TIPS FOR YOUR TEAM
Process payments with your smart phone or tablet
Douglas G. Benting, DDS, MS
Process payments now with ease by simply using your phone. Squareup plugs directly into the headphone jack of your iPhone, iPad, or Android allowing you to swipe a credit or debit card. Because the company uses no outside agents for processing and focuses on an online marketing campaign for their product, they are able to eliminate many of the additional fees paid by the merchant when processing cards through an outside agent. Squareup charges a flat rate of 2.75% or 3.15% plus $0.15 for typed transactions, with no monthly fees, and no minimum monthly processing fees. Transaction fees are generally deposited into the merchants business account within a 24 hour period.
Squareup does have a few drawbacks. Squareup relies mainly on providing customer support via email, leading to a greater response time and making contact by phone difficult for merchants by not clearly listing their customer support phone number on the website. Another disadvantage of Squareup is their “card-not-present” policy. Any typed in transaction is considered to be a higher risk for fraud; therefore, because Squareup does not verify customers credit history, they place a “hold” on typed in transactions over $1000.00 for any rolling seven day period. A merchant account reviewed in good standing can result in a raise of the $1000.00 “card-not-present” limit.
Another option for a mobile credit card processing device that has the same benefits as Squareup but with dedicated customer service support is Intuit GoPayment. Intuit GoPayment offers merchants the same low rate of 2.75% for swiped cards and a 3.75% keyed transaction rate. It can be used with iPad, iPhone, and Android and works with all major credit cards. Intuit GoPayment also offers a high-volume plan for merchants who process over $1000.00 in credit card sales monthly. The high-volume plan offers a lower transaction rate of 1.75% for swiped cards and 2.75% for keyed in transactions with a monthly fee of $12.95. For more information on Intuit Go Payment go to their site here.
Keep your patients entertained while they wait
Douglas G. Benting, DDS, MS
Looking for ‘entertainment’ options for your patients? As you may already know, streaming movies and TV shows directly to the television is convenient and can be ordered for viewing “on demand”. Streaming provides options for a wide variety of patients without having the monthly cable bill or a stockpile of DVDs – only requires an internet connection.
Roku is a streaming device (www.roku.com) that works through a DSL internet connection. A few of the subscription services available are: Netflix for movies (1080p streaming available), Hulu plus for TV shows, HBO Go for shows, movies, sports and comedy, Pandora for customized radio stations, and games such as Angry Birds. The reviews typically comment on how easy Roku is to use right out of the box.
Apple TV provides another option along the same lines. Apple TV with 1080 p HD gives you access to blockbuster movies, TV shows, sports, music, photos, and more - right on your TV. You can even play content from iOS devices using Airplay. Just $99.
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