₦airaland Forum

Need help guys

Does webpay accept both visa and Mastercard?

Hey guys.
I am currently creating an e-commerce site whr customers can make payment with visa or Mastercard. Not interswitch or verve cards.

What payment gateway system can accept both local and international cards?

Thanks guys.

1k001:
Service Delivery

Across the Nigerian business landscape, a lot is left to be desired in their operations. None however irks me more than customer service. Poor customer service is so widespread and acceptable that we actually don't notice it. It wasn't till i left Nigeria over a decade ago i came to realize that this was the case.

Thus in creating my business I've tried to imbue the idea that we must deliver great customer service. The way i've approached this is to start from within. Thankfully I've been blessed with quite a good temperament. I've hardly ever been known to raise my voice or get angry. It's perhaps the way i was raised. I often have been the one to break stereotypes in people's minds of the 'loud, aggressive Nigerian'. Case in point, after i'd first interacted with my father in law who's not Nigerian, he asked my wife, then girlfriend, are you sure he's Nigerian? He doesn't behave like one.

Anyway i digress, my point being we Nigerians have gained this not entirely inaccurate stereotype of being aggressive. This aggressiveness is reflected in the way we do a lot of things, including our customer service. Personally i just try to be nice and courteous to everyone, including those that wrong me or i stand to gain nothing from. To the people that work(ed) for me I'm nice and fair to them. I respect them and treat them like adults. I don't ever shout. I never ask them to do something i wouldn't do myself.

My hope is that by doing this, I create a pleasant working environment where everyone is happy to come work and never want to leave. The hope is then that this joy in the workplace translates to the way we treat our customers.

We have the target of having a customer contact within 8 hours of signing up, preferably in the form of a phone call. We aim to speak to all our customers and keep in regular contact. When we speak on the phone we smile, it's amazing how this comes through in the conversation. We always try to build consensus and never antagonize people. Most of all we listen and try to solve the particular problem the customer has not the one we think they have. We're by no means perfect in any of this, they're ideals we continue to strive for.

When we interviewed people we had a little role play. It was that of an irate customer to test how the applicant would respond. Some responses were shocking! In one instance the applicant blamed the customer for a problem that was clearly not theirs.

Some of my aphorisms

- Treat your staff right
- Love your customers and solve their problems
- Smile always (even when on the phone)
- The customer may not always be right but their feelings are always right.
- Always agree and build consensus. Don't use 'but' use 'and' - replace 'but' in the following sentence and see the difference 'I understand how you feel but...'


The bottom line is to always have a kind and personable demeanor. Read the book 'How to win friends and influence people' by Dale Carnegie for more.

Nice one man. When I left Nigeria 7years ago to Europe, this was one thing that struck me most-customer service. Our customer service in this country is dire to say the least. Even after all these years

GAZZUZZ:
It might be a vacuum leak, it might be a faulty throttle body, if you have a scanner you can scan for error codes and post them here for better responses, if you live in lagos and would like a comprehensive diagnosis and repair call 08023251039

I called and your number is not connecting

Ontarget:
I am in need of a business partner. If you have a good business idea or you already have a business which you need a partner to team up with you and contribute to raise capital and in planning, I would like you to reach me on BBM PIN 557E1D0D so we can discuss thoroughly.

*No farming or forex business.

*Scammers should not bother to reach me or you will be wasting your time.

Where is your location?

Hey guys,
My frnd has a manual Toyota and he complains that when he clutches to change gear, the rpm rises to about 2000-3000. And he says the car now uses fuel like never before. Even sometimes at idle, the car rpm is still at 1500rpm. It's a 08 Toyota Corolla.

He needs help and his mechanic is saying is a vacuum leak.

Wowww. OP seems ur thread is on front page now. I must say your thread made me go ahead with my idea now. Tho m doing it alone for now as I can't find a worthy partner for now. I would be launching this idea say in 4 months.

Thank you so much for this thread. You are an inspiration to me and others. If u want someone to work for u for free, u can count on me. Would b able to do 1day a week for u free. I believe I can learn a lot from u in the process.

God Bless

Olucheye:
Let me hear you out...
Fix a meet.

Cheers!

Yeah definitely. We can meet anywhere in Lagos. Thanks. fuhrerglobal@gmail.com

databoy247:
I hope am able to hit the points i observed.

What am going to do is to point out your errors based on my little knowledge and personal experience. I really dont know what product you are selling, but so far you are not making it interesting by not mentioning your product which i believe you are doing on purpose. You have done all necessary legal registration so i believe you should try to announce your stuff on every single avenue you come across (including here).

Your mistakes;
1. I dont seem to remember vividly, so let me assume you reside in the US. Methods of company launch and start-up processes differs between countries. The way it's done in the US and other 1st class countries has a pattern, while the way it's done in Nigeria is another ball game all together. Here, if you take one year or 8 months to plan a start-up and when you think you are all set, by the time you finally launch, everything will not go as planned and you will start wondering "What's going on?". Why am i saying this? Read my story, maybe you will understand why.

