Feed: NELiX Speaks on Payment Processing - AggScore: 50.0

I'm excited to announce that NELiX TransaX is now available on the iPhone and iPod Touch!

iTransaX hit the Apple iTunes App Store a couple days ago. iTransaX allows iPhone and iPod Touch users to run credit card payments directly through their iPhone.

This is great for merchants who are on the move, attend trade shows, collect payment at their customers location, etc. Merchants can simply key in the credit card information, click a button, and run a transaction!

All transactions are run through the NELiX TransaX Payment Gateway. Merchants can integrate their business systems with the NELIX TransaX Payment Gateway using the powerful FleXPort toolkit, and have a mobile extension of that using their iPhones.

You can download from the Apple iTunes Store. Just search on iTransaX.

More information on credit card processing from your iPhone or iPod Touch.
More information on the NELiX TransaX Payment Gateway.
More information on the NELiX TransaX FleXPort toolkit.

NELiX TransaX is now integrated with ActiveMerchant! ActiveMerchant is an E-commerce library for Ruby. ActiveMerchant is an extraction from Shopify and is used by many developers to handle payment processing when building their E-commerce application.

This means that Shopify now supports the NELiX TransaX Gateway as well!

Well, actually, it turns out that we've been integrated for awhile. One of our partners performed the integration, and we just found out about it :-)

The NELiX TransaX FleXPort toolkit contains an example of a Ruby integration, or Ruby developers can simply use ActiveMerchant. With these tools, developers can easily integrate credit card and ACH (e-check) processing into their Ruby application.

More information on ActiveMerchant
More information on NELiX TransaX FleXPort
More information on NELiX TransaX

It's been awhile since my last post - I try to keep current, but things have been crazy.

Since last I've posted, we've been involved with FileMaker, 4th Dimension (4D), Ruby, VB.NET, Classic ASP, Microsoft Access and QuickBooks systems - integrating credit card, ACH and Remote Deposit/Check Conversion services into various technologies.

The traditional databases are my favorite - FileMaker, 4D, Access. For some reason, the vast majority of organizations think about processing payments from their online system, and from their point of sale system, but never from their in house database. It's great to see developers helping their customers integrate payment processing into these types of systems.

The NELiX TransaX QuickBooks module is keeping me busier than all of the other technologies combined. The ability to do credit card processing, ACH processing, check conversion, batch processing, etc - has proven very attractive to merchants using QuickBooks.

We'll have some exciting announcements over the next couple months so watch this space.

More information on integrating credit card/ACH acceptance into your application.
More information on the NELiX TransaX QuickBooks module for credit card acceptance.

I am extremely excited about the new features that we recently added to the NELiX TransaX QuickBooks module.

Now, in addition to being able to perform Credit Card and ACH (E-check) processing from within QuickBooks using our module, and in addition to the powerful batch processing features of our QuickBooks module, you can now perform Remote Deposit Capture (RDC), Check Conversion, Check 21 through our QuickBooks module!

The module is integrated with select Epson and RDM Check readers. Just plug them in, install the drivers, and you're ready to roll.

- No more manually entering received checks into QuickBooks
- No more filling out deposit slips.
- No more endorsing your checks.
- No more driving to the bank.
- No more waiting in lines!

It is an exciting new feature of the module. We have more big features on the way. Keep watching this space...

Information on RDC through QuickBooks
Infomation on NELiX TransaX

One of the greatest facets of my job is having the distinct honor of working with developers around the world.

As everybody in this day and age knows, E-Commerce is an essential component to most internet based applications. Because of the technology we provide to the development community, we are constantly approached by innovators.

These developers have ideas on how to use technology to reshape the world and approach us because our technology adds tools to help them realize their vision. Being exposed to these innovators is extremely uplifting. I love hearing about the dreams and visions of these developers.

Of course, due to confidentiality agreements in place, I can't go into any detail on the specific innovations, but seeing the concepts of Ruby developers, QuickBooks consultants, MS Access programmers, .NET gurus, FileMaker wizards, Flash designers - well, it highlights why I love the business I am in.

These people are ready to change the world - and it happens every day. Some of these concepts will fail, while others will soar beyond the creators wildest dreams. I see new concepts every day, and I love hearing about every one of them, and even more, I love having the opportunity of being a part of something that may leave a lasting impact on the online world.

Innovators - keep on dreaming!

More information on NELiX TransaX Payment Processing Integration for Developers.

It's been some time since I blogged. This is due to my heavy travel schedule over the last month. Here is where I have been...

First on my itinerary was the AMC Institute Summer Meeting in Toronto.

AMC Institute is an organization that consists of companies that manage associations, charitable organizations, and trade organizations.

We have been highly involved in this organization for many years. I currently have the honor of serving as the Co-Chair to the Associate Member Task Force. We bring our services to Association Management Companies (AMCs) who, in turn, bring our services to the associations they manage. We have developed many modules to service this industry, including an iMIS plug in for credit card and ACH/E-check acceptance.

