ZippyAssist announces new preauthorization feature to its refund request process

6L Inc., builders of ZippyAssist, a mobile-first customer support and engagement SaaS platform helping to build consumer confidence and trust in self-service and unattended retail, announces a key enhancement to its successful refunds feature to address customer uncertainty when an unexpected payment preauthorization occurs.

Payment preauthorizations come part-and-parcel with cashless payments but most customers are unaware of them until something goes wrong, often leading to confusion and anxiety. This is because when a customer sees a preauthorization transaction they’re not expecting, they think they’ve been charged in error, resulting in a time-consuming call to customer service.

These calls are ultimately unsatisfying and unproductive for all concerned because business owners can’t do much to release funds held for preauthorization. 

It was this very problem that prompted First Class Vending to ask the team at ZippyAssist if there was something they could do. Veronica Fletcher, First Class Vending customer service manager, said in the announcement, “We use preauthorization across our entire organization, so a significant amount of customer refund requests involves temporarily held funds. Responding to these requests takes time – sometimes a lot of time because the process isn’t always easily understood by customers. So, the time spent quickly adds up.”

Fletcher asked ZippyAssist if there was something within Zippy that would inform and advise customers of preauthorization.

The outcome is an enhancement to ZippyAssist’s refund request process, which can now advise customers about the preauthorization process. It will then guide the customer through a refund request, but only if held funds have not been released. As a result, customers are informed immediately without having to speak to someone, and service staff only need to become involved when a refund request needs to be approved, removing the need to spend time informing customers and follow up.

For Michelle Marsh, First Class Vending Nevada president, the enhanced preauthorization feature is yet another example of how ZippyAssist is helping the company enhance the customer experience even when things don’t quite go to plan: “Customers understand that things go wrong from time to time – but we always want them to feel supported and have the reassurance that they’ll be taken care of. That’s what ZippyAssist has always done, and why it’s become a fundamental part of our service stack.”

ZippyAssist’s new preauthorization features are available now for companies already using ZippyAssist to provide customer support.

Companies interested in ZippyAssist for their organization can contact Neil Swindale at [email protected].