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.

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.

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.

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.

In today’s economy, every business is searching for a way to cut costs and monetize opportunities. Companies have looked to outsource services to offshore contact centers in the effort to reduce costs. While outsource labor may look to be a less expensive option on paper, what is the hidden cost of dissatisfied customers being sent to a non-US based, “offshore” agent to represent your business, brand and reputation?

An offshore agent’s speech may be impeccable, but cultural differences will prevail.  Brand image and passion about products are an absolute necessity in order for the agent to up sell, service and represent. USA products and services are best represented by USA agents who can identify with the service. Take for an example Apples.  A USA agent can relate to the numerous types of Apples; apple pie, applesauce, apple turnover, caramel apples and candied apples. Apples are not only part of our diet but we relate in our culture to apples. Would an offshore agent understand “Johnny Appleseed” and “American as Apple Pie” or of course “an Apple a Day keeps the Doctor Away”? The same concept applies to products marketed, used and made in the USA!

Communication is the key to success. American slang and colloquialism is commonly used in our country “y’all”, “you bet”, or “back in the day”. How can an offshore agent represent your brand if they do not have a relationship or understand the cultural differences of your clients? When building the business case, I strongly recommend utilizing a US-based and employed call center.  You will be able to increase your savings by Outsourcing “Onshore” with a Made in the USA Agent! This experience will be one that you will be proud to share with your customers.

Contact ILD’s  best in Service USA Outsource Center to meet your needs, inbound, outbound, back office support and lead generations. As Senior Vice President of ILD’s Outsourced Division, I promise you a quality conversation with a company willing to strategize and customize to your objective to meet the need of your business. Or check us out www.ildcorp.com.

Image Courtesy of CallCenterComics.com

You’re already using the 4 P’s (product, price, promotion, and place) to maximize revenue—but your marketing strategy may be missing the 5^th P: payment. Digital stores cannot live by credit cards alone. In fact, merchants who want to maximize their conversion rates need to offer alternative payment methods (APMs) to their shopping carts. Let’s consider a few facts:

• Interest rates on credit cards have climbed to record highs, with the average APR on a new credit card at nearly 15%.
• Almost 30% of consumers do not have a credit card.
• About 9 million U.S. households are unbanked, which means they cannot (or, in some cases, will not) use traditional banking services, like checking accounts or credit cards.
• Up to 64% of American online retailers have cart abandonment rates over 20%.

Consumers want and need alternative ways to pay for digital products and services.

The good news is that if you’re a merchant who sells digital products and services (content, software, downloads, subscriptions, gaming, etc.) you can offer an LEC billing option, such as ILD Teleservices’ Bill to Phone. What does this alternative payment method, which allows ecommerce shoppers to charge transactions to their phone bill, do for merchants?

• Provides instant access to more than 150 million North American consumers. What’s more, merchants enjoy access to markets that may have been previously out of reach, such as the unbanked or financially-conscious consumers not willing to pay credit card interest rates.
• Lowers shopping cart abandonment rates. Shoppers ditch transactions for a variety of reasons, whether they’re reluctant to share credit card info online or don’t want the hassle of opening a merchant account. Merchants who utilize ILD’s Bill to Phone offer consumers a safe and remarkably hassle free way to shop.

Whether you’re selling industry reports for the C-suite or online dating subscriptions for seniors, phone billing allows you to expand your reach and boost conversion. To learn more about lifting revenue with an alternative payment method, like Bill to Phone, contact the payment team at ILD.

Image: jannoon028 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Are you one of the 15 million to 20 million people the FTC estimates are crammed each year? Cramming is when a company adds unauthorized or deceptive charges to a consumer’s phone bill. One of the reasons cramming is so common is that the amounts charged are often small, usually only a few dollars. As a result, many consumers don’t notice they’re paying extra for a product or service they didn’t order. So how can you stop cramming?

• Do review your phone bill every month. Yes, you’re busy—but one of the best ways to stop cramming is to review every phone bill. Look for charges you haven’t authorized, even if they sound legitimate. If you have ordered a new service, check the bill to make sure you’re being charged for what you ordered—and not more.
• Don’t cash checks without reading the fine print. Crammers sometimes send checks in small amounts—often a few dollars—to unsuspecting consumers. But by cashing the check, you agree to purchase a product or subscribe to a service that, chances are, you don’t want.
• Do consider a third-party billing block. A billing block prevents companies from charging your phone bill unless you contact the phone company first to authorize the charge. Contact your local phone company to learn how to place a third-party billing block on your line.
• Do contact the merchant or phone billing service when you find a suspicious charge.  As soon as you notice an unauthorized transaction, contact the company listed on the line item. Remember, even if you dispute a charge, you’re still required to pay the rest of the phone bill on time.

As a third-party payment processor, ILD Teleservices works closely with its partner merchants to ensure accurate billing.  We screen merchants before we work with them, monitor them to make sure they comply with good business practices, and require them to verify authorization of billing. Learn more about the ILD Consumer Protection Standards of Practice.

If you have questions about a bill, please visit our Help Center.

Image: renjith krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You see consumers latching onto the gamification craze, whether they’re having fun in GagaVille or comparing running stats on Nike+–so how do you take advantage of this exciting new way to engage audiences and nurture long-term relationships? Here are five steps to get you started:

1. Do your homework. Social performance management company Rypple co-founder Daniel Debow advises tapping into experts who are already immersed in gamification motivation and design via the $50 billion game business. Also consider checking out these resources:

• Rewards, Motivation, Competition: How Businesses Can Benefit from the Rise of Gamification, Knowledge@Wharton.
• The CEO Guide to Business Gamification, Bloomberg Businessweek.
• Gamification: How Competition is Reinventing Business, Marketing & Everyday Life, Jennifer Van Grove on Mashable.
• 7 Winning Examples of Game Mechanics in Action, Gabe Zichermann on Mashable.

1. Think strategy. Treat this like any other project: establish concrete objectives that align with corporate goals, then you’ll be able to design the mechanics that help you achieve those objectives.
2. Choose motivation that makes sense. Will you establish a leaderboard, which ranks users against others? Introduce challenges to engage users with single or team play? Will you use Foursquare-type badges to provide easy-to-recognize social signals regarding status?  Will the tried-and-true points system engage your gamers? Always invest time in determining which mechanics will best engage the target market.
3. Integrate the right payment system. For businesses that need to complete gamification transactions, it’s critical to choose the right payment processor. Consumers want payment methods that are safe, convenient, and won’t interfere with the game experience. The good news is that gamification is LEC billable, which means consumers can safely and easily charge the transactions to their phone bill.
4. Invest in long-term participation. Got game? Then you need time. Like social media engagement, gamification is an ongoing process that needs daily TLC. Be sure you have the people-power needed to maintain game mechanics.  

For more info, check out What is Gamification for Business? A Beginner’s Guide.

When it’s time to integrate payments into your gamification strategy, contact ILD Teleservices to learn how our LEC billing system, Bill to Phone, will make transactions seamless and safe.

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