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provide enhanced tracking, transparency and process Are you better off now?
improvement to merchants and ISOs. "We deploy an ISO
management platform, IRIS CRM, that enables ISOs, agents, Isaacman and others have seen industry-wide
sub-ISOs and merchants to interact and drive efficiencies," improvements. "Super ISOs are taking better care of their
he said. "Merchants can track their deposits; ISOs, MLSs agents than they were 10, 15 or 20 years ago, and individual
and support teams can create tickets to report and track compensation is better than ever before," Isaacman said.
service issues." "The Green Sheet ads from 10 years ago promoted 50-50 splits,
without big upfront bonuses, free terminals or equipment."

Not all CRMs and self-service portals are alike, Akhrin
stated. "Technology must be well designed and continually Agents may assail processors for not doing enough
maintained and improved," he said. "Features need to and praise others for anticipating trends, but payment
evolve; those that sufficed in 2012 will not be good enough processors face multiple challenges, from changing
in 2017." consumer behavior to EMV migration, Isaacman said. He
described technology as a mixed blessing that has both
Balance machine, human knowledge complicated and simplified payment processing.

Employees are a critical asset, and lean, efficient ISOs that
invest in team members are the industry's future, according "When everyone used dial-up terminals, tens of thousands
to Akhrin. He emphasized the need to back up automated of terminals used reliable, copper phone lines, and there
systems with knowledgeable and well-compensated client were no DDoS [distributed denial of service] attacks," he
service specialists. "Support teams want to do well and be stated. "And merchants didn't need to choose between
praised for measurable success," he said. "The employees integrated and semi-integrated solutions."
you treat well will be around when you retire, enabling you
to sleep through the night and enjoy a good quality of life."
On the other hand, many things ISOs used to do themselves
are now done for them, Isaacman noted. "Fifteen to 20
Jared Isaacman, CEO and founder of Harbortouch years ago, agents were performing multiple downloads at
Payments LLC, agreed super ISOs should manage service home, preparing welcome kits and dealing with endless
issues and let partners focus on what they do best. "We paperwork," he said. "Online reporting has made life easier
can't push support back on our partners," he said. "When a for our partners; they have more tools, less administration
Harbortouch restaurant needs to update its POS, the product and better compensation." Isaacman feels there has never
itself will steer merchants to our support department." been a better time to sell merchant services. "Where else
can you create recurring revenue streams that pay the bills
month after month, year after year?" he said. "Unlike other
At Harbortouch, things that were formerly considered sales careers where you're only as good as your last order,
"nice-to-have," like online apps, tablet apps, alerts, auto- the payments industry enables MLSs to create recurring
underwriting and video training, are now standard revenue streams."
offerings. "We go to work every day with the mindset of
empowering our partners to capture merchants they would
not otherwise be able to get," Isaacman said. Cowart added, "Competitive pricing and discounts and
promotions for hardware and software make it easier for
agents to sell merchants, improve margins and build a
Worldpay partners use an online portal to manage lucrative career."
hardware, access online apps and receive updates from
card brands and financial institutions. "ISOs control the
process," Cowart said. "Keying their own merchant apps Rutledge concurred, noting that agents have pushed for
can significantly reduce margin of error." bigger and bigger share splits, which today favor the agent.
He said MLSs need to stop complaining about handling
service calls and remember that promising great service
MLSs receive confirmation when Worldpay onboarding was how they landed the merchant in the first place. "If
systems receive a merchant app; they can track its journey you've made a career out of being the advocate who handles
through boarding and underwriting queues, Cowart noted. the dirty work, then don't complain about getting your
Once approved, a download notice for a terminal, virtual hands dirty," he added. "I have a high regard for these MLSs
terminal or whatever was keyed, is sent to the agent. because most of them have high retention rates and keep
their customers for life."

TMS's back-office Groovv Partner Portal provides
MLSs with service updates and training materials. "On As he reflected on the last 20 to 30 years of payments, Sisk
Motivational Mondays, our book club highlights books on said MLSs and ISOs have built empires by filling the service
gratitude and how to get ahead," Lacoste said. gap between processors and merchants. Average small

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