Sammi Caramela is a trusted business advisor whose work for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others centers around creating digestible but informative guidance on all things small business. Whether she’s discussing cash flow management or intellectual property, work trends or employer branding, Caramela provides actionable tips designed for small business owners to take their entrepreneurship to the next level.
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Caramela, who also lends her expertise to the financial outlet 24/7 Wall St., has business management experience that allows her to provide personal insights on day-to-day operations and the working relationship between managers and independent contractors. Amidst all this, Caramela has found time to publish a young adult novel, develop a poetry collection and contribute short stories to various anthologies.
Here’s everything you should consider when upgrading your credit card terminals.
\nBusiness owners should be on the lookout if they have had the same POS system for some time. After several years, issues with the system will likely pop up. The following are a few signs that you may need to upgrade and get a better version as a way to streamline payment processing:
\nPerhaps you are looking to get an EMV chip reader or want to add near-field-communication (NFC) technologies to your reader for processing mobile phone and wearable tech transactions. Whatever the reason for needing new card readers, there are a few things to keep in mind as you choose a vendor.
\nThis article is focused on adding card readers to an existing POS system. Review our guide on how to accept card payments if you’re looking for a new POS system.
\nIf you’re in the market for an entirely new POS package, check out our POS system guide.
\nYour new card reader must be compatible with your existing setup. You may be able to find lower-priced options online rather than from your merchant service but request a list of compatible card machine models from them to ensure that you purchase the correct versions. If you require assistance, it may benefit you to pay for a technician to help you add the card readers to your existing POS system.
\nDue to EMV compliance and liability reasons, you should upgrade to readers that can process chip debit and credit cards. The liability shift took place in October 2015, which means that now merchants can be deemed liable in a fraud issue if they are not compliant. Compliance involves more than simply having a chip reader, but that is one part of it. Most EMV card readers also include a magnetic card reader as well to accommodate your customers who do not have chip cards yet.
\nNFC technology can help you process payments from mobile wallets or emerging wearable tech, such as rings, smartwatches, stickers or key chains. Acquiring this tech is reasonably priced and worth considering if you think your customers will want to make payments using this type of technology. This tech is also necessary if you want to process mobile-wallet-type loyalty or gift cards.
\nYou may feel pressured to enter into a long-term leasing agreement. If you can, avoid it. Online reviews are laden with bad experiences and tales of warning. In the long run, you could save thousands by purchasing the card readers outright, even if you have to use a credit card to do it. Most new EMV chip-card readers are about $200 for a single unit. If you lease the readers, you might pay $50 or more, per month per machine, for three years. That adds up to $3,600, which is significantly more than just buying the readers. Some leasing agreements will even include an automatic contract renewal, so if you are not paying close attention you may find yourself in another three (or more) year agreement that may prove difficult to get out of.
\nThere are a variety of technologies available for your customers to consent to payment. The most common way is entering a PIN, so many credit-card machines will have a connected PIN pad. But you may also want to include a signature device for those who need to sign for their credit card purchases. You can choose from one that allows customers to sign on a screen or on a signature pad. As mentioned, you may also want to consider adding NFC technologies for additional options. Biometric technologies are beginning to become available but are not commonly used at this time.
\nCredit card machines can connect to your payment processor and POS system in a variety of ways, so be sure to choose the type of technology that works best with your system. Some connect by Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, cable or Ethernet connection. The lowest-priced options often physically connect with wires, but if you desire a cleaner sales counter with fewer cords, you may want to consider a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi option.
\nIf you sell products away from your business’s home base, such as at an outdoor market or a convention center, you may also want a mobile option.
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