Merchant Services: The Key to Supporting Small Business Growth
Education
Business
| 06.06.2025
Running a small business means managing countless responsibilities including operations, staffing, customer service, finances and inventory. This is why having an efficient payment system is not just a convenience but a necessity. Merchant services provide various tools and systems designed to help you not only accept a wide range of payment methods, but also aid in the business management process through other components like website development. In this blog, Nick Benz, our Director of Treasury Management and Merchant Services, will help us explore these components, what ones are right for your small business and how Merchants Bank can help you get started.
Beyond simply enabling payment acceptance, merchant services often include important protections for your business and your customers, such as measures to help detect and prevent fraud. If a transaction seems suspicious, including the use of a reported stolen card, the system will flag it for review or may even automatically decline it, helping stop any potential losses before they occur. This proactive approach gives you peace of mind as a business owner.
Merchant services offer key components and features that extend beyond just taking payments. These include tools to enhance your business operation and reach, such as:
Different pricing structures are also a key feature, starting with the simple flat-rate plan for small businesses moving to interchange plus for higher-volume clients, surcharging in which the client would charge a fee to their customers to take a card and cash discounting.
Merchant services are more than just a way to accept payments, they are tools for growth. For a growing small business, offering easy and versatile payment options attracts more customers. Further, merchant services can provide the infrastructure you need as you expand. To increase your visibility, website development services can help you reach a wide audience. Then if you now want to sell online, the e-commerce solutions like shopping carts become essential. Once your business gets to a certain size and you find yourself managing ore product, POS systems can integrate inventory management, identifying popular products so you can make informed decisions about your offerings. These tools, alongside features like faster payment processing and enhance security, all contribute to make things easier for both you and your customers.
“Unlike other providers, where you’d have to reach out to a 1-800 number, our clients can contact Merchants Bank directly for assistance,” says Nick. “It’s our commitment to personalized customer service.”
Through our Treasury Management team’s collaboration with Clover, and importantly, through the feedback we receive from businesses like yours, Merchants Bank keeps you at the forefront of merchant services innovations. Clover regularly updates its hardware and software, with recent developments including Kiosk touchscreen ordering and additional website development services, designed to help you expand reach and streamline operations.
The onboarding process at Merchants Bank is simple. You’ll start by talking with one of our Merchants Bank Treasury Management team member about your business needs. The team will then send you an application to e-sign. Following a short approval period, your payment processing equipment will be shipped to you within a few days. The equipment will personally guide you through the setup, helping you setup login information for a virtual terminal where you can view your sales reports and monthly statements to provide the financial insights mentioned earlier. After that, you’re all set to start accepting payments from your customers.
As you continue to grow, the Merchants Bank Treasury Management serves as your trusted advisor in identifying additional merchant services that support your evolving business goals. Treasury management tools subject to approval.
Understanding Merchant Services
In simple terms, the core function of merchant services is to help businesses accept and process various payment options from customers, most notably debit and credit cards. The specific services you use depends on your business needs at that time. As your small business evolves, these needs might change, and merchant services are designed to be flexible and scalable, allowing for upgrades to support growth.Beyond simply enabling payment acceptance, merchant services often include important protections for your business and your customers, such as measures to help detect and prevent fraud. If a transaction seems suspicious, including the use of a reported stolen card, the system will flag it for review or may even automatically decline it, helping stop any potential losses before they occur. This proactive approach gives you peace of mind as a business owner.
Merchant services offer key components and features that extend beyond just taking payments. These include tools to enhance your business operation and reach, such as:
- Website development to establish an online presence.
- Mobile payment solutions for on-the-go transactions.
- E-commerce solutions like online shopping carts to sell online.
- Point-of-sale (POS) systems to manage transactions, inventory and customer data.
Different pricing structures are also a key feature, starting with the simple flat-rate plan for small businesses moving to interchange plus for higher-volume clients, surcharging in which the client would charge a fee to their customers to take a card and cash discounting.
How Merchant Services Help Small Businesses
“With merchant services, you’ll get your money faster, benefit from enhanced security and make things easier for your customers,” explains Nick.Merchant services are more than just a way to accept payments, they are tools for growth. For a growing small business, offering easy and versatile payment options attracts more customers. Further, merchant services can provide the infrastructure you need as you expand. To increase your visibility, website development services can help you reach a wide audience. Then if you now want to sell online, the e-commerce solutions like shopping carts become essential. Once your business gets to a certain size and you find yourself managing ore product, POS systems can integrate inventory management, identifying popular products so you can make informed decisions about your offerings. These tools, alongside features like faster payment processing and enhance security, all contribute to make things easier for both you and your customers.
Getting Started with Merchant Services
Merchants Bank is here to help your business easily accept various payment options and provide tools to help your business grow. Whether you’re a small business aiming to simplify transactions or a large corporation looking for advanced solutions, we have offerings tailored to your needs. A key advance of choosing Merchants Bank is our partnership with our merchant services vendor, Clover, ensuring you have access to cutting edge technology backed by our direct, personalized support.“Unlike other providers, where you’d have to reach out to a 1-800 number, our clients can contact Merchants Bank directly for assistance,” says Nick. “It’s our commitment to personalized customer service.”
Through our Treasury Management team’s collaboration with Clover, and importantly, through the feedback we receive from businesses like yours, Merchants Bank keeps you at the forefront of merchant services innovations. Clover regularly updates its hardware and software, with recent developments including Kiosk touchscreen ordering and additional website development services, designed to help you expand reach and streamline operations.
How do I get started?
The onboarding process at Merchants Bank is simple. You’ll start by talking with one of our Merchants Bank Treasury Management team member about your business needs. The team will then send you an application to e-sign. Following a short approval period, your payment processing equipment will be shipped to you within a few days. The equipment will personally guide you through the setup, helping you setup login information for a virtual terminal where you can view your sales reports and monthly statements to provide the financial insights mentioned earlier. After that, you’re all set to start accepting payments from your customers.As you continue to grow, the Merchants Bank Treasury Management serves as your trusted advisor in identifying additional merchant services that support your evolving business goals. Treasury management tools subject to approval.
