Due to the pandemic crisis of early 2020 and the continuing effects occurring all over the world, it’ll likely be some time before many businesses and industries have customers who’re fully comfortable shopping as they’ve done traditionally.
Will things return to normal? And if so, how long could it take for customers to come back? Similar tragic events have shown it takes time for economic normalcy to return. An example of this is seen in the slow return to normal levels for the airline industry following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, passenger air travel didn’t return to pre-event levels until around July 2004.
The COVID-19 health crisis placed a spotlight on how things are done worldwide and across social and economic interactions, and this likely means a new set of much-needed safety changes for the payment industry.
Previously, payment safety was centered on securing against fraud, but now there’s a clearly defined need for health security and safety for both the individual business user and the paying customer alike.
With a focus on social distancing, personal protection, and ongoing cleanliness, the use of mobile payment systems (mPOS) over traditional countertops or pole-mounted devices is worth serious consideration to ensure a healthier environment to prompt customers to return.
Social Distancing
According to a March 2020 Consumer Reports article, surface areas in general are reservoirs for viruses, bacteria, and other germs. Touching contaminated surfaces, and then touching eyes, nose or mouth can transfer infections to the body that sometimes lead to severe illness.
With the risk of passing germs, from the common cold to influenza and the recent COVID-19, it’s not only important to limit how close a retail or other business worker comes to a customer, but it’s equally important to keep clean and control access to the devices used to process payments.
The most common payment method in society today is through the use of a non-cash payment item from the customer; for example, card swipe, chip and pin, and tap to pay. All of these involve some form of direct contact with a payment device by the payee, and many times lead to touching the terminal’s keypad or casing in some way.
A locked-down payment terminal on a pole or countertop is a veritable magnet for germs by its very nature of being a focal point for business. Because nearly all customers end up at checkout eventually, a payment device is a critical hotspot for the spread of germs. This is not an easy thing to combat to the level now necessary, especially in a busy environment that may not allow for easy and frequent sanitization of devices by staff.
The obvious solution is to promote social distancing with payment devices through the use of mobile payments that are linked to and managed by a roaming employee. The benefits of this are:
- Reduces cluster of customers at a single spot or traditional close-quarters waiting line
- Controls what a purchaser touches, including the payment device, counter spaces, etc.
- Allows the worker to keep variable space between the customer(s) and his or herself throughout the transaction process
- Instills greater awareness of potential sources of contamination to devices/spaces due to personal responsibility
- Provides a more manageable method of sanitizing and disinfecting devices between customers
Social distancing of both people and devices is an easy thing to do with a strong mobile payment strategy. Providing greater control of the devices used and the ongoing circumstances of how order-takers personally handle each sale can tip the balance toward a healthier experience.
Personal Protection
Social distancing is a great start, but it’s only part of the solution in safeguarding payments in today’s more health-safety-conscious world. While the earlier point protects both the worker and the customer, there are still significant concerns for the worker.
The amount of time employees work with mobile devices, long-term proximity to customers throughout a shift, and the potential risk of sharing limited equipment are additional factors to consider.
With the right mPOS solution, the potential risks are minimized or controlled. A few possible steps to take include:
- Providing a personal hand or shoulder strap that’s detachable from devices and remains with each worker to minimize the risk of illnesses transmittal to other workers using the same devices
- For shared devices, a thorough sanitization of the equipment before handoff to other workers
- When presenting the payment device to a customer, hold the equipment at a distance or angle so the customer is not too close or directly facing the worker
Procedures like the ones listed above, coupled with the use of other select personal protection items like masks and/or gloves would go a long way to reducing and minimizing the risk of germ transmittal in working with customers in the payment arena.
Ongoing Cleanliness
As mentioned before, the payment terminals themselves need to be cleaned much more often. This is true of both mPOS devices and their pole or counter-mounted cousins. By having the device tied to a person rather than a physical location, units are kept cleaner and watched for risk factors more easily.
Here are some ways to accomplish this:
- Workers on duty with direct responsibility for the devices are tasked with monitoring cleaning situations that need attention
- Personal possession of devices avoids distractions that could lead to diminished attention to cleanliness and safety
- Cleaning of each device is done faster and more often
Ideally, businesses need more awareness of their employees, their equipment, and overall cleanliness. The best way to handle this is through a more one-on-one mentality rather than the traditional line-based counter-sales model used in past years.
Order-takers who are responsible for making the sale with the customer can easily assess risk to themselves, their devices, and the clients before them. If an individual customer seems ill, then attentive behavior is adjusted to meet the specific safety needs of that client and the worker more easily in a mobile capacity.
Similarly, being no longer tethered to a counter and fixed position, the worker can keep focus on the client situation in front of them and make position or distance decisions as necessary.
Lastly, between transactions and customers, personal control of their devices allows workers to use knowledge of any risk factors they identify during a transaction and take necessary precautions to ensure proper cleaning of devices.
Besides the actual safety increase from the cleaning, this allows the next client to have a greater sense of security when making their transaction.
The Healthy Rise of mPOS
As businesses turn their attention to the future, the need for changes in the way they do things has become paramount. The points stated above illustrate the importance of health safety and security need to be at the forefront of that attention… as they very much should be.
mPOS solutions have a significantly crucial role to play in assuring returning customers that it’s not dangerous to come out and shop, while at the same time providing workers with tools to ensure their continued health and safety.