Everyone has experienced it at least once in recent times... Failures at various Dutch banks have made online payments impossible. These failures sometimes lasted nearly a day. This naturally means loss of revenue for online stores. But how can you prevent this from costing you customers? While you cannot resolve the failures yourself, there are certainly things you can do.
Personal Contact
First of all, it is very important to get in touch with your customer in a personal way. Send an email expressing that it is very frustrating that the payment cannot be completed. Also, show that you are aware of the developments by indicating that there is a failure at bank X or that there is a general iDeal failure.
Stay Informed
Follow the developments regarding the failure and inform your customer when the failure has been resolved. Ensure that it is easy for the customer to complete the payment at that moment.
Add the Order Manually
Offer to add the order manually in the system once again. In most online store systems, it is possible to input orders from the backend. Customers then do not need to place everything in their shopping cart again and go through the ordering process.
Email with Link
With some payment providers, it is possible to create an email with a link to the iDeal payment. If necessary, the order can then be entered into the system by the store owner. Subsequently, a payment is created through the payment provider. The customer then receives an email with the details and total amount of the order, and all the customer needs to do is click the iDeal link and complete the payment. Ensure that it is set up so that you, as a store owner, receive confirmation of the payment so that you can mark the order as paid and process the order further.
Offer Alternative Payment Methods
Some online store owners offer payment methods that are less sensitive to failures. Consider payment after delivery, cash on delivery, or credit card payments. Offer customers the option to use one of these payment methods to complete the payment at the time of the failure.
Be Understanding
The most important thing might be to be understanding towards the customer. Even if the cause of the failure lies entirely outside the online store owner's control, it still helps to show understanding for the fact that it is very frustrating that the payment cannot be completed. The customer likely wants to receive the product quickly, and due to the failure, there may be a delay. So think along with the customer and ensure that they do not turn to a competitor who is more understanding of the situation.
