If your clients handle payments for large-scale events such as concerts, sporting events, tradeshows and conventions, you know that POS needs are complex. From ticketing to merchandise sales and inventory management, your merchants need the right POS provisioning to manage a successful event. Let’s consider 3 critical POS needs unique to large volume, short term events.
Issue #1: Manage High Volume Provisioning
Deploying large quantities of POS equipment in a very short window of time can be expensive, time consuming and risky. Not only do you need a sufficient stock of hardware ready to go, you need the capability to program high volumes of devices securely and accurately. And don’t forget accessory items, such as bluetooth printers, barcode scanners and paper supplies.
Many acquirers benefit from outsourcing deployments to a support partner that specializes in handling high volumes. At CDE, we recently provisioned a client for a large-scale concert venue. We were able to pull a high volume of equipment from inventory, charge the terminals, download, pack merchant kits and overnight ship them - with same day project turnaround. Because this is what we do every day, it was no stretch for us. However, for many acquirers, this type of large-volume turnaround could prove difficult or impossible to fulfill in house.
Issue #2: Prevent Data Breaches
It doesn’t matter what kind of deadline you’re on: there are no shortcuts for PCI compliance. At every point, equipment must be handled and documented according to security specifications. According to the 2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report, POS systems remain a common access point for fraud - from card skimmers to malware. You can’t afford to leave your merchants unprotected.
Venues such as concerts and sporting events can be an especially tempting target for data thieves. You’ve got a high-volume environment with multiple POIs, minimally trained users, and unlimited opportunities to tap into sloppy housekeeping. But by sticking to compliance guidelines, you can keep thieves’ hands off your merchant’s revenue.
Of course, PCI compliance has its own costs. Increased labor, handling time per unit, secure storage and shipping: these are just a few of the considerations. If maintaining compliance for large volume, quick turnaround events is a drain on your company’s resources, you may consider outsourcing to maintain security and lower your costs.
Issue #3: Plan for Adequate Bandwidth
When it’s game time, your customers can’t afford to go offline. With hundreds (or thousands) of attendees hitting a venue’s wifi, you need to make sure your client will still have the bandwidth they need to process transactions, collect data and manage inventory in real time.
Adequate bandwidth is so critical to the success of your merchants’ events, you can’t take the venue’s word for it. Equipment types and transaction volumes may pull more bandwidth than expected. It’s a good idea to speak with the venue’s bandwidth provider to make sure they can handle the load. From fiber optic to point-to-point and even satellite bandwidth, there are solutions that can meet the needs of even the most remote locations.
In the worst case scenario of transaction downtime, remember that your merchants can still take offline transactions. While it’s not ideal in terms of security or cost, it’s a workable temporary solution, as long as your merchant’s staff knows how to process them.
Large scale events present many unique challenges. Handling electronic payments quickly and securely is at the top of the list. With timely and accurate provisioning and attention to project execution, payment service providers can provide invaluable assistance to customers managing these complex projects.
CDE Solutions specializes in high volume provisioning. If you are interested in exploring how CDE may help you serve your merchants with greater efficiency and lower costs, please click here.