A World Without Receipts – Can You Imagine?

A World Without Receipts – Can You Imagine?

Is it time you considered adding a Signature Capture Device?

It may be closer to reality than we might expect.  There are key chemical components utilized in receipt paper that are low in supply and high in demand.

Why?  An estimated 80K factories have been fined, shut down or hit with criminal offenses due to the Chinese Government’s renewed enforcement of environmental regulations.

There has been a buzz in the air that there is a global thermal paper shortage.  Paper vendors continue warning about the imminent price increases and shortages.

We know how critical it is for you to have a reliable supply of thermal paper at a reasonable price, and we will do everything within our power to assist through this paper shortage.  The reality is that there will be price increases, and paper will need to be allocated and rationed at times.

For Best Practices and help during this shortage, here are some things you may wish to consider:

  1. American Express, Discover, MasterCard & Visa are no longer requiring signatures on credit card charges. So unless you have tips to consider, turn off the credit card signature receipt, or better yet, enable signature capture on your devices.
  2. Take advantage of and emailing or texting receipts to your customers. This is a big win because you can retain your customer’s data for future promotions, and have a positive impact on the environment
  3. Remember to Offer Pay at the Table in restaurants
  4. Take advantage of guest self-pay options (apps, kiosks, etc.)
  5. Use Signature Capture PIN pads

The new signature capture devices have become more affordable in every industry. These devices save you money by empowering you to electronically accept payments at the table, through a Kiosk or even through your phone.  You also will reduce paper consumption by sending payment requests electronically through apps that automate the checkout process.  It couldn’t be a better time to adopt these simple to use technologies to go paperless and save!

Be informed, Only YOU can prevent a VPNFilter attack

Be informed, Only YOU can prevent a VPNFilter attack

Today, you are going to be an informed consumer.  Routers are weak points.  The VPNFilter is dangerous.  But we are here to help you.

It is unrealistic to expect home users and small business proprietors to become security experts.

Reputable router manufacturers do equip their devices with security features.  You have to sign up for the necessary automatic updates so your router is maintained though.

Think safety when it comes to your home and business and moving forward you will be able to easily defeat vulnerabilities from this day forward.

Even if your router was not on the released “at risk device list,” take this opportunity to realize there are mobile-management tools available and configuring your router has become easier.  Take advantage of the advanced features.  Utilize the step-by-step process and perform maintenance and you will not become a statistic.

Choose a router that offers security.  A router with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) let’s you add compatible devices with the push of a button.  For a more secure connection, use Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA or WPA2), which requires entering a password for EACH device. Routers with WPA-Enterprise security offer the highest level of security.

The technology currently used to assign static IP addresses known as Internet Protocol iPv4 will eventually be replaced with iPv6.  The iPv4 is a 32-bit address scheme running out of addresses due to the number of devices connecting to the internet.  iPv6 has 128-bit scheme which offers an almost infinite number of IP addresses.   Make sure you get a router that has built-in support for iPv6; and verify this so you are ready for the transition when iPv4 finally hits the wall.

Future proof your home and small business now; and pay up front for a router that is enterprise level.  Amazon is a great resource to utilize and compare prices.  Send us an email if you want to know what features to look for.

Is your Company’s E-Commerce Evolving?

Is your Company’s E-Commerce Evolving?

E-commerce sales comprised 9.1% of all U. S. retail sales in the third quarter of 2017, according to the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce. Up from 8.2% in the same quarter of 2016. In the next three years e-commerce sales are expected to total $708 billion, according to Javelin Strategy & Research.

The big box retailers are consolidating and closing their brick and mortar stores in record numbers. They are putting their resources into their e-commerce sites to try and capture a market dominated by Amazon and primarily directed by Google. Will you follow their lead?

What can you do today to enhance your e-commerce site?

6 simple steps to boost and optimize your e-commerce site:

