A tested, trusted extension of your brand

CardWare International Inc., headquartered in Heath, Ohio, has been providing services to merchants on behalf of ISOs, merchant level salespeople (MLSs) and banks since 1988. Since its inception, CardWare has prided itself on being a resource for card brands, acquirers, financial institutions, independent software vendors and OEM device manufacturers. Many clients use CardWare products and services as extensions of their companies and brands.

"For us, it's all about keeping the merchant happy, which creates a more loyal customer for the ISO and bank; they'll be less apt to go elsewhere to save a few basis points," said Biff Matthews, founder and Chief Executive Officer at Thirteen Inc., CardWare's parent company. "They sign them, and we take it from there; we bring enterprise-scale pricing and services to individual ISOs and financial institutions." CardWare noted that its deployment, service and repair centers are ISO 9001:2000-registered and maintain the highest standards of quality management through continuous process improvement and ongoing, independent audits. The company also strictly adheres to the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS) and associated PCI security standards.

Menu of products, services

Following is a sampling of CardWare's brandable, customizable offerings:

• Help desk
• Merchant boarding
• Comprehensive reporting
• Flexible supply replenishment
• Automated terminal management systems
• Deployment, kitting and logistics management
• Troubleshooting and resolution of hardware and software issues
• Terminal programming and testing of all card and transaction types
• PIN pad encryption, key management and testing via live debit transaction
• Merchant training: tele-assist with equipment installation, tele-training in all aspects of processing

Powerful tools, unparalleled expertise

ISOs, MLSs and financial institutions can use a secure client portal for real-time, single-access view and control of all aspects of CardWare-managed merchant portfolio operations, including comprehensive reporting tools and data analytics. ISOs and MLSs can direct merchants to branded web stores, where they control pricing and what merchants can see. They can use the store to launch new products, limited-time offers and promotions, and facilitate supply orders. CardWare's "fault-tolerant" system shows only solutions, supplies and hardware that are vetted, certified and supported by their processors.

CardWare also offers a range of POS software solutions to value-added service providers and resellers, providing configuration and support to connect tablets to workstations in both integrated and standalone POS environments.

CardWare also has managed quality assurance testing and certification of new products for leading manufacturers, payment solution providers and card brands, including Discover Financial Services, MasterCard Worldwide and Futurex LP. The company routinely leads major reprogramming initiatives and portfolio acquisition conversions for acquirers and financial institutions.

Certified equipment repair facility

CWI Electronics, based in Johnson City, Tenn., is CardWare's state-of-the-art repair center for most major brands of POS equipment and iOS and Android tablets and smartphones. POS-experienced, factory-certified electronic technicians handle thousands of pieces of equipment every day; many are OEM-trained and have advanced electrical engineering degrees, CardWare pointed out.

"CWIE has expanded repair and troubleshooting services to include smart devices like tablets and smartphones," said Brad McCoy, Vice President of Sales at CardWare. "In addition to equipment repairs, our technicians test, clean and wrap power supplies and recoat cash drawers, making them look brand new at a fraction of the cost of new supplies."

McCoy noted that CWIE provides fast turnaround times, competitive pricing and one-year warranties. Corporate clients can use the company's inventory management system to track equipment, view real-time repair status and create customized reports.

"Our customer service representatives are not constrained by quota," McCoy said, noting that service technicians provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 support as needed for corporate clients' help desks. "Their mission is to solve the merchant's problem, using their experience and knowledge base to get to the root cause of the issue. This dedication and focus has enabled us to reduce swap outs by an average of 37 percent."

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