$21 billion. That’s how much is believed to be lost in online sales due to consumers’ fears over online security, according to a survey by First Data Corp. In fact, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, fear of fraud costs six times as much revenue each year than real fraud.

So what can e-tailers do to reassure customers about online orders? One effective step is to sign up with authentication services such as TRUSTe or VeriSign and feature their website logos to offer reassurance to nervous buyers. It reassures your customers that you will go out of your way to protect online orders and personal information. An e-tailer who sounds confident and reassuring about their security measures can enhance consumer confidence.

But why not go further and eliminate the customer’s key fear (providing debit or credit card details online) and offer other payment options? According to a survey by Javelin Strategy & Research, e-tailers could see a gradual increase of $89 per customer each month if they offered alternative payment options at checkout. And that’s where the Bill To Phone option comes into play.

There’s no need for customers to enter credit or debit card details, as all products bought through the Bill To Phone system are charged directly to the customer’s home telephone bill. And according to the Javelin survey, four times more customers believe that charging a purchase to a phone bill is safer than entering their credit or debit card information. That’s a very real psychological benefit for any business hoping to battle consumer fear.

ILD Teleservices has been helping businesses for more than a decade implement the safer online payment option of Bill To Phone, and is currently processing more than 120 million transactions a year (that’s about $500 million annually). If you would like more details, contact us to find out how we can help improve your sales by eliminating consumer fear.

Got mobile? Your customers do. An increasing number of consumers tap into their mobile phones to do everything from surf the web to pay for transactions. In fact, experts predicted that shoppers would enjoy Thanksgiving Day dinner—and then proceed directly to the couch with their smartphone or tablet to shop early Black Friday deals. The juicy new term for this mode of shopping is couch commerce.

But whether consumers are buying on mobile while lounging in front of the game or they’re buying through their tablet over lunch break, the fact is that digital merchants need to start making it as easy as possible for customers to complete these transactions. Here are a few stats to jumpstart your journey into the world of m-commerce:

• 12% of American adults have paid for a transaction with a mobile device; however Forrester analysts expect that number to rise. (Forrester, via Mobile Commerce Daily)
• 60% of consumers who buy with mobile make purchases with their device while still at home. (PayPal, via Digby)
• 24% of U.S. iPhone users and 21% of Droid users have accessed a shopping app in the last 3 months. (Forrester, via Internet Retailer)
• Roughly 50% of mobile commerce originates on tablet devices. (Forrester, via Mashable)
• $119 billion in goods and services will be purchased through a mobile device by 2015. (ABI Research, via Econsultancy)
• 49% of those who use the mobile web at least 1x each week have made a purchase with their device in the last 6 months. (ROI Research, via Digby)

When it’s time for your digital business to boost mobile shopping conversion, contact ILD Teleservices. From ILD Mobile to ILD Bill to Phone, our billing solutions provide your market with a friction-free checkout experience. Find out what our alternative payment methods will do for your bottom line.

You use a mobile phone for everything from reading Uncle Milt’s football predictions on Facebook to catching up with the office—so; of course, you want to shop online using your mobile phone as well. Although, if you’re like nearly 80% of consumers, you probably worry about online fraud. In fact, identity fraud reached a new high in 2009, costing consumers an estimated $54 billion.

If you shop online from a desktop or laptop you may already know how to buy safely, from making sure you have a secure, encrypted connection to using alternative payment methods that don’t require you to share a credit card number.

However, when it comes to completing transactions via mobile, savvy online shoppers should take extra steps to protect sensitive information, like bank account numbers or credit card information. Here are 4 need-to-know mobile shopping safety tips:

1. Set a secure password for every shopping account you use. Most online stores request or require consumers to set up a password-protected account. Choose complex, hard-to-guess passwords that include numbers, letters, and, if possible, symbols.
2. Lock the phone so others can’t access it without a password or other security measure. If you haven’t already done so, check out the smartphone’s manual to make sure you’re aware of all its security features and how to enable them.
3. Don’t open unsolicited emails or social media messages. Our mobile devices are often a great way to find deals, coupons, and specials on the go. But be wary of clicking onto unsolicited messages that may lead to malicious websites.
4. Always verify the authenticity of the ecommerce store you’re purchasing from. Mobile devices feature smaller screens, sometimes hiding full URLs. Cybercriminals use URLs that begin with a legitimate online store name but instead take you to a malicious site.

Mobile shopping is convenient, but it also exposes us to identity theft just as easily as shopping from the home desktop. ILD Mobile Phone Billing allows you to buy gaming services, streaming movies, downloads, and more by charging purchases directly to your phone bill. What’s more, a notification is texted to the main billing phone number, allowing you to reject the purchase, if necessary.

