How Much Is Merchant Processing Costing You?
If you run a small business, you know one of your biggest costs is Merchant Processing.
Sherpa For Merchants is a guide for small business owners navigating their vendor relationships and processes when accepting electronic payments.
It can be a costly headache to tackle this by yourself as a small business owner.
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Our 20+ years of experience helps you save money and time.
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We'll talk with your vendors, restructure your agreements, manage your rates and fees, get you keep you compliant with PCI DSS so you run your business without the stress.
What Our Members Are Saying
Ryan Anglen,
Owner of Whitestone Brewery
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Saved $1000+ per month with a more competitive rate.
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"It made me extremely happy working with Sherpa, putting [managing payments] into the hands of the experts."
Ericka Hobbs-Session,
Director of Finance at Aids Services of Austin
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Saved 20 hours of work per month with a better payment system.
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"I have a support system and folks who are well versed in the [payments] industry to lean on... There has not been a moment where I reached out to Michael or Meredith and was left feeling unsure about my answer."
A Letter From Michael,
CEO of Sherpa For Merchants
[VIDEO INTRO]
Our past experience brought to light some of the injustices business owners have faced.
Since this is a service that many businesses cannot afford to do without, we felt it was necessary that small to medium sized businesses were offered the opportunity to level the playing field by having access to the same services afforded to much larger organizations.
EPMG is set apart by the principles the company was founded on and the extensive knowledge our advisors bring.
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Best,
J. Michael Casey
How We Help
Sherpa For Merchants
Members
Payment Operations Assessment – Sherpa for Merchants analysts review the most recent 12 months of merchant processing statements. We look for all rates and fees being charged, whether that is an interchange pass-thru fee, a processor charge or any additional/miscellaneous fees that are being charged. We take into account the type of business/industry along with geographical location and method of acceptance (card present vs. card not present) in all recommendations.
Agreement(s) Review – All active merchant services agreements relating to processing electronic payments including equipment and software agreements reviewed for length of term and agreed upon rates/fees.
Rate/Fee Adjustment – We will contact the current processing company and have the authorized changes implemented.
New Processor Setup – In the event, the current processing company will not cooperate, or the client wishes to move to a different processing company for any reason, there will be an additional minimum charge of $125 to facilitate the move.
Statement Management – Our analysts will pull the monthly processing statements for each active merchant identification number (MID) to verify rates and fees charged as well as ensure relevant account notifications are known by necessary staff.
Statement Remediation – We will contact the existing processing company to request refunds and/or correct rates/fees based on the discrepancies found in the monthly statement review. In addition, we will facilitate bank account updates or changes related to the deposit account for the merchant agreement.
Monthly/Quarterly Reports – A report of the previous month(s) processing history including insights based on your businesses specific account.
Quarterly Meetings – A quarterly meeting with your account manager and payments analyst to discuss your merchant account activity.
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Email Support – Each active MID can email with any electronic payments associated questions to us and we will respond within 1 business day. Attachments can be sent to accompany questions as well, for example, if there is a question about a specific transaction or charge a copy of the statement can be emailed, we will make comments on the statement and return it. Quotes and solicitations from potential vendors may also be emailed for review and comments.
Phone Support – Clients with a Professional level subscription includes one hour per month of phone support. Additional time will be by the minute at a rate of $4.17. All other clients will need to use https://clarity.fm/sherpafm to schedule all calls.
*PCI-DSS SAQ/GAP Analysis – One of our security and compliance specialists will review the most recent Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) and report the existing GAP’s in compliance per PCI DSS. There is an additional charge of $750 for this service.
Dedicated Account Manager – Each professional level subscription will have their own dedicated analyst. This analyst will be the primary point of contact for the life of the client ensuring continuity of management and the opportunity to build a relationship with an understanding of client/account preferences.
Newsletter – A monthly newsletter highlighting industry specific payments news and upcoming events. We will also include a feature article with one of our clients each month.
Webinars – Sherpa for Merchants will provide informational, educational and industry specific webinars. Some webinars will be hosted by our advisors, others are hosted by outside industry experts, these webinars are designed to keep you current on industry standards as well as bring transparency to your organization's payment operations.