The Green Sheet Online Edition
July 28, 2025 • 25:07:02
Technology integration fuels new era for payments industry
Let's be clear: the payments industry isn't just evolving; it's undergoing a full-blown transformation. Technology is changing the agent/independent sales organization (ISO) payments landscape, and agents who are adapting are scaling fast. As the industry pivots toward software solutions with payments built in, merchants – from hair salons to microbreweries – can now choose from a wide range of industry-specific features and technology tools.
But here's the catch: the software companies building them often lack one critical component: a way to reach the small business owners who need them. That's where payments industry leaders come in. Companies with strong, supportive agent relationships are bridging the gap between products and people and connecting powerful new technology tools with the local business owners who need them.
It's not the end of the agent, it's the beginning
The agent-owner relationship isn't being replaced by technology; it's being strengthened by it. Agents/ISOs have become even more important, and the best agents don't sell. They consult, guide and build diverse product portfolios. They help a salon owner improve retention rates, a bakery owner cut waste, and a quick-service restaurant manager deliver personalized customer awards in real time.
It's not just about payments; it's about transforming how merchants serve customers and run their businesses.
But to play in this league, agents have to level up. Agent portfolios have grown exponentially, and that means mastering new software, understanding diverse business needs, and matching the right merchants with the right technology. For agents, this comes with building more meaningful client relationships, garnering stickier customers and achieving higher sales margins.
Growth opportunity comes with complexity
The shift to specialized, data-driven business solutions is reshaping what it means to "process payments." Merchants today want more than a payment processor. They want something that helps them streamline operations, analyze customer behaviors, and deliver personalized products, services and perks.
If you're an agent who can deliver solutions like those, you're not just relevant—you're invaluable.
But this requires real training, real customer service and a real understanding of the business needs behind each merchant. And that's where the real growth lies. Today's professional agents are business consultants, and they need to back up their solutions with customer support and technical expertise.
With more complex solutions available, agents face a steep learning curve to master new features, demos and technical support requirements. Far from being a roadblock, however, this provides a major growth opportunity for agents who are backed by the right partner.
Our bet is on the agent
Winning companies are building proprietary tech, investing in the best tools, and stacking their teams with product experts who support agents day in and day out. They make strategic investments in the future of the payments industry, investments that lead to mutually beneficial partnerships and deliver the type of features today's merchants demand.
But tech alone isn't the answer. The real value is in how you deliver it. That's why it's smart to focus on empowering agents with everything they need to navigate complex new products and deliver solutions that provide real business value. The path is simple: empower agents and clients to succeed. With that combination, agents can move from selling payments to shaping the future of the small businesses they support. 
PayBright CEO Dustin Magaziner launched the company as a Furman University student in 2012. Now with over 800 employees and professional agents across the U.S., the Raleigh-based payment solutions provider is an industry leader in delivering transparency, affordability and simplicity for local merchants, working with 15,000 businesses. PayBright is committed to strengthening partnerships between merchants and agents with a focus on fair pricing and customer service excellence. The company is ranked as one of the fastest growing in the U.S by Inc Magazine. Contact Dustin via LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/dmagaziner.
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