Statement from allpay
Globally we continue to face a very worrying time. Many Local Government and housing association clients provide services to vulnerable people across the UK and we offer the following reassurances about what we are doing at allpay to help in any way we can whilst maintaining a business as usual approach as far as practically possible.
Our Business Continuity Plan
We continue to review our business continuity arrangements, considering the potential risk of the Coronavirus, to ensure we are fully prepared. This plan is designed to mitigate the impact of disruptive events, including a prolonged pandemic, to ensure the continuity of services with priority given to critical functions.
These measures will minimise the impact on the services allpay are able to provide to our clients. We are also assessing our own suppliers’ resilience to the risk of Coronavirus to minimise the impact on our capability. For further information about our business continuity plan please see below.
We are experiencing an unprecedented situation in relation to the rapid spread of COVID-19. As the situation continues to escalate, more radical measures may need to be taken to protect our communities and those who are most vulnerable.
As a result, many customers who make payments for rent or other bills “over the counter” will now be advised to avoid or be reluctant to visit these outlets. We have therefore outlined the alternative payment collection options available to be used by councils and housing associations to protect customers’ welfare and the health of staff too.
Internet payments – A large proportion of people in the UK are now familiar with making online payments and they will be comfortable using a secure system to pay for rent or bills online. For allpay clients, customers can make secure online payments at any time at www.allpayments.net simply by using their Payment Reference Number (PRN) from their swipe card or barcode and their bank card.
Telephone payments – For vulnerable or elderly customers or for those who do not like to make online payments, telephone payments offer a suitable alternative. A simple automated telephone system can be set up to take your customers through every step of the payment process which fully meets PCI compliance requirements, again using their PRN.
Mobile APP – For mobile users, mobile apps have become particularly popular in recent years. Available on both Apple and Android devices, a secure app can easily be set up with a bank card to make payments on a regular basis after a simple registration.
Text payments – Even without a smartphone your customers can register and make payments after a brief registration online.
Importantly, with the circumstances changing so rapidly, all the solutions outlined can be implemented very quickly. Any of these methods can be put in place within 48 hours on receipt of bank details with no set-up cost. Also, if you need a list of your customers’ PRNs, we can easily provide this for you.
As the situation evolves, we must all evaluate and implement alternative ways of operating, providing services and keeping customers and staff as safe as possible.
Our Prepaid cards offer a rapid and safe way to distribute emergency funds to those in most need.
The preloaded Mastercard® can be distributed and used to pay for goods or food up to the value loaded on the card, offering a bespoke, managed and efficient solution to payment distribution. allpay currently works with around 50 councils across the UK enabling them to distribute the benefits of the prepaid cards for a variety of projects and so our team is experienced in deploying such projects on both a small and large scale quickly.
In the past, councils have used the cards to provide accessible funds for emergency accommodation for example, or to provide the facility to purchase specific products or provide payments for social care services.
If you are a council or housing association and want to start providing one of these solutions quickly to help protect your customers, please contact clientrelationshipmanagers@allpay.net.
We would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that the whole team at allpay are working tirelessly to keep delivering services to each of our clients to ensure their customers are able to access and use the services they need as safely as possible.