After school, i worked with a contracting firm for 3 years+ and started getting the urge to resign and start my own thing. Already, i was developing interests in the tech world. First thing i did, was to learn something. So i learned how to setup websites (with quack html codes....lol), which finally gave me the conviction to resign with the mindset that i wont go hungry. But alas i was wrong. I entered the world of freelancing, though i so badly wanted to start my own company, BUT i started with freelancing. It was tough getting jobs, but i persisted and after two years, i had a client base and was ready to launch my own company or rather go professional (getting incorporated and getting documented). Now my small tech start-up relies on my existing clients base AND referrals.

Let me buttress why i am giving this example: You are starting a company (GOOD), you have a product (GOOD), you have some level of knowledge (GOOD), you have some finance (GOOD), you have done all your legal registration (GOOD), but what you have not done is go into the streets...you don't have a reputation!

When it comes to tech business, Nigerians will be quick to label you "scam". This is because they DON'T know you, and a vast majority, even some of the rich DON'T key into tech. They so believe the traditional methods of doing things and for you to introduce your product to them when they don't know you, if you are not careful they will label you "scam".

If you love the tech business, then do some freelancing first. Test the waters, By so doing, you will understand how Nigerians welcome businesses and patronize businesses. DON'T base your feasibility study on surveys......because it may work well with the civilized world, but it WONT work with Nigerians. Do some freelancing, meet some people, build trust and when you finally decide to launch a product, the trust you have built amongst your existing client base will help you launch the product successfully.

For example, if you come to my office with your product and i have not heard about you before, or no one can vouch for you or recommend you, i will become skeptical...I am a Nigerian and that is how true Nigerians react.

My advice, don't be in a hurry, go into the streets, do some freelancing, gain some trust, understand the system (and the best way to do that is on the streets) and when you have covered some ground, you can launch your product.

Second mistake:
In Nigeria, partnership thing don't work like other countries. The reason is because it is extremely difficult to find someone who will have the kind of passion you possess for your company. If you have an idea and you finally develop it into a product, test drive it yourself. Push it into the market yourself, get stressed out trying to sell your product yourself, and when you have gained some footing, look for helping hands. The idea of getting partner(s) in Nigeria from the onset was a bad idea.

Third Mistake:
You decided to employ too fast. This is Nigeria, 97% of graduates did not graduate as a result of what the know, but how much money they have. So to get a staff to really do what you want after seeing his/her certificates is really a no no. What to do? get a secretary instead (male or female) and with time, the person will learn the trade and perform excellently more than so called graduates.

Fourth Mistake:
Since, it is a software (from what i understand), you should have focused on launching it on the web (ONLY). Let the website be very creative and attractive so it will become both the office and do the magic. Invest more on ads, let it be seen everywhere. Even if you are not making profits, at least your brand is spreading everywhere. So by the time you decide to get physical (get an office and start doing some offline pitching), it will no longer be "who are you?". It will be "i have seen this online somewhere, are you really the owner WOW...please tell me more".

Another example, when Seun started this nairaland, it was strictly web based. He built a reputation, he spread the brand and now he has a physical office with staff and landing deals with big companies like GTBank, First Bank, etc.

I dont know what your product is and i believe no one here knows... i wonder why keeping it a secret. Reps from big companies do come here and might just key into your stuff and you might just land yourself a huge deal (Maybe this is another mistake on your path). But your vision is great and i love it, just go back to the drawing board and you will buy me a bottle of beer.

Research my username here and you will kinda know me more...

Very smart one. Thanks for posting this. Learnt a lot from it.

donsheddy1:
Even though the rest are appearing as spanish, did "SHARE & SELL" Also appeared as spanish?

No it didn't. Thanks

Share guys so people can learn

This thread is created for people who have tried running one or two online biz before and failed. Tell us your experience and what you would have done differently if given the opportunity again.

Lemme start-
I once owned a website called www.businessdens.com. It was a site where investors could meet entrepreneurs and partner with them. I created this site in 2012,managed it for 4months and got bored of it. Traffic was poor and at best we had 100 visitors in a week.

I tried to do everything myself. Created, designed and developed the site. Also marketed d site myself with no outside help. Looking back now, I wuld hv partnered with somebody.

After a year, I didn't want to pay for the domain name again. Fast forward 2months and an American firm is using the domain name now.

This was my first attempt at owning an online biz. I have about 2 now and we are breaking even at d moment. Looking forward to the big one tho. My newest online invention is coming soon. Watch Out!

donsheddy1:
Another option is to develop a mobile ewallet plugin that can pop out share and sell service on click

Huh? This is Spanish to me. Explain please

castsports:
What I mean is having someone behind the mobile app that is connected to your payment gateway to receive the card info then load it in and send a reply of some sort.

