Leverage Payments Data for Key Insights and Savings
Analytics
- Centralize – consolidate all of your card payments vendors data in one place.
- Normalize – automate, standardize, and enhance raw payments data.
- Analyze – perform near-real-time analysis on payments KPIs, reconciliation, interchange management, chargebacks, and more.
Insights
Gain valuable and actionable insights through our web-based dashboards, automated e-mail alerts, consulting recommendations, and ongoing support.
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Savings
Generate ongoing cost savings through interchange optimization, network and processor negotiations, least-cost routing strategies, chargeback management and alternative payment methods.
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Optimized Analytics
Card payments have become increasingly complex and costly. Swipe fees are becoming one of the top five operating costs for merchants. Over 95% of Fortune 2000 companies are using Excel to analyze payments, but it’s not enough. To truly help rein in expenses and identify cost-savings areas, you need a more advanced tool.
Optimized Analytics is a cloud-based, automated solution used by many Fortune 2000 companies to deeply evaluate their payment data. Our proprietary technology helps reveal key metrics and cost-saving opportunities to pursue, as well as streamlines back-office operations.
Benefits of Optimized Analytics:
- Fast implementation – see analytics within days of onboarding
- Actionable alerts and insights that have an immediate impact on payment health
- Customized dashboards that provide KPIs, interchange fees, downgrades, chargebacks, period-over-period variance analysis, and much more
Data Sources
Optimized Analytics is processor agnostic and can consume data from any vendor – First Data, Chase, Worldpay, Elavon, Discover, Amex, PayPal, private label, gift card, ACH, etc.
Data Frequency
Analytics are updated daily for transaction-level data or monthly for aggregate data that’s based on interchange qualification.
Access
Analytics updated daily by 9 am ET with previous day’s data. Dashboards are available 24/7/365, and user permissions can be configured to view subset or all data.
Client Centric
Merchants with dozens, hundreds, or thousands of MIDs can customize their account hierarchy so data can be analyzed based on meaningful rollups like regions, divisions, business units, brands, countries, etc.
Optimized Consulting
Interdependency between intermediaries like POS vendors, banks, and fraud solution providers creates significant complexity in the card payments ecosystem. Any payment change requires an experienced and thoughtful approach.
Optimized Payments has over 14 years of experience in the payments space, complete with a track record of 200+ successful engagements where we’ve helped clients realize optimal results quickly.
We can help you with:
- Interchange optimization and downgrade management
- Processor, card network and debit network fee benchmarking & negotiations
- Interchange and processor fee audits
- Payments strategy
- RFP management
- Least-cost debit routing strategies
Experienced
Most of our consultants have 15+ years of industry experience and have helped on many of our 200+ engagements.
Independent
We have unbiased advisors and partners that maintain no affiliation with any processors, gateways, or networks. 100% of our revenue comes from our clients.
Results
We have generated over $200M in savings to date and helped merchants increase their knowledge of the payments space.
ROI
In most cases, the cost of our consulting service pays for itself within a few months of engagement.
Optimized Strategy/RFPs
Consider the evolution in payments, omni-channel sales and service, and technology. Think about alternative payment methods, industry consolidation, and the rising cost of payments. All of these factors present merchants with the challenges of updating their infrastructure, selecting the right partners, and accurately positioning their organizations for success.
Optimized Payments provides targeted advisement to help you tailor your payment strategy and select the right partners through merchant services RFIs/RFPs.
Benefits of Optimized Strategy/RFPs
- Merchant Services RFIs/RFPs
- Evaluation of gateway, security, and payment terminal solutions
- Acceptance of mobile wallets & alternative payments
- Global expansion or consolidation of payment providers
- Evaluation of omni-channel & endless-aisle solutions
Experienced
We’ve managed over 35 merchant services RFPs and have contacts at all major acquirers, gateways, and technology/security solution providers.
Independent
Our unbiased advisors and partners are loved by our clients and respected by vendors in the marketplace due to our fair, honest, and thorough approach.
