also choose to opt-in for automated text reminders about payment dates.

While digital payments might promise a seamless experience and a path to modernization, there is one obstacle government agencies need to overcome: security of personal information.

 

Overcoming Security Issues With Digital Government Payments

Governments hold some of the country’s most sensitive data and it’s easily their top priority to ensure this information is kept safe. Many local governments have been cautious about adopting digital payment options due to concerns about cybersecurity and damaging data leaks. Despite these challenges, government agencies must find a solution.

Most importantly, they need to pay attention to security to:

  • Ensure adherence to compliance measures. Payment Card Industry (PCI) and National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) standards dictate how businesses collect, store, and work with sensitive constituent information. Any digital payment solution will have to check off these boxes.
  • Uphold the public’s trust. Constituent confidence is directly related to the feeling of safety when making digital payment transactions. Attention to security will fortify defenses and help to develop and retain constituents’ confidence.

To navigate this concern with caution, government entities should register a trusted payments partner who can protect constituent data while ensuring seamless digital payment offerings.

Fortunately, there are many technologies available to prevent hacks and provide secure payments. Governments should ensure the digital solutions they adopt include cybersecurity protections like end-to-end encryption, multifactor authentication, and tokenization.

From there, they’d also need to establish clear lines of communication with constituents to help them understand the measures in place and the security of their data. Not only does this bolster constituent trust, but two-way communication can allow constituents to flag phishing schemes and scams they receive from fraudsters. Scammers that pose as government entities to gather payments are unfortunately common. With an open line of communication and these security must-haves in mind, governments can act against fraudsters and stop them from doing more damage.

 

Resource Allocation: Digital Payments Pay Off

Resource allocation is a significant concern for most government agencies. The adoption of cutting-edge technologies to prevent hacks may be an obvious expense for a large e-commerce brand, but government purchases are under more extreme scrutiny and necessitate a longer approval process. However, there are clear benefits to the adoption of digital payments. In many cases, the technology, e.g., pays for itself in the long term.

With more digital integrations, like a user-friendly customer portal and automated text messages to remind residents of upcoming payments, constituents are more likely to pay their bills on time. As a result, your town can limit resident frustration around late fee charges and save resources on resolving complaints and issuing late notices.

The pandemic made digital and touchless experiences vital for immunocompromised residents and critical for the health of all. It’s important to note, however, that maintaining traditional payment methods is also crucial to accommodating all demographics and needs. With more tech-savvy consumers and a younger, digitally fluent population, the option of digital payments helps create a more seamless and positive experience for more people.

The increased digitalization also lessens the need for personnel to manage payments, allowing governments to reallocate staff to more strategic and impactful departments and missions. What’s more, the move to digital means that tracking constituent payment and behavior will become significantly easier. Government leaders can even leverage the data to further improve the constituent experience and bridge a closer and more fluid connection with residents.

All said, elected officials have a real motive to meet this demand from constituents, and the reasons for government entities to hesitate to adopt the latest and greatest in digital payments solutions are quickly vaporizing. The ability to implement and carefully manage these solutions will be important to maintain constituent goodwill, generate revenue, and provide greater accessibility now and into the future.

Sukanya Madhavan

Sukanya Madhavan

VP Product Management, CSG Forte
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4 Digital Payments Trends Making Businesses Future Ready in 2023

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This year, we’re looking at a different world in digital payments. Businesses are facing down recession fears and tighter margins. Consumer spending habits are shifting as they contend with inflation.

What hasn’t changed? The payments experience is still key to maintaining healthy cashflow and loyal customers. And innovation will still pay off down the road in cost-reducing efficiency and better customer experience (CX). It’s just that businesses must adjust their priorities to navigate 2023’s economic headwinds.

CSG Forte President Jeff Kump, and Sukanya Madhavan, VP of Product Management, offer a glimpse of where merchants will make strides in the payment experience, from digital wallets to ACH to security.

Here’s what they see organizations doing to prepare not just for 2023, but for the years ahead in digital payments.

