CommerceGate Offers Credit Card Processing Over the Phone

SANTA MONICA, Calif.—CommerceGate has announced the launch of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system that gives end-users the option to make purchases over the phone via any touch-tone telephone, landline or mobile. To make a purchase, the caller keys in their credit card information which the IVR system then transmits to CommerceGate´s level one PCI compliant secure payment system. Once the payment is complete, the customer is transferred back to the merchant phone service. By using the IVR system the merchant is able to process payments without having to handle or store sensitive credit card data. “It may sound complicated, but it is really very simple,” explained Bjorn Skarlen, CEO of CommerceGate. "We handle the risk and security, the merchant focuses on delivering the service and receiving the money. Everybody wins." This is one of the first services of its kind and is set to revolutionize credit card payments over the phone. The IVR system will allow merchants to completely outsource the handling of sensitive information to CommerceGate, which has numerous benefits. As the system is level one PCI compliant, the risk of security breaches, which can result in heavy penalties levied by credit card companies, is eliminated. The IVR system also lowers processing costs by reducing the need of staff to handle phone payments. Additionally, the system can be customized to the merchant’s needs and programmed to play pre-recorded messages and background music based on the merchant’s specifications. The system can even be configured to call the end user directly in order to take payments. “We are very excited to offer this service to our merchants in the United States and in Europe," added Skarlen. "No other payment service provider that I know of can offer their clients this. The setup process is straight-forward and the potential rewards are huge." Merchants who offer any kind of service over the phone, as well as merchants combining phone services with other media, such as online or television, stand to make substantial profits using this system, while eliminating security and compliance concerns. The IVR system integrates seamlessly with traditional phone systems as well as VoIP (Voice over IP). To learn more about the IVR processing system, visit here or contact your CommerceGate U.S. or EU sales representative by emailing sales@commercegate.com.