One of the most critical interactions that a hotelier has with their consumer is the payment process. The consumer expects convenience, speed, respect, and no hassles. Technology innovations and changing value propositions have caused the consumer requirements to change drastically over the last 10 years and that will only accelerate moving forward.

The forms of payment have increased - credit cards, debit cards, chip cards, stored value cards, checks, phones, tags, etc. and the variations of each have grown exponentially. The customer interaction, security, equipment, and processing requirements for each are different. Also different is the back-end processing of settlement and reconciliation. All of this equipment, processing, and variation comes at a cost and the executive must manage these costs to maintain competitiveness.

Payment strategies and investments are very diverse. Some companies view payment as a necessary evil while others exploit the process as a basis for customer relationship management. The "correct" strategy is the one that is executed flawlessly and at the least cost.

With all of this in mind, W. Capra offers Card Analysis, Review and Deployment Services (CARD). This is a collection of services aimed at all hoteliers - no matter where they might be on the life cycle of payment methods.

W. Capra's CARD Services combine leadership, experience, technology knowledge, and methodology to deliver solutions and value to hospitality organizations. These services have been used at many clients from leading large implementation projects to identification of "quick-hit" cost savings.

CARD Services
CARD combines methodology and techniques to produce deliverables and results. There are four separate service offerings under the CARD umbrella.

"REPARE" - Recapture Profit from W. Capra Assessment & Recommendations
Card processing is a large cost element of sales - often 1.5-2.5%. This service focuses on identifying cost reduction opportunities in the overall card process and thus improve/defend margins. Over time, the card/cashless payment portfolio has grown and the processing and fee structures have grown more complex. Variances in systems or processes may have crept in that result in unnecessarily high fees and costs. REPARE is a proven methodology to quickly engage, analyze, and recommend. Generally, this is a two-three week engagement.

Expand Payment Methods
Whether you're implementing a full set of card/cashless payment methods or adding to an established portfolio, this service is designed for you. There are five logical steps to the process and the service may begin at any of these steps depending on your organizations needs:

• Strategy - identify strategy of payment portfolio - "needed to play", basis for customer loyalty, competitive differentiator, revenue generation; select payment types that best meet strategy
• Technology Architecture - plan for efficient integration of store systems, connectivity, customer and sales data, ERP integration
• Design - based on business requirements around convenience, speed, and operations
• Sourcing - identification of options, cost analysis, contracts, service level agreements
• Implementation - includes thorough testing and planning, minimal site disruption, operational support processes, and training

Consolidate
With all the business consolidations due to mergers and acquisitions, many executives are faced with running multiple payment platforms. Negative impacts to performance include:

• Impeding a consistent offer to your consumer.
• Forcing the existence of multiple support processes, thus increasing the cost.
• Complicating the change process - takes double or triple the effort to make additions or changes to the payment portfolio.
• Reducing leverage with service providers - best rates are dependent on large volume of transactions.

This service is designed to help you consolidate your processing and processors to alleviate your roadblocks to lower costs and enhance customer service.

Payment Analytics
This service will identify and measure critical operational indicators such as chargebacks, fraud, exceptions, and manual processing. We will establish a baseline and identify the need for loss prevention audits, additional training, or increased security procedures.

Along with the increased diversity of payment options, hotels & resorts are faced with increased operational complexity. The correctness and consistency of these site operational procedures contribute to enhanced customer satisfaction and also greatly contribute to the bottom line. Deliverables will include measurement techniques, implementable recommendations to improve operations, and a baseline to measure performance improvements.

Benefits to Using W. Capra
W. Capra's experience in the hospitality industry is extensive and our consultants have proven implementation experience. We have a strong knowledge of the requirements, vendors, and technology within the hospitality environment. By leveraging W. Capra's experience in your payment processing decisions, you can achieve the following benefits:

• You will reduce the time to implement payment solutions and identify value / cost saving opportunities.
• We will be able to ask the right questions and bring valuable perspectives to the table. We understand the complexity of payment processing - from the store to the processors, from the consumer to the bank.
• Your card/cashless portfolio will be aligned with your business strategies.
• The consistency, efficiency and effectiveness of the payment process will be improved. This will positively impact your customer satisfaction and add to your bottom line.
• Payment chaos will be replaced with a measurable "system" of consumer interaction, cash flow, and site operations.
• Opportunities to decrease costs, leverage your size and transaction volume, and increase your competitive advantage will be identified.
• Your payment platforms will be better positioned for growth and expansion.
• Ultimately - generate revenue, enhance customer satisfaction, and reduce costs.

W. Capra's partnering approach ensures that client personnel are equipped to assume responsibility for ongoing system operation and support after the CARD services are complete. W. Capra also leverages the knowledge of the vendors and service providers during the engagements.

For more information on W. Capra services, click here to contact us or call 1-312-873-3270.