Jeff Kump

 

1)   Digital Payments Will Help Make Businesses Metaverse-Ready

Cash is phasing out as consumers embrace more digital avenues of retail shopping, like buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS). Even as the pandemic waned, U.S. coin shortages persisted because consumers weren’t inclined to use them to buy things (which stalled circulation).

Trending up are digital wallets, which have become more commonly used than even credit cards, according to a global survey. It’s not just because of consumer preferences—businesses are encouraging digital payment options, too. They’re already trying to streamline and digitize more processes, and that includes the payments they accept.

Where is this all headed? Possibly to the ultimate digital marketplace—i.e., the metaverse—which will eschew cash or plastic entirely. Businesses will need to accept digital wallet payments if and when they participate in those immersive experiences. Even if they join in metaverse commerce after 2023, this year they’ll lay the foundation for it on the payments side.

 

2)   Older Generation Consumers Will Ease into Next-Generation Payments

Spoiling the grandkids will look different in a cashless future. Picture Grandma slipping them a couple bucks on the sly using a peer-to-peer payment app instead of dollar bills.

But they’re not there yet. Baby boomers were the least likely generation to have tried a new payment method in the past year (only 29% compared with 79% of Gen Z). While we’re in this transition towards digital payment dominance, businesses need to accommodate consumers who remain reluctant (or unable) to pay online.

To keep serving those customers, businesses won’t shift to fully paperless and online payments just yet. In the meantime, we’ll see them encourage more customers toward digital adoption while continuing to offer traditional payment methods in the name of inclusion and accessibility. As late adopters receive a gentle education on newer payment methods, we’ll see the generation gap of digital payment adoption begin to close.

Sukanya Madhavan

 

3)   Organizations Will Offer Embedded Payments Everywhere

There’s no denying the connection between payment simplicity and revenue: the easier you make it for customers to buy, the easier it is to make sales. This year, we’ll see businesses speed up buying processes by using integrated payments to remove speed bumps.

In eCommerce, they’ll eliminate friction by embedding pay tools more smoothly in apps and websites. One example is Instagram, which links to your bank so you can purchase an advertised product straight from your feed with a single swipe.

Friction-free, integrated payments will transform in-person shopping, too. Seeing more consumers return to physical locations, retailers are working to streamline the brick-and-mortar buying experience. The Kroger grocery chain is testing shopping carts that track the items shoppers want to buy, allowing them to skip checkout entirely. Amazon Go stores, which already let customers purchase without checking out, continue to expand to more locations.

Whether we’re online or in-person, we’ll continue seeing businesses remove hurdles in the buying process we once thought were essential, simplifying the path to “Sold!”

 

4)   Authentication Tools Will Help Merchants Raise Their Game Against Fraud

ACH payments have increased in volume by over 50% within a decade. The downside of ACH’s growth is that more transactions create more opportunities for fraudsters using the payment method. Businesses have recognized the heightened security risk of their transactions and are poised to combat it. According to “The State of Retail Payments in 2022” from Forrester Research, Inc., September 2022, “improving security (fraud, management encryption) jumped to the top of the list of online initiatives, with a significant 42% of retailers including it on their list of priorities.”

In 2023, more businesses will act on their anti-fraud priorities by using stronger payment security solutions to process ACH transactions. In their efforts to reduce risk, they’ll leverage authentication to verify account status and ownership in a seamless process that keeps payments easy for customers. After all, the payment experiences of the future aren’t just about keeping payments simple, but also safe.

Learn more about how CSG Forte solutions can help your business prepare for the future.

CSG Forte Team

CSG Forte Team

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CSG Forte Combats Fraud with Launch of End-to-End Authorization Solution, CSG Forte Authenticate

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ALLEN, Oct. 20, 2022 –  CSG Forte, a CSG (NASDAQ: CSGS) company and the expert in processing and making automated clearing house (ACH) payments more secure and reliable, today launched CSG Forte Authenticate. To be successful, merchants need lock-tight authentication capabilities that effectively reduce the risks of fraud and automate their processes.  Authenticate is an end-to-end payments security solution that empowers merchants across verticals to seamlessly verify account owner ACH payments and reduce the risk of fraud.

