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Posts Tagged ‘ATMs’

ATM Network moves customer statements online

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Tax time can be a headache for many small business owners. It’s not just that business tax rules can be confusing and arbitrary. Spring is the time when you have to go through a year’s worth of saved receipts and paperwork, trying to find a specific number or form, and hoping you didn’t accidentally throw out or misfile an important piece of paper.

At ATM Network, we understand this very well. Every year at this time we get a lot of calls from our customers. Usually it’s because their accountant needs to know how much money they made on their ATMs last year, and they didn’t save all the monthly statements we sent them with their checks.

It’s an even bigger headache for people who own a lot of ATMs. Someone with 80 machines has to keep track of — and add up — nearly 1,000 different monthly statements. The headache can be enormous.

Then there are the checks themselves. Paper checks can get lost, stolen or damaged. They take days to arrive. And machine owners have to take them to the bank, physically endorse them and deposit them.

At the end of 2009, ATM Network took a big step toward making things easier for customers by switching from paper checks to electronic payments. Customer profits are deposited directly in their bank account — automatically, without risk, and usually 10 days or so earlier than with paper checks.

Now ATM Network has taken the next step with Webstatements, its online statement archive.

Instead of receiving and storing a paper statement, customers can login to their Webstatements account to view their machine’s financial results.

They can see total activity for all of their machines, or view each machine individually. They can sort results by month and year. And if they do want paper copies, they can print out individual statements for all of their machines with a single click of the mouse.

The online statements contain all the information that used to be on ATM Network’s paper statements: profit information, daily activity, network activity, and more. So it’s easy to see at a glance how a machine is being used and how profitable it is.

Webstatements works in conjunction with ATM Portal, an online reporting service that tracks up-to-the-minute activity and keeps track of daily operating items like how much cash remains in each machine. ATM Portal provides daily reporting; Webstatements provides monthly summaries, as well as customer-specific financial information unavailable through ATM Portal.

It’s just one more way that ATM Network provides its partners with top-of-the-line service and accountability.

ATMs: from afterthought to vital link

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

The latest issue of Credit Union Times traces the adoption and spread of ATMs by credit unions, starting in the 1990s, charting the machine’s rise from a novelty to a mainstay of the credit-union industry.

Since 1990, the lowly ATM has moved from being little more than an adjunct to a credit union or bank’s branch structure to being a significant part of customer service strategy and the average retail landscape today, industry executives said.

“In 1990, ATMs were like extensions of bank [or credit union] branches so most ATMs were located at, or close, to branches,” explained Michael Lee, CEO of the ATM Industry Association, an international organization that represents ATM manufacturers and deployers. There were only about 85,000 to 150,000 machines in those days, and they were virtually all tied to bank or credit union branches.

As we’ve noted before, loosening restrictions on ATMs is what drove the explosion in ATM usage:

“The big revolution in the U.S. ATM in this time period was the introduction of surcharging in 1996,” Lee said. The surcharge fee paid by consumers using an ATM not belonging to their bank increased from zero in 1996 to an average of roughly $1.50 in 2003, he added, citing the Federal Reserve. “The fee allowed ATM owners to take ATMs to nonbank areas in the retail sector, closer to where consumers live, work and shop. The fee provided the economic stimulus for the huge growth of the retail ATM.”

And oddly, the explosion of competing retail ATMs helped drive the development of credit union and bank ATM networks. Once people began to see ATMs as a normal part of their financial lives, two things happened: They demanded more and better access to them, and they became more open to using ATMs for a wider range of financial transactions.

Which is why ATMs today do everything from dispensing cash to taking deposits to selling stamps and insurance. 20 years ago, few people would have trusted a machine with such transactions. Today, they don’t think twice about it.

NCR names new CFO

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

ATM manufacturer NCR Corp. has named Robert Fishman as its chief financial officer.

Fishman has been the acting CFO since October, when then-CFO Anthony Massetti resigned to take a job with Avaya Inc., a communications-services provider. He also served as interim CFO from May 2007 through January 2008. He has been with the company since 1993.

