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are safe and available to help clients in the aftermath. It also purchase Clover Go from any Apple app store that
also hosts an emergency preparedness web page, with works with any mobile device to support contactless or
checklists. swiped card transactions. Clients without Clover devices
can be provided links to enable online payment accep-
The company actively monitors clients, identifying by ZIP tance, Uslander said.
code any that might be affected by an impending disaster,
and uploads those client's merchant IDs to its interactive Planning is key
voice response system. When a call comes in from one of Whether you're an acquirer, ISO or MLS selling merchant
those clients it gets routed to the front of the queue for im- services, preparedness is the best strategy for dealing with
mediate help. disaster situations in your own shop as well as at customer

locations. Here are suggestions for what to consider.
"We're constantly updating our data" based on input from
NOAA and FEMA, and dispatching support personnel to • Develop contingency plans and checklists of what
affected areas, Uslander said. "We have a multipronged to do when faced with the threat of disasters. Ac-
approach to getting ready and to working with local com- tion plans should include unplugging and packing
munities on the ground." up office equipment and supplies, and getting them
to safe spaces ahead of an impending disaster, and
First Data houses an operations center in Coral Springs, advising merchants to do the same with their POS
Fla., which was in the path of several powerful hurricanes equipment. Merchants should also close any open
in late summer 2017, including Hurricane Irma, which batches. Backups are important. Back up all custom-
made history as the most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever er files to the cloud, and advise merchant clients to
recorded. "We had our people pack up and caravan north" do the same. Document procedures and cross-train
to offices that would be spared damages, Uslander related. employees so, for example, when customer service
"We were able to get them fully functional so they could reps are knocked out of commission by a disaster
work to support our merchants." other workers can step in and pick-up the workload.

Disasters like Hurricanes Harvey (which impacted Louisi- • Make copies of critical documents and store the
ana and East Texas) and Irma in 2017 represented a turn- originals in off-site locations. Ditto for licenses, soft-
ing point of sorts for First Data. "That was a really tough ware and licensing information.
summer, and we saw it as an opportunity to put in place
procedures and approaches to helping clients" impacted • Invest in emergency generators and/or uninterrupt-
by disasters, she said. "Now we have a playbook. There ible power supply systems, and consider advising
are a lot of different things we can do depending upon the clients to do the same. These can keep a business
situation and the severity of the disaster." operational long enough to safely shut down com-
puters, POS devices and other electronics.
Like many other merchant services companies, First Data
maintains close contact with NOAA, FEMA and local • Have replacement equipment – mobile POS devices
agencies to stay abreast of impending disasters, like hurri- or even knuckle busters – at the ready for clients
canes, and begins client outreach as early as possible. "We to use when electricity is cut off to affected areas.
tell them 'we know this is coming, and you may not be Make plans for off-site working arrangements for
impacted, but in case you are, you should follow these best staff, if necessary.
practices,'" Uslander said. "We try to be as proactive as we • Keep open lines of communications with NOAA,
can to help small business merchants get up and running emergency management agencies and local utilities
again." In some cases, First Data will even waive some fees concerning storms, wildfires and other disasters.
for impacted merchants. Take proactive steps to know which clients might be
impacted and let them know how to get in touch.
In the early days, being at the ready for First Data entailed This should be an ongoing process from the lead up
setting up shop in temporary quarters in disaster zones. to through the aftermath of a disaster.
"We actually had a Clover van going out into communities
and handing out devices," Uslander said. "We distributed • Run practice drills to ensure your plans are consid-
them to existing clients and to non-customers and offered ered and workable.
to sign up [those businesses] for merchant accounts."

Back in 2017, the payment devices de jour were dongles Patti Murphy is senior editor at The Green Sheet and president of
and Bluetooth devices, but now the preferred approach is ProScribes Inc. Follow her on Twitter @GS_PayMaven.
to provide virtual terminal capabilities. Clients using Clo-
ver terminals can go online and log into their Clover dash-
boards and manually key in card numbers. Merchants can

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