An average week

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Now that the business talk is out of the way, what is the average week at Web Merchant Services like?...

Well it starts with coming in fairly early. Normally about 8am before the phones are switched on and all the organised mayhem begins. This time allows us to read and asses all the emails we receive, normally around 80+ . Because we can help people from around the globe we get emails from all over and at all times of night.

Once everyone is in and the phones are turned on, it's down to business. This is devided into three main areas - Merchant Account Compliance, Design & Development and technical support!

1) Merchant Account Compliance - As our business is set-up on a largly automated basis with online applications etc. and the website tells people pretty much everything they need to know (if they bother reading it) the phones are normally not so busy. This does mean however we have rather alot of admin and compliance work. We need to check that the applications on our systems have been completed properly and that any payment details left are correct. It's then onto sending out status reports and risk/compliance documents, chasing companies for the documentation and chasing banks for the answers and activity. This, and answering any email/phone enquiries, takes up much of the day.

2) Design & Development - This department is alot less automated. in fact, apart from one or two online forms and an online quote system, it's all manual. However it can't be any other way really. Unlike the merchant account business where we offer three main accounts, all set in stone, web design isn't like that. Even though four main types of websites exist (html, database, shopping cart and dynamic) each website is very different. A customer has their own requirments, ideas, colours schemes etc. Basically each one has some sort of bespokeness (is that a word?).


3) Technical Support - This is what makes up most of the calls into the office. As I said before, the main thrust of our business is automated, however technical support is mainly phone or email. Even though we have a comprehensive online technical support directory on our website, we still ahve customers who prefer to talk to us direct. Plus as we have a signature on all outgoing emails, customers only think to ring using the number rather than looking online first!
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