YNOT EUROPE – Barcelona-based internet payment services provider CommerceGate has introduced a new service that allows end-users to charge purchases to their credit cards using any touch-tone telephone.

Called Interactive Voice Response, the system is Level One PCI-compliant and works with any mobile or landline phone. To make a purchase, the caller keys in his credit card information, which the IVR system transmits to CommerceGate’s secure servers. Once the payment is complete, the customer is transferred back to the merchant’s phone service.

By using the IVR system, the merchant is able to process payments without having to transmit or store sensitive credit card data.

“It may sound complicated, but it is really very simple,” according to CommerceGate Chief Executive Officer Bjorn Skarlen. “We handle the risk and security; the merchant focuses on delivering the service and receiving the money. Everybody wins.”

Skarlen said the service is among the first of its kind, allowing merchants to outsource completely the transmission of sensitive information.

Because CommerceGate’s system has been certified Level One PCI-compliant, the risk of security breaches, which can result in heavy penalties levied by credit card companies, is minimized, Skarlen noted. The IVR system also lowers processing costs by reducing the need for staff to handle phone payments. The system may be customized to the merchant’s needs and programmed to play pre-recorded messages and background music based on the merchant’s specifications. The system integrates seamlessly with traditional phone systems and VoIP and can be configured to call end-users directly in order to initiate payments.

“We are very excited to offer this service to our merchants in the United States and in Europe,” Skarlen said. “No other payment service provider that I know of can offer their clients this. The setup process is straightforward, and the potential rewards are huge.”

Merchants who offer any kind of service over the phone, as well as merchants combining phone services with other media like internet or television, will find more information here.