According to projections from UK Finance, the collective voice for the banking and finance industry, cash is expected to constitute only 6% of transactions by 2031.

The Rise of Contactless

In 2021 alone, a staggering one-third of all payments in the UK were through contactless methods. This trend highlights the growing need for quick, effortless, and secure transactions among consumers.

As we see this tilt towards a cashless society, it becomes crucial for businesses, especially those in the service sector, to equip themselves with reliable and efficient payment systems that reflect this change. This is where iCabbi can become your invaluable partner in navigating the cashless era seamlessly.

ALT+J: Facilitating Over-The-Phone Payments with Ease

ALT+J, a feature within iCabbi, efficiently enables businesses to process payments over the phone, paving the way for effortless prepaid bookings. Though this feature underwent a temporary pause, refinement and redevelopment were implemented to ensure it meets the highest standards of compliance and security.

With ALT+J, businesses can ensure a secure transactional environment where card details are encrypted using unique token IDs. This advanced security mechanism assures both operators and customers that their data is protected and secure.

What’s more, the seamless integration of ALT+J with Stripe ensures that all transactions are accurately logged and visible in your Javelin portal. This integration provides businesses with oversight and control over every card transaction, while also ensuring consistency in the processing of payments, whether through pin pads, passenger apps, or web bookings.

iCabbi’s Advanced Card Payment Terminal: Contactless, Mobile, and Integrated

Our card payment terminal is a hub of contactless and mobile transactions. It accepts payments through various avenues – whether it’s a swift tap of a card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or the traditional Chip & PIN method. This versatility ensures that your service is accessible and convenient for all customers.

The card reader works seamlessly with iCabbi – the price is automatically passed from the Driver App to the terminal and payment information is passed back to iCabbi and is stored in the booking and card payment reports. Payment to drivers can be made in as little as 24 hours or go towards their driver rent.

We’re currently offering FREE* Pin Pads to fleets who are committed to providing their passengers with an option to pay by card.

Support and Visibility

We are dedicated to ensuring that you extract the maximum advantage from contactless payments. Our experienced and proficient customer success team is on hand to provide guidance and assistance tailored to your unique business needs.

Secure your free card reader today and embark on a journey of endless possibilities! The cashless era awaits, and with iCabbi, you’re not just prepared; you’re ahead.

**Fleets must average 20 transactions per PIN Pad per month, or we reserve the right to administer a charge of £2.99 + VAT per month per PIN Pad. For example, if 10 devices are supplied, the fleet is expected to complete at least 200 transactions (10 PIN Pads x 20 jobs). Your drivers simply need to complete 5 card jobs a week.

The post Navigating a Cashless Future with iCabbi first appeared on iCabbi UK.

But just who does benefit from installing card readers into your fleet?

The good news is – everyone. Here’s why card readers have a positive impact on all areas of the business.

The customer

If you have happy customers, chances are a boost in sales and a strong financial performance will follow.

Customer is king and if your clients come away feeling satisfied and valued, you’re pretty much assured of loyalty, whilst they’ll also become unofficial advocates and ambassadors for your brand.

A positive payment experience is fundamental to how you customers perceive you.

It’s the last interaction you will have with them before concluding the job and the impression created is a lasting.

It can be the difference between them booking you in the future, or never seeing them again.

Card payments are uncomplicated, intuitive, efficient, convenient and a straightforward transaction and leaves little opportunity for disputes, awkward moments between driver and customer – in short, not a lot can go wrong.

Knowing your fleet is reinforced with this payment option offers peace of mind that you’re providing a service that will be appreciated and leave customers with a positive final impression.

Your staff

A happy workforce is a productive one.

Not only will content staff feel valued and respected – which will help maximise their performance and instil a sense of loyalty and commitment to the company they work for – it will also have a positive impact on customers.

The vast majority of drivers would undoubtedly agree that a customer simply tapping a machine is a lot less stressful, time-consuming or potentially frustrating than paying in the traditional manner.

The introduction of a card reader makes your drivers’ jobs easier in what can be a demanding role, whilst they’ll also appreciate the steps being taken to enhance their working environment.

How does this affect customers? They’re far more likely to encounter a driver who is more relaxed, in a better mood and better suited to reflect the positive values of the company on to their passenger(s) – which can only be a good thing.

The management

Card readers benefit staff and customers – so already it’s clear that they’re a must-have for any progressive, forward-thinking taxi and/or private hire business.

The icing on the cake, though, is that having card readers installed are beneficial to decision-makers and business owners too.

For starters, you can be assured that your fleet’s payment processes are streamlined and consistent across the business.

You also have peace of mind in knowing the potential for falling foul of counterfeit money is vastly reduced.

You’ll have the confidence of knowing there are fewer security risks with drivers/cars not carrying around significant quantities of cash.

Similarly, you’ll benefit from enhanced cashflow – payments are direct and synced to software and accounts that mean trips to the bank are a thing of the past, whilst you’ll also have at your fingertips much greater real-time data to influence business decisions.

In short, you and the business benefit in numerous ways – and a consequence of this is happy staff, happy customers, enhanced reputation and a boost to the bottom line.

The reasons for operating a cashless payment system are multiple and undeniable.

At iCabbi, we have the team, expertise and industry-leading integrations to get you up and running and realising its potential in double-quick time.

Get in touch today and let us help you take the next steps to future growth.

The post The Benefits of Card Readers first appeared on iCabbi UK.

