Merchant services is almost always seen as a synonym for debit or credit card processing as it is the most commonly used payment method. However, merchant services is more than that, it includes all forms of payment methods used between a customer and a business in order to facilitate the transfer of funds for the services rendered.

Businesses that are looking to evolve alongside modern technology need to focus on providing easy payment solutions for its customers so that they are not left with a limited range of payment methods that would be inconvenient and not feasible for them. In order to understand what the customer needs and how to build up a cash flow system through the use of merchant services, it is important for businesses to first understand and study in detail about the payment options that are available to them.

Two of the most common payment processing options provided by merchant services are:

Debit and Credit Cards

For almost any form of business these card transactions are the customers’ most favorite mode of payment as it saves the hassle of a lengthy authentication procedure for making payments. Customers prefer card payment for small and regular transactions, and businesses which do not have this basic facility are immediately ticked of from a customers shopping list because they do not believe in businesses that are not adapted to the most basic technological advancement of the century.

Through merchant services, businesses can easily handle the collection and processing of payments through card payments by customers without having to worry about manually checking/authenticating each and every transaction. Most importantly, in the case of refunds to customers, these merchant service account handle the reversal of payments without having to go through a bank’s complicated process to authenticate repayments.

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)

Customers who make regular payments to businesses, or who purchase in large quantities will rely on EFT rather than cards for process their payments as limits for EFT transactions are higher compared to the restrictive limit on cards. It is important for business to set up the proper facility to receive the EFT transaction funds into their merchant or bank accounts directly without any delay in processing as businesses rely on the constant cycle of funds to run their businesses and the delay in a payment which is of a sizable amount can affect a business with losses very easily.

Merchant services ensure that the money is received into either the businesses merchant or bank account directly upon sanction from the customer.