Consumers are all too familiar with long queues at the cash registers and with the shake of the head that accompanies those fateful words from the check-out person - "The system is slow/busy today."
Retailers in SA can now deliver faster, more reliable and cost-effective customer service at points of sale. The solution is a wireless-based electronic funds transfer (EFT) system developed by Nomad Information Systems, SA`s largest EFT service company, in partnership with Internet Solutions (IS), the country`s leading e-business infrastructure provider.
"The existing electronic fund transfer (EFT) network for a credit/debit card transaction typically takes some 15 seconds to authorise," says Richard Vester, General Manager of Mobility Solutions at IS. "The solution, developed by Nomad and IS, uses the state of the art GRPS network over MTN`s cellular infrastructure, and cuts the transaction time by more than half. Viewed in isolation this may not seem substantial but if you consider the volume of EFT transactions that take place every hour, the numbers really add up," says Vester.
The IS GPRS solution, known as PoS Connect, provides a continuous connection to the Internet via the GSM network.
"Apart from lower costs and faster turnaround times, the system has higher bandwidth capacity that permits us to carry real-time private data to and from the store," says Thomas Budge, CEO of Nomad. "The system allows a far wider reach in terms of national coverage as access to the system is possible wherever cellular network coverage is available," continues Budge.
Speed and cost are crucial to retailers who are looking to provide less expensive and more superior services to their shoppers. To retailers, time is money. "What we have done," adds Vester, "is to front-end the EFT clearing on an Internet Protocol, or IP, platform making the service independent of underlying communications technology. This means that the service can be extended to operate over any Internet connection, including GSM networks. This change allows for the delivery of other services, such as stock updating and back office systems communications, to run alongside EFT clearing, using a single communications medium."
The pilot phase, which has already been completed at several major retailers, proved highly successful. "Combining speed, lower cost and greater geographical reach means merchants can deploy this solution to all their stores across the country," concludes Vester.
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Internet Solutions (IS) has transformed its business model and become the only full network service provider in the country.
The business was founded on the principle of developing a robust infrastructure in order for corporates to conduct e-business. Over the past decade IS has established itself as a leader in this space, attracting over 80% of SA`s top businesses as clients.
During its 10-year life span, IS has evolved and grown its service offerings. Today, the company is the leading hosting service provider and security service provider in SA, as well as having significant market share in the virtual private network (VPN) and application service provider (ASP) space.
Internet Solutions has earned an impressive collection of accolades, including eight First National Bank "Most Admired" awards, Financial Mail Best Company to Work For and a place in the Top Unlisted Company Awards.
The company partners with major players such as Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle BT and AT&T and in 2002 was certified as a Cisco Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), the first and only company outside of the US to be awarded this accolade.
For more, visit us on www.is.co.za.
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