Bell & Howell Partners with TransFirst; Complete Online Bill Paying Service Will Save Customers Millions.Business Editors & High-Tech Writers DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2002 Bell & Howell, a leading provider of mail and messaging solutions and services, today announced it has selected TransFirst Inc., a leading transaction processing Updating the appropriate database records as soon as a transaction (order, payment, etc.) is entered into the computer. It may also imply that confirmations are sent at the same time. Transaction processing systems are the backbone of an organization because they update constantly. and payment technologies provider, to perform payment processing for its electronic bill presentment and payment See EBPP. (EBPP (Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment) Sending invoices to customers over the Internet. When payment is due, an e-mail is sent with a link to a Web page that contains the billing information and the payment services that are supported. ) solution, eMessaging eXpress(sm). TransFirst will provide the services via DPI (Dots Per Inch) The measurement of the resolution of display and printing systems. A typical CRT screen provides 96 dpi, which provides 9,216 dots per square inch (96x96). Flat panel displays from 110 to 200 dpi have also been developed. Merchant Services Merchant services is the name given in the United States to a broad category of financial services intended for use by businesses. In its most specific use, it usually refers to the service that enables a business to accept a transaction payment by use of the customer's credit or , a wholly own subsidiary that specializes in e-commerce and other card-not-present transaction processing solutions. Combined, the companies will potentially save their customers millions every year in reduced paper-based mailing and bill paying costs. "Our business offerings enable our customers to take advantage of new market opportunities without having to make massive investments in technology and infrastructure," said Mike Maselli, director of eMessaging for Bell & Howell. "TransFirst is very similar in this philosophy, and their best of breed processing technology coupled with our eMessaging eXpress application suite will provide a stand alone value proposition in the marketplace." "One of TransFirst's key differentiators is our ability to deliver tailored services to our customers that fit their specific needs as they integrate hardware, software and merchant processing," said Thomas Rouse, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of TransFirst. "This partnership with Bell & Howell strengthens our position as a leader in bringing this capability to the industries that have the most to gain from enhanced customer service. As we've seen in other industries, this will translate into higher adoption rates, enhanced revenue streams for our customers, as well as significant reductions in costs and overhead." TransFirst's partnership with Bell & Howell represents the further execution of its strategic growth plan, announced earlier this year, to acquire market share in emerging vertical markets, such as EBPP, through mergers, acquisitions and strategic partnerships. The demand for online bill paying is growing at an aggressive pace, and some analysts are predicting the number of users will more than double on an annual basis. This will only be spurred by the upcoming postal rate increases and expectations of younger age groups that have grown-up grown-up adj. 1. Of, characteristic of, or intended for adults: grown-up movies; a grown-up discussion. 2. using online services. Additionally, Gartner researchers estimate that creditors in the telecommunications, utilities, credit card, lending and insurance industries can save close to $11 million per month through online bill paying services -- a compelling number that will encourage those entities to implement EBPP as part of their regular offerings. About Bell & Howell Headquartered in Chicago, Bell & Howell provides industry leading solutions and services for production mailers and Postal organizations worldwide. Bell & Howell's state of the art offerings encompass all facets of the high volume mailing and document finishing industries -- from high-end integrated Print-On-Demand (POD) production, document conversion, processing and finishing to document sorting, production scanning, software, mail-room operations consulting and financing solutions. Bell & Howell's sophisticated image recognition technology and open-architecture solutions ensure document integrity and provide mailers with peace of mind that the right document is going to the right recipient. In fact, Bell & Howell was recently awarded a major contract by the US Postal Service postal service, arrangements made by a government for the transmission of letters, packages, and periodicals, and for related services. Early courier systems for government use were organized in the Persian Empire under Cyrus, in the Roman Empire, and in medieval contract to provide 1203 "Merlin Merlin, in Arthurian legend, magician, seer, and teacher at the court of King Vortigern and later at the court of King Arthur. He was a bard and culture hero in early Celtic folklore. In Arthurian legend he is famous as a magician and as the counselor of King Arthur. " systems that are to be installed throughout the USPS (1) (Uninterruptible Switching Power Supply) A power supply for a computer that contains its own battery and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) circuitry. See power supply and UPS. to ensure the integrity, readability, and accuracy of the entire US bulk mail stream. All of Bell & Howell's products are supported by an award-winning service organization, which includes the industry's largest service force with over 1000 certified professionals dedicated exclusively to the production mail industry, and a 24-hour call center. Bell & Howell, with more than 60 years of experience in mail and finishing solutions, has the largest installed base of production mail equipment in the world. For more information on Bell & Howell, please visit www.bellhowell.com. About TransFirst, Inc. A premiere provider of transaction processing services and payment technologies, TransFirst offers a first-rate suite of merchant products and flexible, industry-specific services uniquely tailored for the special business needs of financial institutions, ISO's, health services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract , e-government, online and other direct marketing retailers, as well as brick and mortar See bricks and mortar. retailers. Founded in 1995, TransFirst was recapitalized in 2000 by GTCR GTCR Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue Golder Rauner, a leading private equity investment firm, positioning TransFirst as a market leader in strategic mergers and acquisitions that will allow the company to gain market share and additional expertise in growing and profitable industry segments. Built on a platform of personal service, customer commitment and flexible pricing, TransFirst is based in Dallas, and has operations facilities in Superior, Colo., Omaha, Neb. and Kansas City Kansas City, two adjacent cities of the same name, one (1990 pop. 149,767), seat of Wyandotte co., NE Kansas (inc. 1859), the other (1990 pop. 435,146), Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties, NW Mo. (inc. 1850). , Kan. Company wide, TransFirst processes more than $8 billion in annual sales volume for more than 64,000 merchants and 520 banks. TransFirst can be reached at 800/745-2659 or at www.transfirst.net. |
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