Over the weekend we added a new feature to UniversityTutor.com that we hope you’ll like! It was the second most popular request in our user feedback forum: online payments for tutors!

Now you can get invoices by email and pay your tutor securely online by credit card. Tutors will receive funds either by direct deposit right to their bank account or via Paypal.

Our site uses 128bit encryption for all sensitive data and your credit card information is never stored on our servers. It is stored offline at a PCI Compliant data center. Look for the “https” prefix in the URL or the yellow lock icon in your web browser when entering payment info – this lets you know data is being encrypted before it is sent.

Our business model has changed as well. Now, instead of charging tutors $10/month to keep a profile up, we’ve switch to a 5-15% fee on tutoring completed through our site. Now we only get paid if you get paid – there are no up front costs or monthly fees.

Fully integrated payments brings us closer to a true marketplace website such as eBay.com, eLance.com, or Guru.com. With it come better “credibility indicators” that allow people to make buying decisions online. Here are two:

• Now students can *only* leave a tutor a review after completing a transaction through our site. This ensures tutors aren’t receiving “fake” reviews and they have actually worked with a student before getting a review.
• We are now tracking the number of hours a tutor has completed through our site. This will eventually become an indicator of how experienced they are. Client will be able to sort tutors by “most experienced”.

If existing clients are already used to using cash or check there is no reason to force them to switch over if they don’t want to. It’s optional for now. But it’s a good idea to start transitioning to online payments in the future because tutors will only be able to get reviews and increase their tutoring hours (which is displayed on their profile) by completing transactions online. This will allow them to remain competitive and charge higher rates in the future.

Finally, here is a demo video of the new features:

Or here is the same video on YouTube if you prefer to watch it there:

Feel free to leave us any feedback in the comments below. Thank you!

If you enjoyed this post and would like to get more great FREE homework help, subscribe to this blog by Email or RSS to get weekly updates. We'll work to raise your grades over time!

Related Posts:

• Should UniversityTutor.com Get Rid Of Online Payments As A Business Model?
• Try An Online Study Group With Cramster.com
• Google Maps View Of All The Tutors
• What’s The Right Price For Tutoring?
• Map Based Searching Of Tutors