Content Guru is a UK enterprise CCaaS provider. Its storm platform powers mission-critical contact centre operations across regulated and public sector environments: NHS 999 and 111 services, utilities, financial services, government agencies, and FedRAMP High deployments. If uptime, compliance, and security are non-negotiable, storm is built for exactly those requirements.
storm is also one of a small number of CCaaS platforms that ships its own fully certified native payment product. Most contact centre platforms leave payment collection to third parties by default. Content Guru built storm LOCK and storm PADLOCK in-house, and both carry PCI DSS Level 1 / v4.0 certification. That is a meaningful differentiator worth understanding before reaching for a separate payment layer.
This guide covers what storm's native payment capabilities actually give you, and the specific scenarios where a dedicated multi-PSP layer like Shuttle fits alongside. The answer is not either/or. For enterprises with multiple acquirer relationships, platform operators running storm across many client organisations, or operations that need cross-channel payment links beyond DTMF voice, the two complement each other rather than compete.
Whether you are an enterprise running storm for your own contact centre or an SI or platform operator implementing storm for multiple clients, the framing here is: start with what storm provides natively, then assess where Shuttle adds reach.
storm's Native Payments: What You Get
Content Guru's native payment suite is genuinely strong. Before evaluating anything else, it is worth understanding the full capability:
storm LOCK (automated IVR/DTMF, no agent): fully automated payment collection over IVR. Customers key card details into the keypad at any time of day or night, with no agent involved. Suited to self-service bill-pay, top-ups, and any payment journey where the customer does not need assistance.
storm PADLOCK (agent-assisted, full PCI DSS masking): the agent remains on the call and guides the customer through the payment. Card tones are masked so the agent hears monotones rather than card digits, and the screen displays asterisks rather than the number. The agent experience stays intact; the card data does not enter the agent's environment.
PCI DSS Level 1 / v4.0 certified: storm holds the highest level of payment security certification under the current version of the standard. For regulated sectors, this is the baseline requirement, and storm meets it without additional third-party dependencies.
Multi-acquirer routing via the storm Marketplace: storm integrates with multiple payment acquirers including Worldpay, Barclaycard, GlobalPayments, Pay360, SagePay/Opayo, Cashflows, and others available through the storm Marketplace. Enterprise clients can route payments through their existing acquirer relationships.
Omnichannel reporting: payment transactions are reported alongside contact centre activity in storm's reporting suite, giving operations a single view across interactions and payment outcomes.
For an enterprise standardised on storm and operating within a standard acquirer arrangement, the native payment suite handles the full requirement. There is no gap to fill.
When You Need a Multi-PSP Payment Layer
The scenarios where Shuttle adds value alongside storm are specific, not general. They tend to arise when the acquirer configuration, client structure, or channel requirements go beyond what storm's Marketplace pre-integrations address directly:
Per-client PSP switching and enterprise mandate handling: large enterprises and regulated organisations sometimes carry contractual requirements to use a named acquirer, or to route by entity, brand, or cost centre. Where those requirements span multiple clients with different mandates, a gateway-neutral orchestration layer can handle the routing logic without requiring separate storm integrations per client.
**Broader PSP network beyond storm's current acquirer list**: storm's Marketplace covers the major UK acquirers. If a client operates internationally, uses a gateway not on the storm Marketplace, or needs connectivity to a PSP added after their storm deployment, Shuttle's 40+ gateways extend the acquirer reach from a single integration point.
Cross-channel hosted payment links across web, SMS, and email: storm LOCK and PADLOCK are voice-channel payment methods. Where your contact centre also handles digital inbound (chat, email, web callbacks), or where agents want to send a secure payment link by SMS mid-call rather than collecting card via DTMF, a hosted payment link capability adds a channel that the native voice product does not cover.
Embedded payment orchestration for platform operators: SIs and platform operators running storm across multiple client organisations face a different challenge from a single enterprise. Managing acquirer credentials, gateway routing, and payment reporting per client organisation, across a multi-tenant deployment, is an orchestration problem. Shuttle handles per-tenant gateway configuration from one integration rather than one-per-client.
