The Green Sheet Online Edition
September 9, 2019 • 19:09:01
Street SmartsSM
Boost stickiness with technology partners
To be relevant in today's merchant processing world you must have access to technology. This is a time when more and more consumers want to pay by phone or via a secure payment facilitator like Apple Pay or PayPal. The old days of selling a stand-alone terminal are fading fast. Merchants want to accept payments for their businesses on the go, on their websites and in their brick-and-mortar businesses.
Many retailers have websites and inventory they would like to link up to the same system. Often you'll meet with merchants and realize the have multiple methods of accepting cards: they utilize POS systems, rely on phone apps to accept payments on the go, and may also need to send out invoices that include a link so customers can pay via card. When you get into the nitty gritty with merchants, you realize they have several providers and pay multiple monthly fees to each provider.
Being able to provide technology in collaboration with partners that can help integrate all these methods to one provider has given us, at Impact, leverage in obtaining new merchant accounts. We have found that offering merchants a solution to accept payments in all the fashions they need in one system creates stickiness. It is a huge game changer to enable merchants to transition from an inconvenient, pieced-together solution to one integrated solution that accommodates all their needs.
Providers we rely on
We are going to go through some providers and technology that can help you create stickiness and bring solutions to your merchants. The providers we are providing information on are ones we have worked with over the years, and they are helping us bring technology to the average merchant.
- SwipeSimple by CardFlight has a robust product offering. They have solutions for mobile, brick-and-mortar POS system and web-based virtual terminal to be used on computer. They're on-the-go app for cell phones or tablets is user-friendly and includes reporting tools to help the merchant manage sales. What our customers have taken to is the ability to send invoices from a computer to customers that include a click to pay feature. Additionally, the web dashboard allows merchants to manage inventory by adding or editing item details, including name, SKU, price, taxability and quantity.
The new SwipeSimple Terminal offers the same great software experience on PAX terminals like the A920. Additionally, SwipeSimple Register with cash register drawer works with most iOS and Android tablets, allowing merchants to track inventory and add product photos. They can also track employee performance and manage access permissions.
This is a great solution to suggest when a merchant wants to buy a new POS system. Now we have a solution that is very cost-effective and accomplishes what those high-dollar POS systems do without having the merchant spend thousands of dollars. If you are able to board on First Data Omaha, TSYS Sierra or Vantiv Worldpay, this is a great product to push.
- USA ePay is a payment gateway provider headquartered in Glendale, Calif. Founded in 1998, it's one of the oldest payment gateway providers in the ecommerce industry. This is one of our favorite gateways to use for ecommerce shopping carts, custom integration and mobile payments with their console. The USAePay Point of Sale Payment System app for iOS (USAePay on Android) and a series of compatible card readers can attach to your smartphone (or tablet) of choice.
USAePay offers a proprietary line-up of PaySaber readers, including the PaySaber POS, PaySaber Jr., and PaySaber Clip models for iOS devices, but it is not limited to these devices. The company's product offering allows for invoicing from its web console for click-to-pay, as well as allows merchants to manage their products, customers and inventory. Merchants can also integrate a check service via Paya. In addition, recurring billing is accessible via the console and is user friendly.
Merchants can also have administration rights to set up their own users and manage that from their admin console. USAePay doesn't disclose pricing information on its website because the company sells and markets its products entirely through resellers, and there are no fixed prices. Resellers are free to set rates and fees as they see fit. USAePay doesn't bill direct to a merchant, so it's important to build the cost into your merchant contract.
This product by far is the most cost effective when competing with companies like Square. We have found them to be a great partner in this industry. Their customer service is outstanding, and as a reseller, we have access to our merchants via the reseller console, which makes setup easy and seamless. In the event you are assisting in development or integration with a merchant, USAePay has developer tools to assist in this customization. If you are able to board on TSYS, First Data, Vantiv World Pay or Elavon this company is worth exploring.
- Converge, Elavon's integrated ecommerce platform, offers a proprietary gateway. Formerly MyVirtualMerchant, Converge is a payments platform that allows businesses to process payments quickly and securely anytime and anywhere. It enables users to accept payments face-to-face, via mail order, mobile or in an ecommerce environment.
Through Converge merchants can accept all major credit and debit card, electronic check, giftcard, EBT payments, and more. We have utilized converge when merchants need to accept PIN debit in addition to the major card brands. We have had great customer service with Converge's specialized team.
These are a few of the partners we use today to bring technology to our merchants. We hope this helps open up new opportunities for your merchant level salesperson/agent or ISO business. We encourage you to not be afraid of new technology or products because they assist in keeping your attrition rate low and keeping merchants happy.
Safari Njema!
Dee Karawadra is president and CEO of Impact PaySystem, and Emily Karawadra is the company's chief financial officer. Since 2001, Impact PaySystem has been a leading provider of payment processing technologies and services to merchants throughout the United States. Through alliances with payments industry leaders such as Chase Paymentech, First Data, Buypass, Sage and more, Impact PaySystem offers tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of each merchant. Dee and Emily will welcome your questions and comments at dee@impactpays.com and emily@impactpays.com, respectively.
Whether you want to upgrade your POS offerings, find a payment gateway partner, bone up on fintech regs or PCI requirements, find an upcoming trade show, read about faster payments, or discover the latest innovations in merchant acquiring, The Green Sheet is the resource for you. Since 1983, we've helped empower and connect payments professionals, starting with the merchant level salespeople who bring tailored payment acceptance and digital commerce tools, along with a host of other business services to merchants across the globe. The Green Sheet Inc. is also a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals.
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