Tag: custom software development

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What are the Payment Gateways ? How to choose right one ?

What are the Payment Gateways ? How to choose right one ?

Online payments are a vital component of speedy financial transactions for customers and businesses in the age of digitization. A trustworthy payment system is all that is needed for every transaction, be it a buy, sale, or even the clearing of vendor debt. In contrast, a minor payment vulnerability can present an opportunity for online criminals (hackers). As a result, selecting the appropriate payment gateway for your organization is one of the most important choices you must make.

Knowing your payment gateway’s capabilities to fend against cyberattacks and provide the necessary encryption layers between the buyer and the vendor is crucial. Your transactions are made hack-proof with the use of an efficient payment gateway technology, which also enables speedy web page load times.

What would you thus regard to be the finest payment gateway for your online store or eCommerce that will offer great ease, minimal danger, and client data assurance?

Gateways for online payments

A payment gateway, in the simplest terms, is a service utilized by the merchant to help customers make payments using credit cards and other means for online purchase of a good or service. These gateways provide a reliable link connecting user purchases and business sales.

Key Features:

  • Encryption: The system is so safe that not even the shop can track the users’ payment information, including their credit card number, CVV, and other specifics. It creates a security layer (encrypted data) between the user’s browser and the company’s server.
  • Authorization: Payment gateways process all transactions quickly and safely. The system already receives requests for authorization from various financial institutions and credit card providers. Therefore, there is no possibility of payment failure.
  • Confirmation: The users move on to the following step after the money has been processed.

Type of Payment Gateways 

There are three primary types of gateway systems that we may identify when studying payment gateways:

Redirects: With this kind of payment method, a user is transferred from the active eCommerce site to a secure page. Each payment stage is maintained on the payment gateway website, and the user can complete them by following certain processes. If you select PayPal, for instance, customers will be redirected to the PayPal website once they have completed their payment on the website or mobile app of the retailer.

The security of the payment gateway is used by merchants who employ this method, which also streamlines the entire procedure. Despite this, the merchant has less control over the payment mechanism.

Off-site payment: This is an additional streamlined approach for handling payments that makes use of third-party payment systems. The service provider secures and maintains control over the users’ data, much like redirected payment gateways do.

In off-site payments, the service provider’s backend processes the payment while the front-end checkout is still regarded to be on the merchant’s website.

The entire payment transaction won’t be under the merchant’s control through the payment gateway, either.

On-site payment: This payment option uses a unique payment system that is entirely managed by the retailer from their website or mobile application, from the point of checkout to the point of payment processing. As a result, the merchant gains additional advantages and is also responsible for the protection of user data.

For their business operations, large-scale companies typically employ this payment gateway technology. 

Widely used payment gateways

  • PayPal
  • Square
  • Stripe
  • Apple Pay.
  • Amazon Pay.
  • Adyen

According to unique functionalities and payment criteria, each of the aforementioned payment gateways is distinguished; yet, they are all distinct from one another.

A payment gateway must also be implemented, which requires us to become familiar with and accept its constraints.

Below are some of the typical payment gateway restrictions that we have included for your convenience:

All credit cards and payment options are not accepted by them:

Despite the existence of several frequently utilized and well-known payment gateways, not all payment options are accepted by them. The types of cards or payment methods they allow are mentioned on their platform, but they hardly ever discuss the exclusions.

Understanding your target market’s purchasing habits is essential. High sales conversions from the add-to-cart feature will be the consequence, which is positive.

Overseas customers should take into account:

International prospects and clients are of primary relevance to businesses engaged in manufacturing and wholesale. A comprehensive payment system maintains you ahead of your competition if you are definitely wanting to grow your organization.

Chinese manufacturers in particular can sense this. Businesses from all around the world contact Chinese production companies but encounter payment difficulties. Typically, they speak with their bank and conduct the transfers there. Due to this circumstance, funds are received slowly, and business operations are slowed down.

