Making chip part of your business

Think about how chip will work in your business. Take the opportunity of using it to speed up service and make things simpler for customers and staff.

• Think about portable terminals
  They’re ideal for restaurants. Staff can take the terminals directly to customers at the table. Retail staff could also offer to serve customers paying by card with portable terminals throughout the store.
• Think about self-service kiosks and card-only aisles
  This may reduce the time taken to serve each customer, improve the customer experience and free up your staff. More on self-service
• Who handles the card?
  Decide if the customer or your staff inserts the card into the terminal. Stores in busy locations or those selling food and drink may find it quicker for customers to do this, while staff pack goods or prepare orders.
• Contact your acquiring bank
  Your bank can help and advise you on the best way to make chip part of your business.

Think about making room at point of sale for chip terminals and PIN pads. And consider how customers will use them.

• Location of PIN pads
  Can customers easily reach the PIN pad? Make sure that there is enough space for the PIN pad on the counter or at point-of-sale. Check that the PIN pad can be rotated easily towards the customer, or that wires are long enough for staff to pass it to customers, including those in wheelchairs.
• Privacy
  Customers must enter their own PIN. Staff should never ask customers to reveal their PIN, or enter it for them. Make sure that staff, other customers or CCTV cameras do not overlook customers when they enter their PIN.

Staff are ideally placed to reassure customers new to chip cards or unsure how to use them. Here’s what to cover when training your staff:

• Terminal types
  Train your staff on how your particular chip terminals work. With some models, customers insert the card themselves. Whilst with others, staff take the cards from customers and insert them into the terminal.
• Card types
  Even if your terminals accept chip cards, you must continue to accept all cards with a Visa logo. This includes cards with a magnetic stripe only and no chip. Ensure that your staff know how to accept magnetic stripe-only cards, too.
• On-screen instructions
  Instruct staff to follow the prompts on the terminal screen as each card may work differently.
  
  Some chip cards could require a signature instead of a PIN. This is perfectly acceptable. If the chip card is broken, it may be acceptable to use the magnetic stripe instead.
  
  Staff do not need to guess whether the card is a chip card, or requires a PIN or signature. The terminal will prompt for what is required – it is just as smart as the card.
• More on card handling procedures
• PIN entry
  If a card requires a PIN, customers must enter their PIN themselves. Staff should never ask customers to reveal their PIN, or enter it for them. Staff should look away from the PIN pad when the customer enters their PIN. Many stores use this time to start packing the customer’s goods or preparing their order.
• Forgotten PIN
  If a customer cannot remember their PIN, remind them that it may be the same one they use when withdrawing cash from a cash machine. Also, remind customers that they can contact their card issuer for help.
• Signature
  If a card requires a signature, make sure your staff know how to handle these cards the process for storing the signed sales slip.
• Refunds
  Familiarise your staff with the refund process. Customers may have to enter their PIN for the refund to be applied to their card.

See also card handling procedures and recognising valid Visa cards.