“At a time when fraud is surging, it is not a matter of if, but when fraud occurs. From customer convenience to ease of acceptance, CSG Forte Authenticate gives merchants the ability to process ACH payments with confidence, securely and reliably,” said Jeff Kump, head of payments, CSG Forte. “CSG Forte continues to modernize our platform to reduce time to activation, ensure that businesses get paid on-time with accuracy and introduce new products that meet evolving customer demands. We’re proud to be industry leaders in helping merchants combat fraud.”

According to “The State of Retail Payments in 2022” from Forrester Research, Inc., September 2022, “improving security (fraud, management encryption) jumped to the top of the list of online initiatives, with a significant 42% of retailers including it on their list of priorities.” With CSG Forte Authenticate at the center of ACH payments, an insurance company can reduce fraudulent deposits and increase customer loyalty and trust by depositing a check into the account owned by the person they are writing the check to.

 

With CSG Forte Authenticate, businesses can:

  • Reduce fraud or potential losses, establish a secure financial transaction relationship and improve overall profitability
  • Ensure validated and non-failing inputs to the processor/network, to drive increased acceptance rates
  • Catch errors in the early stages of a transaction and prevent transaction delays, to deliver increased customer satisfaction and loyalty

Based on the Merchant Risk Council, the volume of ACH transactions has grown by over 50% in less than a decade, which indicates that ACH payments are a growing segment of the modern payments landscape. CSG Forte’s expertise in same-day ACH technology allows merchants to fuel growth by receiving funds quicker and at a lower price than working with other payment processors. For more information about CSG Forte Authenticate, join us at Money 2020 in Las Vegas #3-222 (Venetian Tower) or visit https://www.forte.net/why-csg-forte/authenticate.

CSG Forte Team

CSG Forte Team

Categories: News,

Million Dollar Payments: Nacha Boosting Same-Day ACH Maximum

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Think of your favorite news outlet, any news outlet. Chances are, if you visit their site right now, the leading topic will be the economy. From inflation to new job numbers, several metrics and topics are commonly discussed when analyzing the economy. However, the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network often goes overlooked in economic discussions. And it definitely shouldn’t—with over 7.5 billion payments valued at $18.9 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2021 alone.  

With payment volumes and values continuing to grow, new rules are needed to foster the growth of the ACH network. The National Automated Clearing House Association (Nacha), an organization that governs and facilitates the ACH Network, develops standards and rules to ensure the ACH Network operates smoothly, and that payment information transfers securely and quickly.

In response to substantial increases in ACH payments, Nacha announced a rule that will increase the same-day ACH spending limit. Beginning March 18, 2022, businesses will be able to transfer same-day credit and debit payments up to $1 million, up from the current $100,000 cap.

And with more verticals likely to adopt this because of the increasing amount of payments they can accept, there’s never been a better time to start offering this payment option. Get paid faster, lower payment processing costs and easily manage recurring payments.

 

Choose CSG Forte for Same-Day ACH Payments

CSG Forte is the leading payments provider of same-day ACH, supporting over 73,000 merchants. With a best-in-class solution and decades of experience, we deliver a scalable and seamless solution to companies operating in a wide variety of verticals, including integrated software vendors (ISVs), healthcare, property management, government, insurance, enterprises and utility organizations.

Our payments platform can turn what was once an operational expense into a revenue generator through our revenue optimization solutions. Our platform optimizes ACH payments by validating payments in real-time, automatically re-presenting failed payments and keeping recurring payments on track.

Want to learn how you can optimize your ACH payments and take advantage of the rule change? Click here to learn more.

 

 

 

CSG Forte Recognized in Forrester’s Now Tech Payment Report

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Forrester’s Now Tech Merchant Payment Report offers an overview of payment providers to help merchants understand the value of different payment providers—and ultimately help them find a payment provider that can help grow their business. We’re proud that CSG Forte was recognized for our full, end-to-end payments-as-a-platform solution. Additionally, Forrester highlighted CSG Forte’s expertise in the government, home security and business services verticals.