Next stop - Hershey, PA for a quick, and sorely needed, family vacation.

After that - back to business and onto Allen, TX where we met with an organization who will be licensing our QuickBooks payment processing module. Through our relationship with this organization, we are able to add Remote Deposit functionality, with integrated check readers, into our application. This is an exciting opportunity, and our Remote Deposit functionality will be released in just a few weeks!

Well, now I'm back and almost dug out from the pile of work that gathered while I travelled.

More information on our QuickBooks payment processing module.
More information on our payment processing plug ins.

NELiX TransaX is looking to hire a Sales Associate ASAP! This individual would need the following skill set:

• Computer Savvy. The candidate would not need to know how to program, or how to build or troubleshoot a computer, but should have experience using the Internet, Word, Excel and other common applications.
• Good with numbers. As we work in the financial sector, strong basic math skills are needed. A good understanding of basic algebra is a great help in this industry.
• Good interpersonal skills. We are looking for somebody who is good with people - somebody who enjoys talking to people, understand human nature, and is generally a likeable person.
• Little to no experience. We prefer somebody with no pre-conceived notions, or prior experience that would impede learning our process. Somebody fresh out of school is ideal.
• Loves to learn. Somebody who is willing to learn new things, enjoys learning new things, and is a fast learner will thrive at NELiX TransaX.

NELiX TransaX is a unique organization. We have not seen any other organization like ours. We are 1/2 tech firm, and 1/2 merchant services (payment processing provider). We offer a unique hybrid of two industries that are already unique in their sales process.

This Sales Associate is almost like an apprenticeship - the individual would assist a seasoned sales professional. This would include making calls, assisting with pricing, research, technical consulting, and other tasks core to our sales process.

The Sales Associate would start with a base salary and quarterly performance bonuses with the ability to move into a full sales role which includes ongoing residual income from new accounts.

The individual would work out of our sales office in Schaumburg, IL. Visit our websites for more information:

NELiX TransaX Information can be found here.

NELiX, Inc., our sister company, can be found here.

BTW - we are also interested in talking to VB programmers, but our immediate need is in the sales area.

If you are interested in talking further and learning more, please e-mail sales@nelixtransax.com with your resume.

It is a standard practice in the industry to charge an early termination fee. This is understandable - considerable time and effort goes into underwriting and boarding a new account, time is spent on customer service, etc. An early termination fee is a way for a merchant account provider to make sure they will recoup their initial investment into a new merchant account. These fees are usually range from $200 - $500 depending on the provider.

However, some entities enact extremely unethical early termination fees.

For example, some merchant account providers will charge a mutliple on the earnings from the largest volume month over the past 12 months. Some providers will go so far as charge a multiple on their profit + interchange + dues and assessments!

Two examples that I have encountered:

1) Big Bank - I had a merchant processing with this bank. They wanted to cancel, and were prepared to pay what they thought was a $295 early termination fee. They receive a communication from the bank telling them their early termination fee was $60,000+!!! WOW! This was their highest month from the past 12 months, including interchange + dues + assessments + the bank's profits.

2) Merchant Account Provider - Similar scenario - very small merchant, tried to cancel and the provider threatened to assess an $18,000+ cancellation fee. WOW!

In both cases, these organizations were assessing against future earnings (i.e. no loss was represented to these organizations) and future earnings they never would have earned (i.e. interchange + dues + assessments)

This practice is BAD!! Obviously. Here's why:
1) It is, in my opinion, an extremely unethical practice. It is unfair to the merchant, and it's this type of action that makes merchants at large hate merchant account providers. It is bad for the industry as a whole.
2) Similar scenarios caused legislation in Arizona to be passed putting a $50 cap on early termination fees. This type of action will invite government regulation.
3) This type of action does not help the provider in the long run - it ends up causing attrition, instead of preventing it, and ends up with a customer who will never come back.

So, my message to all you merchant account providers out there who adopt this practice - STOP IT!

My message to merchants - read your early termination penalties VERY CAREFULLY before signing. If you do get into a situation where your provider is trying to hit you with extreme and unreasonable penalties, those contracts are unenforcable in court. You can fight it, and you'll win.

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I spent the last couple days attending the MWAA (Midwest Acquirers Association) annual conference in Lombard, IL. As always, the show was very productive. There is always great educational opportunities and networking opportunities at these trade shows. I learned a lot, and made many new valuable connections.

One thing that was very apparent, the show was very "retail" oriented. Most of the discussions, panels, questions, etc revolved around serving the retail merchants of America. It's great that the retail segment is given a lot of attention, as they are deserving of it. They are a large segment, and they are and have always been a staple of the American economy.

However, a specific segment was sorely overlooked. The Internet segment. There were no sessions, panels, discussions, questions about Internet merchants at all. To me, that is mind boggling. Internet merchants are a major segment of U.S. commerce, and will continue to grow and grow quickly. Before long, every merchant will be online in one form or another.

