• EFTPOS & Point of Sale Solutions

How to Securely Transact Over the Phone

3 min. read30.08.2021
By Team Zeller

Learn how to accept manually entered card payments.

When it comes to tapping into new markets, businesses that accept over-the-phone payments have a significant advantage over those that don't. MOTO payments open your business up to a more broad audience, allowing you to attract and serve a greater number of customers.

For customers, having the ability to pay over the phone is an added level of convenience — one that requires minimal effort, and causes far less disruption to their busy day than making a trip to a brick-and-mortar store.

With Zeller, it's as simple as toggling the MOTO switch on.

Before you start accepting payments from customers over the phone, familiarise yourself with the below guidelines and make sure your employees know what to do to safely accept manually entered card payments.

Know what to look out for

Naturally, with these types of transactions, the risk of fraud increases. A fraudster may attempt to make a phone or mail order purchase using someone else’s compromised card information, taking advantage of the fact that it’s difficult for a merchant to verify the identity of a cardholder without meeting them face-to-face.

When processing MOTO transactions, there are a few things to look out for:

  • large orders with unusual quantities, placed by new customers.

  • orders where the card is initially declined, and the customer continues provides different card details in an effort to complete the transaction.

  • customers who request payment be made by a third party (e.g. freight or delivery companies).

In all of the above circumstances, it pays to take a few extra steps to verify the customer is indeed the cardholder.

Although it's unlikely your business will be the unfortunate target of fraud, it's important to mitigate the risks. The vast majority of disputes can be halted before they even happen.

Verify the customer’s identity

The most important thing you should always do when processing a transaction is to verify that the customer is who they say they are.

When processing a manually entered card payment, there is an obvious hurdle to consider: your customer is not standing in front of you. Instead, they are placing the order via phone (or perhaps email mail). Because neither the card nor the cardholder is present, it can be difficult to verify the customer’s identity.

If you’re not able to verify a customer’s identity, you can:

  • request a copy of their government-issued ID, and check to see whether the details match those of the payment card.

  • ask the customer to sign an invoice or, if you’re providing a service, proof of service. Then, check the signature matches the payment card signature.

  • check that the billing and shipping details match, if you’re shipping a product.

If any of the details are inconsistent, let the customer know and request clarification. Any customer that is not willing to provide this information should not be served.

Obtain a signature

It’s always a good idea to obtain signed documentation for the goods or services you provide. Doing so allows you to establish a clear set of payment conditions with your customers, whilst also capturing signatures for your records.

Plus, requiring a signature may put off any potential fraudsters. If a customer refuses to sign a document you require, you may decide to refuse them business.

Email a receipt

An email receipt is easier to keep on hand and track than a paper receipt. It’s a good idea to email your customer a receipt after the transaction is processed, so that they have the details in front of them.

Additional measures for higher-value transactions

Of course, if you typically accept transactions of a higher amount, the risks are greater so you should implement more stringent security measures.

Depending on the type of business your run, there are additional security measures you could consider. There are three documents you should consider.

  1. Clear and binding service terms that explain customer liability.

  2. A clear, easily accessible refund policy.

  3. Signed contracts or customer agreements.

Whenever money is involved, there is always a potential risk of fraud. Whether you’re accepting cash, card, or MOTO payments, vigilance is required; it's part and parcel of running a business.

Need more information? Our Support team can help with any questions about accepting manual card entry payments. Read more about how Zeller keeps your business safe here.

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Small Business Security: Five Tips to Avoid Credit Card Fraud