Unknown security concerns:

Even on well-known online shopping sites, where everyone has the choice to shop, many are still hesitant to disclose their credit card information. No matter how robust the payment gateway we employ is, we must constantly be aware of some security risks. Modern hackers are so skilled that they can exploit any system’s weaknesses. Common cyber-attacks include the following:

Cyberattack Malware

Other issues with mobile payments

Selecting the right payment gateway partner is crucial for the success of your online business. Here are some important points to consider when evaluating potential payment gateway partners:

Security and Compliance:

  • Ensure the payment gateway is Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliant to protect sensitive customer data.
  • Look for advanced security features like tokenization and fraud detection/prevention tools.

Supported Payment Methods:

  • Verify that the payment gateway supports a wide range of payment methods, including credit/debit cards, digital wallets (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay), and alternative payment options (e.g., PayPal, ACH, bank transfers).

Geographic Coverage:

  • Confirm that the payment gateway serves your target geographic regions. Some gateways may have limitations on international transactions.

Integration Options:

  • Check if the payment gateway offers APIs, SDKs, or plugins for easy integration with your website or application. A smooth integration process is essential.

User Experience:

  • Evaluate the user experience of the payment process. A seamless and user-friendly checkout experience can reduce cart abandonment rates.

Mobile Responsiveness:

  • Ensure that the payment gateway supports mobile payments and offers a responsive design for mobile devices, as an increasing number of transactions occur on smartphones.

Transaction Fees:

  • Understand the fee structure, including transaction fees, monthly fees, setup fees, and any other hidden costs. Compare these costs with your budget and revenue projections.

Payout Timing:

  • Check the payout schedule to ensure it aligns with your cash flow needs. Some gateways offer daily, weekly, or monthly payouts.

Currency Support:

  • If you operate internationally, confirm that the payment gateway supports multiple currencies and can convert payments into your desired currency.

Customer Support:

  • Assess the quality and availability of customer support. Timely assistance can be critical during payment processing issues or disputes.

Scalability:

  • Consider your business’s growth potential and whether the payment gateway can scale with your needs. Scalability is vital for handling increased transaction volumes.

Refunds and Chargebacks:

  • Understand the process for handling refunds and chargebacks. A transparent and efficient system can help maintain customer trust.

Reporting and Analytics:

  • Look for reporting tools that provide insights into your transaction data. Making wise business decisions can be aided by this information.

Recurring Billing:

  • If your business offers subscription services, confirm that the payment gateway supports recurring billing and subscription management.

Customization:

  • Assess the level of customization and branding options available for the payment gateway’s checkout page. Brand consistency can enhance customer trust.

Contract Terms:

  • Review the terms of the contract, including the duration and cancellation policies. Avoid long-term commitments that may not align with your business goals.

Reviews and Reputation:

  • Research the payment gateway’s reputation by reading reviews and seeking recommendations from other businesses in your industry.

Compliance with Industry Regulations:

  • Ensure that the payment gateway complies with industry-specific regulations, such as those in healthcare (HIPAA) or financial services (FinCEN).

Backup and Redundancy:

  • Inquire about backup and redundancy measures in case of system failures or downtime. Business continuity is essential.

Data Ownership:

  • Clarify who owns customer transaction data. You should have control over your data for analytics and customer relationship management.

Conclusion

You should use the appropriate payment gateway type (from the three stated above) if you run an online business or are just starting one and are seeking a reliable payment gateway that not only meets client needs but also benefits your business module. In order to make it more convenient for users, the system must also support a variety of payment methods (such as cards and bank transfers).

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Agile Software Development Company

Agile Software Development Company

Agile software development is an iterative and flexible approach that values customer satisfaction and responsiveness to changing requirements. One of the key principles of agile is to empower the team and the stakeholders to collaborate and continuously improve the product. In this context, self-service is a powerful approach to give more autonomy and ownership to the team and streamline the development process.

What is a self-service approach?

In a self-service approach, users are provided with tools and resources to help them perform certain tasks on their own, without the need for assistance from support or development teams. This approach is commonly used in industries such as retail, banking, and telecommunications, where customers can access services and information through online portals, mobile apps, or other self-service channels.

In Agile software development, a self-service approach can be used to empower users to perform tasks such as:

  • Submitting and tracking issues or bugs
  • Requesting new features or enhancements
  • Accessing documentation and knowledge base
  • Viewing project status and progress
  • Providing feedback and suggestions

By providing users with these self-service options, Agile teams can reduce the burden on support and development teams, streamline the communication process, and increase user engagement and satisfaction.

