How Do I Pick The Best Wireless Terminal For Me And My Business?

By Author: Hugh Springer
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A wireless terminal is fast becoming one of the most popular credit card processing types of terminals. Cost-effective, lightweight and convenient, they offer a new way of transacting for businesses. As technology advances, the choice of terminals is becoming more varied. Choosing the right terminal for your business involves considering a number of important factors. Here are a few guidelines to help you through the process:

The Different Types of Wireless Terminals:

Most people are familiar with the card processing terminal that has a keypad, LCD screen, swipe facility and printer. The most common type of wireless terminal is simply a smaller and more compact version of this. The major difference being that it is wireless and therefore allows for greater mobility.

New technology now also allows you to use a mobile phone as a wireless terminal. By using either touch-tone technology or getting a card swipe attachment, you can process transactions on your phone. The benefit of this is that you do not need to purchase additional equipment and it is a very cost-effective wireless solution.

An attachment ...
... can also be purchased for your laptop which allows you to process transactions online. This is an inexpensive way to set up a card processing terminal and a great option for small businesses, trade shows and expos.

What Type of Business do you Operate?

Most businesses that make use of credit card terminals are in some sort of sales or service industry. The type of business will determine how many terminals you need and what features and technology you need included on your terminal. Restaurants, retail stores and service businesses can all benefit from using wireless terminals.

If you own a restaurant, for example, you will probably need at least two terminals so that customers do not need to wait in order to settle their bills. A wireless terminal that has a swipe and printer facility would probably be your first choice. Most wireless terminals are hand-held but for a restaurant, you wouldn't need a small compact version as a standard-size one would suffice. An example of such a terminal is a NURIT 8020.

Many businesses use wireless terminals when they attend trade shows or expos where the objective is to make sales. A wireless terminal will save you the cost of renting an additional phone line during the expo. These savings generally amount to $100 a day which is quite significant. A wireless terminal also allows you to transact on your stand at the time of purchase. A Touch Tone Capture or Laptop Wireless Processor works well for trade show scenarios.

Store owners at flea markets and sports venues can also make use of a wireless terminal. If you have vendors walking around with your products, they can accept card payments if they have a wireless terminal. Flea market vendors can increase their sales by being able to accept credit card purchases, even if the market is in a remote outdoor location. Systems that use Touch Tone Capture on your existing cell phone are a great choice for this type of wireless terminal.

Corporate businesses that have large sales teams can provide their sales staff with wireless terminals. This will allow them to be able to accept transactions while they are out on the road seeing clients and sourcing new business. A WePay, WaySystems, or Touch Tone Capture system would all be suitable for a sales team.

Benefits of Using a Wireless Terminal

Wireless terminals have provided a vast amount of convenience to businesses. The ability to be mobile and transact at the same time means that businesses have greater opportunities to increase sales. Research has shown that most people purchase goods on credit cards and the ability to process card transactions, even when in a remote location, means that you can increase your volume of sales.

The wireless terminals still make use of advanced and secure technology but the terminals are more compact and therefore, more convenient to carry around. Some wireless systems make use of mobile phones which is a further cost-saving measure. As a business owner, you do not need to purchase or maintain any additional equipment.

A wireless terminal also provides greater convenience and peace of mind for your customers. In a restaurant, for example, you can take the terminal to the customer's table and process the card in front of them while they wait. They can be assured that the risk of fraud on their card is greatly reduced because it is not leaving their sight.

In instances where you do not have a signal to process transactions, most systems have a store and forward facility. You can load transactions and store them in the terminal until you can pick up a signal. This means that you can always accept credit card payments no matter where you are.
About Author:
At Card Processing Pros.com we provide merchant credit card processing services and debit card processing, literally setting up hundreds of clients per month to process card payments for storefront, Internet and phone/mail order-based businesses. We also offer services in electronic check and gift card processing. Visit online today.