In our quest for continual improvement and a better conference experience, we recently launched a payment processing system at a recent conference, and I simply must share it with you.
LaVay Sheldon, Kellen’s Director of Operations and Special Projects and a go-to person on the Kellen Meetings team for technology got this new application off the ground and running at a recent conference. Read on as LaVay describes the experience.
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With so few meeting attendees carrying cash, and the opportunities for on-site purchases at meetings and conferences, it’s important to plan for non-cash payments. In the past, we have used portable credit card machines and paid for the hotel’s dedicated phone lines to make it work. However, with budgets tighter, we wanted to look at alternatives.
One of our past solutions has been Pay Pal, which moved the method for collecting payments from a sophisticated corporate process to something anyone could do. Today, many convention registration systems have integrated credit card payment capabilities, making the process of collecting registration fees simpler.
But not all events are large enough to justify the sophistication of integrated registration systems. And not everything could be handled with Pay Pal. Plus we still needed more convenience. So, we looked to the most ubiquitous device we could think of – the smartphone – and turned it into a payphone.
A little online research turned up a number of possibilities. Just by adding a piece of hardware to the phone’s audio jack – a card swipe – and software on the phone, we were able to accept payments on the spot with simply an Internet connection and a smart phone.
We did exactly that, a few months ago, for the International Flight Services Association (IFSA) using the Intuit GoPayment Merchant program offered through our local Verizon phone center as well as online. This allowed us to take Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. In addition to supplying the free device to read the card, they provided the free application to make it work, all for a reasonable processing fee per transaction.
The online software tools gave us the ability to create a sales template for the phone screen to allow us quick entry of product choices, plus an association-specific receipt complete with their logo. The app calculates totals based on the quantity of products selected. Once the order is complete, a series of taps on menu items walked you through the process of finishing the sale, scanning the credit card information, processing the transaction, getting a buyer signature and sending an itemized receipt to a customer provided email address, all in a matter of seconds!
The application notified of us of problem cards or refused transactions. Training was simple and customers were fascinated by the simplicity of the process. The money was deposited directly into the association’s checking account and the online software gave us back office capabilities to make refunds and process receipts.
Staff found the process to be simple to set up and operate. Now that the account is established, it is good for any activities or meetings the association holds. Since we began the process research, additional vendors and products (Square comes to mind) have come into the marketplace. This is still an early adopter technology, but because of the fee structures it is a concept which can be tested with little cost or risk. It’s simplicity makes it worth trying.
LaVay Sheldon is Director of Operations and Special Projects at Kellen Company, a professional services company that specializes in association and client management. Mr. Sheldon has served as technology lead with Kellen Meetings for nearly 20 years and has been responsible for identifying, developing and implementing user friendly registration and data systems.