Self-service means that the team and the stakeholders have access to the tools, information, and resources they need to perform their tasks and make decisions without relying on external dependencies or waiting for approvals. Self-service can reduce delays, misunderstandings, and errors, and increase transparency, engagement, and innovation. 

Benefits of a Self-Service Approach in Agile Software Development

  1. Increased efficiency and productivity: By allowing users to perform certain tasks on their own, Agile teams can focus on more complex tasks and reduce the amount of time spent on support requests.
  2. Improved communication: Self-service channels provide users with real-time access to project status and updates, which can reduce the need for communication via email or phone.
  3. Increased user engagement: By providing users with the tools and resources they need to perform tasks, Agile teams can increase user engagement and satisfaction.
  4. Better project visibility: Self-service platforms provide Agile teams with real-time access to user requests and feedback, which can help identify areas for improvement and optimization

Here are some steps to implement self-service in agile software development:

  1. Define the scope and objectives: Self-service can apply to different areas of the software development life cycle, such as requirements gathering, testing, deployment, monitoring, and support. It is important to identify the areas that can benefit from self-service and the goals that can be achieved, such as reducing cycle time, increasing quality, or improving user experience.
  2. Identify the stakeholders: Self-service involves different roles, such as product owners, developers, testers, operations, and users. Each role has specific needs and expectations that can be addressed through self-service. It is important to involve the stakeholders in the definition and implementation of self-service and to communicate the benefits and limitations of the approach.
  3. Choose the tools and resources: Self-service requires access to the right tools and resources that can enable the stakeholders to perform their tasks efficiently and effectively. Examples of tools and resources are:
  • Collaboration platforms, such as Jira, Trello, or Asana, allow the team and the stakeholders to communicate, share documents, and track progress.
  • Automation frameworks, such as Jenkins, Ansible, or Chef, enable the team to automate repetitive tasks, such as building, testing and deploying software.
  • Knowledge bases, wikis, or FAQs, that provide relevant information and guidelines to the team and the stakeholders.
  • Monitoring and analytics tools, such as New Relic, Splunk, or Google Analytics, help the team and the stakeholders gather and analyze data about the product and the users.
  1. Establish the governance and policies: Self-service can increase agility and innovation, but it can also pose risks and challenges, such as security, compliance, or quality control. It is important to establish clear governance and policies that define the roles, responsibilities, and rules of engagement for self-service. Examples of governance and policies are:
  • Access control and permissions, limit the access and privileges of the stakeholders based on their roles and responsibilities.
  • Change management and version control, ensure that the changes to the product are tracked, tested, and validated before they are released.
  • Quality assurance and testing, define the standards and criteria for the quality of the product and ensure that the self-service activities do not compromise the quality.
  • Incident management and escalation, which establish the procedures and protocols for handling and resolving issues and incidents that may arise from self-service activities.
  1. Monitor and optimize the self-service: Self-service is a continuous improvement process that requires monitoring and optimization to ensure that it delivers the intended benefits and that it adapts to changing circumstances. It is important to collect feedback and metrics from the stakeholders and to use them to identify the areas of improvement, the best practices, and the success stories of self-service.

Self-service implementation challenges in agile software development

Although the self-service strategy is the answer to the issues we described above, it too has its share of difficulties. At first glance, the difficulties in implementing the self-service strategy may appear to be the very issues that it seeks to address rather than the answer to those issues. Let’s examine a few of these difficulties:

  • These kinds of resources are necessary because you must have a solid awareness of the organization and its procedures.
  • You must be aware of the typical data demands that your business makes, which, once again, necessitates the availability of resources.
  • You must invest money upfront, therefore you need money as well.

These issues would seem to be the same ones that the self-service model aims to address. These are only the first difficulties, though. All stakeholders enjoy a smooth ride once an organization develops the self-service approach across all processes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a self-service approach can be a powerful tool for Agile teams to manage their workload efficiently while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. By providing users with self-service options, Agile teams can reduce the burden on support and development teams, streamline communication, and increase user engagement and satisfaction. With the right tools and processes in place, Agile teams can successfully implement a self-service approach and achieve their project goals more effectively.

