Customer Success Stories & Case Studies

Challenge

One of the UK's largest banks wanted to ensure medically-vulnerable customers confined to their homes during the pandemic had access to cash to pay for essential items. They needed a new service fast — one that could securely take orders and deliver money directly to their customers' doors. Enter ICE International Currency Exchange and Paytia. ICE International Currency Exchange is one of the largest retail currency-exchange companies in the world, managing a transaction every 6 seconds and serving more than 7 million customers a year across 20 countries in four continents. With their guiding principle "to provide an unparalleled level of customer service, expertise and integrity", convenience is core to their business. Customers can exchange currencies at one of their 320 branches world-wide, or order remotely online or by phone, and have their money delivered directly to their door. The Pandemic strikes While demand for travel-related services came to a pandemic-induced halt in 2020, ICE's expertise in secure delivery of cash became a lifeline to people across the UK. Many sick and medically-vulnerable people confined to their homes rely on cash to pay for day-to-day essentials such as shopping, help from carers and other essentials. When one of the country's largest retail banks wanted to help, they turned to ICE. The bank would transfer customers to ICE to take a debit-card payment and organise shipment of the money to their customers' homes. ICE hits a roadblock Getting the service live as soon as possible was vital. However, ICE quickly discovered that their existing telephone-payments solution — which involved sending customers a link to a secure web-based payment page — was impossible to use for many of the target customers who were unable to access or use a smartphone or computer. ICE had to find an alternative that would still protect customers' card data, allowing them to submit details using their keypad rather than an online form, and have the payment verified and authorised while still on the call with their agents. The clock starts ticking Having taken payments by phone for many years, ICE recognised that effective customer protection meant complying with the payment-card industry data security standards (PCI DSS) — something their bank partner was keen to ensure, also. They knew from experience that the manual approach of "locking down" their agents' systems and working environment to ensure data security, was no longer tenable. It was expensive, impractical — given their staff would be working from home — and ultimately, flawed: They would still be left with customers having to read aloud their card details to a stranger. "The solution had to protect our customers but also be easy for them to use. It also had to remove the need for us to jump through the many hoops involved in meeting the stringent requirements imposed by PCI DSS," — Paula Griffiths, ICE's head of regional operations and project lead. "To top it all, we had just two weeks to find and deploy a solution that initially would be used by just a handful of agents. There was no time or budget for complex, expensive implementations." However, the team's search drew a blank. Although products were available, they were all prohibitively expensive and involved the kind of complex integration ICE was trying to avoid. As a last resort they asked their payment provider, Elavon, for ideas.

Solution

"Our Payment partner, Elavon, recommended Paytia, and we didn't look back!" said Paula. "Here was a solution that finally ticked all our boxes — and met our bank client's substantial security and compliance controls." ICE was able to start using Paytia Secure Virtual Terminal without having to make changes to their telephony or applications. They configured it themselves to suit how they wished to work — for example, adding screen prompts and scripts for their team to ensure important service terms and conditions were covered. Using Paytia Secure Virtual Terminal, the ICE team could take multiple payment types. "We didn't want to debit customers' accounts until money had been delivered. Paytia Secure Virtual Terminal gives us the option to take a reserve payment at the time of order." Because the Paytia solution was a PCI DSS Level 1-certified cloud service, ICE was no longer required to implement, monitor and have audited the strict controls required by PCI DSS — saving time, effort and giving staff the freedom to work wherever they wanted. Crucially, Paytia proved easy to use for their customers. "We've found that even the most technically-challenged find it intuitive, once you explain that it is just like using your telephone keypad for making a call," remarked Sophie Webster, ICE Assistant Manager. "If there are issues, we are tracking submissions on our screen, so we can step in at any time."

Results

By all measures, ICE's cash-for-care service was a success. Paula adds: "It's been a great success. We're proud to have been able to help so many people during such a difficult time. We couldn't have done it without Paytia."

Key Benefit

Challenge

Insure and Go's call centre using Digi-desk by Citrus telecom faced the critical security challenge of agents capturing real payment card details during customer calls for travel insurance purchases, policy modifications, and emergency claim payments. With strict PCI DSS compliance requirements and the constant risk of data breaches, the company needed to completely eliminate card data exposure from their agent workstations and business systems while maintaining efficient customer service for urgent travel insurance needs.