When you accept payments with Zeller, your business benefits from a dedicated anti-fraud team and 24/7 transaction monitoring. However, there’s even more you can be doing to safeguard your business against scammers. Read on to learn our top 5 tips . 1. Never give away your Zeller Account information. No one needs to know your Zeller password except you. We will never ask you for it, and neither should your employees. It’s imperative that you not only keep this to yourself, but that your password can’t easily be guessed. Scammers who manage to acquire account information can login, change passwords and account information, add themselves as authorised users, and start transferring money or requesting new cards to be issued. To help counteract this, Zeller has enabled two-factor authentication and also sends real-time security notifications that will immediately alert you to any changes to your account, such as logins from new devices or password or detail changes. It is important, however, not to rely on these layers of security, which are designed as a last resort. Instead, you must ensure that your account information doesn’t get into the wrong hands in the first place. Need to give your team members access to your Zeller Account? Learn how to manage user permissions here . 2. Never transfer money on behalf of a customer. One common type of scam that targets small businesses involves a fraudster deliberately overpaying for a service, and requesting that the additional funds are transferred to a third party. This type of scam is becoming more and more common in the hospitality and service industry so it’s important to be aware so that you know what to look out for. The scam involves a fraudster using a stolen credit card and pretending to work on behalf of a client. They seek out services that can be associated with other services, for example: A bridal shop and a limousine driver An event space and a partyware hire business A restaurant and a florist How does it work? Let’s take the example of the restaurant and the florist. A fraudster contacts your restaurant saying they are organising a dinner for a client. They request to pay up front for a set menu for 10 people, which comes to a total of $1000. However, they pay you $2000, and request that you transfer the extra $1000 to the florist who will be providing the floral arrangements on the night. This ‘florist’, however, is an associate of the scammer. When the rightful owner of the credit card becomes aware of the illegitimate $2000 transaction, they will request a chargeback and your business will lose the transaction amount. Unlike other financial service providers, Zeller will not charge your business additional chargeback fees, and our dedicated Account Services team will work with you to compile information to help you defend the chargeback, too. What are chargebacks? A chargeback is a transaction reversal initiated by a cardholder's bank or credit card issuer. It allows the cardholder to dispute a charge on their statement and request a refund. Chargebacks are typically associated with unauthorised or fraudulent transactions, billing errors, or situations where the cardholder is dissatisfied with a purchase. Read our article on how to protect your business from chargebacks here . 3. Never click on a link from an unknown source. One of the ways fraudsters acquire account information is through cyber attacks, otherwise known as phishing. This involves the fraudster tricking individuals into revealing banking information such as account passwords or credit card details. Most commonly, the attackers will contact you via email, phone or SMS and either ask you to confirm your account information, or will invite you to click on a link. When clicked, the link might install a virus on your computer, from where the fraudsters can start gaining access to your accounts. If you’re not sure, always proceed with caution. If you receive a request from a known service provider requesting information, contact them through their official customer service channels, not through the message you received. Legitimate Zeller email addresses will all end with ‘@myzeller.com’ and if we contact you via text message, the contact name will automatically appear as ‘Zeller’. 4. Stop using magstripe card readers. A magnetic stripe or ‘magstripe’ is a thin strip of magnetic material that you’ll see on the back of credit and debit cards. The strip contains encoded data, which, when swiped in a magstripe reader, is transmitted to a business’s payment provider, enabling the authorization and processing of the transaction. The problem with this technology (which was invented more than 60 years ago) is that the encoded data is very easy to duplicate. Fraudsters can place small electronic devices called ‘skimmers’ into EFTPOS machines or ATMs for example, and capture credit card information from the magstripe. As a result, chip-based EMV technology has instead become the global standard. EMV cards have an embedded microprocessor chip that is tamper proof and nearly impossible to clone, making it a much more secure alternative. When a customer taps or dips their card, the payment is processed using EMV technology. Zeller Terminal supports both EMV and magstripe transactions, however it will only ever prompt a customer to swipe their card in the cases where a card presented doesn’t have a chip, or if the chip is broken. If you are using an older EFTPOS machine or a mobile card reader, be cautious around customers who insist on swiping their card rather than tapping or dipping it. 5. Be extra-vigilant when taking payments over the phone. Over-the-phone payments, otherwise known as MOTO payments (standing for ‘mail order telephone order)’, give you the ability to manually enter a customer's card details on your Zeller Terminal, or Zeller Virtual Terminal. However, given that the customer is not in front of you, it’s harder to physically verify that the person making the payment is in fact the legal cardholder. Whenever you are processing a payment over the phone, look out for the following: Large orders with unusual quantities being placed by new customers Orders where the card initially declines and the customer continues to provide different card details to complete the transaction Orders where the customer requests payment to be made to a third party (see tip #2 above). Any of the above situations should immediately spark alarm bells. If you are suspicious a transaction may be be fraudulent, or if you are simply taking a MOTO payment from a customer you don’t know, we recommend the following: Take down the card details including the full name Take down the billing address Request ID as a screenshot or photo (if possible) If the products are being shipped, provide tracking details and request the customer’s signature Make sure that the billing address and shipping address are the same, if not, ask why. Also make sure that the name associated with the payment card matches that of the ID. And if your customer is not willing to provide any of the details above, we recommend that you do not proceed with the transaction or accept any type of payment. Keep your business finances safe with Zeller. When you accept payments with Zeller, you’re not alone. Behind every transaction is a team of anti-fraud experts and 24/7 monitoring that – in addition to the best practices outlined above – keeps your account secure. You can transact with confidence knowing that our dedicated team works hand-in-hand with advanced tools to successfully identify and act on suspicious activity. In the event that a chargeback does occur, our payment disputes team is here to support you. We will deal with the bank to help save you hours on the phone, and we will not charge you a fee. Plus, if you’re ever unsure, you can contact our support team from 9AM to 1AM, Australian Eastern Time, and you can read more about how Zeller keeps your business safe here .

