User experience & Customer interface
Last editedMay 20261 min read
The quality of the payment experience, for everyone from your own staff to your partners to your customers, has a direct impact on conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency. These questions cover hosted payment pages, embeddable components, brand customisation, accessibility compliance, and payer experience across web and mobile.
| # | Question | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do you offer hosted payment pages that can be customised to align with our brand, and what specific aspects of the payment journey can we configure? | Hosted pages let you collect payment details without handling sensitive data directly. The degree of customisation varies widely: some providers offer full white-labelling; others allow only a logo and colour change. Understand what is configurable and what is locked. |
| 2 | Are we able to customise the appearance of customer communications (confirmation emails, payment notifications, mandate confirmation letters) to maintain brand consistency? | Customer communications are often overlooked during procurement but are highly visible. A mandate confirmation email branded entirely with the provider’s logo can cause customer confusion and support calls. |
| 3 | What are your typical conversion rates on hosted payment pages and Open Banking flows? | Conversion rate is the most direct measure of payment page quality. Ask for benchmarks to manage your expectations from any subsequent implementation. |
| 4 | Do you support embeddable UI components (e.g., a Dropin or iFrame-free SDK) for seamless integration into our own web and mobile interfaces? | Embeddable components allow you to embed the payment collection flow within your own UI without redirecting users to a hosted page. Ask whether the implementation uses iFrames (which limit customisation) or a native SDK approach. |
| 5 | Can we drive the payment journey entirely through your API, without using hosted pages or embeddable components, and what compliance implications does this carry? | Full API-driven payment collection gives maximum UX control. Understand what the provider requires of you before committing to this approach. |
| 6 | What does the payment journey look like for customers across web and mobile, and do you provide UX examples or a demo environment we can test? | Request a live demo or test environment to walk the actual payer journey, not just screenshots. Pay particular attention to the mobile experience, bank selection UX for Open Banking flows, and error handling. |
| 7 | How do you demonstrate that your customer-facing payment flows meet current accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA or equivalent)? | Accessibility is good business practice and maybe a legal obligation. Ask for assistive technology compatibility statements with an accompanying methodology. |
| 8 | How does your solution support customers who may struggle with digital payment flows, for example by offering alternative channels such as phone or paper-based mandate setup? | Consumer duty obligations and operational reality mean some customers cannot or will not complete a digital payment journey. A provider that supports alternative channels (e.g., telephone mandate setup) reduces the operational burden on your customer service team. |
Sample RFP
Our sample RFP includes all of the questions in this guide and more. You can download it and use it as a template for creating your own.
Note: The questions suggested on this page are intended as a starting place for writing your own RFP. They're provided for general information only: they're not intended to be prescriptive or to provide legal advice. We suggest working closely with your management to develop an RFP that is tailored towards the specific requirements of your business.
