Page 31 - GS161202

CompanyProfile
It's about the team, not the individuals
D avid Iafrate, founder and Chief Executive
Officer of International Bancard Corp.,
believes the payments industry is going to get
tougher. "We feel that the industry is going to that one would need on the service levels ? white glove-,
have a tremendous amount of consolidation, and there
is going to be more needs for technology and integration
services," he said. "If you do not have an integration team
and product team, you are going to struggle, because
consumers are demanding it of the merchants, and the
merchants are demanding it of the processors and ISOs:
they want customized solutions that are going to help
grow their business."
Iafrate sees International Bancard as well-positioned
to help customers whose technology is out of date. He
mentioned credit unions and small banks as a sector
where not enough resources are being invested in
updating antiquated technology, particularly payment-
acceptance technology. "With them partnering with
International Bancard and leveraging our technology and
our platforms, within a very short period of time they
can [be utilizing] the latest and greatest in technology to
accept payments from their customer base," Iafrate said.
Founded by Iafrate in 2001, the company now serves
customers in more than 60 distinct industries, providing
payment solutions for credit, debit, automated clearing
house, checks and gift cards. It has posted 20 percent
growth in volume over the last three years, according to
Iafrate, who said the secret to the company's success is
that it provides high-touch customer service to small and
large ISOs, for such offerings as market insight, payment
security knowledge, client care and business relationships,
all with the singular goal of helping customers grow and
increase their businesses.
A team is stronger together
The company also offers the International Bancard
Partner Club, an exclusive group designed to help top
agents by providing premier levels of support. Joining
the club offers agents advantages like fast approval
times, responsive support, customized marketing and
transparent reporting, among other benefits.
ISO/MLS contact:
David Iafrate
Chief Executive Officer
800-827-4880
diafrate@intlbancard.com
http://internationalbancard.com
"We took a little bit different approach," Iafrate said. "We
really wanted to drill down to make our agents feel part
of our team, part of our family, and give them all the tools
Four Seasons-, Ritz Carlton-type service ? that when they
call, we answer the phone. Because the industry has had
so much consolidation, and it's really commoditized,
having these experts inside International Bancard for
our agents to lean on, and rely on, to help them integrate
and engineer the right solution is exactly what I think the
industry needs."
Success means action, not contemplation
Iafrate also noted that International Bancard provides
cutting-edge technology for business-to-business
transactions, which can help reduce processing fees by
30 percent. "We give customers our front-end software
that is able to capture the data properly, submit that data
through our gateway and, depending on the amount of
the data, give them level one, two or three data pricing,"
he said. "That is much less expensive on the payment
networks than a traditional card-not-present transaction."
Iafrate also pointed out that in some cases, the company
is saving the merchants 100 basis points, while not taking
profit away from International Bancard or the agents.
"So it's not a race to the bottom; it's actually providing
a higher level of technology to the end customer, giving
them savings. That way the agent and International
Bancard can share in those additional profits."
Iafrate believes International Bancard's future success
will come down to continuing to develop mutually
beneficial, long-term working relationships. "We are
going to continue to grow our business, and we have done
it by partnering with good people and companies and by
keeping the highest level of service," he said. "That is what
got us this far, and if you give partners and customers
good service, they are loyal and they stay with you."
31