Processing MOTO Payments with Zeller Terminal

Discover how Zeller MOTO payments work for your business MOTO transactions are a quick, convenient, and secure way to accept payment from customers remotely. Also known as ‘manually entered card payments’, these types of transactions are another way for merchants to grow their business. Unlike traditional card payments — where both the customer and their card are physically present — MOTO payments can occur anywhere. Businesses that accept MOTO payments aren’t reliant upon having a brick-and-mortar location for customers to visit, or even a website or online store. If you've got a Zeller Terminal, you can process a MOTO payment from anywhere in Australia. What is a MOTO payment? MOTO is short for Mail Order, Telephone Order. It refers to the act of processing a payment remotely — over the phone via a verbal request, or in writing via mail. Both of these scenarios are what’s known as card-not-present transactions, or CNP payments. Instead of a customer tapping, dipping, or swiping their card or another payment device to Zeller Terminal, the merchant will enter the card details and process the transaction manually. Typically, when a merchant processes a MOTO transaction, neither the card nor the cardholder is physically present — making it difficult to verify the purchaser’s identity. This lack of visibility increases the risk for fraudulent transactions to occur. For this reason, additional security practices are required to process MOTO payments. How to set up MOTO payments with Zeller Terminal Before you can accept your first MOTO payment on Zeller Terminal, you’ll need to update your software. Follow the simple steps below. First, check to see if your software updated overnight. If it has, you’ll notice a new ‘Mode’ button in the right-hand corner of the payments screen on your EFTPOS terminal . If not, you’ll need to re-boot your Zeller Terminal. Once re-booted, the new software update will be installed and the new ‘Mode’ button will be visible. MOTO settings will now be available in your Zeller Dashboard and in your Zeller Terminal settings, too. For more information, visit the Zeller Support Centre . How to accept MOTO payment with Zeller Terminal To process a MOTO payment: Tap the ‘Mode’ button and then tap MOTO. You’ll notice that the payments screen turns blue to indicate that you’re now processing a MOTO payment. Enter the transaction amount. Tap Manual Charge. Verify the cardholder’s identity. Enter the card number, expiration date, and CVC then tap Next . Check the amount and card details are both correct. Tap Charge. You also have the option to default to MOTO payment. This is especially handy for merchants operating without a brick-and-mortar shopfront, or those processing a higher volume of MOTO payments. Simply update your Sites settings in Zeller Dashboard by toggling Default to MOTO on. To reflect the increased risk of fraud with MOTO payments, you can require that a site PIN be entered before a MOTO payment can be processed by toggling Require site PIN on. Are MOTO payments safe? Zeller monitors your transactions round the clock — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — to help prevent fraud before it occurs. Our expert team of fraud detectors works alongside real-time, machine-based transaction monitoring in order to identify and reduce fraud risk. However, it’s important to ensure your staff is knowledgeable about securely accepting MOTO payments, as well as best practices for doing so, before you begin accepting MOTO payments from customers. Visit the Support Centre for more information on the risks of accepting MOTO payments, and tips to help keep your business safe when processing manually entered card payments. How much do MOTO transactions cost? To cover the cost of measures put in place to protect against fraudulent transactions, the fee to process a manually entered card transaction is 1.7% — slightly higher than the flat fee of 1.4% applied to in-person card payments. Zeller exists to help Australian businesses grow. When Zeller merchants told us they wanted the ability to accept payment over the phone, our team got to work building the functionality to make it possible. If you have any questions, reach out on Facebook or call our Support team on 1800 935 537. Or, email feedback@myzeller.com to provide any product feedback or feature ideas to our team directly.