Channel-agnostic payment infrastructure: for operations that may extend beyond storm over time, or that run storm alongside other channels or platforms, a payment layer that is independent of the contact centre platform simplifies the stack.
How Shuttle Adds Multi-PSP Capture
Shuttle sits alongside storm as a payment orchestration layer, triggered at the moment payment is due:
storm runs the conversation: IVR, routing, agent handling, and all contact centre logic stay inside storm. Nothing changes about how your storm deployment operates.
Shuttle is triggered at the payment moment: when a payment is required, the storm flow calls Shuttle's API with the amount, currency, and client/gateway configuration.
Card captured in isolation: for voice, Shuttle handles DTMF capture in its own PCI-certified environment, so card tones are masked from the audio path. For digital channels, Shuttle serves a hosted payment page that collects card details entirely outside your systems.
**Routed to the applicable gateway**: Shuttle routes the transaction to whichever of 40+ gateways applies for that client, currency, or mandate. The routing logic is configuration, not code changes.
Result returned: Shuttle sends the outcome, a transaction reference, and a masked card number back to storm or your reporting layer. Card data stays within Shuttle's certified environment throughout.
storm continues to own the contact centre layer. Shuttle adds the acquirer flexibility and cross-channel capability.
Multi-PSP Support
Shuttle connects to 40+ payment gateways from one integration, including Stripe, Adyen, Worldpay, Checkout.com, Braintree, and Square.
For multi-client or mandate-driven deployments, that means:
Per-tenant gateway configuration: each client organisation can use its own PSP, with routing rules and credentials managed at the tenant level inside Shuttle.
Single integration point: integrate Shuttle once at the platform level; gateway routing is configuration rather than separate code per client.
Multi-PSP routing rules: route by currency, region, card type, or custom logic. Failover to a secondary gateway automatically if the primary is unavailable.
Gateway additions without re-integration: adding a new acquirer for a new client mandate is a Shuttle configuration change, not a storm integration project.
PCI Compliance
Shuttle is a PCI DSS Level 1 Service Provider. Card data passes through Shuttle's certified environment and does not enter storm, your agent desktop, or your wider infrastructure.
For organisations that already rely on storm's PCI-certified payment posture, Shuttle operates as a complementary layer rather than a replacement. The key distinction is ownership of the payment relationship: some deployments benefit from storm owning the full certified stack; others, particularly multi-client platform operators, benefit from a separate certified layer that handles gateway connectivity independently of the CCaaS.
From a PCI scope perspective, Shuttle's architecture pushes your organisation toward SAQ-A for card-present-equivalent collections rather than the full SAQ-D obligations that would apply if card data touched your own systems. storm's own PADLOCK masking approach achieves a comparable scope reduction through a different route; the right answer depends on how your acquirer relationship and platform architecture are structured.
Beyond DTMF: Cross-Channel Payment Links
storm LOCK and PADLOCK serve the voice channel. For contact centres that also handle digital inbound, or where agents want to give customers an alternative to keypad entry, Shuttle's hosted payment links add a cross-channel option.
An agent can send a secure payment link by SMS or email mid-call. The customer opens the hosted checkout on their phone or desktop, enters their card details in a standard web form, and the payment result returns to the agent in real time. The call does not need to be held for DTMF capture; the customer pays on the device they prefer.
Payment links are also suited to post-call billing, written correspondence follow-up, and digital self-service journeys that originate outside the voice channel altogether.
For Platform Operators and Content Guru Partners
SIs and platform operators who implement storm for multiple clients face different commercial and technical requirements from a single enterprise running its own contact centre.
The storm Marketplace and the Content Guru Partner Programme provide the integration and commercialisation framework for partners. Shuttle fits within that structure as the gateway-neutral payment orchestration layer for multi-client deployments:
Per-client PSP routing: each client organisation can bring its own acquirer relationship or use Shuttle's gateway connections directly.
One integration across all clients: instrument Shuttle once at the platform layer; manage per-client gateway configuration from Shuttle's API.
**No per-seat or per-client licensing overhead**: Shuttle charges $0.20 per transaction, with no setup fees, monthly minimums, or per-seat costs. The commercial model scales with payment volume, not client headcount.
