There are multiple degrees of technical support in the support sector of any industry. These levels provide a hierarchy for companies to sort issues and make sure they are seen and handled by the appropriate staff.
Handpoint does not provide First Level support in most cases. Most merchants don't know anything about us beyond the name on their card reader, if applicable, and we're okay with that. We feel that it's much better if our partners have a closer relationship with their merchants, such as being the one to help them solve simple issues without passing the message down the chain to us. It won't take nearly as long for an issue to be resolved, and the entire experience will be more personalized overall.
Because of this philosophy, we've created this entire section to assist you in better supporting your merchants when it comes to providing First Level Support. Included are the tools you need to teach your merchants how to be independent and self-reliant, but also comfortable asking for help if they still need it. (We're here, too, if you need us, and we're happy to help.)
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In this section, you can expect to find the tools to efficiently provide First Level support your merchants with their payment solution.
Your merchants will therefore have multiple resources to carry out self-help support, including:
Card Reader User Guides and frequently asked questions (FAQs)🧭 Handpoint Analytics Portal
🖥️ PAX Store and air viewer
🚦 Handpoint status page
📚 Your own knowledge and support for extra troubleshooting
If, after following the guided steps, there are still some unresolved problems, then please contact your Handpoint Account Manager to escalate the support issue.
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Trooubleshooting guides:
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Introduction to Support
First Level Support can be split into multiple tiers
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The simplest form, occupying the first tier, is basic getting started knowledge and support. This isn't so much troubleshooting as a thorough guide for setting up hardware and software. Merchants who need this kind of information shouldn't have to get in touch with a support tech.
The next tier, the second-highest on the Support tree, is occupied by Quick Fixes; problems that are common and crop up more frequently than others. At this level, it's necessary to provide trouble shooting step-by-step guides, but beyond pointing in the right direction, support request-response interactions should be minimal.
The third tier is a more specialized kind of help. When basic troubleshooting guides don't address specific problems, assistance and FAQs that are more specific to the problem and the steps that led up to it. While still considered First Level Support, these context-based issues require a slightly more technical approach to correct. Specific error messages make up this tier.
And finally, when all else fails, it may be necessary to contact Handpoint Support. Some issues can only be resolved from our end, and in those cases, we are happy to assist.
So, let's get started.
1) Getting Started
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. You will find that most of the times, the issues can be solved quickly with a few tips. You can narrow down the cause of the issue with the help of the Handpoint’s portal and this guide. It is a good practice to make it easy for the users to self-help with links, videos, instructions, etc.
1. Getting merchants started | 2. Quick fixes | 3. Context-based issues | 4. Specialist support |
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Set-up and basic knowledge | first support steps | Situational errors and FAQs | Escalation to Handpoint support |
1. Getting Started
When merchants sign-up for the Handpoint Payments Solution, you should equip them or direct them to the various user guides (for their specific card reader) and frequently asked questions (FAQs). These could either by those already available on Handpoint's Help Center, or your own white-labelled versions. This ensures that they receive the fundamental knowledge about their solution which they can refer back to as self-help support when getting started and familiarising themselves with how it all works.
Guides:
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ImportantWhen sending a merchant a new card reader, be sure to let them know how important it is to maintain proper charge when in storage as well as in regular use. This is vital if the merchant doesn't intend to use the card reader right away. If the card reader isn't kept charged, and the battery drains completely, the stored encryption keys will be wiped thanks to a secure failsafe mechanism. This prevents fraud and theft Should this happen, the only solution is to return the card reader and order a replacement. This can cause quite a hassel, so it's imperative that this doesn't happen. Refer to the card reader storage information pamphlet for more detailed instructions on storage of the card reader. |
Device Pairing
Pairing should be easy with the HiLite, but refer to these simple steps if you're not sure.
Is it possible to pair more than one phone with my card reader? It certainly is, but one at a time. Each time you connect the card reader to a new device you need to register it according to the POS app’s instructions.
Problems?
If using an iPhone, it may be necessary to first un-pair the card reader with the phone before attempting to pair with another. This is a common issue that iPhone users run into, and it's not exclusive to our card readers.
2) Quick Fixes
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mPOS: Handpoint Payments mPOS App Log-in
When your merchants are signing up with their mPOS app (downloaded either from the Play Store or App Store), they will be asked to enter their email addresses. It is important that this is the same email address as the one they provided to you during the onboarding process and therefore matches their account in the Handpoint’s portal Terminal Management System (TMS). The merchant will then be automatically sent an email with a verification link, so they will need to check their inbox (or potentially their spam solder) and select this verification link. The mPOS app will prompt them to do this.
In case the merchant doesn’t receive the verification email (sometimes it goes to the spam folder), he or she can also request an SMS to be sent to the number registered in the Handpoint’s portal TMS. This 4 digit code should be entered into the mPOS app in order to access.
After their account has been verified (either with the the verification link or with the SMS code), the Payments mPOS app will open up the main screen: the payment tab.
Pairing with the card reader
Your customer will need to pair their mobile device with the HiLite Card Reader through Bluetooth. Detailed instructions are included in our Merchant Guide to the Payments mpos solution. Other troubleshooting tips for you are included in our HiLite FAQs.
