#BellBiz Twitter Chat: Making Mobile Payments Make Sense

Mobile payments aren’t just coming, they’re already here. Starbucks is rolling out smartphone-enabled payments to all of its North American stores, while every major Canadian bank and telecom carrier has projects either in progress or ready to launch.

On the surface, it’s easy to understand. Instead of paying with cash and credit or debit cards, we could soon be paying by tapping our smartphones against point-of-sale terminals. Even further, mobile payments could mean significant changes to the way small businesses work. Deciding how and when to implement mobile payments into your business – and managing it – can be a daunting process.

Our next #BellBiz Twitter chat will help us start the mobile payments conversation. Join us on Tuesday, November 6^th at 1:00 p.m. Eastern and we’ll tackle the following questions:

1. What are mobile payments? How do we define the term? What does all of this have to do with e-commerce or electronic wallets (e-wallets)?
2. What advantages can mobile payments bring to the typical small business?
3. Can mobile payments be used to improve the customer experience? How can I get customers excited about it?
4. Are there risks? How can they be identified? And minimized?
5. Credit card companies offer coverage in the event of loss or theft. Does the same thing apply for mobile payments? What are the rules and who’s responsible for what?
6. Can my existing payment equipment, processes and relationships be used for mobile payments or will I need to go with something completely new? How is this stuff supported?
7. What kind of training will my employees need?
8. Who are the major players? What types of companies – vendors, banks, etc. – should I be speaking with?
9. What are some of the current solutions available? What’s coming?
10. How can I tell the difference between a mobile payment solution that’s right for my business and one that isn’t?

We’re still early in the evolution of mobile payments, but many small businesses are already starting to figure out what makes sense for them and their customers. Join our live Twitter chat using the #BellBiz hashtag this Tuesday at 1 p.m. Eastern to learn more. We’re looking forward to chatting with you! And, if you’ve got any other questions, feel free to post them in the comments section below!