Your payment gateway will take some time and expertise to configure. Once it is configured, however, it should be secure and should cut down on manual work. It should:
Receive and process information from Web forms directly to you
Provide online validation of credit cards
Ensure secure communication between you (the merchant) and the merchant bank
Provide easy-to-read billing statements
Automatically deposit funds into your bank account
Allow several different options, including the use of CyberCash, digital wallets, SSL, or newer methods
Allow users to conduct transactions without having to modify their normal browsing habits radically or know about the complexities going on
behind the scenes