PAX: Starting with the Handpoint Payments (or your native) app
The PAX terminals require little setup for the merchant, which can be done before delivery, or onsite at the merchant’s location. A key step is connecting to the internet via WiFi or Ethernet, even when the terminals will use a SIM card later on. The complete set up is explained in the Card reader user guide, the high level steps are below:
Remove the battery protection sticker.
Connect the terminal to WiFi, like a phone or tablet.
Open PAX store app and look for Handpoint Payments app. This will download the required encryption key.
Insert SIM
Insert paper roll
Next time the terminal is powered up, it should launch the Handpoint Payments app automatically. If not, the merchant can look for the icon on the screen and launch it manually.
If your merchants are using a Cloud integration, they should see a screen saying it’s ready to process payment.
How do the merchants activate a SIM card?
After the SIM card has been inserted (detailed instructions here), the merchant can activate it with a few steps.
Using the Handpoint Payments app, going into the app settings > "Activate SIM"
Using a native integration, please provide detailed instructions to your merchants.
What is the PAX password for settings?
PAX devices come with a default settings password: pax9876@@ or 9876
Can we exchange readers between merchants?
Certainly. It is advisable to clean the cache of the PAX reader after assigning the terminal to the new merchant in Handpoint’s Portal TMS. Please inform Handpoint of this change to update PaxStore if necessary.
If a card reader is set up with a merchant who then changes their name or email address, their merchant account needs to be updated in Handpoint's Portal TMS.
2. Quick Fixes
The most common problems our customers encounter are, thankfully, simpler ones.
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Comm. Error
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Network Error/Send Error
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Processing Error
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Device Not Initialized
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Bad Request
4) In-Depth
Support Mode/Debug Mode
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On Android:
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On iOS:
5) Contacting Handpoint
If all else fails, get in touch with us. In order to assist you, we will need to see the following information sent with the support request.
- Serial number of device
- Company/merchant name
- Time and date of error
- Error/Issue description
- Type of operating system
- Error/issue logs
- Type of internet connection, if applicable
- Handpoint SDK version
- Type of Handpoint device
- What was happening when the error occurred?
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Helping your merchants and customers learn to try these fixes before they call for support can cut down on total time spent dealing with support issues.
Try the simple solutions first:
Flash Reset
A flash reset can also be thought of as a factory reset. If you are encountering problems with your card reader, a flash reset is a good go-to solution when re-using a device, when a device being used is showing any kind of processing error, repeating loop errors, or any other general malfunctions. The following steps for performing a flash reset are provided on our site, but for the sake of thoroughness, here are the steps to reset the flash memory:
Performing a flash reset:
- Press C and ← (back button)
- Enter password: 746723 and press OK
- Scroll menu using ↓ (down arrow) to Config and press OK
- Select “RESET FLASH“ and press OK
- Scroll down to “Save and Reset“ and press OK
- The card reader should now restart
Remember: always check for software updates after a flash reset
An update is necessary whenever you perform a flash reset or periodically with regular use. The card reader might need to fetch and apply a software update, a config update, or both.The update process depends on the POS software being used. For specific instructions, contact your provider. When an update has started, the card reader will show the status on its screen and restart in some cases. In the case of an error, check internet connectivity and Bluetooth connectivity and try again!
If all else fails contact Handpoint
3) Context-Based
It’s important to know:
Common Error Messages
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Invalid BPK
Try to run the sale / transaction again
Restart the Payments app on the phone / tablet or on the PAX card reader
Check the network connection, restart if necessary. Be aware that Firewalls might prevent the solution from working correctly.
Restart the card reader
mPOS: Disconnect and reconnect the Bluetooth connection
mPOS: Restart the phone / tablet running the Handpoint Payments mPOS app.
Perform a Flash reset of the HiLite card reader or Clear the cache of the PAX card reader.
3. Context-Based Issues and fixes to try troubleshooting depending on context
Ordering
As standard, when Handpoint receives a new card reader order, it will be processed with next-day delivery so long as the order was received before 13:00 GMT.
A tracking guide will be provided for follow up.
Using tools to investigate the cause of issues
Use Handpoint’s portal Analytics to narrow down the cause of issues. This is particularly helpful if the card reader is acting funny, the merchant is receiving frequent cancellations, or the merchant wants to understand if the transactions are going through. More details on this portal here.
If the card reader is online, the transactions should appear in the Analytics portal almost on real time.
The issuer response code (on the Transaction Details page) points to the reasons for declined transactions or errors.
Immediate or frequent cancellations point to network issues (eg. If an authorised transaction appears but was immediately canceled, this suggests the terminal automatically canceled the transaction due to an issue with the POS or network. If this happens frequently, there is probably a network issue at the merchant’s location.)
Other fixes to try depending on the context
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Common Error Messages
Refer to the following pages to find the common error messages depending on the card reader used by your merchant and the integration.
4. Specialist Support. Escalation to Handpoint
If the above steps or the guides do not resolve the problem, Handpoint is here to deliver extra support for you.
In order to assist you, please get in touch (support@handpoint.com) and include as much detail about the problem as possible. We will need to please see the following information sent with your support request.
Error/Issue description
Serial number of the device(s)
Company/merchant name
What was happening when the error occurred?
Time and date of the error
Type of operating system of the phone/tablet/computer (if applicable)
Type of internet connection: WiFi, Ethernet, SIM