For businesses that accept credit cards, chargebacks can pose a costly problem. There is no guaranteed way to completely eliminate them, but there are methods you can use to reduce them. There are two main areas that come into play when reducing chargebacks: reducing credit card fraud and providing a great customer experience.

With ecommerce businesses a lot of fraud can be taken care of with your Gateway. Many Gateways main priority is to prevent fraud. Be sure to check your Gateway’s fraud prevention center and incorporate any modules or tools they recommend.

For point of sales tips on reducing fraud please visit https://www.emerchant.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/mastercard-avoiding-chargebacks.pdf. There we have a fact sheet with tips on point of sale and card not present transactions.

While fraud does count for a good deal of chargebacks, customer support and the way your business is setup for orders can also greatly reduce chargebacks from taking place. Here are some tips to consider incorporating into your business to keep your customers happy and away from calling their credit card companies to charge back orders.

• Have a clear, easy to follow easy to understand order process.

• Be sure not to any have hidden fees that your customer will be upset about after they order.

• Use product descriptions that are clear, with dimensions, weights, and any other applicable measurements.

• Use large clear accurate photographs of products on product pages.

• In the shopping cart include the use of product information.

• Provide great prompt customer service before and after the sale of products or services.

• Be clear how the charge will appear on your customer’s credit card statement. Don’t let them wonder who the charge is from when they look at their statement. If your business name is different from your website, look into having that changed so the website shows on the customer’s credit card statement.

• Try to implement a post-order follow up email with a reminder of how the charge will appear on your customer’s credit card statement.

• Make sure to have your business telephone number or an 800 number show up by the charges on your customer’s credit card statements.

• Be clear about your return and shipping policies before an order is placed preferably.

• Watch out for exaggerated claims in any marketing or on your website. Be sure that your products and services deliver on what you promise.

• Try to send automated confirmation emails to your customers that include the invoice and small details about the sale. You should also try to send confirmation emails when items have been shipped along with the tracking number if applicable.

• Try to always respond promptly to any requests from your customers. Many customers only need to hear back from someone in a timely manner to put them at ease that they are being taken care of. Disgruntled customers are more likely to call their credit card company if they feel merchants have ignored them or don’t provide prompt support.

By following these points and learning more about fraud protection you can reduce and discourage the number of chargebacks you and your business need to handle and get back to doing the things that make your business money.

Here is that link again for reducing fraud tips: https://www.emerchant.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/mastercard-avoiding-chargebacks.pdf