Title: Merchant Down Escalation
Purpose:
Use this SOP when a merchant is unable to process payments and the issue is business-critical.
When to use:
Use this process when the merchant cannot accept card payments, the terminal is fully offline, transactions are failing, or service interruption is impacting operations.
Steps:
Create or update the ticket immediately and set priority to High/Urgent.
Confirm merchant details: business name, MID, location, contact person, callback number, and processor.
Identify the exact impact: terminal offline, payment gateway issue, settlement issue, declined transactions, or connectivity problem.
Check whether the issue is isolated or affecting multiple merchants.
Perform initial troubleshooting if applicable.
Escalate to the appropriate processor/support team immediately.
Add all timestamps and actions taken in the ticket.
Keep the merchant updated at agreed intervals until service is restored.
Once resolved, confirm the merchant can successfully process a live transaction.
Document root cause and resolution before closing.
Escalation rule suggestion:
Urgent ticket created
Notify assigned rep immediately
Notify manager if unresolved after X hours
Trigger follow-up update reminders until resolved