To compile the report, Forrester distributes a questionnaire to the market to identify product capabilities, market presence, geographic focus, and an overview of primary market segments. Equipped with this valuable information, merchants can select a payments partner that best fits their needs.

“To be identified by an industry leader like Forrester is validation of our mission—to make payments simple, safe and scalable,” said CSG Forte’s President Jeff Kump. “Our goal is to tirelessly innovate and simplify payments for our customers. This report is evidence that we’re on the right track and that the best is yet to come.”

 

CSG Forte Product Capabilities

Forrester uses a brief assessment of product capabilities to have a well-rounded group of vendors that span markets and geographies with varying areas of expertise.  Some the key attributes of the CSG Forte platform include:

ACH Processing

As a Nacha preferred partner, CSG Forte is known for its ACH capabilities, including real-time payment processing, ACH/eCheck origination, validation and fraud prevention.

Customizable Convenience Fees

Unlike other payment processors, CSG Forte allows merchants to set convenience fees for their customers in real-time in the payments portal.

Credit Card Processing

CSG Forte’s solution makes it simple to process debit and credit card payments in-person, online and over the phone, and to set up recurring payments.

 

What Makes CSG Forte Different?

In addition to these unique capabilities, CSG Forte also offers several differentiators that benefit our customers:

Revenue optimization—By simplifying the payments process through a unified, end-to-end solution, CSG Forte helps clients grow and optimize their revenue.  With industry-leading ACH processing capabilities, clients are able to receive funds quicker than the traditional credit card process, often receiving funds the same day with Same Day ACH.

Stringent security and compliance—CSG Forte’s solutions implement cutting-edge technology and proven protocols to keep vital information secure. Through tokenization, end-to-end encryption and hosted web pages, CSG Forte allows clients to accept payments securely. Additionally, we offer built-in PCI compliance and Nacha real-time transaction compliance.

Superior support—Navigating the payments landscape can be tricky. CSG Forte simplifies the process with best-in-class client support. With a dedicated support team, comprehensive onboarding resources, a robust knowledge base and regular release notes, CSG Forte makes accepting and processing payments easy.

CSG Forte is proud to be included in Forrester’s Now Tech report. By selecting a vendor from the Now Tech Merchant Payment Report, merchants can improve how they accept and process payments—from supporting new payment methods to reducing fraud and enhancing security and compliance. Click here to read about CSG Forte’s growth into 2022.

Learn how CSG Forte delivers seamless integration through partner network to meet accelerated demand for secure, convenient digital payments.

CSG Forte Earns TSG’s 2022 Best Performing Payments Gateway Award

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Performance benchmarking is vital for payment processing, as it allows payment gateways to pinpoint issues and make adjustments to provide a seamless experience to merchants and consumers alike. That is a key reason why The Strawhecker Group (TSG), a leading payment analytics and consulting firm, created the Gateway Enterprise Metrics (GEM) platform. GEM tracks two-thirds of all payment gateway volume in the U.S., and serves as a benchmark for merchant, developer and gateway performance. These aspects are critical for leading gateways use data and make tangible improvements.

 

TSG Names CSG Forte as the Best Performing Gateway

Using transaction metrics from 2021, TSG named CSG Forte as the Best Performing Gateway, with a total score surpassing the average by more than 12 points on the GEM Index when ranked against more than 20 gateway providers. The GEM Index is an overall scorecard for gateway metrics based on five key areas: gateway minute outage, gateway availability, transaction speed, transaction success rate and authorization rate.

Supporting this ongoing placement as Best Performing Gateway, CSG Forte received first place rankings in two other categories as well, specifically Gateway Minute Outage – North America, and Gateway Minute Outage – Global. In this category, CSG Forte had the lowest overall number of outages, a testament to our reliability and consistent delivery of our payments gateway.

This isn’t the first time we have received recognition in TSG’s GEM reports. In fact, we had strong performance in 2021 and even held the highest score in TSG’s 2021 semi-annual report. Our continued focus and dedication allowed us to deliver extraordinary experiences for our customers and in 2022 be recognized by TSG as a leader in this competitive market.