  1. Create a Mobile Friendly website.  First and foremost even if you are not selling your products or services online, you need to be found online today and in a mobile friendly way. 77% of American’s have a smart phone and are looking for your product or service right now. Is your site mobile friendly?  If not, stop everything you are doing and call someone who can help you create a mobile friendly e-commerce site today.
  2. Collect Customer Data.  Make sure you collect as much data as you can through your Point of Sale (POS) or on your site. It’s never been easier to collect your customer’s email or phone number at the POS. There are so many systems to choose from today that do this with ease at the cashier or checkout level. With more and more people using smart phones and going green, you can email receipts, notify of upcoming sales, and simply market your service to them with this collected information.
  3. Use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program to collect the basic data of your clients and prospects (company name, contact, address, email and phone number). It’s time to drill down to interests, birthdays, colleagues, spouses, children, education, how and why the customer started the business or anything you can discuss. In fact, every time you talk with your customer, note their file. People love to be remembered and this is your powerful insight into your customers needs and wants. Listening to these needs not only builds a strong loyal relationship, it saves everyone time and money by not discussing or pushing out topics that have little or no interest to them or their business.
  4. Develop a strategy to engage your customers.  How do you get your message out to your valued customers.  Email, blog post, mail, phone or social media? Quite frankly, you should use all of these to connect and on a regular basis. Use the same information on all platforms as it is unlikely your client will visit all.  If they do, great because it takes 5-7 touches before you sell an item. Just begin with one and take baby steps. Remember…”A good plan … now is better than a perfect plan … next week” – General George C. Patton.
  5. Reward your Customers.  Do you have a rewards program? If not start one today.  If you have one in store, great.  If it isn’t online then talk to someone who specializes in gift cards and rewards programs that will work with your e-commerce site. It doesn’t matter what type of business you own, there is something you can do to reward your clients. Even if it is just a cup of coffee, a $5 gift certificate or maybe a discount on a future purchase.  Birthdays, Christmas, Hanukkah, are all great, but what about something more original like an anniversary with you or just to thank them for their business? Think out of the box and send an e-certificate. If they don’t use it, it’s no loss to you.
  6. Optimize your payment process. Accept Apple Pay and the many new digital wallets to speed up the check out process. Shopping abandonment is a constant battle for e-commerce clients. Make it easy and fast for your clients to buy. Check into the many credit card software systems that not only reach out to clients to pay, for example, Electronic Bill Presentment and Payments (EBPP) but give your customers the ability to finance their purchases.

All in all, e-commerce has evolved and will continue to do so in the coming years. Take advantage of the many tools available to grow your business.

What are you waiting for? Like Nike says Just do it” and do it today!

TLS Security Is Important!

TLS Security Is Important!

With all the recent stories about security breaches, you may be wondering what you can do to help secure your data and communications. Transport Layer Security, also known as TLS, is a procedure that provides privacy and data integrity between multiple applications in your systems. TLS is used to create a secure environment for web browsing, emailing, or other applications. Websites are able to use TLS to keep all communication between their servers and web browsers secure. For organizations that store or process payment information, using TLS version 1.2 is a requirement of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. This standard was created by the PCI Security Standards Council to protect cardholder data. No single security measure will fully protect your organization from unauthorized data breaches, but implementing security protocols like TLS can reduce the chance of such threats.

How does your security impact your daily work day?

When it comes to your computer, your web browser may need to be updated. Whether you have Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, etc, check to make sure your computer is installing these updates automatically. When it comes to your payment software, if it stops working, you may need to do an update or even upgrade your software. Contacting your software provider with any issues can be a big help.  Some businesses run a standalone credit card terminal. If this stops working, you are going to want to contact your local sales office or merchant service provider as you may need a new file to be downloaded into the terminal.

The goal of TLS procedures are security and efficiency. Are you wondering if your browser is supported? This link will show you a list of supported browsers:

https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/viewMyClient.html

FEMA Business and Individual Assistance

FEMA Business and Individual Assistance

Business and Individual Assistance for Lee and Collier Counties Now Available

If you, your business or a family member has been affected by hurricane Irma here are some valuable resources to help you get help in the aftermath of the storm.

Check your address and apply for assistance here:

Address Look-up

Check the Status of your claim and find local resources here:

https://www.disasterassistance.gov/

Florida specific information relating to those affected by hurricane Irma

floridadisaster

Download the FEMA app for your smartphone

IOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fema/id474807486?mt=8

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.fema.mobile.android&hl=en

Read FEMA’s advice on vetting information found on social media here

If your business and it’s ability to make payments has been affected contact Card Systems for some help in getting your business taking payments today. We have some great limited time FREE promotions that allow businesses to begin making payments on a mobile device today.

 

 

Phishing Emails Targeting Business Addresses

Phishing Emails Targeting Business Addresses

Recently it was announced that email recipients were experiencing a new phishing scam that appeared to be a Delta Airlines ticket receipt. These emails may look very similar to an actual Delta email with a few slight differences. The picture below points out some things to look for before clicking any questionable links in an email.

Delta Phishing Email

This new round of emails appears to be hitting a large concentration of business email addresses over personal ones. Of course, we are all guilty of hastily clicking links when we believe something has been charged to our credit cards in error or unexpectedly. Instinct kicks in and we click in the hopes of finding the answer. The best thing to do in this case is to carefully review the email content for any identifier that it could possibly be fraudulent. We’ve noted some things to look for using red text in the image above. It’s also worthwhile to note that airlines will always include departures/arrivals in the ticket detail of any type of electronic communication  While there are many different versions of this particular phishing email above is just one example.

The link embedded in the email would open up a malicious Microsoft Word document that will activate and infect your PC. It will then begin connecting to other malicious servers to download and distribute further malware. These types of malware can collect, store, and send your financial information, login credentials, and other locally stored pieces of personal data.

Be sure to alert and educate your employees about these types of phishing attacks and how they could possibly affect your business and its sensitive data.When in doubt always reach out to the sender through a verified method of communication.

Thanks for visiting Card Systems

 

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