“Bob’s proven himself to be an outstanding contributor throughout his career at NCR,” said NCR’s chief executive officer, Bill Nuti. “He will facilitate a seamless transition with our senior leadership team and the finance organization. In addition to a very strong background in finance, Bob brings an invaluable depth of NCR experience to the CFO role. He’s built great teams and helped manage through some of the most complex periods in recent company history.”

an ATM finder for your Blackberry and iPhone

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

Here’s a cool application that could mean more traffic for your ATM:

MasterCard Worldwide has announced the launch of the MasterCard ATM Hunter application for BlackBerry smartphones that allows users to easily locate the nearest ATM no matter where in the world they are.

The application first came out for iPhones, and is now available for Blackberries. It uses uses GPS technology to show users the nearest ATMs. They can sort by things like surcharge and accessibility (wheelchair, drive-up, 24-hour) and then get directions.

If the phone doesn’t have GPS-capabilities, users can consult a database of ATMs to find one near them.

There’s even an online version for those of us playing at home.

The application is free. You can download it from the iPhone App Store or Blackberry’s AppWorld.

ATM Network launches online store

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Great prices. Great selection. Great service. Straightforward pricing and ongoing customer support.

Those are the principles that ATM Network was founded on 14 years ago. Those are the principles that have made us one of the largest and most successful ATM companies in the country. And those principles drove the design and construction of ATM Network’s new online store, now open at http://www.atmnetwork.net/store.

Naturally, you’ll find all the things you expect from an online store. Compare features and prices on ATMs from major manufacturers like Nautilus Hyosung, Triton and Hantle USA (formerly Tranax). Build your own ATM, adding only the features you want. Browse our selection of parts, supplies and accessories. Taxes and shipping are calculated automatically based on your shipping address. When you’re ready, buy your selections using our secure checkout system.

But we didn’t stop there. Here are some things you’ll get from us that you won’t see at our competitors:

1. Transparent pricing. Add an item to your shopping cart, and you’ll immediately see your tax and shipping charges. Too many stores try to hide that from you until your purchase is nearly complete. You can also change your shipping options at any time to see what each option costs.

2. Free shipping, processing and sign package with every ATM. Every ATM includes free shipping anywhere in the continental United States, free transaction processing, and a free sign package, including a colorful door sticker and a neon sign to advertise your ATM.

3. Custom options. Want your own customized ad screens? We can make them for you. Want to advertise or print coupons on your customers’ receipts? We can do that, too.

4. Upgrades. We can take a dial-up machine and let it hook into your Internet connection. We can take any machine and equip it to use a wireless connection, freeing you from phone lines and Ethernet cables.

5. Paper in any quantity. Most online retailers require you to buy rolls of receipt paper by the case. Who needs that? With us, you can buy paper in any quantity you want, from one roll to multiple cases.

6. Merchant services. We’re not just an ATM company. We offer a full range of merchant services, including free check-collection and low-fee credit-card processing.

As a full-service ATM company, we also deliver extras that the wholesalers can’t match. When you buy from us you get more than just a hunk of machinery. You get a nationwide installation, training and service network. You get 24/7 customer support. You get free transaction processing. You get free online monitoring and management of your machine and your income statements.

Come visit our site to learn more about us, and our store to see what we have to offer. Then you’ll understand why so many ATM owners choose ATM Network as their partner.

Visit us at http://atmnetwork.net/store.

Dispense lotto cards from your ATM

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Nautilus Hyosung has developed software that will let ATMs sell Quick Pick lottery tickets.

Nautilus Hyosung America Inc. has partnered with Linq 3 to enable the purchase of quick pick lottery tickets on Nautilus Hyosung’s CE ATM models. Nautilus has been developing the software application for the CE models and will demonstrate the quick pick functionality during next week’s ATM Industry Association conference in Miami.

Linq3 developed the secure links to state lottery commissions that makes the whole thing work.

The software will work on any Hyosung machine running Windows CE. That includes the 1800CE and 5000CE.

All new CE models will ship with the software, and already-installed machines can get a software update to run it.

Tranax changing name to Hantle USA

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

As of Feb. 1, ATM manufacturer Tranax Technologies has taken on the name of its Korean corporate parent, Hantle Systems. Tranax will now be known as “Hantle USA.”

Bill Dunn, U.S. vice president of sales for Hantle, says the name and brand change should come as no surprise.

“We’ve known a name change was coming from the get-go, when Hantle bought Tranax in October 2008,” Dunn said. “At that time, they thought it was important to keep the Tranax name for a while — for branding purposes in the marketplace. But now, as we move into other products, in imaging and scanners, the name Hantle carries more weight. And the name change should not come as a shock to the marketplace.”

