Poor customer service. Difficulty troubleshooting. Long waits on hold. Merchants across the U.S. are no strangers to the shoddy customer service that runs rampant in the payment processing industry. Even the simplest queries can devolve into two-hour telephone odysseys just to get an answer. The hero of this article—Sekure’s unassuming chatbot—allows merchants to contact a payment professional at the click of a mouse and get quick answers.

What Is a Chatbot?

A chatbot is a software application that uses artificial intelligence to answer customer service questions. As chatbots become ever more popular, companies continue to add them to their arsenal. The numbers don’t lie—according to one source, 56% of people would rather message than call customer service, while 53% are more likely to shop with businesses they can message.

Sekure’s chatbot serves several purposes. Specifically, it helps merchants get quick answers, resolve issues (with POS equipment, for example), or get in touch with a real live human. It’s AI-enabled but with a human touch.

Sekure’s Chatbot

Sekure’s chatbot lives at the bottom-right corner of the company’s landing page. Users simply click on “Live Chat,” enter some basic information, and they’re off to the races. The bot will analyze the user’s query and forward it to the most relevant department within the company for a quick response. While many companies offer only AI-powered chatbots, Sekure’s chatbot lets people chat with someone with a pulse. Since we set up the chatbot, we’ve had amazing feedback:

“I used the online chat feature today to get information on our account. I was pleasantly surprised that I not only got to talk to an actual human but also that she was also so friendly, knowledgeable, and pleasant!”

—Jamie

Chatbot Use Cases

So who is using the chatbot? The people who contact us through this convenient method usually fall into three categories.

Potential merchants

A common scenario: a merchant is shopping around for the best payment processing rates, or perhaps new POS equipment, and doesn’t feel like talking to someone over the phone. Maybe they’ve had bad experiences with other companies in the past and aren’t interested in listening to a hard sales pitch. Maybe they’re having a bad day. Whatever the case, they can make initial contact, find out about our products and services, and arrange a follow-up call. No pressure.

Newly boarded merchants

These people usually reach out because they are looking to start processing and need help installing their equipment. A customer service specialist will find out what they need and then have someone from the Activations Team reach out as soon as possible.

Existing merchants

Merchants who already work with Sekure will reach out over live chat for any number of reasons. Many have questions regarding their merchant account (tech support, billing, etc.), while others are simply looking to get in touch with their dedicated relationship manager. For instance, one merchant’s payment terminal was running too slowly for his quick-service business. He reached out over chat, and one of our relationship managers provided tech support and helped him resolve the issue.

In closing…

People want convenience. They want quick answers and want to get in touch by their preferred means of communication. Sekure recognizes this reality, which is why we’ve added functionalities like live chat to bolster our customer service game and keep us ahead of the pack. It’s no surprise we’ve got the best reviews in the industry. So if you’ve got a question, ask away…