---
title: "Customer service and support"
description: "Learn about the compliance guidelines you need to follow when offering support to your users."
url: "https://docs.adyen.com/capital/customer-service-support"
source_url: "https://docs.adyen.com/capital/customer-service-support.md"
canonical: "https://docs.adyen.com/capital/customer-service-support"
last_modified: "2024-01-10T12:09:00+01:00"
language: "en"
---

# Customer service and support

Learn about the compliance guidelines you need to follow when offering support to your users.

[View source](/capital/customer-service-support.md)

The information in this page does **not** constitute legal advice. It only provides an overview of Adyen's compliance guidelines for financial products and Adyen for Platforms (referred to as the Compliance Guidelines). For additional, non-legal clarifications about this content, reach out to your Adyen contact.

The platform is responsible for providing first and second line support to customers. The platform must provide a way for customers to submit support requests and provide resolution support. The platform also serves as Adyen’s point of contact for any communications from customers.

## Customer service essentials

The following table outlines the responsibilities of the platform when providing support to customers.

|                      |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| -------------------- |   |
| **Support teams**    | The platform is responsible for the following:- Provide first line support: A general help desk that takes more information, offers simple solutions, and determines if an issue requires escalation to someone with more expertise.

- Provide second line support: A team with more technical knowledge who can assist with more complex issues.

- Ensure that both the first and the second line support services work effectively:

  * Customer helplines shall be sufficiently resourced and capable of dealing with unexpected surges in demand of customer support.
  * Tickets shall be prioritized based on the severity of the issue, ensuring a timely response.
  * Where relevant, customers shall be provided with a unique case number for their support query. The status of a support query shall be clear for a customer at all times.
  * In case of expected delays in response (for example, due to an unexpected surge in customer support queries), customers must be informed accordingly.
  * The information provided by a user needs to be registered properly, allowing for central access by subsequent customer service advisors. |
| **Support guidance** | The platform must provide its customers with clear guidance and information on how to receive support:- Guidance should allow customers to easily find key information, with clear signposting to the platform's customer support channels.
- Phone system, menus, webpages or web chats must be easy to navigate.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| **Support channels** | The platform must have multiple support channels available and communicate these channels clearly towards their customers:- Support needs to be offered by multiple channels, allowing for live-support (for example, phone, emails, social media channels, video call, in-office support, call-back service), in accordance with the needs of their user base.
- If support is offered digitally or though a chatbot, human touch points are required wherever complex needs are identified or if so requested by a merchant.
- A reasonable level of support must be provided through channels in the event of an issue arising with their services (for example, IT outage, temporary works or a cyber-attack).
- The platform's support channel cannot include any sludge practices or barriers, hindering the ability of customers to raise a support query or file a complaint.
- Support channels must be available and free of charge, regardless of the channel used to provide support.                                                                                                                                                                 |
| **Critical support** | The platform must enable 24/7 ability to raise any query or notification by customers about (possible) unauthorized use, fraud, loss or theft of personal security credentials and/or card.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| **Training**         | The platform should properly train and equip their front-line staff to deliver good customer support, including training to identify risks of vulnerability. See [Considerations for vulnerable customers](#vulnerable) below for more information.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| **Monitoring**       | The platform are required to monitor and assess the quality of support they provide to ensure that customers receive the support they need, and to limit the risk of systematic issues that create unreasonable barriers or costs for customers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| **Record-keeping**   | The platform are requested to maintain records relating to all support queries and responses thereto for five years from the date of the termination of the Adyen Service and the user's account closure, unless the platform's own data retention requirements stipulate a longer time period.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |

## Considerations for vulnerable customers (UK and Ireland)

Adyen requires platforms to ensure that any customers in vulnerable circumstances receive reasonable assistance and support that they require to engage with Adyen’s financial services. Vulnerable customers are *"customers who, due to their personal circumstances, are especially susceptible to harm, particularly when a firm is not acting with appropriate levels of care"*.

Adyen is required to ensure that platforms receive appropriate training for dealing with vulnerable customers. This is to ensure that necessary staff within platforms can understand and recognise vulnerable customers and respond to their needs. For further information refer to [Identifying vulnerable users](/capital/compliance-financial-products/vulnerable-users#identifying-vulnerable-users). The platform must ensure that this information is provided to and understood by all staff members specified.

In addition to the general requirements outlined above, customer service and support systems should also incorporate the following requirements to ensure that necessary assistance is provided to vulnerable user:

* Communication systems should enable and encourage customers to specify if they have particular needs or require special assistance, and to share/update information in their own time and at their own pace. This should be done with a popup or other prominent notice on the platform's user interface, stating that customers should contact the platform if they require any special assistance. The notice must contain a link, phone number, and email address for the standard support channels.
* Digital channels should be complemented with human touchpoints wherever this need is identified.
* Customer support channels and information relevant to these should be compatible with assistive technologies such as text-to-speech applications.
