A go-ahead, game-changing gateway

Since 1998, USA ePay has endeavored to provide a superior gateway to help merchants process electronic transactions with utmost speed and security. Brothers Alex and Ben Goretsky started the privately held GorCorp Inc. enterprise because they felt the gateway industry offered an ideal way to serve the evolving business needs of ISOs and merchant level salespeople (MLSs).

Having worked together previously at a merchant services provider, the two believed they could create a company that offered a comprehensive suite of products and services with price structures to suit the needs of multiple industries and a diversity of merchants - from mom-and-pop shops to the largest retailers.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, USA ePay now offers transaction processing solutions for e-commerce and MO/TO enterprises, traditional retailers that use Intuit Inc.'s QuickBooks computer software, and on-the-go merchants using smart phones to accept payments. The company's auxiliary office in Albany, N.Y., dedicated to development and Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) compliance, enables USA ePay to have an East Coast presence and backup facility.

Why use USA ePay?

According to USA ePay Chief Executive Officer Ben Goretsky, who was interviewed for this profile, the company's secure gateway has maximum flexibility. "We were one of the first gateways to be PCI certified and have one of the most advanced developer's API [application program interface] and language libraries in the industry," he said. "On a merchant level, one unique aspect about us is the wide range of solutions we have to offer such as the secure payments forms, fraud prevention system, customer database, recurring billing system and so much more.

"For developers we are unique in the sense that we have the largest available developer's library in the industry. Additionally, for resellers, ISOs and MSPs [merchant service providers], we are unique because of our different price structure and flexibility."

USA ePay reported that its gateway supports all major platforms in the bankcard industry and interfaces with leading check platforms. The company also works with many large merchant service banks in the United States and abroad, Goretsky noted.

Goretsky said USA ePay's user-friendly interface comes out of the box with the most robust reporting options and gateway features available. He added that USA ePay is one of the few gateways to offer extensive reporting capabilities with visual aids such as graphs and custom report generation at no extra cost. He emphasized that with his company's wide array of options, including a customer billing database, a complete fraud management system and advanced administrative capabilities, there are not many reasons to look elsewhere for third-party products to fill in any gaps.

Why not build your own?

"USA ePay is our premier gateway of choice," said Jim Bembenek, Product Manager for Newtek Business Services Inc.'s Electronic Payment Processing division.

"A good gateway allows a business to expand sales through both their website and through mobile technology, is secure and provides tools to help reduce fraud, and provides extensive support and documentation for integration. I can say that USA ePay definitely has all of these areas covered. I highly recommend them. For over eight years, USA ePay has been, and continues to be, the ideal gateway solution for a majority of our clients."

Goretsky pointed out that companies are realizing traditional solutions don't offer the services that online capabilities provide, and those companies are trying to build their own gateways. He believes the advantage of using USA ePay is that his company has been creating gateways for a long time, and it is on the cutting edge when it comes to creating gateways for new technologies.

USA ePay can white label solutions for ISOs and MLSs by creating a private-label replica of a USA ePay gateway. "This way they don't have to worry about PCI compliance," Goretsky said. "We constantly take care of the upgrades and certifications on the back-end, as well as continually upgrading our fraud center and fraud center modules."

What do merchants get?

The Merchant Console Virtual Terminal is the primary tool every USA ePay merchant receives. The console can be thought of as a credit card terminal that runs online. It has all the functions of a terminal with added tools, versatility and customization, Goretsky noted. And by using the company's Secure ePayment forms, merchants can create an unlimited number of forms for their websites; each form is automatically secure and follows PCI DSS compliance requirements, he added.

The USA ePay customer-billing database enables merchants to store their customers' billing data on the USA ePay gateway. "It's safe and secure," Goretsky said. He explained that merchants can edit, delete or set up charges for customers with an easy-to-use interface or through the API. USA ePay also provides its gateway users with access to the Modular Stack Fraud Center. Goretsky said that with the proper settings in place, a merchant can prevent 99.9 percent of fraud.

For merchants who need a full-featured POS system, USA ePay designed ePay Charge to offer all the functionality of a POS system without the cost. It was built to work on any operating system, to be simple to download and easy to use, Goretsky said.

"USA ePay is our number one gateway," said Ken Musante, President of Eureka Payments LLC. "The recurring billing module is easy to use, and merchants love it. Combine that with the gateway's cost effectiveness for larger merchants, and it's an easy sell; we can offer a terrific service at an attractive price."

How do ISOs and MLSs benefit?

Working with diverse software applications, merchant accounts, and wired and wireless networks isn't always easy. That's why USA ePay partnered with Fi-Soft LLC to provide a QuickBooks accounting system that integrates with a merchant's business processes and programs. USA ePay believes ISOs and MLSs can help merchants dramatically improve the professionalism, effectiveness and profitability of their businesses with this tool.

In addition, the USA ePay gateway is one of the few gateways to support "swiped" transactions over an Internet protocol connection, which allows merchants to dispense with dial-up transaction processing.

Another service the company offers is USA eCheck. Goretsky said this delivers benefits ISOs and MLSs can emphasize: a streamlined check acceptance process; elimination of returned checks, returned check fees and trips to the bank; reduced paperwork; and improved cash flow and float through faster closing, balancing and settlement.

USA ePay's gateway also enables merchants to accept payments in a range of currencies. The Goretskys found that providing customers with a method to pay in their own currencies increases sales for both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retailers; international customers feel more comfortable paying in their homeland currency, and merchants attract more business when they offer this functionality.

What about wireless?

USA ePay's Wireless ePay allows merchants to use their smart phone and wireless service provider of choice to process transactions, including swiped card payments, on the go. Compatible devices include Apple Inc.'s iPhone and iPod Touch, Research in Motion's BlackBerry and Google Inc.'s Android phones.

With over 25 million iPhone and iPod Touch devices being used in the United States alone, the Goretsky brothers felt it made sense to participate fully in the Apple market.

Thus, USA ePay now offers the new iPhone 4 PaySaber, an all-in-one POS device developed and certified with Apple to provide "the very best in quality for processing through an iPhone or iPod Touch," Goretsky noted. According to the company, the PaySaber is the only device in the market that has a built-in thermal receipt printer and bar code scanner, allowing the device to perform as a full POS register in retail and wireless environments.

In discussing PaySaber, Ken Musante said, "[T]he proprietary wireless product is cost effective, and we love the unique features, including the all-in-one printer, bar scanning and inventory control."

What's next?

Goretsky emphasized that customer support and data security are USA ePay's top priorities and that the company strives "to be the most feature-rich gateway in the industry." He said the company does that "by listening to our merchants and resellers and building the solutions they want while providing them with the best in customer support."

USA ePay continually works to bolster security while adding new features to its offerings.

To that end, it recently released a new version of ePay Charge that facilitates updates to retail inventory and order control systems. And Goretsky promises more advances soon. So stay tuned (or connected).

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