To avoid losing more sales due to the ZENTOSHIN service suspension. Proposing a realistic switching method.
Card payments have become unavailable due to the ZENTOSHIN service suspension.
That alone is a difficult situation.
However, what is truly frightening is coming to a complete standstill.
The sales revenue that has already been generated might not come in.
On top of that, by not being able to use card payments, you are losing out on sales that were supposed to come in from now on.
This is a state where you are losing past sales and future sales at the same time.
To keep your store running up to this point, you must have paid rent, set up equipment, trained staff, and built trust with your customers.
There is no need to let that hard work crumble due to the suspension of a payment service. What you need to do now is not wait for the unpaid balance issue to be resolved, but to stop further losses from increasing.
Time without card payments is direct lost opportunity
“I can manage with just cash for a few days.”
I understand the feeling of wanting to think that way.
However, customers who usually pay with cards or smartphones may decide not to make a purchase once they realize that only cash is accepted.
This impact is not small, especially for stores with high average transaction values, stores with many inbound customers, and stores with many customers who do not carry cash.
Even if missing out on one person seems small, if it continues for days or weeks, the impact on sales will accumulate.
You are already in a situation where you are anxious about unpaid balances, and on top of that, you are missing out on new sales as well.
That is something you must avoid.
What is needed now is not a perfect payment environment
When a situation like this occurs, many stores start researching “which service is the best.”
Transaction fees, supported brands, deposit cycles, terminal costs, and POS integration.
There are many items to compare, and once you start researching, it is not easy to make a decision.
However, what is needed now is not to create a perfect payment environment from the start.
What is needed first is to return to a state where you stop losing more sales starting today.
As an option for that, AirPAY Touch is a strong candidate.
First, resume card payments with AirPAY Touch
AirPAY Touch is a service that allows you to use a compatible iPhone as a card payment terminal.
There is no need to wait for a dedicated card reader to arrive.
If you have a compatible iPhone and pass the screening, you can accept contactless payments using only your smartphone.
With standard payment services, it can take several days from application to terminal arrival.
During those few days, customers will still visit your store and make purchases.
Each time that happens, you will have to keep saying,
"We cannot accept cards."
You will have to keep telling them that.
The customer might pay in cash on the spot.
However, there is no guarantee they will come back next time.
Once a store is perceived as "inconvenient," it is not easy to change that impression.
That is why the first step is to quickly create a state where card payments are possible using AirPAY Touch.
This is your first move.
Use AirPAY Touch as an emergency response.
AirPAY Touch does not solve everything.
It requires a compatible iPhone, and it cannot cover every single payment method.
However, your goal right now is not to have everything perfectly set up.
It is to stop losing sales opportunities.
For example, if a water pipe in your store breaks, would you think about a complete renovation of the entire facility from the start?
You would first stop the water to minimize the impact on your business.
The same applies to payments.
First, protect your business with AirPAY Touch. Then, switch to a full-scale operation that suits your store.
This order is realistic.
After that, choose your full-scale operation, including Square.
Once you have resumed card payments, take your time to choose your full-scale operation.
One of the candidates for this is Square.
Square supports contactless payments using iPhones and Android devices, so it may be possible to use it even before your dedicated terminal arrives.
Additionally, you can use free POS register functions, sales management, product management, invoice payments, and online payments.
In other words, it is an option not just to resume card payments, but to organize your entire future store operation.
What is important here is not to decide based solely on payment processing fees.
Many stores must have felt this keenly during this recent issue.
Payment services are not just tools for processing cards.
When will the sales be deposited? Can you check the history yourself? Are there alternative means if a failure occurs? Does it connect seamlessly with POS and accounting?
You need to choose while considering all of these factors.
If you look only at a difference of a few yen or a few dozen yen in fees and entrust your entire store operation to a single company again, you will be carrying the same risk.
Do not lose what you have built up so far due to a payment suspension.
Stores already have a lot of investment.
It is not just about equipment.
The tasks your staff have learned. Relationships with regular customers. Word of mouth. Trust in the community. Customers you have gathered through advertising and referrals until now.
These are not things that can be easily rebuilt.
That is precisely why you should not just accept the payment suspension as something that 'cannot be helped'.
The longer the period during which card payments cannot be used, the more what you have built up will be gradually eroded.
On the other hand, if you switch quickly, there are things you can protect.
The sales you may have already lost might not return immediately.
However, there is no need to lose the sales that will come in from now on.
Organizing outstanding payments at the same time
In parallel with switching to a new payment service, we will organize sales that may have become outstanding payments.
The following information will be required:
ZENTOSHIN sales statements
Transaction history from payment terminals
POS register sales data
Bank account deposit history
Emails and documents received from ZENTOSHIN
Contracts and terms of service
'I don't know how much has not been paid.'
This state of affairs causes the most anxiety.
If you do not know the amount, you cannot proceed with cash flow management or consultations with experts.
First, organize the numbers.
Regardless of whether recovery is possible, it is necessary to make the current situation visible.
Legal procedures and the recovery of sales proceeds are the domain of experts such as lawyers.
However, you can proceed with organizing documents for consultation with experts and reconciling sales with deposits.
Leaving things as they are without understanding them is the most expensive option.
Switching payment services seems difficult. Screening, terminals, communication, POS, accounting, staff training. Indeed, there are many things to check.
However, leaving it stopped for several days without knowing what to do also incurs costs.
Even if it is invisible, sales opportunities are being lost. "I'll look into it a bit more," "Once things settle down." While you are thinking that, customers are paying at other stores.
You don't need to make a final decision right now. First, protect your business with interim measures, and then decide on the permanent operation later.
If you have trouble with the settings, I will provide individual consultation.
Nexus Tech Bridge Co., Ltd. is accepting individual consultations for stores affected by the Zentoshin service suspension.
The content covered is as follows:
Comparison of AirPay Touch and Square
Confirmation of compatible terminals
Support for settings during application
Confirmation of Wi-Fi and communication environment
Operational organization with POS registers
Operation instructions for staff
Preparation of documents to organize sales and deposit status
"I don't know which one to choose," "I applied, but I'm stuck on the settings," "I don't know how to use it alongside my current POS register."
You can consult from that stage.
You have already spent a lot of time and money to keep your store running this far. You don't need to lose all that hard work because of a payment service suspension.
First, let's create a situation where you don't lose any more sales.
Furthermore, we will switch to a payment environment that ensures business operations continue even if the same issue occurs in the future. For stores having trouble with settings or switching, please consult Nexus Tech Bridge Inc.'s 'Mechanical Consultation Desk'.
*The start date for using each service depends on the screening status, industry, application details, and the terminal used. Same-day activation is not guaranteed.
*For matters regarding the collection of sales proceeds, bankruptcy proceedings, and other legal procedures, please consult a professional such as an attorney.