My first panel here at SXSW was about analytics…social media analytics. From a business perspective, it is absolutely imperative to measure the outcomes of your social media efforts because otherwise, it’s a pointless pursuit. I got to hear two experts talk about the basics of what is necessary to measure, and industry standards. I felt the presentation was more consumer focused, so I asked the presenters how the information would change for B2B…they responded that social media is even more important for B2B since there are less communication platforms for B2B than B2C. Here are some basic ideas:

What are the basic metrics used to measure social media efficacy?

Number of mentions by type, source, or channel- this means how many times your company/brand is mentioned on forums, blogs, twitter, etc. This may be relative to industry. For example, cars are more often discussed in forums whereas restaurants are more on Twitter.

Key themes emerging from conversations- Here, you can easily spot trends among what is being discussed about your brand. An example the experts used was Jamba Juice. As they were monitoring conversations about their brand online, they noticed the word “milk” kept coming up. They found out that a rumor had spread that Jamba Juice used dairy products in one of their recipes, which is contrary to their claim of being completely non-dairy. Jamba was able to quell concerns early by acting on those concerns before things became too widespread.

Most viral content- As measured by retweets, traffic, views, etc. This will help guide future social media campaigns. If one topic in a blog garnered more retweets or one blog article drives more traffic, cover it more.

This weekend, along with hundreds of other self proclaimed tech geeks, I will be attending SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas.

This is a weekend of firsts for me: first time at SXSW…first time in Texas.

I will be blogging from Austin about all of the cool stuff I’ll be learning so even if you can’t make it…you can read all about it hereon Financially Speaking.

Of course, I’ll be specifically interested in how technology will affect the payments world, social media outreach to small business, and cool new stuff in general. If you have any questions or just want to see what’s up, follow me @TransFS or shoot me an email at stella@transfs.com

Have you ever wondered how much a fast food shop pays in credit card processing fees?  I have, since transaction size tends to be small (one component in the calculation of fees is transaction size). Since healthy sandwich shops seem to be the craze, let’s examine a sandwich shop.

So for an example, let’s look at Jimmy John’s, which has about $850,000 in revenue per store. About a quarter of that is collected in credit card and debit card sales according to the 2008 Hitachi Consulting Study of Consumer Payment Preferences (for fast food restaurants).

The average interchange rate that TransFS expects such a restaurant to have is in the neighborhood of $0.1255 + 1.56% for transactions greater than $15 and about $0.04 + 1.60% on transactions less than $15.

If we assume that 50%  transactions are < $15 that the average size for such a small transaction is $7.50 while the average size of a transaction > $15 is $20 (which means that this restaurants overall ticket size is about $14) then the average interchange rate for this restaurant is about 2.16%.

TransFS’ proprietary software has read thousands of customer bills, only to find that the average restaurant pays around 0.75%+$.20 markup above interchange, meaning this is about 2.2% for a sale of $14.

If we apply the overall rate of 4.36% (2.16% + 2.2%) to the 27% of this restaurant’s $850,000 in sales we can calculate that this restaurant will pay $10,006 per year in credit card processing fees.

Yikes!

Restaurant owners can get the best deal on credit card processing by comparison shopping for a processor using TransFS. Start an auction now to keep more of your hard earned money!

Image thanks to http://www.flickr.com/photos/28233229@N00/1407449118/

Last week, I decided to try an experiment… what would happen if I were a business owner looking to find a credit card processor from BuyerZone? Here’s what happened:

Friday  Feb 26th

9 AM Filled out form on BuyerZone. Wow they asked for a lot of information. They said I would get quotes from multiple credit card processors, but at the end of the form, it just said I would be contacted by processors…no quotes. Hmmm….sure smells like lead generation…

9 PM My cell phone rings. It’s an unknown number…I let it go to voicemail since I’m out with friends (at 9 PM on a Friday). Later, I check my voicemail and it’s a processor.