Solution

Paytia deployed a unified common capture service that seamlessly integrates with Insure and Go's Digi-desk infrastructure across all locations. The centralized platform ensures identical DTMF tone collection and security protocols whether agents work from headquarters or home offices. Customers experience the exact same payment process while agents maintain familiar workflows regardless of their physical location.

Results

Insure and Go achieved 75% PCI compliance scope reduction across all agent locations with complete work location flexibility. The common capture service enabled seamless hybrid working while maintaining consistent customer experiences. Remote worker productivity matched office performance as all agents accessed identical secure payment capabilities through their Digi-desk systems.

Key Benefit

Challenge

Warby Parker, a rapidly growing eyewear retailer, faced significant challenges with their phone-based order processing system. As call volumes increased, the company struggled with PCI DSS compliance requirements while handling customer payment information over the phone. Their manual payment processing was time-consuming, increasing average call handling times and creating security risks as agents directly handled sensitive card details. They needed a solution that would maintain their high standards of customer service while addressing these security and efficiency concerns.

Solution

Paytia implemented their PCI-compliant telephone payment system that allowed Warby Parker's customer service representatives to remain on the call with customers throughout the payment process while completely removing card data from their environment. The system enabled customers to input credit card details directly through their telephone keypad, with the data securely transmitted to payment processors without passing through Warby Parker's systems. The integration with their existing CRM ensured that all transaction records were automatically updated without additional manual steps.

Results

After implementing Paytia's solution, Warby Parker saw immediate improvements in both security and efficiency. Call handling times decreased by 35%, allowing customer service representatives to handle more calls while providing more personalized service. The company achieved full PCI DSS compliance, eliminating a significant regulatory burden and associated costs. Customer satisfaction scores increased by 28% specifically related to the payment experience, with customers appreciating the enhanced security and convenience. The solution also reduced payment errors by 42%, minimizing the need for follow-up calls to resolve payment issues.

Key Benefit

Challenge

CAS needed to securely process customer payments over the phone while maintaining high standards of customer service. Their existing process involved agents directly handling sensitive card details, which created security risks and PCI DSS compliance burdens. They sought a solution that would remove card data from their environment without compromising the personal touch that was central to their customer service ethos.

Solution

Paytia implemented their secure virtual terminal and payment links solution. The virtual terminal allows CAS agents to remain on the call with customers while the customers enter their card details securely via their telephone keypad. The payment links functionality provides an additional option for customers who prefer to complete their payment at a later time. Both approaches ensure that sensitive card data never enters the CAS environment or systems.

Results

The implementation successfully eliminated all card data from CAS systems, removing them from PCI DSS scope. Customer payment options were expanded to include both real-time telephone payments and convenient payment links. Support calls related to payment issues decreased by approximately 25% as the streamlined process reduced customer confusion. The solution maintained the personal customer service experience while enhancing security and reducing administrative overhead.

Key Benefit

Challenge

When COVID-19 lockdowns forced Total Tiles to transition to remote working, they faced a significant challenge: how to securely process customer card payments when staff were working from home. The company was processing 25-30 orders per day, but the traditional card payment methods were not secure or compliant for remote work environments. They needed a solution that would maintain business continuity, ensure PCI DSS compliance, and protect customer card data.

Solution

Total Tiles implemented Paytia's secure payment platform, which enabled their remote sales team to process payments without ever seeing, hearing, or handling customer card details. The system allows customers to input their payment information directly via their telephone keypad while remaining on the call with the sales agent. This secure approach completely removed card data from Total Tiles' environment, eliminating compliance concerns associated with remote working.

Results

The implementation had an immediate positive impact on the business. Within just one week, Total Tiles saw their daily order processing increase from 25-30 orders to 45-50 orders per day - an 80% improvement. The time spent on call handling reduced significantly as payment processing became more efficient. Sales agents reported better customer interactions as they could focus on customer service rather than payment administration. The solution ensured that the company could maintain secure operations with staff working from home while complying with all PCI DSS requirements.

Key Benefit