Consistent payment infrastructure if the CC platform changes: Shuttle sits below the contact centre layer, so a platform migration does not require rebuilding the payment integration.
For partners operating in regulated verticals (NHS, financial services, utilities, government), Shuttle's Level 1 certification and the ability to document the payment boundary cleanly are practical assets during client procurement and compliance review.
Use Cases
Multi-Client and Multi-Brand Operations
Platform operators running storm across multiple clients, or enterprises with several brands on a shared storm deployment, can use Shuttle to route each entity's payments to its own acquirer. Per-tenant configuration in Shuttle means no shared payment credentials across clients and a clean audit trail per organisation.
Enterprise PSP Mandates
Large regulated enterprises sometimes carry existing acquirer contracts or procurement requirements that name a specific gateway. Where that gateway is not yet on storm's Marketplace, or where the mandate requires routing logic that sits outside storm's configuration, Shuttle can handle the gateway connectivity and routing rules without a storm-layer integration project.
Cross-Channel Bill-Pay
Contact centres handling inbound billing queries across voice, chat, and email can use storm LOCK/PADLOCK for voice-channel payments and Shuttle's hosted payment links for digital channels. Customers who prefer not to enter card details on a keypad receive a link by SMS or email instead; the result feeds back to the agent in the same interaction.
Public Sector and Regulated Collections
NHS, utilities, and government contact centres have specific requirements around data residency, audit trail, and acquirer relationships. Shuttle's certified environment, per-client routing, and clean PCI boundary documentation fit the procurement language these sectors use. storm's own PCI posture handles the CCaaS layer; Shuttle handles the acquirer routing and cross-channel collection.
FAQ
Does Content Guru storm process payments natively?
Yes. storm ships two native payment products: storm LOCK for fully automated IVR/DTMF collection with no agent, and storm PADLOCK for agent-assisted collection with full card masking. Both carry PCI DSS Level 1 / v4.0 certification and route to multiple acquirers via the storm Marketplace. This is a genuine, in-house payment capability, not a white-label resell.
Why use Shuttle if storm has native payments?
For most enterprises standardised on storm, the native suite handles the requirement. Shuttle adds value in specific scenarios: per-client acquirer routing across a multi-tenant deployment, connectivity to gateways beyond storm's Marketplace, cross-channel hosted payment links for digital channels, and embedded payment orchestration for SIs managing storm for multiple client organisations.
Which gateways does Shuttle support?
Shuttle connects to 40+ gateways including Stripe, Adyen, Worldpay, Checkout.com, Braintree, Square, and others. Gateway coverage and routing rules are maintained at the Shuttle layer, independent of the contact centre platform.
Can Shuttle route per client to different acquirers?
Yes. Per-tenant gateway configuration is a core part of Shuttle's multi-client architecture. Each client organisation can use its own PSP credentials, with routing rules, currency handling, and failover configured independently per tenant.
Does Shuttle add payment links beyond DTMF voice?
Yes. Alongside in-call DTMF capture, Shuttle supports hosted payment links sent by SMS or email. The agent triggers a secure link mid-call, the customer pays on their device, and the result returns in real time. This covers digital channel payments and customers who prefer not to use keypad entry.
Related Reading
Contact centre payments: the full guide to PCI-compliant payment collection across voice and digital contact centre channels
Embedded payments for CCaaS: how CCaaS platforms and SIs embed multi-PSP payment capability into their deployments
What is payment orchestration?: how payment orchestration layers work and why platform operators use them
Payment collection for BPOs: PCI-compliant payment collection in multi-client BPO and outsourced contact centre environments
Payments for CCaaS implementation partners: how SIs and CCaaS implementation partners add embedded payment capability across client deployments
Add Multi-PSP Payments Alongside storm
Shuttle is a PCI DSS Level 1 certified Service Provider. It adds gateway-neutral multi-PSP capture across 40+ gateways, per-client routing, and cross-channel payment links alongside storm's native payment suite. Pricing is $0.20 per transaction, with no setup fees, monthly minimums, or per-seat costs (see pricing).
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