Sunday Feb 28th

Got a few emails. One was very to the point about how much my service would cost. Another had a bunch of text followed by some numbers. The third had no quote at all, just text about the processor. The two quotes I am given are not in the same format so I can’t really compare them;  one is interchange plus and the other is tiered. They also have random charges like “paper statement fee.” I’m most confused and decide to set up a time during the week where I will call these salespeople at my convenience and figure out where I’d get the best price.

Monday March 1st

9:30 AM Salesperson calls. I’m working and can’t pick up. This happens a couple of times throughout the day. Why can’t I just call when it’s convenient for me?

Tuesday March 2nd

I plan to figure out the best prices this afternoon. Opening the first email, I quickly locate the rep’s name and phone number. It goes straight to voicemail so I leave a message asking the salesperson to call me within the next few hours. I dial the next phone number and it’s busy. It’s always busy for the next two hours everytime I try to call. The third email leads me to a salesperson who apparently does not exist, the operator tells me “we have no one by that name working here.” Finally, the first salesperson calls me back and I can ask my questions. This processor advertises 0%. When I ask how they make money, she answers me that there is an annual fee I have to pay. This was nowhere in the email. Finally, frustrated, I decide to be done for the day. This has led me nowhere.

This experience was valuable for me since I got to see exactly why TransFS is sorely needed. Business owners should not have to go through such a tedious and inconvenient process to set up their credit card processing! Luckily, using TransFS it takes minute to get instant bids that are comparable to each other. Thank goodness for TransFS…(trying to be unbiased, can’t help it!)

Being a newbie to customer service, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, or what was expected of me. However, after hundreds of phone calls and chats with TransFS users, I’ve learned some general guidelines make customer service one of the most satisfying parts of my day. Here are some tips from lessons that I learned:

1) What is your personality?- As face-to-face interaction decreases and digital communication increases, a lot of behavioral cues taken from body language and human contact are lost. This means that language used in email is critical for getting not only your message across, but projecting whatever attitude or personality your business embodies. I had to tone down my professional speak a bit for TransFS, since we like to be seen as casual and approachable.  On the telephone end, voice cues are your way of getting personality and message across. I like to smile before dialing a user, it just makes the whole interaction more pleasant. Even when you’re discussing something as seemingly mundane as credit card processing (trust me, it’s actually fascinating!) that extra bounce in your voice lets the users know you actually care.

2) Politeness and Energy Go a Long Way- Think extra polite in your interactions with users. Making jokes and laughing are always appropriate, but having that extra bit of respect will make you stand out. Adding more “thank you’s” is an easy way to show your appreciation and concern for your customer’s problem. Use your voice to show how excited you are in helping your customer deal with their issues and see value in your service.

3) Think Like the Customer- When customers ask questions, try to understand their context. Why are they asking this question? Maybe there is a deeper issue they mean to address. If you can get at this deeper concern, you’ve done your job. You’ve also assuaged the customer because they feel that you understand and care for their issue to be resolved. Another approach is to make sure you do not sound salesy. Speak to your customer with phrases that imply agency vs commitment. For example, “feel free to check out this feature…”  ”we have a cool iPhone App that is free to download…if you want.”

4) Speak to Your Customer- Especially in an industry as technical as merchant account services, knowing at what level to speak to your customers is critical to their happiness. Try to gauge their level of understanding from what they tell you, and make them feel knowledgable. For example, it’s nice to say “As a dentist’s office, I’m sure you already know that accepting a variety of credit cards is important to meet the payment needs of your patients, but did you know….” Or end with…”but you probably already knew that.”

5) Make Sure They Are Satisfied- Always end your interaction by asking if your customer is 100% satisfied with your service, and ask if there is anything else you can do. Doing this ensures your customer will hang up the phone feeling particularly comfortable with your service. Asking this may also bring to light other issues they might have.

6) Go the Extra Mile- Follow up with your customers; show them you care. Speaking with customers is an important way to drive innovation, referrals, and keep your business in check. Working in your bubble can make decision making narrow sighted, but by broadening and really getting to know your customers, you will understand your business more completely.

