There’s a big difference between a business that can accept credit cards – and one that does it the right way.
If you want to make sure you’re doing everything right, ask yourself these 3 questions:

1. “Does my credit card machine work quickly enough?”
If there’s anything you can count on in today’s world, it’s that shoppers are an impatient bunch. The last thing they want to see is a giant line at your cash register.
The best way to prevent that from happening is to get a credit card machine that works as quickly as possible.

Luckily, the right machine can accept credit cards in a matter of seconds. In an instant, a good machine will be able to either approve or decline your customer’s credit card. Then, it will send a notification to your merchant provider to take the money out of your customer’s account and transfer it into yours. That’s a big difference from the equipment of old, which had to use a dial-up line and could take a few minutes to do everything!
As an added benefit, many merchant providers will throw in credit card machines free of charge (or at very low rates) when you sign up for an account. That way, your bottom line won’t have to suffer just because you want something that’s state-of-the-art!

2. “Do I have the best out of all online merchant accounts?”
If you’re going to accept credit cards online, you need a merchant account to make it all possible. However, that doesn’t mean you can settle for any ol’ one. Instead, you need to take a close look at a variety of online merchant accounts and make sure they offer state-of-the-art security (including both encryption and fraud monitoring).
You also need to make sure any potential online merchant accounts come with 24/7 technical support. After all, if your online payment processing software isn’t working correctly, you’re simply turning money away!

3. “How difficult is my online payment processing?”
When it comes time for your customers to check out, you need to make things as easy as possible for them. But if your online payment processing software asks them to punch in everything from their mother’s maiden name to their cat’s date of birth, you’re never going to make any sales.
Instead, make sure that you only ask for the most important information possible when you accept credit cards online. That way, your customers won’t have an excuse to go someplace else to do their shopping.

At Charge.com, Payment Solutions, Inc. can make accepting credit cards a breeze!