Small Business Growing Pains and How to Overcome Them

Discover five ways Zeller helps keep business on track during the transition. Thinking about scaling up your business? Having the opportunity to expand to new locations, upsize to a bigger premises, hire more staff, or build out your operations is a sign you’re doing something right. Whatever step you’re preparing to take next, you should be proud and excited. There are some common mistakes merchants make during this transitional time, and the consequences that flow from taking on too much too soon can stifle – rather than encourage – growth. Fortunately, there are ways and means of scaling up sustainably. It all comes down to engaging the right tools. Here are five ways Zeller can minimise the potential for growing pains as you scale your operations. 1. Get a clear overview of all stores The more business locations you have, the harder it becomes to understand how each is performing. This is especially true if you’re juggling independent sales channels, staff and technology. Before you open a second location, take the time to gain a real-time oversight of your finances — something that will play a priceless role in future business decisions. Unifying your data in the one dashboard is a simple way to retain visibility over multiple locations, enabling you to quickly access key sales information from anywhere with an internet connection. Zeller Dashboard gives you real-time visibility over the financial health of your business, and each of the locations within it. When you accept payment via Zeller Terminal and make business purchases using Zeller Mastercard, you can see all of your incomings and outgoings at a glance. 2. Keep track of your customers When you run a single-location business, it’s relatively simple and straightforward to retain complete control over your customers’ store experience. You can take the time to get to know your regulars, give staff hands-on training, and provide attentive, personalised customer service. As your business grows, that positive customer experience can be compromised in favour of more sales. When you’re operating out of multiple locations, you lose some of that control. It’s impossible to be in two places at once, after all. One thing you do have control over is the technology you rely upon to grow your business. There are many customer relationship management tools on the market that can help you make your customers feel seen and looked after, such as the Zeller Contact Directory. Storing business and personal details in the one place will give you a clear oversight of every customer — what they buy, how they buy it, and where and when they bought it. This insight can be used to build clever marketing programs that offer rewards, discounts and communications that create a positive customer experience even when they’re not in-store. 3. Iron out inventory management Streamlined, accurate inventory management becomes more critical with every new business location you open. Issues such as displaced, miscounted and lost stock are a bigger threat to your business when you operate multiple shop fronts. With the right retail POS system installed, you can minimise the management required to keep on top of all your stock. Having one centralised platform makes it easier to transfer stock, track shipments and manage inventory levels. Many POS systems will also give you the ability to remotely order stock for any store, from any store, as well as identify and forecast product sales trends to facilitate smarter ordering. Make sure your payment system can seamlessly integrate with your POS system, adding an extra layer of data and control to your inventory processes while minimising the admin overload of keeping on top of stock. 4. Simplify your finances It can be difficult to keep track of the money going in and out of your business when you’re not the only one accepting payments from customers, or making business purchases. This is a common problem owners come up against when they expand their business. Plus, having more money to manage can be a hurdle in itself. One way to avoid the repercussions of mishandling your income and expenses is to employ a professional bookkeeper, but there are many tasks you can do yourself to keep administrative costs as low as possible. For day-to-day expense management, accounting software will help you keep track of invoices and get paid on time. For real-time information about the incomings and outgoings at each business location, Zeller Dashboard provides at-a-glance insights to ensure you know whether you’ll reach your sales targets. 5. Better coordinate your staff Expanding your store means expanding your staff and, while it sounds straightforward, the financial and time investment can be substantial. Hiring new staff will likely require a sizeable investment of your own time — you’ll need to bring them up to speed with products, systems and customer experience standards. Having intuitive tools can significantly streamline this process, especially if you use a fully-integrated system like Zeller Terminal . When your tools speak to each other, it reduces the need for staff to juggle multiple platforms. Keep in mind that, when it comes to hiring junior staff, there are some parts of your business you will likely want to keep secure. You may not want new junior staff to be able to process refunds, or change the settings on your EFTPOS terminals. With Zeller, you can secure these features with a PIN code. Taking the first steps towards growing your business can be daunting. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to streamline the process and minimise any growing pains you may experience along the way. The trick is strategising for growth and ensuring you’re properly equipped to scale up. Having the right tools on hand will make all the difference. Now that you know how to smooth the path to expansion, keep up with the latest Zeller updates and announcements by subscribing to the Zeller Business Blog newsletter below. By sharing your details with us, we may contact you from time to time. We promise we won’t bug you — and you can unsubscribe from communications at any time.

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