Consulting Services

While we provide consulting in all aspects of payments, the most common projects we are asked to complete for our clients include:

ATM, Debit, and Credit Card Vendor Evaluation

• Manage the RFP process for evaluating ATM, Debit, and Credit card processing vendors. Service includes product feature comparisons, vendor strengths and weaknesses, and apples-to-apples pricing analysis. Our goal is to identify vendor solutions that balance the needs of the institution in the areas of cost, feature/functionality, and operational efficiency.

Card Program Profitability Studies

• Complete profitability analysis of ATM, debit, and credit card programs. Evaluates all revenue and expense components including interchange, fee income, interest income, fraud losses, processing and third party service costs, and hardware and software costs.

ATM Driving - In-house or Outsource Review

• Complete analysis of the in-house versus outsource options for ATM driving. Service includes client needs analysis, detailed pricing analysis of in-house and outsourced options, terminal driving feature comparison, and evaluation of operational impacts.

ATM and Debit Best Practice Review

• Provide a high level review of how well the ATM and Debit card programs are managed. The best practice review identifies opportunities to reduce risk, reduce processing costs, and increase operational efficiencies. Operational areas evaluated include: network membership, system performance, settlement and reconciliation, ATM management, fraud management, and program profitability. We also review vendor contracts, invoices, and processor reports for potential cost savings and problem resolution.

Project Management

Since we are often asked to implement the solutions we recommend, we cannot afford to be theoretical. Our project management skills are superb. We utilize a disciplined approach to project management that includes:

• Well defined objectives, timelines, and costs.
• Regular communication about project progress with the client.
• Documentation and training for on-going  operations.

Other Services Include:

• Payment Systems Process Improvement, including the comprehensive review of settlement and reconciliation functions, adjustment and chargeback processing, payment systems accounting, and other back office operations.

• Assessment and Evaluation of Payment Systems, including the alignment of strategic goals with payment system solutions that optimize operational processes, leverage technology, and minimize costs.

• Settlement and Reconciliation, including resolving out-of-balance conditions, streamlining reconciliation procedures, and training on this critical EFT function.

• ATM Operations, including all aspects of ATM operations from vendor management, ATM cash management, deposit processing, and advanced ATM functionality.

• Payment Systems Education, including the basics of ATM, Debit and Credit card transaction switching and settlement. Customized training programs can cover a variety of topics including REG E and chargeback rules, ATM deployment, and card program marketing.