Case Studies

The Challenge
Among the many decisions first-time restaurant owner Nick Strawhecker had to make while starting Dante Pizzeria Napoletana was choosing the right card processor. With more than 150 vendors selling everything from tables to fresh produce vying for his attention, Strawhecker had little time to focus on a processing partner. For help he turned to his father, payments industry consultant Kurt Strawhecker. Together they chose to put the restaurant's card processing needs in the hands of First National Merchant Solutions.

The Solution
Drawing on past experience with business start ups, the First National Merchant Solutions team focused on making the payment process – from implementation to go live – as painless as possible. Phone calls and meetings with Nick were kept to a minimum, and the team worked to quickly turn around any requests for more information.

"The meetings we had were easy, simple," said Nick Strawhecker, owner of Dante. "Other companies wanted to meet all the time. First National Merchant Solutions made things easy to understand. When I asked for a sample statement, I received one very quickly. With other providers, I waited weeks."

First National Merchant Solutions provides Dante complete processing for Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards. Support is available 24/7 to handle any issues.

"Working with a vendor to accept card payments can be a very complex project – especially for the first-time merchant," said Kurt Strawhecker, managing director of The Strawhecker Group. "First National Merchant Solutions looks at the situation from the merchants' perspective, and understands that the process doesn't have to be as complex as some make it. They were easy to work with, offered easy to understand pricing and statements, and helped make sure their processing services integrated with Nick's in-house software and hardware."

In addition to in-restaurant dining and card acceptance, Dante offers curbside pickup, complete with card processing.

First National Merchant Solutions provides a variety of payment processing solutions to meet the unique needs of merchants. These solutions include credit, debit and prepaid processing, secure Internet commerce processing, electronic benefit transfer processing and check guarantee, authorization and collection. All are designed to help merchants control costs and fraud. First National Merchant Solutions also provides merchants with ongoing training and 24/7 personal support.

About Dante Pizzeria Dante is Omaha"s first certified Neapolitan Pizzeria. Utilizing the areas fantastic bounty of local produce as well as products from Italy such as San Marzano tomatoes and Caputo flour - Dante has a devout commitment to product, environment and hospitality. Chef/owner Nick Strawhecker oversees the menu which also features fresh pasta, house made mozzarella and other seasonal Italian dishes.

Dante is certified by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VERA) whose mission is to protect and preserve the Neapolitan pizza tradition and promote the craft of pizza making. The organization also certifies professional pizza makers in the tradition of Neapolitan Pizza.

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The Challenge
Goodwill Industries, Inc., serving Eastern Nebraska and Southwest Iowa, was experiencing down time during retail hours and issues with the integration of new POS hardware. After a nationwide search for a new processing partner, Goodwill turned to First National Merchant Solutions for help.

The Solution
A team of First National Merchant Solutions industry experts consulted with individuals in Goodwill's Financial and IT departments to determine how best to meet the retailer’s card processing needs.

"The team was awesome," said Karen Hosier, finance director for Goodwill. "They talked with hardware vendors and our team and ultimately eliminated extra hardware we had. We are now able to process directly through our new POS hardware, which is so much easier than the old way we were doing it."

"With any conversion you expect extra work," Hosier added. "But our switch to First National went smoothly. We were on the old system one day and the new system the next with no problems."

First National Merchant Solutions provides Goodwill complete processing for Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards at its online and 11 retail locations. In addition, Support is available 24/7 to handle any issues.

"We can get help during all hours of the day," Hosier said. "With our previous processors we had to deal with support that was a time zone away to the east, or two time zones away to the west. With both we experienced down time because support was not available when we needed it. That is not the case with First National."

In months following the conversion Goodwill did experience questions from its customers about temporary transactions appearing on statements, but with one call to First National Merchant Solutions, Goodwill retail staff had the information they needed to respond to the questions.

"We’re very pleased with our decision to go with First National Merchant Solutions," Hosier added. "For any issues they are just one call away. They've helped us eliminate duplicate practices, they offer very competitive pricing and we enjoy the benefits of their industry knowledge and support."

First National Merchant Solutions provides a variety of payment processing solutions to meet the unique needs of merchants. These solutions include credit, debit and prepaid processing, secure Internet commerce processing, electronic benefit transfer processing and check guarantee, authorization and collection. All are designed to help merchants control costs and fraud. First National also provides merchants with ongoing training and 24/7 personal support.

