Considered high risk, tech support businesses face greater chances of chargebacks and fraud. And that ultimately makes them unappealing to potential financial partners that provide merchant services for cashless payments.
Unfortunately, almost all tech support services are paid for through these cashless methods since services are mainly provided online. That said, working with the best tech support merchant account provider that has enough of a risk appetite to accommodate your business can help you go cashless and mitigate your potential liability to boot.
It’s hard to find a best-of merchant accounts list that doesn’t include Payment Cloud. Although they’ve only been around for a total of seven years as of writing, and though the whole company was started by just three guys, they’ve grown their enterprise and served tens of thousands of clients to meet the highest of standards. As a reputable merchant account provider offering services to high risk merchants, their solutions are specifically tailored to help mitigate your risk.
One perk of applying with Payment Cloud is a process they call scrubbing. During this period, they’ll ‘scrub’ through all of your documents, your websites, socials, bank statements, and everything else to find potential red flags that could slow down your application or reduce your chances of getting approved. They’ll then provide possible solutions to help eliminate those red flags.
Once you’re signed on, Payment Cloud provides a range of chargeback and fraud detection and prevention features to keep your merchant account sufficiently protected. They also offer a range of security features like 3D Secure payment to provide the necessary safeguards on both ends of the transaction.
InstabillWhen it comes to tech support merchant accounts, you might say that Instabill is the stand-out expert. These guys talk a lot about their experience with high risk merchants dealing in the tech support industry, and they’ve even worked with higher risk offshore tech support businesses based in India and the Philippines, which definitely gives them the edge of experience.
Accepting multi-currency payments, it seems that there’s no limit to Instabill’s risk appetite. According to sources, they also provide tailored assistance and coaching for their partner merchants to effectively reduce the risk of chargebacks and fraud. All of that considered, it’s easy to see that tech support is obviously their forte.
In terms of pricing, Instabill’s fees can fluctuate wildly. That’s because they have quite a long list of partner banks, and their fees depend mostly on which bank they find to be the best fit for your account. Nonetheless, most of their clients seem happy with their fees and charges, and especially with the services they receive from the provider.
Ideal for large-scale tech support businesses, Host Merchant Services offers just one pricing structure — interchange plus. Now, for most large enterprises, that can be particularly beneficial. However, because SMEs with low monthly volumes might better benefit from a different structure, Host Merchant Services does offer to provide tailored pricing for smaller merchants that make the request.
In terms of customer support, there’s no beating Host Merchant Services. Businesses operating in the tech support industry probably already know how valuable it is for clients to be able to talk to a living, breathing support specialist to address their needs. And that’s precisely the kind of intensive assistance that Host Merchant Services provides.
With no set up fees, no early termination fees, and transparent pricing structures, Host Merchant Services can be a cost-effective dream for larger tech support businesses. And because of their untainted reputation with the BBB, there’s really no wonder why they’ve amassed such a large client base.
Unfortunately for honest businesses in the tech support industry, their risk reputation has been tainted by unscrupulous providers from long past. Back in the day, various malware would infect computer systems, and suddenly new ‘tech support companies’ would pop up just in the nick of time with exactly the necessary solutions.
This inevitably marred the image of all tech support businesses down the line. So, when customers work with tech support companies and don’t get the results they want when they want them, they’re quick to jump to the fraud conclusion.
Another thing is because of the usual disposition that most clients seeking tech support typically assume. Disgruntled computer and electronics owners easily fly off the handle when tech support can’t resolve an issue in a snap. And even if these companies aren’t responsible for the problems with their gadgets in the first place, they resort to taking it out on the company by filing for a chargeback.
Add in the fact that tech support companies almost always use cashless payments through card-not-present transactions, and it becomes clear why banks try to steer clear of partnerships with these businesses.
Every provider brings something unique to the table. And while all of them might seem like viable options, not every single merchant account and service provider will actually be able to support your business’s growth. Here’s what you might want to look for in a provider before signing just any contract:
Don’t just settle for any provider. Scout your options and consider your unique business needs. To find the best tech support merchant account, consider our vetted choices and discover tailored solutions, low fees, and unrivalled security and protection features that aim to guard your business and your buyers against the routine risks of the tech support industry.
