A new reality has arrived. The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has necessitated a new way of doing business for merchants, for software developers, for us all. Given the latest recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and local, state, and federal government agencies, the importance of proper social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak cannot be overstated.
As we all work to “flatten the Coronavirus curve” what can developers do to remain productive in their quest to help their merchants maximize their profits, even in the absence of face-to-face meetings? The mission, it seems, is two-fold.
First of all, we should all be prepared to pivot to the up-to-the-minute technologies available to us to help us keep the lines of communication open with merchants.
Now more than ever, it is important that we use every means at our disposal to provide guidance that can help them not just compete during the coronavirus outbreak, but continue to grow their businesses. While in-person meetings have no doubt decreased, we still want merchants to know we are here for them.
Luckily, there are a number of technologies that allow ISVs to continue to safely engage with and support merchants in these unprecedented times, including email, chat, and video applications like Mailchimp, Google Hangouts, Slack, and Zoom. Ironically, these are tools merchants themselves are adopting as more and more employees continue to work from home. The fact is, we should all be limiting personal interaction in our places of business through “work remote” strategies that remove non-essential personnel.
Additionally, organizations from both the private and public sector continue to come up with new and innovative ways to support businesses during this critical period. We must monitor, and share, those resources with our merchants, whenever possible.
Secondly, we should ensure that merchants are up-to-speed on the solutions available to help them right now in this changing economy.
It is also important that we promote payment solutions that facilitate proper social distancing and can help merchants remain competitive right now, like:
-
- Solutions for online payments.
- Virtual terminal access for mail and telephone orders.
- NFC contactless payments for curbside pickup/delivery.
- Email invoicing.
- Mobile payment acceptance, and more.
While many merchants already have these capabilities, that is only half the battle. We must make sure they are up and running on (and knowledgeable about) those solutions as quickly and seamlessly as possible.
Every cloud has a silver lining. There is an opportunity to create added value for merchants in these troubling times by serving as a vital resource and a trusted partner. Together, we should all evaluate our remote capabilities on an ongoing basis so that we can continue to offer our full support to merchants. They need it now more than ever.
To learn more about North American Bancard and how partnering with us can help you nurture your merchant relationships and grow your portfolio, call 877.791.1352 or visit https://www.northamericanbancard.com/partners/isv. 