Are you completely happy with this post? If not, feel free to email me at Stella@transfs.com  

Image thanks to http://www.flickr.com/photos/10159709@N07/2566010605/

Many people have been talking and asking about Square, the new gadget coming from Tom Dorsey, the prolific founder of Twitter. The basic idea is to make the acceptance of credit cards universally available for everyone individuals, businesses, etc.–provided they have an iPhone and Square’s little swiper piece (you plug it in the iPhone to facilitate the swiping of credit cards).  Cool idea, huh? Here are some questions to ponder:

1) Is Square accomplishing something new?

2) Is Square a good idea for my small business?

3) What’s the catch?

4) What are the pros and cons?

I welcome discussion and addition to these questions. Having read a ton about Square, this is purely speculative. Since it does not come out until the summer, only test users have actually put it into use.

1) Is Square accomplishing something new?

Yes and no, but mostly no. Accepting credit cards via iPhone has been around for a while. In fact, TransFS has a free iPhone app that does virtually the same thing as Square. The difference: with TransFS (and many  similar apps) there is a different credit card processor involved on the back end, but with Square, they act as both gateway and processor.  Another difference is the swiping feature–most other apps require keying in the number.

Square also includes some nifty toys like photo verification (for identity theft purposes), the ability to swipe cards, and email receipts with lots of information like geographic location of transaction.

2) Is Square a good idea for my small business?

It depends on your size, but mostly no. If you are a bicycle messenger, or some other occupation with very low volume of credit card revenue and also need mobility–then Square may be worth it. Rates for credit card processing fees vary by revenue from credit card transactions. The higher the volume, the lower the fees (generally). Square charges 3-3.5% per transaction which is absolutely not worth it if your business has high volume.

3) What’s the catch?

Square is still deciding what to charge for its services. Some say both the hardware and software will be free, while others point to a $1 download fee for the app. This isn’t where Square will potentially make its money: the bulk will be that 3-3.5% processing fee. Like I mentioned before, for small businesses will little revenue, then it’s not bad. For example, Paypal’s processing fees for monthly credit card revenues under $3,000 are 2.9%+0.30 (per transaction). So in reality, you could download the TransFS iPhone app (free) and use Paypal as your processor for less. However, if your monthly revenue is really high, then processing rates can be as low as Interchange+0.10+0.05 (that’s just an estimate). Translation: 2%+$0.20 per transaction.  That’s a huge difference from 3.5% flat fee. Learn more about average fees here.

4) What are the pros and cons?

Interchange is the fee that businesses pay directly to credit card issuers for the service of processing their credit cards. Visa and Mastercard publish their rates for public knowledge, while American Express does not. After doing some digging, we found that the American Express 2007 Annual Report reveals that, on average, Amex’s discount rate was 2.56% (2007), 2.57% (2006) and 2.58% (2005).

Compare this to Visa’s interchange rate, which averages out to be 0.77% lower.

Keep in mind that the average Amex discount rates shown above are an average and include a much lower interchange rate that large companies can negotiate with Amex. A great example of this kind of partnership is Amex’s deal with Costco (as discussed in Paying with Plastic p. 169).  After accepting only Discover card for eight years, Costco signed an exclusivity agreement with Amex which industry experts say put Costco’s Amex interchange rate at about 1.11%.  In return, Costco customers had membership cards which doubled as American Express credit cards.

Compare that 1.11% to the fact that small businesses pay about 3.25-2.75% for Amex interchange.

Let TransFS help you find the best deal on credit card processing for your business. Start here to get multiple bids from top quality processors at no cost, all apples-to-apples comparison, and transparent pricing. What you see is what you get. Users save an average of 40% on credit card processing with the most transparent pricing: interchange plus.

TransFS uses Interchange Plus pricing in our credit card processor marketplace. The biggest chunk of change that processors charge is Interchange, but what does that really mean?

Two of the things that confuse merchants the most are:

1. Why they are charged different amounts when different kinds of cards are used
2. Who gets to keep the 1.5% – 3.0% of their hard-earned sales that are siphoned away as “discounts” and “fees”

A big part of the answer to both of those questions is: “Interchange”.

What is Interchange?

Interchange is the set of rules that define how much of a cut the issuing bank (the bank that issued the customers’ credit card, big issuing banks include Capital One and MBNA) gets to keep from the credit card transaction.