This situation is heightened when it comes to taxis and private hire companies.

In a competitive market – and with the use of physical cash consistently falling – would-be customers will simply brush off this inconvenience and hop into a taxi that does allow them to pay by card.

Repeat this scenario multiple times a day/week/month/year and the cost to the business suddenly starts to appear eye-watering.

However, giving customers the option of paying by card isn’t just a necessity in order to ensure business isn’t lost.

On the flipside, it’s an incredibly important and powerful way of boosting sales.

Here are four reasons why utilising card readers will help your taxi and/or private hire business increase its bottom line and enhance profitability.

More jobs

How often do your drivers find themselves losing valuable time and missing out on jobs through no fault of their own due to a painful payment process?

Customers searching for that £5 note they’re sure they have somewhere; looking for the change they’ve dropped on the back seat; drivers having to sift through for change in the dark…

All of this time adds up and inevitably result in missed opportunities. Contactless payment is instant and can have your drivers back on the road fulfilling jobs at the tap of a debit card.

Repeat business

Customers want to get to their destination stress-free and as quickly and efficiently as possible.

When a customer has a positive experience and has confidence that they will be able to complete payment hassle-free on card, they’ll come back to you time and again.

Why go through the motions of scoping out a taxi firm for a job or scanning the options on a taxi rank when they know what they’re getting from your business – a quick, reliable and efficient service where payment is an easy process.

Bigger jobs

We’ve all been there. We’re in a taxi home and have a certain amount of money on our person. We watch the meter like a hawk and when it gets to the amount we have on us we utter those familiar words ‘anywhere here is fine’.

Card readers remove these limitations. We know we have the cash on our card and can get taken exactly where we need to go.

Again, these additional £2/3/4 pounds quickly mount up over time and can make a big difference in terms of maximising money made on any given job.

Reputation

There’s an old saying along the lines of ‘there’s no better marketing than word of mouth’ – and it’s true.

The simple facts are that contactless payments are no longer a quirky or innovative luxury – they’re essential and expected modes of payment for customers.

Offering this service shows that you’re forward-thinking and a modern, 21^st century business which builds confidence and reputation – a business people are happy to recommend to their friends.

Conversely, people will talk about you if you’re not offering this service, and this can harm your credibility and image.

At iCabbi, we will supply your card readers for free (terms and conditions apply) and provide tools to ensure you are marketing the fact you offer contactless payment effectively.

Our expert support team will work with you to get your contactless strategy up and running quickly and, with the system synced to our best-in-class integrations, you can be sure that you’re powered by the very best software, backed by knowledgeable experts.

Get in touch today and let us help you boost your sales without delay.

The post How Card Readers Can Boost Your Sales first appeared on iCabbi UK.

Amongst a myriad of other benefits, you’ll likely see an uptick in customers who appreciate the convenience and who probably do not carry physical money as we move further towards a cashless society.

You’ll save time on payment transactions, increase security by avoiding the need for your drivers to carry large sums of cash on their person and you’ll greatly decrease the chances of falling prey to counterfeit money.

But how does it all work?

As consumers, we’re used to regularly presenting our card to a reader in all manner of situations. We wait to hear the reassuring confirmation ‘beep’ of the reader and then go about our day without giving it a second’s thought.

However, as business owners and runners of a taxi and/or private hire fleet, we need a little more assurance that the payment has been processed and that the wider process is sound and reliable.

Here at iCabbi, we have it all in hand through dynamic, intuitive and industry-leading software, all backed up by our dedicated support staff.

Fast, technology-backed processing

Once a job is complete and payment is made by presenting a card to the pin pad (installed for free in within your fleet), the payment information immediately passes through directly to iCabbi’s fully-secure online systems and interacts automatically with the booking and card payment reports – all you need is Bluetooth.

No manual intervention or any process on behalf of the driver is required and this joined-up approach ensures the method of contactless payment is both effortless and secure for both your driver/firm and the customer.

Backed by industry-leading integrations

iCabbi’s card payment system is extremely dynamic and functions seamlessly with all reputable and mass-used payment methods such as Google Pay, Apple Pay as well as the traditional Chip and PIN; all of which are fully compatible with our software.

Our card payment systems ensures a reliable, consistent process which is fully adaptable and offers an excellent user experience that can be trusted.

It also provides a one-stop-shop solution for you as a business – from initial customer payment, the processing, to receiving payment confirmation and being in receipt of real-time data which updates automatically.

Real-time data

Card payments don’t just end once the transaction has taken place.

It is important that a business can rely on – and benefit from – intelligent systems to capture crucial data and provide up-to-date, accurate and real-time analytics on everything from day-to-day revenue generated to trusted and reliable payment reports.

With our card payment systems, you can put the hand-written books and folders away and rely on accurate, real-time data there at your fingertips.

Unrivalled support – from initial payment to data capturing

As already established, iCabbi’s card payment structure and process is incredibly effective and consistent, however should any issues arise, our renowned support team are hand to assist where necessary.

We also know that technology is consistently evolving and that taxi and private hire firms that keep up with the curve and embrace evolution reap the rewards.

With iCabbi, you can rest assured that you will be primed and ready to take advantage of any developments in this space moving forward.

With iCabbi, installing and benefiting from contactless payment systems is quick, easy, and hugely beneficial. What’s more, you’ll have the support of our world-class team.

Get in touch today to discover just how cost-effective and simple this crucial process can be for you and your business.

The post How to process card payments first appeared on iCabbi UK.