Two weeks ago, a guest post by Alexey was published on my blog about payment systems on the Internet. It examined various payment systems, their advantages and disadvantages. Today we will continue the topic, and Alexey will give his vision of what an ideal online payment system is. I will note right away that this is not an advertising post, we will not offer you any specific system. Let’s just hope that such systems will appear in the future. At this point, I give the floor to Alexey and I urge you to give your comments on what you would like to see in the ideal payment system.
As I promised, this time, I will move away from specifics and analysis, and give free rein to my imagination and knowledge, trying to describe the “ideal” or the best payment system. And I will describe it at a simple, everyday level, as a user, and not as an expert. Of course, nothing is perfect, and describing a utopia is hopeless, but purely practically, you can think over a number of characteristics of a successful, and most importantly, user-oriented electronic payment system.
- The first, very important characteristic, which many creators of such systems forget about, is ease of use . Those who have registered in any payment system at least once (the most striking example is, perhaps, Web Money), know what kind of hemorrhoids it is (forgive the rude syllable). There are not many people who like to fill out a large number of forms and go through multi-stage registration. And if for an Internet wallet such measures look justified (security issues are of concern to everyone), then for an electronic payment system this is absolutely useless. Ideally, registration should take place in three clicks, and from the data you only need to enter your password and email address. Although, to work with bank cards, you still have to enter more information, because this is already a requirement of security and common sense.
- The second, not so important, but conspicuous requirement is design . It seems to me that it is time for most Internet terminals to move away from the cold style that copies their street ancestors. Something more homely, warm, bright character on the main page, personally, this will make me return to the site and repeat the payment. It’s better than just the terminal menu and hundreds of services that you can pay for. Although, perhaps, many will disagree.
- Thirdly, an excellent solution for any resource is a personal account that will allow you to track payment statistics. A kind of personal finance management center. It will be especially convenient if you can set yourself a reminder of payments (by e-mail or SMS), as well as view information about them in the form of a graph. This solution makes it easier to control costs. And, most importantly, information in a graphical form is visual and more intuitively understandable. If the auto-filling of receipts is also implemented according to the previous model, it will be just great. All those who have paid for utilities via the Internet at least once will understand how convenient such a solution is.
- But, of course, even a convenient resource with a pleasant design and a well-thought-out personal account is doomed to failure if it does not implement convenient input of funds.… Ideally, all methods should be supported, such as: e-wallets, bank cards, depositing funds from a mobile phone account. Such a solution will allow you to reach the maximum number of potential users who, naturally, will be concerned about the safety of financial transactions. Since, in fact, any Internet terminal is engaged in the transfer of funds, it must have the appropriate security certificates, which must be in plain sight. Of the most famous and necessary for the terminal, these are certificates of security and partnership of such a system as Web Money, as well as certificates proving that this payment system complies with VISA and Master Card security standards. This is the minimum required.
- In addition, speaking of security, the logical solution seems to be the absence of internal savings in the system , i.e. the money is entered for a specific payment, and immediately goes to the service provider without delay. Of course, it may seem that this solution is not practical, and it is easier to have an account balance within the system, but there is one but! In the event of a system failure, the lack of internal savings will not affect users, because there will be simply nothing to disappear from the account. Besides, nobody keeps their money in terminals on the street! And the Internet terminal differs from it only in its location, it is on the network, and not in reality.
- We have dealt with financial and security issues, so let’s move on to practical issues. Any such system should have a wide range of paid services , and, preferably, not only mobile communications, Internet and IP-telephony, but also housing and communal services, commercial television, traffic police fines. And if there is an opportunity to pay, for example, theater or plane tickets, the services of a security company or currency in online games, it will be just great.
- In addition, it is great if the Internet terminal has a competent customer service , which will not answer questions for several days (some large operators are guilty of this). It is even better if you can look at the feedback of visitors directly on the site, and not search all over the Internet (I note that most companies can send their opinion, but it will remain with the company, and other users will not see it). And of course, a corporate blog or a group in contact will be a pleasant trifle, which will help to keep abreast of all events.
- And finally, let’s move on to the nice little things, which are not so necessary, but their presence will leave a pleasant impression. The best part is the presence of a mobile version of the site or a special application that will allow you to pay for communication services directly from your mobile phone or smartphone. It is clear that such an opportunity will be very convenient for many. Another pleasant gift from the payment system can be various promotions and bonus programs, because, as the experience of the vKontakte site has shown, they are not only effective, but also popular with users.
Конечно, все изложенные пункты очень сложно реализовать в одной системе, да и маловероятно, что получится, но это было бы очень здорово. Такая система точно была бы лучшей, если не идеальной. В любом случае, это мое мнение, и мое видение проблемы. P.S. Буду держать руку на пульсе, и информировать вас о новых событиях в сфере электронной коммерции и электронных платежных систем. С уважением, Алексей.
Alexey has a long list of system requirements. For convenience, I have highlighted them in bold, and now I will repeat. The result is ease of use, design, personal account, convenient deposit of funds, lack of internal savings in the system, a large set of paid services, competent customer service and the presence of a mobile version of the site. Do you know systems that meet these requirements, or are close to it? Or maybe something is missing in the requirements? Write!
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