There's no question the diverse population in the United States contributes to a dynamic environment that fosters innovation in many ways. It's also true that people across the globe are more interconnected than ever before. We can now work closely with colleagues an ocean away, giving new meaning to the phrase "diversity in the workplace."
Smart companies have studied their customer demographics and are not only making their work forces more diverse, they are also taking steps to ensure that their work environments are welcoming to workers from a range of backgrounds. This includes companies in the payments sphere, both industry titans and hopeful startups. The lead article in this issue looks at the progress being made in our sphere to promote workforce diversity at all levels and includes perspectives from industry veterans and newcomers alike.
One emotion that is common across cultures is frustration. And our contributing writers offer advice herein on how to mitigate rather than exacerbate this. One expert gives tips on how to respond when a merchant becomes frustrated; others offer advice on providing great customer service, which keeps frustration to a minimum and boosts retention. Another contributor emphasizes the need to not bandy about terms like "cloud" without informing merchants exactly what benefits your cloud services are providing to them. Yet another expert offers examples of wrongdoing on the part of ISOs and merchants so you don't repeat them and become frustrated ‒ or worse.
In addition, several news stories we've covered recently are excerpted in News Briefs. These include Fiserv's completed acquisition of First Data Corp.; how mobile technology continues to challenge brick-and-mortar stores on multiple fronts, forcing retailers to adapt to digital-first consumers; mixed responses to the Fed's FedNow real-time payments initiative; the ETA/TSG U.S. Spending Snapshot; and a PayPal, MetLife and Village Capital collaboration to help fledgling businesses worldwide.
As always, we've scoured announcements and emails submitted by members of the vibrant payments community and included updates on as many milestones as possible in partnerships, research acquisitions, appointments and more. And no issue could wrap up without informative company and product profiles. At tradeshows, we often hear what a useful resource The Green Sheet is for payment professionals working throughout the industry. Helping you is our mission. If you have ideas on how we can be an even better resource, email us at greensheet@greensheet.com, and please continue to send news to press@greensheet.com. 
The Green Sheet Inc. is now a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals. Click here for more information.
Notice to readers: These are archived articles. Contact names or information may be out of date. We regret any inconvenience.
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