Results
We typically complete strategy projects and RFPs within two to four months. Our clients are able to make informed decisions and meet their project goals faster – while saving time and money.
ROI
Our consulting fees are typically paid for within a few months from the time saved by clients and the value created through optimal products, pricing, and service-level commitments.
Optimized Chargebacks
Do you log into multiple portals to manage chargeback representments, and track chargeback statistics in Excel? It is difficult to stay current on constantly changing chargeback rules and know best practices to represent a chargeback? Are you ever late in responding to chargebacks? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, our Optimized Chargebacks solution is for you. Here are some of the benefits:
Benefits of Optimized Chargebacks
- Single self-service portal to consolidate and respond to chargebacks and inquiries daily from ALL of your payment vendors
- On-screen expert guidance to build the best representment based on reason code
- Prioritize and assign disputes, ensuring cases don’t expire or get neglected
- Continually updated to ensure compliance with all card brand rules
- Enhanced reporting – get win/loss rate data by user, reason code, time period, business unit…basically, any metric housed in our database
Experienced
Platform developed over 10+ years of fighting chargebacks. This experience is embedded in customized workflows and templates based on reason codes.
Efficient
Reduce the number of online portals and Excel spreadsheets when representing and tracking chargebacks. Our portal not only consolidates chargebacks from all payment vendors, it also electronically submits representments on your behalf…all without leaving our portal.
Results
Merchants see an average lift of 20% in win rates by using our portal.
ROI
Our solution pays for itself within weeks. If you not completely and absolutely satisfied by the value of Optimized Chargebacks, you can cancel your agreement at any time.
Testimonials & Case Studies
Providence St. Joseph Health
Testimonial"Providence St Joseph Health, 3rd largest not for profit hospital and health care system in the U.S., needed a consulting firm with deep expertise in payments to help us consolidate and simplify our payments infrastructure across multiple regions and lines of business. After thorough due diligence, we selected Optimized Payments and we couldn’t be happier with our selection and subsequent results. The team at Optimized Payments took the time to really understand the nuances of healthcare and managed a merchant services RFP that delivered great results – consolidation, reporting simplification and millions in cost savings. Simply, Optimized Payments delivered a great return on our investment."
Providence St. Joseph Health
Ratner Companies
Testimonial"We have been working with Optimized Payments for about 11 years. Payments are complex and costly, and when we need help with any aspect of payments like RFPs, analytics or reducing costs, we look to the experts at Optimized Payments. Our time is valuable and the ROI with Optimized makes sense. "
Ratner Companies
Kering Americas
Testimonial"Kering Americas (parent of luxury brands like Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Brioni) was looking for a payments consulting firm to help it solve several payments challenges; including enhancing transaction security, consolidating U.S. and Canada operations, evaluating alternative payment methods and managing a merchant services RFP. After interviewing several firms, we selected Optimized Payments. The team at Optimized has been invaluable in helping us achieve our payments goals and save about $1.5 million in processing costs per year. We also have web-based payments analytics that allow us to provide easy to understand metrics and reporting to our luxury brands. I highly recommend Optimized Payments to any merchant looking to reduce costs, implement analytics and/or update their payments strategy."
Kering Americas
U-Haul
Testimonial"We have found a great new partner with Optimized Payments. Over the years we have noticed that our interchange costs have been steadily increasing, to the point of concern. Initially, we attempted to combat this problem internally, however we soon realized we needed precise information that was custom tailored to our method of processing. Optimized Payments provided the very specific, integral information in a timely manner. Within months, we began to realize a very significant amount in interchange and card brand fee savings. What started as a one-time project has now transformed into an ongoing partnership for consulting and analytics as it relates to U-Haul payment space. I would highly recommend Joey Dembek and the team at Optimized Payments to any other large organization, seeking to reduce and streamline the payment processing."