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The Challenge
Professional Veterinary Products Ltd., (PVPL) a veterinarian-owned distributor of pet supplies to veterinarian clinics and their patients, needed a processing solution to complement a planned online shopping and home delivery service. PVPL wanted the online store to transparently integrate with veterinarians' existing web sites, allowing pet owners to purchase products while visiting their vet's web site. The processing solutions would have to handle card payments and the exchange of funds between veterinarians and PVPL, and support the fulfillment process from PVPL's warehouse. When its existing partner could not provide an appropriate solution, PVPL expanded its banking relationship with First National Bank of Omaha to include processing from First National Merchant Solutions.

The Solution
After a thorough analysis of PVPL's needs, a team of First National Merchant Solutions industry experts recommended and implemented PayFuse^®, First National Merchant Solutions' all-in-one eCommerce processing solution. PayFuse gives PVPL the ability to process online shoppers’ card payments and handle the billing and movement of funds between PVPL and veterinary clinics.

"We did not want to be the holder of funds in the process," said Vicky Winkler, manager of credit for PVPL. "First National Merchant Solutions offered a solution to process transactions on both the front and back end while streamlining the transfer of funds to and from the participating clinics."

PVPL also receives 24/7 support from a dedicated team of First National Merchant Solutions experts.

"Our team is absolutely awesome," Winkler added. "They came onsite and trained us. And when we have issues, help is a phone call away. If I reach someone who does not have an answer, they find someone who can help. We have found there is not a lot of need to contact First National with processing issues, but when we have one, they are always on top of the situation."

The experience has gone so well, PVPL has again expanded its relationship with First National Merchant Solutions to include the purchase of smartOne prepaid Visa^® cards for employee rewards.

"We recently distributed smartOne cards as a bonus to all employees," Winkler said. "The process was quick and easy, and since the cards can be used anywhere Visa is accepted, there were no concerns about employees receiving cards they could not use."

A long time First National Bank of Omaha client, PVPL also uses First National Visa Corporate Cards for purchases and Laser One services for business statements.

First National Merchant Solutions provides a variety of payment processing solutions to meet the unique needs of merchants. These solutions include credit, debit and prepaid processing, secure Internet commerce processing, electronic benefit transfer processing and check guarantee, authorization and collection. All are designed to help merchants control costs and fraud. First National also provides merchants with ongoing training and 24/7 personal support.

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The Challenge
As consumers take on more responsibility for healthcare costs, providers are coming under greater pressure to provide convenient payment options that efficiently integrate with office operations and limit risk. From traditional paper checks to credit, debit and prepaid cards, consumers use a variety of options to pay for retail goods and services, and they prefer the same options when paying for out-of-pocket healthcare costs. The challenge for office managers and practitioners is determining what types of payment options to provide, and how to provide them.

The Solution
For more than 10 years, the American Medical Association (AMA) and First National Merchant Solutions® have been working to expand physicians’ payment options without disrupting clinic practices. As AMA’s sponsored provider of payment acceptance services, First National Merchant Solutions has helped more than 7,000 AMA member practices affordably and effectively accept card-based patient payments.

“Physicians’ time is very valuable. The last thing they need to worry about is office finances,” said Mat Kremke, manager of strategic partnerships for AMA. “With First National we’re able to offer our members a way to accept card payments, streamline back office processes, and cut the time they need to focus on finances so they can spend more time on patient care.”

AMA members expanding their payment options have improved collections and increased cash flow since there is no waiting for paper checks to arrive or clear. Risk, paperwork and operating costs have also been reduced because the card authorization process protects against fraud and the paperwork associated with accepting check is eliminated.

Additional benefits of accepting credit, debit and prepaid cards include:

• The ability to set up recurring payments for monthly payment options
• Reduced receivables
• Lower billing-related expenses
• A more efficient and faster patient check-in process

“Processing rates with First National Merchant Solutions are very competitive, but their service is the real differentiator,” Kremke said. “We’ve never had a problem they haven’t been able to solve. They make it very easy to begin accepting card payments and easy to switch over. That level of support, and the stability of their organization, has led us to continue, and expand our relationship.”

In addition to card processing services, First National Merchant Solutions offers AMA members prepaid card issuing and management solutions for a variety of prepaid programs, including payroll, employee incentives and patient rewards.

With more than 50 years of experience in the processing industry, a reputation for superior service, and backing of the largest privately held banking institution in the United States, First National Merchant Solutions provides payment acceptance solutions that benefit medical offices of all sizes.

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