The part of the transaction that you see:

The back-end of the transaction (where the money flows):

How big is interchange?

Interchage is the largest piece of the transaction, usually 70-90% of processing fees. Basically, the card issuing bank captures most of the economics of the transaction.

• Morgan Stanley estimates that interchange is, on average, 1.75%, or 81% of the total fees charged to the merchant on the transaction.
• The Kansas City Fed estimates that interchange is, on average, 1.60%. However, their data was from 2003 and earlier, which may account for the difference in the estimates, since Interchange tends to rise every year.

Why should I care?

When negotiating a deal with your credit card processor it helps to know how much of a cut they are getting for two reasons:

• It lets you know how much they are making off or you and therefore how much room they have to negotiate
• The main rate that a processor will quote is on a standard credit card transaction.  With the rise of rewards cards and debit cards, these “standard” cards make up the minority of transactions.  If you focus your energy on negotiating a good “standard” rate, with a fair markup for your processor, they probably will sneak in a much larger markup on the rewards and debit cards. An example of that can be found in “Reading a Merchant Processing Statement“

Until recently interchange rates were secret, but now you can get a full description of them at the Visa and Mastercard websites: Visa interchange rates , Mastercard interchange rates.For a chart of different interchange rates, click here.

New rules for credit cards will be kicking in less than a month from now, as legislation for fairer industry practices finally begins. These new rules may change the terms on your existing credit cards, so the most important thing to do to prevent being surprised by unnecessary fees or changes in rates is to seek out information on how the new legislation will affect you. Don’t stop reading if you have a great credit history and amazing FICO score, you may be affected as well.  Five smart things to do before the the law sets in can be found here, here are a couple of the more salient points.

1) Don’t Get New Cards Until Feb 22- Under the new law, new accounts (after Feb 22) will be protected from interest rates increases for the first year. Since credit card companies will be adapting to the new reform laws, this may mean better deals and exploding offers for people who have good credit histories.

2) Consider Switching to Lower APRs- Although there is a cost of 3-4 percent of the amount transferred, doing a balance transfer from a higher interest rate account to one with a lower APR can save big bucks. In the current economic climate, issuers are offering balance transfer of at least a year to customers with good credit histories. Keep in mind to check what the new interest rate will be after the promo period is over. If the rate ends up being higher or only a bit lower, it may not be worth switching.

3) Under 21 and want a credit card? You’ve got til Feb 22- Young responsible adults hoping to build a good credit history may want to get a card before the new law goes into effect, since under the law, an adult (over 21) co-signer will be required for applicants who are under 21.

Some things don’t change with the new law, such as the consumer’s responsibility to pay on time in order to build up a good credit history.

USA Today reported on the growing trend of consumers quitting their credit card habit: cold turkey.

Although the average person has five credit cards, many Americans are reacting to recent economic trends by cutting off their source of debt creation and living off of cash and debit cards. Revolving credit fell by nearly 20% in November! Indeed, even debit card use has been increasing slowly but surely and has recently started booming (which is great for small business since processing fees are much lower for debit transactions).

Citing aversion to debt, credit card naysayers may suffer incredible backlashes when attempting to do basic things such as renting a car or securing a car loan. Since most of these require checking credit history and FICO score, people without a credit history will be denied, or may require enlisting a cosigner who has a good credit history.

An interesting case study is the young Baker family, whose desire to live a simpler life, free of the chains of debt led them to sell most of their assets, pay off their debt, and travel the world. Follow their adventures here, on their blog.

Another reason for opting out is incredulity at the unfair practices of credit card companies, although their abilities to raise interest rates whenever they feel like is soon coming to a close with the start of new legislation designed to curtail abusive practices. The days of increases to 20% or 30% may soon be over, but credit card companies are gauging consumers and getting the most they can in the remaining days.

Responsible credit card use is of course the desired outcome, but many consumers feel the lure of high spending limits is too much to handle and are instead choosing to go the abstinence route.

Image thanks to http://www.flickr.com/photos/82386510@N00/2977425354/