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I am looking to start accepting cards to open the opportunity for more business and I know there have been too many bait and switch stories and hidden or rising fees. 

I use Mitchell1 for my shop software and online data and they offer their integrated payment system called XCharge and I spoke to a sales rep over the phone who said there were no monthly fees, 1.6% on credit cards, $0.29 across the board for debit and bla bla. Of course I believe that manual entry was more and also amex/discover I think was more. They also have a program called First Mile but didn't ask about that.

Any thoughts??

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Posted

I’m probably out in left field but I’ve been using Square for 4 plus years and get along great. I know it costs a bit more but it’s so simple. No hidden fees, no contracts and no machine rental. 

Posted
  On 2/18/2019 at 1:50 PM, Richard Ehler said:

We are about to change to Protractor which offers x charge and 360 and first mile. Who do I choose? 

Expand  

I use Protractor and do NOT have integrated CC processing.   As a result, I pay an additional fee of $0 for this level of integration!   You'll likely be better off without bundling as you can pick your CC vendor independent of the software.  In turn, you lose software integration.    If paperless is your goal, integration is better.   When I post an invoice, I must manually enter the amount into the CC machine.    Because they are separate, Protractor cannot store any return data from the machine.     We use a signature capture pad on our computer to capture, in Protractor, signatures on our repair invoices, when required.   It also captures Work Order Authorization signatures when required.   If the CC slip needs to be signed, this is a separate step for the customer.   Debits don't require any signature.    I'm content with this lack of integration.

Personally, I would like to have CC integration, but I value this at $1/month.   Anything more than $15/year and I'm not interested.   We make a very small number of mistakes manually entering the numbers. 

For CC provider costing comparisons, you can use a site such as:  https://www.cardfellow.com/  

If this helps you, for 2018, my transaction breakdown was:  Debit: 40%, CC: 53%, Cash 7% by counts.   By % of sales they were:  Debit: 35%, CC: 59%, Cash: 6%.    Fees for 2018 ended up at 1.7% of combined CC & Debit transactions.    NOTE:  My CC machine prompts for debit pin numbers by default, so it encourages more debit transactions.

One more thing about integration.  If your software is connected to the CC machine, then you will have a bit more difficult set of requirements for PCI Compliance.  I have my CC machine on a VLAN (different IP subnet) all by itself.  So, I do not need to certify my PC's as PCI compliant.    PCI compliance is all about placing blame when something goes wrong.  Lowest guy that's not PCI compliant gets blamed!   Ask them about how the integration impacts your PCI compliance audit.   They might still be able to be on separate networks, but it depends on implementation.

(We're off topic re: Mitchell X-Charge)...   May need to start a new thread to continue.

 

 

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

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      It always amazes me when I hear about a technician who quits one repair shop to go work at another shop for less money. I know you have heard of this too, and you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can this be true? And Why?” The answer rests within the culture of the company. More specifically, the boss, manager, or a toxic work environment literally pushed the technician out the door.
      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.
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