Clearly displaying contact information on their website or sales URL is one way that online merchants can improve communication with the cardholder. Successful communication between the merchant and the cardholder is a key to successful credit card processing. When cardholders do not recognize a charge or have difficulty reaching the merchant with questions, it increases cardholder disputes and chargebacks.

A website is an effective way to provide cardholders with easy avenues to contact the merchant and for the merchant to offer cardholders quick and easy responses and resolutions. Most cardholders are familiar with how web addresses work and how to access them to make contact with the merchant. In fact, some cardholders may even be more likely to contact a merchant using a website than a toll free customer service phone number.

Low cost and easy to implement changes to how a high risk merchant displays contact information on their website or sales URL can lower chargebacks and decrease cardholder disputes:

Always provide full contact information: company name, full mailing address, email address, and customer service phone number

Always display full contact information on every single page of the merchant website or sales URL. Don’t make the cardholder do the extra work of searching around the website.

Always use dedicated customer service or customer support email addresses or contact forms.

Always use toll free customer service phone numbers. Display customer service phone numbers using numbers, never letters.

Contact information that is clear and easy to find will reduce cardholder confusion and reduce the potential for disputes. Providing clear contact information will increase the chances that the cardholder will contact the merchant to resolve disputes. Along with being clear, policies should be accompanied by features that make it easy for cardholders to resolve problems. The merchant can even anticipate cardholder questions and provide content and tools to speed resolutions, such as feedback forms for terms & conditions and auto cancellation and refund request tools.