EPX integration Makes Payment Processing Easier for Enterprise eCommerce Businesses Payment integration streamlines processes and automates things like PCI compliance. Billing is a complex system at the enterprise level. Companies must process purchases of all sizes, customer information needs to be kept secure and data must be managed and stored in a way that minimizes the risk of fraud. Trying to juggle these responsibilities places a big draw on resources, which is why many companies are choosing to outsource credit card processing through tools such as Electronic Payment Exchange (EPX). Having a third party handle everything from processing to customer service takes the pressure off of businesses by providing an integrated solution that eliminates the need to handle tedious payment tasks on a daily basis. What is EPX? EPX is an offsite payment processing service designed to take the hassle out of managing large volumes of credit card payments. With EPX, businesses can accept: Major credit cards PIN and PIN-less debit transactions Automated clearing house payments (ACH transaction) EPX can be integrated with current payment systems and ERP software platforms to seamlessly transfer payment data from customized gateway pages to sales, processing, and shipping departments in real time. Options for custom scripting allow companies to build branded payment portals on both the desktop and mobile versions of their websites. This creates a consistent customer experience throughout the entire purchasing process, which is an important part of establishing and maintaining the trust required for long-term business relationships. The Value of Integration An integrated payment system provides a platform with the power to handle a consistent stream of unique orders. Managing incoming purchase orders, issuing invoices, and tracking customer accounts becomes easier when payment data flows freely from one end of the purchasing funnel to the other. Without a reliable platform, payments must be processed individually and entered into existing ERP systems, a labor-intensive process that slows productivity and delays order fulfillment. EPX provides a cost-effective solution that offers flexibility to both businesses and consumers. Businesses enjoy the freedom of working with whatever ERP system they choose, and customers are free to pay using the method that’s most convenient for them. With data management and storage streamlined into one continual process, it’s possible to maintain a wide portfolio of customer accounts in a way that’s simple, lucrative, and efficient. Order and Payment Flexibility Customers make purchases from enterprise businesses through a variety of channels, including: Point-of-sale (POS) systems ERP platforms Online shopping carts Call centers Mobile websites and applications An integrated payment system connects these channels together so that purchase information all ends up in the same place. Using a unique identifier for each transaction, EPX simplifies the process of receiving and fulfilling orders. These same identifiers can be used to track buying behaviors and reference past purchases for marketing purposes or to speed up the reordering process for repeat customers. This flexibility is essential for enterprise businesses that handle diverse customer bases. Managing Payments and Shipping Pre-authorizing payments is a common practice among enterprise businesses that involves putting a hold on a customer’s credit card equal to the amount of the purchase but not processing the payment until the order is shipped. This method offers protection against fraudulent activity by giving businesses and banks time to verify that orders are legitimate. Pre-authorization also makes it easier to handle orders in which products are delayed or become unavailable. Instead of processing the payment at the time of purchase and having to issue a refund if something goes wrong, a company can simply take hold of the card and not complete the transaction. Tools like EPX allow enterprise businesses to process many pre-authorization and authorization transactions at once with minimal chances of error. Information goes straight from payment to processing to shipping as cards are authorized, simplifying the order fulfillment procedure and enhancing the customer experience. Reporting is a key aspect of managing payments, and EPX offers its webSuite tool for robust reporting functionality. WebSuite handles everything from transaction lookup to automated exports and reconciliation reporting. Storing Customer Data In a B2B environment, many customers make the same purchase on a recurring basis or return to make new purchases after an initial transaction. To expedite these orders, customer data must be easy to store and access, and businesses need to be able to guarantee that their storage methods are secure. EPX provides that security, offering peace of mind to both companies and customers. integration plays an important role here, as well, in that it allows businesses to update consumer data in one place and know that the updated information will appear everywhere throughout the ERP system. Whether it’s a change in address or the creation of a standing purchase order, EPX has the tools to make it manageable. Staying PCI Compliant The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a standard that must be followed by every company that handles credit card information. Four levels of compliance exist to cover businesses that process anywhere from 20,000 to over 6 million Visa transactions per year. Assessments and vulnerability scans are used to determine compliance. Penalties for non-compliance are issued to the banks that take in the funds but are usually passed back to the merchant in some way. Since fines can be as much as $100,000, PCI compliance is of vital importance for businesses of all sizes. EPX handles the entire compliance process to ensure that businesses always operate in accordance with standards. How Clarity Can Help Enterprise businesses need strong eCommerce platforms that can be managed from a central dashboard and customized to handle a variety of transactions. Clarity’s experienced developers are ready to design and deploy the exact combination of tools you need to process orders, customer data, create a B2B payment gateway, and more on a daily basis. Get in touch with Clarity today to find out more about custom integration options and get a free quote on the right platform for your company.