Overview
What is Merchant Onboarding?
Merchant Onboarding is the process of registering, verifying, and enabling a business to start accepting payments on a payment platform. This involves collecting essential business information, verifying the identity of business owners, and evaluating risks to ensure compliance with legal and financial regulations. It is a crucial first step for seamless integration and efficient transaction processing.
Merchant Onboarding Options
We provide a range of flexible and customizable onboarding solutions tailored to suit different business needs and levels of technical expertise.
Automated Merchant Onboarding: A hosted, pre-built onboarding solution by Clearent, designed to streamline merchant onboarding with configurable workflows.
Note: White-label capabilities are coming soon, allowing for UI customization to match your brand
Manual Submission via Partner Portal: A simple way to onboard merchants by entering their details into the Partner Portal for review and approval.
API Integration: Enables seamless onboarding with direct API connections, providing full control over the user experience.
Choose the option that best fits your use case:
Product
Objective
Utilize a pre-built, configurable onboarding application to streamline merchant setup.
Manual data entry and submission through an existing portal.
Onboard new merchants using API integration.
Recommended For
Integrators seeking a hassle-free, low-code solution with minimal integration effort. Ideal for those needing a quick-to-deploy platform for merchant setup, whether remote (via mobile, tablet, laptop) or in-person.
Integrators who prefer a manual, straightforward approach with no API integration.
Integrators who want complete control over the user experience and data flow.
Integration Effort
Low.
None.
High.
Development Effort
Minimal development required, leveraging a pre-built platform.
No development required; uses existing portal for setup.
Requires full development work to design and manage the onboarding flow.
Customization Flexibility
Various configuration options are available, including application questions (visibility & editability) and customizable Equipment Surveys. Note: UI brand customization is coming soon.
No customization; uses standard portal with fixed features.
Full flexibility to design, modify, and control every part of the onboarding experience.
Additional Services
If you prefer a hands-off approach to merchant onboarding, we offer comprehensive support services to streamline the process. Our team can collaborate with you to develop a tailored Go-to-Market Strategy, including sales and marketing planning, to accelerate your business growth, and our experienced specialists can handle the entire merchant onboarding process on your behalf.
This option allows you to focus on your core business while ensuring compliance, reducing risk, and providing a seamless onboarding experience for your merchants.
Merchant Onboarding Process
Regardless of the merchant onboarding method you choose, the onboarding process typically follows these key steps:
Collect Merchant Information (via Merchant Application form)
Sign & Submit (Merchant Application)
Merchant Verification & Underwriting (including Business Verification, Signer Verification, Risk Evaluation)
Request for Additional Information (if needed)
Approval or Rejection of the merchant application
Collecting Merchant Information
To begin the onboarding process, we require merchants to provide essential business details through the Merchant Application form. This includes key data like legal business name, address, owner information, and bank account details. The collected information is crucial for verification and compliance checks.
Sign & Submit
The next step is for the merchant to review, sign, and submit the application. This typically involves agreeing to the terms of service and providing consent for data verification and risk assessment.
Merchant Verification & Underwriting
During this stage, the submitted information undergoes a comprehensive review. The process involves:
Business Verification: Confirmation of the legal status and ownership details of the business.
Signer (Owner) Verification: Identity checks for business owners, often requiring government-issued ID documentation.
Risk Evaluation: Analysis of the business profile to assess creditworthiness and potential risks.
Request for Additional Information
If any discrepancies are identified during the verification process, additional details may be requested to resolve outstanding issues. This step is a part of the thorough risk and compliance assessment.
Approval or Rejection
Once all checks are completed, the application is either approved or rejected. Approved merchants are then going through the set up process to be ready to start accepting payments. If rejected, the merchant is notified with details for potential resolution or reapplication.
For more information on our Merchant Onboarding solutions, refer to the following documents:
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