How does TSG measure these categories? Their unique approach is to monitor how gateways perform through pings and real transactions from more than 20 global locations. As a vendor, the information this report provides is invaluable, as it reveals in near real-time areas that we can improve.

We know that performance of our payment platform is more than just a ranking in a report. Here at CSG Forte, we continually invest in the quality of our payments offering including our industry leading payments gateway. Understanding these performance metrics allows us to enhance our platform, and continually improve our modern APIs and RESTful architecture. This investment in continual improvement has presented us with consistent recognition as a leading payments gateway provider.

How can you know which payments platform is right for your business? You need a solution that is intuitive to use, secure, and lightning fast. Click here to learn about how CSG Forte is committed to delivering a robust platform including our best-in-class payments gateway.

5 Payment Trends to Watch in 2022

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Human beings have an innate need to make predictions. For whatever reason, we like to make forecasts on just about everything, from Oscar winners to World Series champions, from election results to the likelihood of weather events, and everything in between.

The most effective prognosticators tend to take a 360-degree view. That is, they try to eliminate blind spots and take multiple factors into account. The recent past can give us a good idea of where things are heading moving forward.

In the payments world, the COVID-19 pandemic sent shockwaves throughout the industry that continue to reverberate. Today, we are seeing innovative breakthroughs in new digital payments technology, with rapid adoption across a wide range of industries. On the flip side, there are more opportunities for hackers and bad actors to try and take advantage.

Where is the payments industry headed? While I don’t claim to be Nostradamus, there are a few major trends I believe will dominate the payments headlines in 2022.

 

1) Digital Payment Methods Transform (and Explode)

The past few years have shown consumers that there are more ways to pay than just checks, cards and cash. As a result of the pandemic, contactless payments adoption has surged. Today, more than half of all Americans use at least one form of contactless payments (mobile apps, contactless cards, etc.). And consumers are letting merchants know that they expect more digital payment options—57 percent say they are more likely to do business with a merchant that offers a contactless payment option.

New payment methods will continue to attract first-time users in 2022, such as virtual credit cards, which provide consumers with alternative credit card numbers to disguise their sensitive information when making online transactions. There are a number of reasons virtual credit cards are an alluring prospect: they are environmentally friendly, incredibly secure and easy to monitor. They also empower the customer by allowing them to set spending limits and expiration dates. Just like with contactless, once buyers use a virtual credit card, they’ll demand the option moving forward.

 

2) Tighter Payment Security

An unfortunate byproduct of the rise of digital payments is the increase in digital payment fraud. eCommerce fraud grew to more than $20 billion in 2021. As security threats loom over merchants and consumers alike, more advanced fraud prevention will become a necessity.

In the next year, multifactor authentication (MFA) will become more commonplace. MFA has three types of authentication factors—biometric identification, device in-use and traditional password. Just as consumers are used to opening their smartphones with a quick press of the thumb, consumers will get used to using MFA for purchases.

In 2022, consumers will have the ability to set up multiple layers of security while making purchases in real-time. When a consumer is using a credit card at their local market, they can instantly receive a message to confirm their purchase. In the time it takes to glance at a screen, the transaction is confirmed to be safe. These additional levels of security can drastically reduce the risk of fraud, a tremendous benefit to both consumers and merchants.

 

3) Better Bill Pay

Bill payment is the one guaranteed touchpoint your customer will have with your business every month or quarter, and since these interactions are guaranteed, there’s a great opportunity to make them stand out.

In 2022, we predict that businesses and merchants will level up their bill payment processes, from offering customers payment methods like PayPal to establishing recurring payments so customers can set it and forget it. In fact, almost 40 percent of consumers prefer to pay their bills through automatic checking account deductions or credit/debit charges. By offering more convenience and choice, companies can make ordinary bill payment experiences extraordinary.

