InterceptEFT Blog

6 areas of Wellness
by Renee Bourdeaux (VP, Communications & Marketing), Feb 3, 2012 InterceptEFT has put extra effort into wellness the past few years by implementing a Wellness Committee, and the committee continually strives to find ways to reach each and every employee. In the fall, the Wellness Committee attended the ND Worksite Wellness conference in Fargo. Based on the information the committee members received, the Wellness Committee is now focusing on a Well-Being approach to wellness. Instead of focusing on just healthy eating and physical activity, the committee works hard to find activities to fit into one of these 6 areas:

• Career
• Social
• Financial
• Emotional
• Physical
• Community

The committee aims to engage everyone at some point throughout the year as they follow their personal wellness journey. The hope is that the activities will not only build wellness, but community as well. Research shows that people with high quality friendships at work are more likely to be engaged in their work. And, an engaged employee is hopefully a happy employee. The wellness committee at InterceptEFT will continue to strive to find more and more ways to focus on each employee's well-being, providing InterceptEFT with an engaged workforce to continue to provide outstanding service, support and products well into the future.

Are you secured?
by Rick Steinwand (Web Developer), Feb 1, 2012 A few years ago, our quarterly security scan showed a missing setting on login pages allowing our customer's web browser to save passwords. We quickly fixed it and started to get calls from people that didn't like having to have to type a password each time they logged in. A year or so later, we issued multifactor cards and people called complaining about having to enter card coordinates at login. These were just two of the many security features we have done that allows us to pass our rigorous quarterly security testing for processing credit card and ACH transactions.

Many of you probably saw that Zappos, an online shoes/clothing merchant, had a recent security breach and email addresses, account passwords (often the same as the email account password) and other personal information was compromised. I was a Zappos customer affected by this breach. Although they say credit card information wasn't stolen, I had used that email user name in several online forums and it was also associated with my Google account, which means my Gmail information, used by 3 Android devices, was also at risk. Needless to say I wasn't pleased at having to change passwords for 3 email accounts on computers, 3 Android devices and all online accounts that also used any of those email addresses or my email user name.

Bottom line? We don't put these measures in place to make doing business with us cumbersome, but to help assure your information is safe and doesn't get compromised. No one wants their personal information leaked, even if it isn't sensitive financial information. These security features as well as many others allows InterceptEFT to pass our PCI and ACH audits year after year.

eContracts
by Deb Swanson Dilly (Administrative Support), Jan 30, 2012 InterceptEFT recently introduced econtracts to our customers as a faster, more efficient method of submitting new company setups. The e-contract is an online, electronic form that provides all the necessary paperwork for client setup.

Our vendor, DocuSign® addresses security at every level to ensure a tamperproof signing process. All documents are encrypted allowing only designated persons to read & sign them.

Econtracts interactive form process provides many benefits to our customers and InterceptEFT, such as:

• Required fields ensure all necessary information is provided.
• Electronic forms make the setup process much more efficient.
• Reduces the number of contracts submitted with errors or missing information.
• Ability to track the progress through the system helps determine whether a contract has or has not been completed.
• DocuSign's signature verification makes it possible to confirm the identity of the signers based on the IP address used to sign.
• W9 EIN verification available for e-contracts only; no need to locate separate EIN verification documents.
• Both processor and client receive a link to the completed document after all necessary signatures.
• Instant email is automatically sent to the next recipient after signing is completed and thus, eliminating the risk of incomplete, errored or undelivered faxes.

If you have not looked into econtracts for setting up new clients you may call our 800 number and ask for the Support Department or contact your Sales Representative for more information.

2012 Walking Challenge
by Steven Cameron (Programmer/Analyst), Jan 27, 2012 As part of our Wellness Initiative, every employee at InterceptEFT has been given a pedometer to measure their steps. In the past, our walking challenges have been individual with participation as the goal. To start off the New Year, we are excited to start a brand new challenge, InterceptEFT around the World.

The goal of this challenge is to combine the steps of every employee who participates and use them to measure the distance we have walked as a group around the United States and the World. As the miles pass, we will log what cities and countries we pass through on our route around the world.

Approximately every other month, we will have a milestone celebration of our journey with fun activities and healthy foods related to the places that we have passed through since the last milestone.

With this challenge, not only do we get to visualize the results of our walking by measuring the distance that we have traveled as a group, but we also promote working as a team for the shared goal of walking around the world in 2012.

