Welcome to part 9 of our 12 part series – “Tell Me the Best Merchant Solution for My Business.” In this chapter of our series we will discuss the following questions: “How secure is my customers data, including their credit card information? Is the solution you are providing me PCI complaint?”
PCI Compliance
It is a must. Demand that your merchant services provider is PCI compliant. They should be Level 1 PCI complaint which means that your customer’s precious payment information is as secure as it gets. You do not want to be held liable for identify theft. Your best protection is to have Level 1 PCI compliance. Not sure if your provider is Level 1 PCI complaint? Just ask them. Want to know more about PCI Complaince? Read more at www.pcisecuritystandards.org
Data Security
The bottom line is that if you are PCI complaint your customer’s data is secure. Yet, here is some additional information that can help make your customers feel more at ease and help you improve your sales with data security.
eCommerce Merchant Services
eCommerce merchants that accept payment information online are often the targets of financial attack and identity theft. This is understood by many consumers who are still a touch on the leary side to enter their payment information online. The best way for you to overcome this is to put a certified SSL certificate on ALL pages of your website where personal information is asked for. Then make sure your website is coded properly and all data that comes into that site comes from an https URL. This will prevent any security warnings from popping up on your customer’s browser, phone, or tablet. Gateways to accept payment such as PlugNPay and Authorize.net are great solutions to your online payment needs and the offer the highest levels of customer security. In addition, adding a 3rd party security logo to all pages of our website such as a Verisign Secured logo will give you added credibility of your security and increase your sales.
Verisign Secured Logo
In-Person Merchant Services
The risk of data security threats for customer’s payment information here is not as strong as for eCommerce merchants – yet the threat from hackers is still real. Simply make sure you are using a level 1 complaint PCI complaint merchant services provider and PCI compliant merchant equipment.
