Smart payment systems: User experience can be improved

With the push for Singapore to be a smart nation, more vendors are gradually opening up and adopting cashless payment systems, but is there a way to make the system better and bring greater convenience to everyone?

There is some frustration, since it does not always shorten queues and the wait is just as long.

With DBS Paylah!, for instance, users access the QR code only when they are right in front of the queue.

I propose that vendors be advised to make the QR codes more visible, perhaps printed in a bigger format such that customers can start scanning it while in line and upon reaching the cashier, key in the correct amount for payment.

Another idea is to have a “history” function in the app, where users can store a list of frequently visited vendors or look up from their transaction history.

DBS Paylah! should also consider alternatives, such as allowing at least two phone numbers for SMS notification, so that partners of small businesses can still verify, through their phones, that payments have been made successfully.

I suspect most of the small business owners use their personal rather than business phone account, and in their absence, digital transactions made will go unverified by their partners.

Take for example the noodles stall that I patronise often. It is singlehandedly managed by a woman who works six consecutive days before her partner takes over on Sundays. Only one of them gets notified about the payment, because the system does not allow for notifications on multiple devices.

As much as I am optimistic about smart payment systems being the way to go for the future, there are still many details to iron out. More users, be they vendors or consumers, should highlight the issues that they face so that improvements may be made.