Sharing Information at Work
by LeAnne Wilcox (Risk Analyst), Oct 13, 2011 I am naturally curious. I like to know what's up and why things are the way they are. At my workplace, I'm interested what people in the company are working on. I'm interested in how the company is doing financially. I'm interested in how we market to existing and prospective customers. Some may think it's none of my business since I don't work in those departments. I take the opposite view; the more your employees know about your business, the more educated they are, the more they can effectively contribute, and the more valuable they become.

Keeping information from employees can also lead to a culture of fear. A business week article gave some poignant excerpts from a book titled "Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay". The book asserts that if you keep people in the dark, they will go where it's light. Employees want to be in the loop. The excerpt goes on to say that it's especially important to share information during times of change. Change can turn into fear for an employee and result in a productivity dip. In times of a crisis, sharing information with employees may also lead to helpful suggestions from the staff. The more people understand what's really going on in their company, the more eager they are to help solve its problems.

I'm happy to share information about my job and our department procedures and policies to anyone in the company who might be interested. The more they know about how my department fits into the big scheme of things, and vice verse, the better we all become at helping grow our company, provide great service to our customers, and improve our own value.

Sit down... and get to work!
by Stephanie Perrine (Customer Support Specialist), Oct. 4, 2010 The daily grind of today has increasingly become more sedentary than ever before. Changes in technology, economics and socializing have taken a toll on our daily activity and energy levels. Standing, walking around and muscle use in general has all too easily been replaced by sitting down at our desks plugging away at the keyboard and answering our phones.

Have you ever wondered if activity levels of today's adult workforce have played a part in declining customer service ratings? I recently began to question the level of customer service I was providing in relation to my work environment. I have a "butt-job" that requires little movement throughout the day with answering phone calls and emails. Does this have anything to do with why I was feeling I didn't give my all every day? Is this why I was feeling less satisfaction from the service I gave? The only answer I could come up with was... Maybe? I was looking for ways to make my day a little less repetitive and a little more... something happened today!

I was given an opportunity to serve on our newly established Wellness Committee. I have to say that this was a powerful change to my own daily grind! I was looking for something different, something new and exciting. Not only am I learning about wellness and what it means for the body, mind and soul, but I started to realize that being more active and healthy actually made me happier at work! I have renewed outlooks and try not to focus on negativity, taking more notice of the things that are positive and embrace them rather than scoff and ridicule them. I have noticed a change in my day to day outlook, which in turn reflects on the way I portray myself to others in business settings.

To achieve great levels of customer service, we must first look at how we are serving ourselves. I think it is safe to say that how you take care of your own personal wellness will have a constructive effect on how well you treat both your internal and external customers.

Interoffice communication; Your (full) attention, please.
by Jessica Verdi (Administrative Support), Sept 28, 2010 The Information Age has offered us limitless options for communicating with our fellow humans. It's really quite extraordinary when you think about it. It is estimated that 247 billion emails and 4.1 billion text messages are sent each day globally; and in the United States alone, over 3 billion phone calls are made every day. Then there's print media, memos and phone messages scrawled on post-it notes. In our cars and homes we listen to the radio and watch television while passing by billboards. Perhaps in a tree-house somewhere there's a set of tin cans and string waiting to be stretched out and talked into, or maybe even a student passing a note in study hall. The methods to communicate are vast and ever increasing, yet with just this sampling of methods, why is it that in an office setting, gossip travels at the speed of light, but important, work-related information seems unable to travel much farther than a cubicle or two?

Communication seems like such a common sense topic, yet so many of us fail to communicate effectively on a daily basis. Have we forgotten the basics? In a world where communication has become more of a product than a skill, has our ability for engaging in successful transference of information with our co-workers become ineffective? Communication between fellow employees and companies and their customers is paramount in ensuring a business runs smoothly and successfully. Unfortunately, this isn't achieved one hundred percent of the time, but an openness and desire to improve go hand-in-hand with cultivating fertile ground for good communication and ultimately, success.

Communication is, of course, a two-way street. Listening is equally as important. Have you ever found yourself explaining an issue to someone and before you've had an opportunity to fully state the situation, they have interrupted you with questions that you would have answered had they let you completely finish what you were saying? Active listening is a skill which requires concentration and thoughtfulness. Every one of us has been guilty of ineffective listening at one point or another. Let's face it; we're busy people with countless streams flowing through our minds every second. Being distracted is understandable, but most of us don't talk just to talk. Being focused and patient will make listening much easier.

The Wisconsin Office of State Employment Relations has come up with 25 Tips for Active Listening. I would encourage anyone to read through and perhaps incorporate a few of these tips in your next conversation and perhaps your next exchange with a co-worker will be more productive, less stressful and even pleasant!