 

4) Companies Will Offer More Financial Flexibility

The last few years have highlighted the importance of flexibility—in how we work, interact and communicate. Now, consumers have come to expect flexibility in their payment terms. With the rise of apps like Klarna and Affirm, companies are embracing the “buy now, pay later” option, letting consumers pay off purchases in installments rather than one single payment. On the flip side, consumers can also customize when they get paid, with some prepaid debit cards and even financial institutions developing early payday options. In some cases, early direct deposit allows consumers to receive their paychecks into their accounts up to two days early.

Large financial institutions are beginning to adopt these new technologies to create a pipeline of young consumers who place a premium on flexibility, convenience and financial freedom. I anticipate the increased implementation of financial flexibility in the next year as a tech-savvy generation continues to push institutions to reinvent their business to keep pace with digital transformation.

 

5) Recurring Payments Will Keep Going (And Going, And Going…)

Nobody likes to waste money—especially on something as avoidable as late fees. For that reason, many consumers have embraced recurring payments for regular charges, including cable, utility and rent bills. The notion of having to pull out a checkbook and pay bills monthly is outdated—and this trend will spread to the B2B space.

Unfortunately, payment failures can stand in the way of a successful recurring payments strategy. Payment failures can lead to customer churn, bad debt and a diminishing bottom line. Businesses are increasingly embracing automation when it comes to their payments, including recurring payments. B2B companies that embrace payment modernization can avoid failure and effectively set and forget their recurring payments.

 

Want to learn more about how payment security can make 2022 your best (and safest) year yet? Download our 3 Steps to Ensure Payments Security here.

Power to the People: Digitized Payments Make Payments Safer and Easier

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The first electronic payment may have debuted in 1871, but digital payments have really shown their worth in the last 18 months. They have presented an ultra-secure, convenient and hygienically safe way to make payments without physical contact. Recent surveys show that digital payments are here to stay— 45 percent of US adults say they are likely to use digital or contactless in-store payments regularly in a store after the pandemic.

 

What Are Digital Payments

Consumers are increasingly growing accustomed to digitized experiences. With a few taps of a smartphone, a pizza can arrive on their doorstep within a half-hour—no phone call, cash or physical contact needed. Digital experiences also offer an extra layer of safety during an ongoing pandemic. As low touch and digital experiences become more ubiquitous, consumers have come to expect them to be available, especially when it comes to payments.

Payments play a pivotal role in the customer experience—and contactless payments give consumers a safe, secure and easy way to pay.  According to Forbes’ State of Contactless Payments 2021 report, when all other factors are equal, consumers will choose a store that offers contactless checkout over one without contactless. In terms of staying competitive, digital payments are no longer a nice-to-have—they are a must.

 

Benefits of Digital Payments

There are several benefits for both merchants and customers when it comes to digital and contactless payments.

  1. Convenience— When asked why they wanted contactless options, 2% of respondents cited convenience as their primary reason for using contactless payments. Contactless payments remove the need for PINs or signatures.
  2. Enhanced Experience—Digital payments offer a more seamless customer experience while cutting operational costs for merchants.
  3. Security— Contactless payments featuring RFID and NFC-enhanced technologies are secure, especially when paired with an enterprise-grade POS terminal with advanced security.

 

Choose CSG Forte for Digital Payment Solutions

From managing employees to balancing the books to creating an exceptional customer experience, merchants have more than enough to worry about—partnering with a payments provider with the right solution helps.  At CSG Forte, we offer a full suite of solutions to make digitizing payments scalable, secure and convenient.

Our V400C Plus device makes contactless payments easy. The device was designed with merchants and their customers in mind—with enhanced features including a color touchscreen interface, wi-fi connectivity and thermal printing, merchants can smoothly conduct transactions and provide an exceptional customer experience.

The V400C Plus can be used as a standalone device, be connected to a point-of-sale application, or seamlessly integrate with CSG Forte products. Merchants can accept every major credit card, as well as mobile wallet payments, like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Combined with our cloud-based platform Dex, merchants can gain insights into what payments customers prefer and allow them to easily manage the entire transaction lifecycle.

Contactless payments were on the rise before the pandemic—COVID-19 has merely accelerated its momentum. When powered by the right technology, merchants can satisfy customers and boost revenues by offering secure and convenient contactless payments.