Shop with safety. Shop with convenience. Shop with ILD’s Mobile Phone Billing.

Who would pay for a non-existent item? Quite a few of us, actually; in fact, U.S. virtual goods revenue on Facebook alone is expected to grow 32% to $1.65 billion in 2012, says a report from Inside Network, and shared on GamesBeat.

What are virtual goods? If you’re not the gaming type, a virtual good is simply a non-physical object purchased and used within an online game or online community. Zynga’s FarmVille, which is one of the most well-known purveyors of virtual goods, allows players to buy virtual tractors or animals for use in their farming simulation game.  Consumers use these goods within a game or community to share, socialize, decorate, and give as gifts. However, in one of the most befuddling transactions, a man paid $330,000 in real money for a virtual space station on Entropia Universe.

Here are a few more examples of platforms that use virtual goods:

• KidsWB Scooby-Doo, which uses Zoinks Points that can be earned by purchasing Scooby Doo products or engaging on the website.
• Smurfs’ Village, in which users can buy Smurfberries or a wheelbarrow of Smurfs. (Check out this story about little kids playing this game and buying its virtual goods without their parents’ knowledge. It’s amusing, as long as you weren’t the parent who got the bill!)
• Bravo’s Real Housewives of Atlanta, where players can style their own virtual housewife and compete in Virtual Housewife Throwdown.  Users can also buy items or earn points by participating in activities, like reading a blog or watching a full episode from the series.

Businesses use virtual goods to monetize and increase a consumer’s lifetime value. But they don’t just benefit businesses. Earlier this year, Sony Online Entertainment created virtual items, like cherry blossoms, which players could purchase to support the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

How can you make virtual goods work within your gamification strategy? Amy Kim, CEO of game designer ShuffleBrain, recommends these 5 steps in Virtual Goods: Why & How They Work:

1. Create a meaningful context.
2. Prime the pump with free goods or currency.
3. Create demand for premium content.
4. Offer fresh content at a range of price points.
5. Make it easy to purchase currency.

Be sure to check out Amy’s full Slideshare presentation for all the details.

If gamification is going to be in your game plan, do your homework. Get started with these blog entries from ILD: 5 Things to Do Before You Try Business Gamification and What is Gamification for Business? A Beginner’s Guide.

To learn more about using LEC (phone) billing to allow consumers to safely and conveniently buy virtual goods within your online game or community, contact ILD Teleservices.

Every ecommerce customer counts. It doesn’t matter whether you sell gaming services or mobile ringtones, you know how much time, money, and people power your company invests in attracting and capturing the target market. But if you’re going to deploy the tactics that complete the sale, it helps to know about these four types of digital consumers:

The Credit Card Free – Nearly 30% of consumers do not have a credit card. Some are unable to obtain one, while others simply don’t want one. But what really matters to you is that these are customers who simply cannot shop online unless they purchase a pre-loaded debit card, use an alternative payment method that taps into their bank account, or ask a friend/family member to make the purchase.

The Cost Conscious – Other consumers in your target market have credit cards, but prefer not to use them. Perhaps they’re hesitant to pay interest fees to the banks. Maybe they don’t like to run the risk of high late fees.

The Security Conscious – Each year, consumers and ecommerce businesses lose billions to online fraud. But what’s more interesting is that ecommerce merchants lose 6x more revenue to the fear of fraud than actual fraud, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The Unbanked – About 9 million U.S. households are unbanked, which means these consumers cannot (or, in some cases, will not) access traditional banking services, like checking accounts or credit cards. Instead they pay for transactions in cash or by using money orders.

Ecommerce merchants who want to capture these customers need to consider adding alternative payment methods (APMs) to their shopping cart options. APMs, like ILD Teleservices’ Bill to Phone, allow consumers to charge their purchase to their phone bill—and that allows digital merchants to attract consumers who aren’t willing or able to shop with credit cards online.

To learn more about the hassle-free, convenient APM that will lift your bottom line, contact the alternative payment experts at ILD.

I don’t know about you, but I am very suspicious when purchasing ANYTHING over the internet.  Yea, I know, I know… I’m on a secured website and the merchant takes every precaution to protect my identity… blah…blah…blah.  You know as well as I do, nothing is guaranteed and identity theft continues to be a major problem with cyber criminals constantly finding new ways to get your personal information. According to newly published data from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. households experienced about $13.3 billion in losses tied to ID theft in 2010. Protect yourself and your family!

