Why 24/7 Support is a Game-Changer in FinTech Payments

Revolutionising Payments in FinTech

In a dynamic episode of FinTech Focus TV, recorded live at Pay360 2025, host Ian Bailey sits down with Saran Talasila, Payment Specialist at Exactly.com, to explore the ever-evolving world of payments. Their conversation is a practical look at what merchants and consumers are demanding from FinTech providers today.

At Harrington Starr, a leading FinTech recruitment agency, we recognise how crucial these conversations are in helping the industry stay ahead of the curve. As talent continues to be the driver of innovation, this episode provides not just insight into payments but also highlights the types of professionals shaping the future of finance.

The Role of Exactly.com in the FinTech Payment Landscape

Exactly.com is a UK-headquartered payments company regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It offers a comprehensive suite of services for online businesses, from acquiring capabilities as principal members of Visa and Mastercard to offering alternative payment methods like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Open Banking. According to Saran, what sets Exactly.com apart is that all their operations—from legal and compliance to tech and support—are handled in-house. This enables faster decisions, higher efficiency, and a more secure service offering.

This holistic approach is gaining popularity within the FinTech space. As recruitment partners to many leading FinTech businesses, we at Harrington Starr are seeing increased demand for professionals who can operate effectively within fully integrated teams. Having in-house legal and tech support isn't just about control; it's about building a company that’s agile, scalable, and resilient.

Serving a Diverse Range of FinTech and E-commerce Businesses

Unlike many providers who niche down into one sector, Exactly.com supports a broad spectrum of online businesses. Their clients span e-commerce retailers, travel firms, SaaS platforms, and many other digital-first organisations across the UK and Europe. Saran explains that the company’s strategy is to be present wherever payments play a critical role—and today, that’s virtually everywhere.

This wide customer base requires a highly versatile team. It also means that FinTech professionals must understand the needs of various verticals, from reducing acquisition costs for travel to seamless user experience expectations in e-commerce. FinTech recruitment firms like Harrington Starr are helping businesses find talent with sector-specific knowledge and the flexibility to adapt to shifting priorities across the payments space.

Standing Out in a Crowded FinTech Market

With an increasing number of players in the payment processing space, standing out is no small feat. Saran credits Exactly.com’s differentiation to three core pillars: strong proprietary technology, customer support, and commercial flexibility. The company provides 24/7 live customer service—something that is surprisingly rare in the payments world.

In a sector where money movement is the product, being able to speak with a real person when something goes wrong is more than a luxury; it’s essential. Chatbots and automated tools may streamline some queries, but they cannot replace the reassurance of human assistance when a transaction fails or funds go missing.

This reality is creating significant demand for customer-centric roles in FinTech—people who understand both the technical intricacies and the emotional weight of financial transactions. Harrington Starr is seeing increasing hiring requirements for support engineers, client services specialists, and operations managers who can humanise finance in a digitised world.

Flexible, Transparent Pricing that Works for Merchants

exactly.com’s pricing model is another example of its customer-first approach. Unlike traditional providers that charge flat monthly fees, Exactly.com only charges merchants based on transaction volumes. Saran points out that this usage-based model makes it easier for businesses to forecast costs and maximise profitability—especially valuable in a high-inflation environment where every penny matters.

This approach requires commercial analysts and pricing strategists who can design and evaluate cost models that are not only competitive but also sustainable. With FinTech companies increasingly seeking such skills, Harrington Starr continues to match candidates with roles that blend financial modelling with real-world business acumen.

Post-COVID Consumer Behaviour and Its Impact on Payment Methods

Saran draws a distinct line between consumer spending habits before and after COVID-19. While customers used to shop freely, today’s consumers are far more calculated—especially when making big purchases. There’s a greater demand for split payments, pay-later services, and ultra-convenient digital wallets.

This behavioural shift means that payment providers must now offer as many methods as possible—not just card payments but Klarna, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Open Banking too. It’s no longer acceptable to offer a single payment method; businesses must enable a broad suite of options that cater to each customer’s preference.

FinTech firms that aim to remain competitive must therefore invest in user experience professionals, behavioural economists, and payment product managers—roles that Harrington Starr consistently helps clients hire. The modern FinTech professional needs to combine empathy with engineering, psychology with payment systems, and agility with compliance.