While Hantle USA will focus more heavily on imaging equipment for checks as well as scanners, Dunn says the company’s commitment to developing and releasing new ATMs will remain.

Eventually all Tranax product lines will switch over to using the Hantle name. But nothing is changing immediately.

A skeletal new website is here.

PAI buys WRG’s service business

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Payment Alliance International, an independent distributor/operator of ATMs, has bought WRG Services’ ATM processing operation.

In the ATM industry, there are manufacturers (who make the machines) and Independent Service Operators, who distribute and handle transactions for machines. ATM Network, for instance, is an ISO — we provide the best machine for a particular client, regardless of manufacturer, and then handle the transaction processing for that machine.

It’s a model that works pretty well because at each stage the company’s interest is aligned with the customers. Manufacturers need to produce good machines at good prices in order to make sales to ISOs. And because ISOs make their money on processing (they’re paid a small fee per transaction by the customer’s bank), they sell machines nearly at cost.

Result: If they work with a reputable ISO like ATM Network, ATM owners get great prices on great machines, and processing is free.

WRG is different. They directly service more than 12,000 ATMs, which makes them an ISO. But they also make the WRG line of ATMs.

That left them with a conflict between their service business and their ATM business: the service business wanted to be able to sell any ATM at a low price, while the ATM business wanted to sell as many WRG ATMs as possible, at the highest possible price.

It’s unclear whether the PAI deal involves the ATM manufacturing arm. All the company statements refer only to the processing business, but both the companies and news reports act as if PAI is buying all of WRG.

If the deal involves just the processing business, it would resolve WRG’s conflict while giving them cash to build their ATM business.

But if PAI is taking over WRG entirely, it just transfers the problem to PAI. Would you want to buy your ATM from a processor that has a motive to either steer you to a machine that isn’t quite suited to your needs, or overcharge you for it?

We’ll update as we learn more.

ATMs arrive in Iraq

Monday, January 18th, 2010


In a sign of increasing stability in Iraq, several Iraqi banks have installed the country’s first ATMs, including 20 ATMs operating in Baghdad.

The first ATMs have opened in Iraq since the invasion five years ago — an encouraging factoid contained in a new by-the-numbers Defense Department report about progress in the country.

In fact, there are now 20 ATMs in Baghdad, where the banking system was so devastated a few years ago that the United States had to fly in pallets stacked with dollars to pay government employees. Some restaurants even accept credit cards these days.

ATMs aren’t limited to Baghdad. According to the U.S. embassy in Iraq:

Customers of Al’Warka’ Bank in rural Diyala province can now get instant cash from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) because of improved security and an enterprising Iraqi private sector.

The ATM, installed in early May at the bank’s branch office in downtown Baqubah, is the first in Diyala. Al’Warka’, a private bank, informed the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) operating development programs in the Province that it has plans to add three more ATMs in Baqubah in the next few months.

ATMs are a small thing, of course, but consider what is needed to keep one functioning: an expectation that neither the ATM nor its customers will be robbed or attacked, a reliable supply of electricity to keep it running, a reliable communications system (either telephone lines or Internet connections) so it can process transactions, and enough trust in the banking system that people are willing to keep their money there. So the existence of ATMs says a lot about the stability of the country they’re located in.

ATMs: bringing hope and easy access to cash to people around the world.

Designing a touch-screen interface

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

A while back we wrote about the design and usage considerations that went into creating touch screens for Wells Fargo ATMs.

Here’s another one, involving Bank of America. It appears to have been a much less intensive process than the Wells Fargo effort.

The ATM business group approached our team to improve the existing web-enabled touch screen ATM user interface and interaction flow. The business goals included increasing ATM preferences usage, reducing transaction time and increasing customer satisfaction.

After initial assessment of the existing application using heuristic evaluations and
in-context customer observations, several design guidelines were established to guide the project:
1. Limit one clear interaction or customer action per screen
2. Use clear and concise language
3. Use a consistent grid for button placement
4. Move all interaction to touch screen when possible (example, keypad entry)
5. Improve visual and auditory feedback cues when the customer interacts with the application.

They came up with a couple of designs before settling on the final look (above).

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