Archive for May 2009

The Tranax 1705W: New product review

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Whenever we get a new ATM model in, we keep a close eye on it. We test it ourselves for reliability, ease of use, ease of service and feature set. We also pay close attention to what our customers say during and after installation.

We recently concluded our testing period for the Tranax 1705W and have found it to be nothing short of spectacular.

We have installed nearly 100 and they are operating without errors. Our customers have said they like the ease of operation, the easy-to-read 7″ color screen and the capacity to display 8 advertising screens. They also like the TCP/IP capabilities, because they can connect the ATM through an Internet connection and not pay for an extra phone line.

The one complaint is that the manufacturer ships the 1705W without an owner’s manual. So we’ve created a digital manual that will be included with every order (on a CD-ROM) and also available to download from the troubleshooting page on our website.

We will continue offering the Tranax 1705w at its introductory price through the end of June. So get a great ATM at its lowest price ever and see for yourself what it can do for your business.

To learn more, visit the ATM Network store, fill out a form or call us at 1-800-929-0228.

Tags: ATMs, Cash machine
Posted in Research, Technology | Comments Off

Credit-card processing vs. ATMs: Who wins?

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

If you are not accepting plastic in your business yet, you are missing a huge opportunity to increase your revenue. Many merchants ask us if they should get an ATM machine or just use credit-card processing. Here are the differences so you can decide what would be best for your business.

Credit cards

When accepting credit cards, you have two components: the card reader that you swipe the cards through and the cost of the transaction. Your upfront cost for the card reader is very low. But your long-term costs for processing the credit card can be the hidden killer!

If you do any kind of volume on your credit-card machine, you will pay in several ways:

A percentage of every dollar that is run through your terminal;
A fee per transaction;
A monthly statement fee;
Often there are other fees and charges as well.

The transaction fee is usually tiny unless you have a very low average ticket (like a package of gum); then it can be quite costly.

Automated teller machines

With ATMs you invest more upfront, but it’s usually much more affordable in the long term. You make money on every dollar instead of paying a fee on every dollar.

You can increase your revenue in 4 ways:

Increased spending and customer traffic
Reduced number of bad checks
Elimination of credit card fees
Surcharge revenue (the fee customers pay to withdraw money from your ATM)

Which is better for me?

Given the different cost structures, we recommend an ATM if you have more than 100 customers per day coming through your business. If you have less than that you may want to start with the credit-card machine and either add or switch to an ATM as traffic increases.

You’re an ATM company. Why should I believe you?

We offer both ATMs and credit-card processing, so we’re somewhat neutral on the subject.

Feel free to contact us for a free business evaluation to determine which would be the best option for you, or to find out about our full range of merchant services, including check collection. Call us toll-free at 1-800-929-0228 or fill out a contact form.

Tags: ATM surcharge, ATMs, Credit-card fees
Posted in ATM benefits, Products and services | Comments Off

ATM Network honors employee’s eight years of service

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Steve Fisher, a member of the ATM Network sales team, recently marked eight years of service to the company.

At a celebration last week, ATM Network founder and owner Phil Rock presented Steve with a cake, a bonus and some time to reflect on the past eight years. Phil and sales manager Chad Woolson told stories about the company’s early days, from its founding in Phil’s basement to its first office in a strip mall in Minnetonka.

Steve has contributed greatly to the growth of ATM Network through his long and dedicated service. But he’s hardly alone. Our 25 employees represent nearly 120 years of combined experience in the ATM industry. Next month we will celebrate three more anniversaries with a combined 35 years of experience.

Such longevity and experience is why ATM Network continues to weather changes that have seen competitors come and go. Our staff of competent and committed professionals support each and every machine and transaction, a level of service that no other provider can touch.

Tags: anniversary, ATM Network, history
Posted in Company news, Employees | Comments Off

Triton/Hyosung merger called off

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

About a year ago, Korea-based ATM manufacturer Nautilus Hyosung announced plans to buy its U.S.-based rival, Triton Systems, for $63 million. The move triggered some concern about reduced competition in the industry, as it would leave only Tranax Technologies and WRG as major independent makers of ATMs.

The resulting government anti-trust scrutiny apparently proved fatal to the deal. Yesterday, Triton and Hyosung called off the merger.

James Phillips, director of North American sales for Triton, said both companies have been going through the anti-trust review with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and yesterday decided to walk away from the deal due to challenges that appear to be continuing with the DOJ and the anti-trust review process.

“It looked like impediments with the DOJ were going to continue on and it was better to just stop and go our separate ways,” Phillips said.

Triton said it will continue as an independent company, suggesting it would not immediately seek another buyer.

Tags: atm industry, atm makers, history
Posted in Industry news | Comments Off

Make your older ATM Internet-capable

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

ATM Network's Internet adapter

Along with faster processors and bigger screens, modern ATMs can access our processing network over your high-speed Internet line. Doing so has three advantages:

Faster processing. A high-speed connection can process a transaction is 3 seconds, compared with an average of 22 seconds using dial up.

No phone line needed. Getting rid of your ATM’s dedicated phone line can save you up to $40 a month.

Increased reliability. No more busy signals, dropped calls or worries about noise on the line.

That’s great if you’ve got a newer machine, but what about owners with older equipment?

ATM Network has you covered. We’ve come up with a box to add Internet capability to your ATM. It’s a “plug and play” solution that plugs into your Internet router and your ATM.

Because older ATMs have older circuitry, retrofitted machines won’t see processing time drop to 3 seconds. But it will shave a few seconds off the current time. And it delivers the other two advantages: increased reliability and ditching the dedicated phone line.

This isn’t some cobbled-together, untested pile of circuitry. We’ve had the box installed in multiple locations for more than a year and a half, with great success and reliability.

And you can’t beat the price: $300. Compare that to spending $2,000 or more for a new ATM. The savings from getting rid of the phone line means the box will pay for itself in less than 8 months.

Learn more

To find out more about adding Internet capability to your ATM, call 1-800-929-0228, e-mail info@atmnetwork.net, visit our Products page or fill out our online order form.

Tags: ATM Network, ATM operators, ATMs
Posted in ATM operators, ATM owners, Products and services, Technology | Comments Off

Save your stubs!

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

The monthly check that ATM operators get are great, aren’t they? But while we’re sure nobody forgets to cash their check, a lot of ATM owners throw out the check stub without a second thought.

Don’t! Those stubs tell you how much you’ve earned from your ATM, and at the end of the year you’ll need them to calculate your yearly income.

They also contain valuable activity information for your ATM machine. Each stub tells you several useful things:

How many transactions your ATM processed that month;
How much money was withdrawn in those transactions;
Which card networks your customers used.

The stub also breaks down transaction activity by day. So you can see, for example, that on May 5th your ATM handled 9 transactions that withdrew a total of $480, while on May 7 there were just 4 transactions for $120.

How is this information valuable? Lots of ways. By tracking customer activity, you can make sure to have enough cash in the ATM on your busiest days. You can gauge how your advertising and marketing affect ATM usage and how ATM usage affects sales. You can see which network is most popular with your customers, which might guide marketing decisions.

So cash the check. But keep the stub.

Tags: ATM Network, ATM operators, Income, Residuals, Taxes
Posted in ATM operators, Finance | Comments Off