Simplifying the Checkout Experience through Smart Integration

Exactly.com is working hard to simplify and streamline the integration process for its clients. Whether a business wants to offer Visa, Apple Pay, iDEAL, or Multibanco, Exactly.com consolidates everything into a single integration. This means that merchants can provide their users with a seamless checkout process, regardless of geography or preferred payment method.

From a recruitment standpoint, this level of integration demands developers with experience in APIs, cloud infrastructure, and payment gateways. It also calls for project managers and business analysts who can lead complex integration projects. Harrington Starr has placed many candidates in roles where understanding multi-jurisdictional payment ecosystems is a non-negotiable requirement.

The Rise of Open Banking and Merchant Cost-Saving

Saran offers compelling insights into how Open Banking is becoming more widely adopted—particularly among merchants looking to reduce transaction fees. In one example, he describes a client offering both Apple Pay and Open Banking but incentivising users to choose the latter by reducing the transaction fee. Since Open Banking doesn’t require Visa or Mastercard rails, the cost saving can be passed on to the consumer.

Saran likens this strategy to the success of UPI in India, where adoption was fuelled by rewards like cashback and loyalty points. This reinforces a powerful truth in FinTech product development: convenience alone is not always enough. Sometimes, monetary incentives are the key to shifting consumer behaviour.

This trend is increasing the demand for FinTech marketing professionals, growth strategists, and behavioural analysts. It also highlights the need for technical talent who understand the back-end infrastructure required to support Open Banking. Harrington Starr is proud to support FinTech businesses as they grow these teams and move towards more agile, customer-first offerings.

Wearables, Wallet-Free Payments, and Future-Proof Transactions

One of the most forward-looking parts of the conversation is Saran’s reflection on how payments have become fully embedded into wearable technology. From smartwatches to payment rings, today’s consumers often don’t even carry wallets anymore. He describes how modern systems can draw funds from two separate cards in one transaction—something unimaginable a few years ago.

This opens the door to an entire generation of payment experiences that are frictionless, fast, and fluid. At the same time, it calls for product designers, embedded software engineers, and wearable tech specialists who understand how to build for this new normal. As a FinTech recruiter, Harrington Starr is excited to be on the frontlines of this transformation—matching talent to innovation and bringing these next-gen products to life.

Nurturing Talent in FinTech: Exactly.com’s Approach to Growth

Talent remains one of the most crucial topics for any FinTech business. Ian and Saran touch on this when discussing how Exactly.com hires and retains talent across tech, sales, and operations. The company invests heavily in internal training programmes that help new starters understand compliance, systems, and workflows.

Saran is especially passionate about educating people on the value of compliance roles. Too often overlooked, these roles are essential to the integrity and success of FinTech firms. He also encourages early-career professionals to explore FinTech master's programmes and develop a broad understanding of payments, regulation, and product development.

At Harrington Starr, we echo this sentiment. Our mission is to support both our clients and candidates in building meaningful, sustainable careers. We believe that FinTech recruitment isn’t just about filling roles—it’s about advancing the industry and enabling innovation at every level.

Looking Ahead: A Payment World Without Limits

As the conversation draws to a close, Saran offers a vision of a future where payments are invisible, seamless, and instantaneous. He jokes that you can now buy a Boeing jet with crypto in just a few clicks. While that may be extreme, the sentiment is clear: the direction of travel is towards faster, simpler, and more decentralised transactions.

Exactly.com’s presence at major industry events like Pay360 shows their commitment to staying ahead of this curve. Their focus on infrastructure, customer support, and merchant value makes them a standout player in the payments space—and a prime example of what’s possible when great talent meets great technology.

Connecting Talent with Opportunity in FinTech

This episode of FinTech Focus TV is a masterclass in understanding how modern payment systems work and where they’re heading. For businesses building these solutions, and for professionals hoping to join them, the takeaways are clear: innovation is a team effort, and talent remains the engine of growth.

At Harrington Starr, we help FinTech companies hire for impact—whether that’s building Open Banking platforms, expanding into wearable payments, or supporting merchants with 24/7 service. If you’re scaling your FinTech business or looking to grow your career in this sector, our team is here to help.