U-Haul
Staples
Testimonial"We had a mandate to update our payments strategy and reduce costs. Given the lack of resources, we turned to the experts at Optimized Payments to help run a merchant services RFP and provide payments analytics to identify cost savings opportunities. The RFP helped us enhance our security solutions and understand the latest offerings in the marketplace. The analytics continue to help us stay on top of key metrics, identify savings opportunities and report savings wins to our management. Optimized Payments is a valuable partner and extension of our team."
Staples
Westgate Resorts
Testimonial"As the largest privately-held vacation ownership company in the world, we take a significant amount of credit card payments for all of our business lines. When we were looking to reduce our card processing fees and streamline reporting and analytics, we turned to the experts Optimized Payments. They were instrumental in aggregating all payments data, including co-branded card data, and identifying savings opportunities. Now, we use Optimized Analytics to track key metrics, identify savings opportunities and track savings on the initiatives we have implemented. Given the quick ROI, Optimized Analytics was an easy choice."
Westgate Resorts
Fiserv
Testimonial"The Biller Solutions arm of Fiserv is an innovative and savvy player in the electronic bill presentment and payment space. While at Fiserv, we identified the need for in-depth expertise on interchange and card network rules, and, as a result of such turned to the experts at Optimized Payments. Optimized Payments was amazing to work with and was able to identify savings opportunities far beyond what we could have imagined. The ROI on hiring these experts was immediate and the process quite simple."
Fiserv
Mid-Sized Insurance Company
Case Study Saw $700K in Annual SavingsEngaging Optimized Payments services, this insurance company was able renegotiate its way to $700K in Annual Savings and centralize their payments data.
Mid-Sized Insurance Company
Chicago Parking Meters
Case Study Saving Over $1.7 million in Transaction FeesFrom identifying high transaction fees to assisting with a new vendor, Optimized Payments was able to help CPM save over $1.7 MM in just the first year alone. Explore more in the full case study.
Chicago Parking Meters
BPM Case Study
Case Study Managing Card Payment CostsFrom benchmarking fees and improving interchange qualification, Optimized Payments was able to help BPM reduce card processing costs by 21%. Explore more in the full case study.
BPM Case Study
Tiffany and Company
Testimonial"Our partners at Optimized Payments have greatly enhanced our ability to manage payments. We have increased our ability to effectively manage cost of acceptance with greater insight into associated fees across all card brands. They have directly impacted our daily settlement reconciliation process creating efficiencies in work processes. With additional insight through the analytics provided by Optimized Payments, we have improved our ability to understand our customers that supports other strategic decisions that are tied directly toward organizational goals."
Tiffany and Company
Burr Pilger Mayer
Testimonial“Burr Pilger Mayer is in the business of providing accounting and consulting services, not being experts in credit card processing. Our card processing costs kept going up and we felt we had no way to control them. We turned to Optimized Payments and they helped us reduce card processing costs by 21%.”
Burr Pilger Mayer
Mid-Sized Insurance Company
Testimonial“We’ve been very happy with the Optimized Payments team. They are incredibly easy to work with and always willing to add more to their solution to help us as our business evolves.”
Mid-Sized Insurance Company
Chicago Parking Meters
Testimonial"OPC’s guidance has provided immense value to me and my team over the past eight years. They have helped boost our bottom line, navigate vendor selection, and even taught me a thing or two about the payments industry. I feel like an expert!"
Chicago Parking Meters
AutoNation
Testimonial“I have no regrets whatsoever over the last ten years we’ve worked with Optimized Payments. They provide in-depth knowledge about one of our largest cost items and enable me to focus on things other than number crunching or quantifying anything related to payment processing. That’s a huge relief. The whole team is simply fantastic and so customer focused.”
AutoNation
AutoNation
Case Study Taking Charge of Chargebacks & Upgrading DowngradesFrom streamlining chargebacks to effectively reducing downgrades, Optimized Payments has provided AutoNation with over $1 million in savings. Explore more in the full case study.
AutoNation
Current and Past Clients
Recent Articles
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