ILD provides a safer alternative for online purchases with our Home Telephone Billing option.  How can I be sure the creepy neighbor’s kid isn’t going to charge the latest online game’s secret maps and an arsenal of cyber guns to my phone bill you ask?

Well, ILD verifies the consumer identity before we bill to the phone.  First we make sure the name, address and phone number match exactly to what is on file with the telephone company.  If the information provided does not match we do not allow billing to your telephone number.

Yes, we understand that your name, number and address can be easily obtained using the local telephone directory or internet search.  That is why we gather additional information at the time of signup which includes the Merchant website address, the IP Address of your computer, and personal data such as your birth date, mother’s maiden name and/or social security number.  ILD verifies this additional information using the industry leader in credit and identity verification, LexisNexis.    LexisNexis compares the data provided during sign up to a variety of records (public and government) to verify your identity.   This again, must be a match or it’s a “no go” to billing.

And similar to the credit card companies, ILD is passionate about consumer protection.  If you are charged for a product that you did not order or authorize ILD will open an investigation.  ILD will credit fraudulent charges and work with the Merchant to ensure future fraud is prevented for all consumers.

Just like that – Bill to Phone is simple, convenient, and most of all safe alternative to a credit card.

For more ideas from ILD Teleservices to get the most of your billing, contact Laurice Neely at 210-592-0881 to set up a personal one-on-one evaluation and solution session.

Laurice Neely is Executive Director, Alternative Payments for ILD Teleservices.  She is a guest blogger and can be found on Twitter @lauricen. 

Some merchants are under the impression that the approval process for phone billing (also known as LEC approval process) is too cumbersome, with too many questions, and too many forms to fill out.

At first glance they may be right, but think about it.  The phone companies (or local exchange carriers – LECs for short) are basically extending membership in their “club”.  It’s their phone bill page; they want to know everything about the business applying for “membership”.

When you apply for membership in a club, apply for a credit card or a bank loan, forms of all lengths are always required.  The merchant approval process is no different and it is really all information very familiar to you.  Some of the question topics include:

• Corporate officers
• Tax ID
• Type of business
• Services being sold
• Sales process

We all know that information.  Marketing materials and scripts are normally already developed and available, so there should be no stressing there.

Plus, ILD’s Client Relations team provides assistance to all merchants with questions on the forms or with the materials needed, so put the aspirin bottle away.  Increase your revenue stream and bill your subscription services on the phone bill.  This alternative payment method has led to increases in revenue and subscribers of up to 25% for many online merchants.

Have a question about the process?  Ask me anytime on Twitter @kmcq45, or call (888) 453-2666 to learn more.

Kathy McQuade is Vice President of ILD’s Payment Services Division, ILD Teleservices, and has worked with ILD since 1997.

What determines a great call center? Some centers will provide reports for quality assurance, abandoned call percentages, average handling times or attrition measurements.  I believe dependability and flexibility are measured solely by Customer Experience.

How can you insure the customer experience? It is simple, with what I will refer to as the “Three Rule Principal”

1. Trained Personnel
2. Telephone Etiquette
3. Agent Support

Trained Personnel 

First, agents identify themselves by using their name; thus personalization. An agent must have the skill to listen and restate the customer request. Agents educate the customers, explaining the application or results. Then the agents apply the information presented and send a summary for recapping what was communicated on the call. Finally, the agents will express that it was a pleasure being of service to the customer:

Please-verb; to make (someone) happy or satisfied

P – Personalize-use real names
L – Listen- restate, clarify
E – Educate the customer -inform
A – Apply by explanation- use examples, simplify
S – Send follow up message for closure or future action items
E – Expression- enjoy what you do (it rubs off on others)

Telephone Etiquette 

Components for telephone etiquette s include; listening well, voice tone, articulation, patience, responsibility and focus. Teaching the skill of how to listen and not interrupt must be practiced. Same is true with their voice; no loud aggressive voice will soothe any irate customer. Articulation certainly means to pronounce your words correctly and to remove slang; to remain professional and that they do not confuse the message. Patience goes hand in hand with listening, as an agent you may need to patiently wait for the customer to rapidly express their frustrations, interrupting may only exacerbate the situation.  An agent MUST be willing to take responsibility for whatever the matter was that is being reported. Most importantly is to stay on task, focus on the root cause and effect so as to resolve expeditiously.

Agent Support

Agent support mean insuring an appropriate Supervisor to agent ratio. An effective Supervisor should be responsible for no more than 15 agents. Having immediate agent access to a supervisor and or manager is commonly referred to as an open door policy. This allows for quality coaching, training and adherence to a schedule. So many centers put their emphasis on morale boosters that they overlook the basic needs of their employees.

