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Education

How many of you have had this
(or something similar) happen? A
merchant calls screaming that he
didn't get his deposit. You promise to
research, and you call your processing
partner. But the processor doesn't see
a batch for the time in question. You
call the merchant, who becomes even
Overcome merchants' angrier when you ask if the batch
had settled. The merchant says, "You
frustration in four steps told us this was on auto close, so we
didn't have to worry." After further
discussion, you discover there had
By Jeff Fortney been a power failure during the time
of the auto close setting, and the
TouchSuite LLC terminal had not batched.
rustration. It's an all too common emotion. We've all felt it. Merchants, There are many other examples: A
too. Frustration starts in various ways. We become frustrated when POS stops working and can't be fixed
assembling an item we find a part is missing (especially on Christmas without replacing the unit, which
F Eve.); when a repair person doesn't show up at a scheduled time; or won't happen until the next day. A
when something doesn't work as promised – or at all. merchant receives a chargeback. And
so on. In all cases, merchants make it
A common theme runs through most instances of frustration. They tend to very clear (often in high volume) that
happen when something is either out of our control or doesn't meet promised these things happened, and you need
expectations. Often frustration leads to anger. In our profession, we feel, see to fix them.
and hear this emotion often – mostly in situations that are beyond our control.
Jump in when ire arises
What you do at this point may be
the difference between retaining or
losing the merchant's business. Here
866.887.8907 | emsagent.com
are simple steps to take to help reduce
and overcome merchants' anger and
frustration.
1. Recognize and acknowledge
the emotion. After you are in-
formed of a situation, you must
acknowledge how the merchant
feels. You must convey that you
understand and are aware of the
emotional side. Say something
like, "I am sorry this happened.
I know if it were me, I would be
very frustrated." Your vocal tone
must also acknowledge the emo-
tion. You can not sound defen-
sive. Sound both sympathetic and
aware that the concern is valid (at
Today's marketplace is about providing a complete suite of products and least to the merchant).
solutions to help your merchants' business run smoothly, and efficiently. 2. Identify the issue. Start by
asking questions. But be careful
It is imperative to distinguish yourself from your competition. At Electronic with your wording. Don't am-
Merchant Systems, we pride ourselves on offering our Agents and their plify the emotion. This happens
merchants the best products and services. We want to help you not only win if the merchant interprets your
the deal but to retain your merchants for the long haul. remarks as condescending or
disrespectful. For example, don't
If you're ready to help your merchants deliver the best payment experience say, "What happened again?" Say,
possible, let's start the conversation today. "I know this must be very frus-

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