The more methods you have for taking orders, the more orders you can potentially receive. Convenience is a major factor when people are shopping online so it would be in your best interest to accommodate as many methods for order processing as possible.
When setting up your e-commerce site, don't overlook some of the more traditional methods of order taking in favor of some of the newer, more unique, ways for transacting funds. Here are some different solutions for taking orders at your e-store:
- Online Order Forms - This method must be fully secure to prevent any type of security breaches or interception. Generally this process for order taking is for the more popular types of credit cards but e-commerce has spawned an entire industry of alternative payment solutions that could benefit from a secured online form too.
- E-mail - As with the online order forms, this method must be completely secure too. Using e-mail can be somewhat difficult for taking orders since the security is questionable and the lack of an order form could likely mean missing pertinent processing information.
- Fax - This is still a very viable and secure method for accepting orders. This procedure works best when customers are able to print an online order form that can be filled out and faxed. A dedicated toll-free number for the fax will make this method even more convenient.
- Telephone Call Centers - For sites that conduct business similar to catalog mail order, the phone is still popular for taking orders. The only drawback is that the phones should be in operation 24/7 in order to take advantage of the Web's global outreach. The call center can be combined with a call-back service which permits customers to indicate the most convenient time to be called back so they can place their order.
- Snail mail - This method of order taking benefits the shoppers who are not confident about disclosing their credit card information online and those who choose not to use credit cards at all. Snail mail can be used to accept practically all of the more conventional payment methods, such as credit cards, checks and money orders. The proliferation of debit cards combined with procedures for accepting checks over the phone will eventually result in a decline of snail mail usage.
Another option is to outsource your order taking and transaction processing to a third-party vendor. If you choose to do that, make sure that they have all the same methods in place to accept orders via any means.