First insure your employees are paid fairly and equitably for a job well done. Next make sure the environment where they spend their work hours is clean and non-threatening.  Provide access to break areas both indoors and outdoors, lockers and resources for refreshments either employer sponsored and or access to commercial supplies.

Communication between management and the employee is the key to success. Provide for anonymous suggestions or comments (suggestion box) which may be used as the source to make suggestions for each employee who may not want to speak out publicly.

These three basic rules will make raving fans of your brand or product through Customer Experience (example: Zappos). Analyze your call center; if you are not using similar basic principles, then the customer experience is much less than satisfactory.

If you are looking for an inbound or outbound contact center; lead generation, customer service center, back office or account management that can save you time, money, and effort please feel free to contact me. To learn more about what we can do for you, visit ILDCorp.com.

It is no secret that current times are tough!  Generating revenue these days is hard enough and it’s important that businesses spend their sales resources on selling their product and services to consumers who actually pay their bill.

At ILD Teleservices, we develop secure alternative payment tools to help our Merchants identify billable clients before making a SALE.  ILD merchants can now prequalify their leads and save up to 75% of their sales costs.

#1 – Don’t purchase a lead list until you validate billable accounts

Why pay for a lead that is not a billable account?  Using ILD Teleservices’ bill to phone payment option, merchants can pre-validate accounts to ensure they are billable.  Lead generators can pull data by specific geographic region.  At ILD, we take those lists and create a custom file for merchants based on billable accounts.  The file contains all of the telephone exchanges that are approved for billing in the designated area.  This list can be provided to the lead generator, so the merchant pays only for qualified leads in the areas where they are approved for billing.

#2 – Validate telephone numbers to ensure they are active

A lot of money can be wasted in the telemarketing sales process by calling phone numbers which have recently been disconnected by the phone company, transferred to a VoIP or cable provider.  Merchants that use iValidate get the most current data to ensure the telephone numbers are currently active and billable.  ILD’s iValidate system pulls the real time telephone number account status from the telephone companies and provides an indicator if the number is billable.

ILD’s iValidate platform is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so you can validate your lead in real-time prior to making the sales call.

For more ideas from ILD Teleservices to get the most of your billing, contact Laurice Neely at 210-592-0881 to set up a personal one-on-one evaluation and solution session.

Laurice Neely is Executive Director, Alternative Payments for ILD Teleservices.  She is a guest blogger and can be found on Twitter @lauricen. 

I’m Vice President of Billing Operations for ILD Teleservices, by day, and I am an Internet junkie by night (weekend, really).  My usual mission is to find the latest electronic gadget but I always seem to get distracted, and soon find that I’ve been scouring the tangled web for the last 3 hours, reading about and viewing products I had no intention of looking for earlier.

As the VP of Billing Operations for alternative payment provider, ILD Teleservices, I am a little biased when it comes to online payments and the whole check out experience.  I can’t help but look at these merchant websites and wonder why they don’t even make an attempt to offer a simpler payment option for buyers.  Of course, the consumer in me just wants to buy, buy, buy… whether it’s a book download, music, an online game or a subscription, but most e-Commerce sites limit themselves by only offering a single payment option – CREDIT CARD.

Last weekend I was at a point where I wanted to make a purchase, but of course I didn’t have my purse next to me.  So, I had to find my purse, pull out my credit card, grab my glasses to see the tiny 3 digit validation code, and I’ve just lost 10 minutes of my very precious weekend.  Even worse is when I’ve stepped away from the computer to get my credit card and because I’ve been gone too long, I’m then required to re-start the whole online shopping process.  Where’s the convenience in that checkout?  I know I’m not the only person who has gone through this.

Like many other buyers, I also think twice about sharing my credit card digits with an online web store where I have not done business before.  Usually, those are places where I simply landed on their site from…God only knows where.  But then I think about using my credit card on sites with which I haven’t done business before, and I get cold feet.  Both the VP of Billing Operations and the consumer in me wishes more merchants would offer simpler and more convenient payment options – like ILD Teleservices alternative – Bill to Phone.  It is so convenient and so much safer to charge a purchase to my phone bill than go through the credit card process mentioned above.

Have you ever been frustrated with making an online purchase?  Let’s commiserate.

Kathy McQuade is Vice President of ILD’s Payment Services Division, ILD Teleservices, and has worked with ILD since 1997. She always loves to continue the conversation on Twitter, @kmcq45.