It could work, but it is just left for you to decide whether or not its worth it...

Yh we tot of that. But in a case where we have about 10 thousand people making payment in a day, how does that work?

donsheddy1:
Are you for real? Buy MTN Recharge Card with Recharge Card. It's possible though, na your money go do the talking.

No I mean pay for goods with recharge cards online.

Hi guys. Is it possible to have an option of payment with MTN recharge card on an e-commerce site.

U simply buy an mtn card, go to payment, select pay with recharge card, put in d card number, system verifies d card, payment goes tru and value of card is transferred to a mobile account owned by the site.

Thanks

castsports:
I can think of two possible ways atm.
1. MTN giving an API for that.
2. Manual processing with the help of push notifications.

Can u explain the second one. Please boss

Hi guys. Is it possible to have an option of payment with MTN recharge card on an e-commerce site.

U simply buy an mtn card, go to payment, select pay with recharge card, put in d card number, system verifies d card, payment goes tru and value of card is transferred to a mobile account owned by the site.

Thanks

Mrcharming:
Send details of ur ideas to buzzdelan2@gmail.com.

Would need us to meet so as to give u details of the idea.

Still looking for partners for my new biz. You are not putting in any money. Just your effort is enough. I need either male or female. And just 2 people. A coder to code the site and someone good enough in online media advertisement. I need people willing to make this a success. All finance is coming from me. Thanks

Hmmmmm m. I see a ban coming

1k001:
Ideas

People always ask, i need an idea to start a business, how can i get a good one?

Well i'll tell you something, since becoming an entrepreneur. I've come up with tons of ideas. Unable to divide my attention however.

Ever noticed that a lot of entrepreneurs end up founding serial companies and products. Ever wondered why? That's because of the mindset an entrepreneur has. In order to get a business idea, you have to put your mind in the right frame.

I met a guy recently who left Nigeria and tried to come back to live but couldn't because of NEPA. He left and returned, guess what he does now? provides solutions to enable people get uninterrupted off grid electricity without a loud generator. That's the mindset that's needed, turn every problem to an opportunity.

Our big country is brimming with problems looking for brave people to attempt to solve them. If you can reliably solve a problem for enough people, in no time people will be looking for you so much you will have to hide.

So to get an idea find a problem, preferably one that afflicts you or people close to you and find a way to solve it. Learn, learn, learn and then learn some more. In no time ideas will be popping out of the walls. So even if your initial venture fails, you've put yourself in the frame of mind to see opportunities in the problems you face.

If after giving it a hard slog my venture eventually fails, trust me when i say i have a hundred more ideas i will pursue. Tasting this start-up life means i will not be settling for anything else. ( wife agreeing of course )

I have been silently following this thread. U doing a good job boss. Seems to me you have read so many books and researched a lot to put u in good stead. The problem with Nigeria I know today is so many people want to partner in an already set up biz. Few want to start from scratch and sacrifice at d start up.

I currently have a biz m developing. This idea is done physically in Nigeria and I wonder why not online yet. Heck erytin is going online now. But my issue is I can't do this alone. I need a team to push this idea with me. But no one seem interested so I'm developing the site myself and hoping this stuff works out.

Enuf of my rants. Keep the write up coming bro. M enjoying it

Hear now. Exactly the issue. No one is responding. Even the email I sent, dude is not even replying. Smh

I have a very good business idea that can b really successful. But whenever I come to nairaland seeking an investoer, nobody seem interested. It's a biz that would really need a lot of media and online marketing hence why I think people r running from it.

There is d financial aspect of it which I have undertaking some of it myself (website creation). I just need a partner so that we can put head ftogether and make this work.

Thanks

Hear

Yes you can

GarbaAudu:
@ Abatically. When you asked the OP if his vehicle's climate control is on the blue end or red end, he responds by claiming that his car has no such (climate) control. Do you beleive that Toyota Avensis has no climate control? 2007 model for that matter? A food for thought.

Show me ur red and blue thing in dis pic. M not dumb

abatically:
Of course every car with ac has climate control. I believe he said the display on his ac display screen is showing LO which is the lowest temperature (2007 avensis has 2 screens, one for media and the other for ac). He might just have a blown fuse. Anyway we are all just truing to help and no idea is wasted. Peace.

Thanks boss

GarbaAudu:
@ Abatically. When you asked the OP if his vehicle's climate control is on the blue end or red end, he responds by claiming that his car has no such (climate) control. Do you beleive that Toyota Avensis has no climate control? 2007 model for that matter? A food for thought.

Oga 07 dn't have dat red and blue knob . Don't b quick to conclusion. It's a digital control wiv a screen showing temp. And like I explained, it's on "lo". Thanks