Sure, there were a dozen gateway companies represented, and other software based vendors in the exhibit hall, but none of the show content was geared towards this segment. Why was this segment overlooked?

It's simple, the industry as a whole does not understand this segment. Retail is obvious - retailers all behave the same way. They either swipe credit cards through a terminal, or through a swipe reader attached to a point of sale system. The POS system may grow in scale or scope, but it's always the same. Reprogram a terminal or POS OR sell the merchant a new one, and you're good to go.

With Internet merchants, there is no cookie cutter format. Every Internet merchant has unique needs. Every Internet merchant will process in a different way, and respond to the results in a different way. For a traditional merchant account sales person, who used to sell terminals and is now faced with selling gateway accounts, it is a very complex process.

I belong to a discussion group for 4D, a database technology. I recently saw a post from a member of the group that was faced with integrating payment processing into their application. They selected a payment gateway to integrate, and went on to describe what a painful process the integration was. So painful, in fact, that they almost gave up. Through perseverance, they made it through, and it's been mostly smooth since then, but the initial integration was much more difficult than it should have been.

Even gateway companies, which grew out of a need for a "virtual terminal" don't understand what merchant facing developers need. The development community, who has ultimate influence on a merchants payment processing decisions, is largely neglected by the merchant account industry.

We are a unique merchant account provider. We do not have any "old school" merchant account sales people on staff. We come form the software development and consulting community. We look to form partners with developers in order to help them make the process easy, and provide the tool set they really need. We provide solutions.

Anyway, I can go on and on about this all day.

For more information on what we provide, visit the NELiX TransaX Developers Site.

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Yeah, you heard me. FoxPro! FoxPro is a database platform that has been around for an extremely long time and at one time was widely considered the fastest database platform available.

I remember seeing an Apple demonstration in the early 90's, running on the hotest Mac of the time, and using the Fox platform. The demo ran searches against the U.S. postal database in milliseconds. Very impressive.

Much like other database technologies - such as Microsoft Access, FileMaker or 4th Dimension (4D) - most FoxPro users and developers never consider the possibility of running credit card and ACH (E-check) transactions, in real time, through their FoxPro databases.

When you realize that this type of automation can be done, the possibilities are endless. For example:

- Eliminate exporting and importing to/from third party applications to run transactions.
- Automate the payment process - auto charge customers.
- Create cascading systems - i.e. if a credit card payment fails, run an E-check transaction
- Create systems to "initiate" customers and bill them later
- Create ad hoc rebills

NELiX TransaX recently added a FoxPro payment processing integration example to the FleXport suite of libraries. Download and take a look!

Download FleXport integration libraries here.
More information on NELiX TransaX
Developers can partner with NELiX TransaX. Find out how!

Over the course of my career, I have worked with many entities in the payment processing industry. This includes merchant account providers, payment gateway providers, ACH/E-check providers, processing networks, acquiring banks, gift card providers, ATM providers, etc.

Some of these organizations have some of the brightest and best programmers I've seen on staff. Some of these organizations are entirely based upon technology (i.e. Gateway providers.) Yet of these, there are an extremely few that are helpful to the development community.

Many of them provide poor documentation, poor support, inflexibility, poor reporting, no examples, no development assistance, etc, etc.

Why is this? Mostly it's because the programmers on staff at most payment processing entities spend 100% of their time working on internal systems. They have not "walked the walk" - they have not lived a day in the application developers shoes. It comes down to a basic lack of understanding of the development communities needs.

If you are an application developer, whether you are developing in PHP, ASP, .NET, Access, FileMaker, Flash, etc, a few things would make your lives easier.

- Good complete documentation.
- Complete an easy to use example integrations in your preferred platform
- Multiple methods of integration, so a developer can choose the best one suited to their needs.
- Access to developers to advise, assist, or even perform integration.
- A feature rich gateway, giving many automation options.
- A reporting API for custom reporting

Most web developers - PHP, ASP, .NET, ColdFusion, etc - have encountered and addressed the payment processing question as a necessity, but don't fully take advantage of the possibilities. Most database developers - FileMaker, Access, 4D, FoxPro, etc - have stayed away from integrating payment processing into their applications, simply because there is no organization that makes it easy for them.

This is the basic premise of NELiX TransaX. We are the developer friendly payment solution provider. We grew organically from an application development firm. We understand the needs of the developer and we can not only meet, but we can exceed those needs.

When a developer partners with NELIX TransaX to bring payment processing to their customers, they get:

- The ability to bring new features and automation options to their customers.
- The ability to earn more development dollars from their customers.
- The ability to save their customers money
- A share in the residual stream from their clients.
- A support system that includes in-depth documentation, complete examples in most programming languages, and developers on staff to advise, assist or perform integrations.

Developers - we hear you. We ARE you!

Take a look at what we have to offer:
NELiX TransaX Developers Site
NELiX TransaX Partners Site
NELiX TransaX Gateway Site

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