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Does Coronavirus Forced You To Work Remotely For Very First Time ? Here Is Our Guide On How To Do It Effectively

Does Coronavirus Forced You To Work Remotely For Very First Time ? Here Is Our Guide On How To Do It Effectively

In this era of technology , many of us love being working remotely . But it necessarily does not means everyone in the company thinks in similar way . Some person might find it difficult to work from home . In your experience it may be frowned upon , disapproved or only be done one special circumstances , under forced rules . But now new to recent outbreak of Coronavirus worldwide , and we have been advised to maintain social distancing , which can asked employees of companies to mandate work from home policies for business on worldwide level , it’s time to get comfortable with practice . 

Remote workers can be rewarding situation for many companies . It has been found is study that working from home for employees increase overall productivity and mental satisfaction among employees . On the other hand it also have positive effects for employers like reducing spends , eliminating rent on physical space and so on . If there is pros , then will surely be cons as well . Some employee might feel isolated or gets distracted because of many reasons ( children’s playing , dirty dishes , changed social contacts etc ) .

How To Make A Switch To A Remove Worker 

Here is our guide on how to make work from home effective – specially when you are experiencing it for the first time and you have to make strong connection between clients , prospects and partners .

The basis : your home office setup 

The very first step that you can take is finding  isolated place at your home . If you are living in studio apartment with only one bedroom , the best place to work is on kitchen table with laptop table placement . If you have big house with two or more bedrooms , make one room dedicated towards working which should be noise free , distraction free and entry to that room will be restricted during working hours , which can often be denoted by sign board outside house .
We know this is not the permanent solution , but perhaps the preparation can go long way for temporary remote workers . 

Provide Training For Chosen Video Conferencing And Messaging Tools 

At Winklix , we use Slack for instant messing and Zoom for video conferencing with our team . As our workforce has been spread world-wide and majority of them work from home ( more than 60 % of us work from home ) , and that is the reason our team members are already familiar with this tool . Work from home is part of our dedicated IT team for providing ongoing support .
Irrespective of what you are already using or whatever your IT heads have decided t use immediately looking at the current scenario , it is mandatory to train your workforce in order to get maximum output . The training is achievable by providing live demo with representative tools with your entire team using preferred method ( eg , email , Salesforce Chatter , Slack announcement channel ) . 

Stick To Regular Check-ins And Virtual Forms Of Team Building 

If you have a tools to regularly check the work of employee then its great for remote work . It is suggestible to always have one hour video meeting with your team to check then they are on same page and it also keeps connectivity at forefront . 

Winklix use services of HiveDesk which helps employee to log in into app , and at the same time helps manager to track and see the screen shorts of work being carrying on by employee . It also facilitates task assignments , real time chats with employee and more . This also forced employee to timely check in and check out in the app during working hours in order to get them working time tracking along with work done by them .

Tools like slack and Trello makes it easy to collaborate with team and manage team worldwide .

How To Maintain Connections With Clients, Prospects And Partners 

Learning to work from home is one thing , but at the same time you should also take care of maintaining a healthier relationship with clients , prospects and partners which together called as health for your business . At a leading digital agency , Winklix has over decade of experience with digital first and remote relationship building .

Events Cancelled ? Move To Digital Value Exchanges 

We are already been experiencing live streaming for years , and now its no new bee for us . We all due to Coronavirus outbreak worldwide , are avoiding large conference , project kickoffs and even two or more in-person meeting , it does not necessarily means you have to make halt for meeting .

Webinars 

When you have to maintain social distancing  , you can provide webinars that is not only capable of attracting captive audience , but can also be used on social media and other platforms once they are recorded for future purposes 

Survey And Reports 

In order to reach client directly and giving them satisfying experience , you should send periodic surveys to clients about your industry , best practices and innovation in your space . 
So once the survey reports is collected it will help you and your clients as well in providing of long lasting impact on costly event. 

How To Get SAP / Software / SalesForce Support While You Are Fully On Remote  

We at Winklix with clients worldwide already have experience operating as remote team to satisfy the needs of client in relation to SAP / Customs software / Salesforce needs . Learn more about our services from Winklix by reaching us out right away .