How well do you know your customer?
by Connie Mosier (VP Risk Management), Sept. 14, 2009 In today's environment where fraudsters keep getting more creative and more resourceful, it is increasingly imperative to KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER!

Why?

1. Federal law (Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control - OFAC) prohibits you from conducting business with individuals or organizations on the OFAC list.
   
   What is the OFAC list? The list identifies restricted, sanctioned, prohibited and high-risk individuals and businesses. This includes known terrorists, money launderers, fraudsters, politically exposed persons (PEPs) and black-listed persons, entities and countries.
2. Knowing your customer will help protect the financial stability and long-term viability of your company. Unfortunately, there have been instances recently of fraudulent clients in the payroll environment. Please use caution and perform due diligence when providing payroll services to start-up companies that show urgency to get direct deposit - this is a red flag!

All companies want to grow their business. When doing so, take the extra time to get to know your customer and make sound business decisions that will allow your company to continue to grow and thrive into the future.

Can't validate
by Desiree Mayer and Stephanie Perrine (Customer Support Specialists), Aug 2, 2010 Have you ever seen the "Can't Validate" status during a file upload? This status issue arises when the routing and account information you are sending in your ACH file does not match what we have entered in our processing system. InterceptEFT will process the information that comes over in the ACH file but because our system can't match up all data you will see < Can't Validate under the status column. This particular error message will override any other possible error messages that may need your attention.

Examples of possible error messages that may be overridden by < Can't Validate are < Short Window or < Wire!. These messages are important because "Short Window" could mean additional fees or missing the "Wire" status could prevent the file from being processed. Credits on returns could also be delayed if we don't have up to date account information on your clients.

A list of your clients routing and account numbers on record with InterceptEFT can be found on your Company Accounts Report via your online reporting. Simply log in to the website, choose REPORTS, then select OTHER and you will see your accounts report become available. The Client/Customer Information form can be used to update account information as needed. The updated information can be faxed to 701-499-5340.

By keeping all account information (especially routing and account numbers) updated with InterceptEFT, you will avoid the < Can't Validate error message and enjoy more efficient processing.

Thank you for your compliance.

Are you really listening?
by Desiree Mayer (Customer Support Specialist), May 24, 2010 Listening is one of the most important customer service skills one can have. It is also one of most difficult skills to learn! If we are born with the ability to hear, does this mean we are listening? The skill of listening is attaching meaning to the words. Listening is something that needs to be learned or developed. Listening to your customers helps you to better understand and satisfy their needs. Sometimes we think we are listening to our customers, but there are many distractions that can interfere with the message or meaning of what the customer is really trying to say. Here are some simple tips to improve your listening ability:

1. Be prepared to listen. Try to focus only on what is being said and not on how you are going to respond to what a customer is saying.
2. Be courteous and don't interrupt when someone is talking, because you may miss some important information or your customer may lose track of what they are saying. Take notes if you are worried about forgetting something.
3. Listen carefully and pay attention to body language and tone of voice. Your customer may not be communicating exactly how they feel.
4. Ask open ended questions that require the customer to answer more than just "yes" or "no" to help you identify what your customers' needs are.
5. Summarize or repeat back the important points to the customer to make sure you understand what they are asking for after they have finished speaking.

Applying these tips will build your listening skills, and by really listening to your customers you will better understand their needs. If you give your complete attention to your customers, co-workers and associates you will build confidence within your organization and create successful business relationships.

Are you at risk for fraud?
by Leanne Jung (Risk Management), Apr. 12, 2010 With the expansion of ACH business transactions, especially via internet, fraud attempts are on the rise. This makes ACH risk mitigation more important than ever.

One way ACH fraud can occur is when a company with fraudulent intent gets hooked into a legitimate bank ACH network to "process payroll" etc., and then sends out fictitious charges. By the time the customers get a copy of the transactions to dispute the debit, the scammer has withdrawn all the money and left. The processor/sender of the transactions is then stuck paying for all the returned funds.

One must be cautious when choosing who to have as an ACH customer. Here is some advice and precautions:

• Pre-screening clients - this can help catch questionable activity before it starts. Research the company to make sure it actually exists and has an actual business address. More screening is advised to be done with background checks and credit checks.
• Speak to customers on the phone - even if it is coming through the internet. Call them to verify payroll amounts, etc. That way you're covered.
• Be cautious of a new customer who is in a big rush or insists on a short window!
• If there are any red flags, offer to process on mandatory wire, five day window, or use paper checks until the relationship is established. You can also ask for a copy of the employee Authorization to Debit/Credit and a copy of the employee's voided check.

Risk mitigation must be an effort by all parties involved to help prevent the damaging effects of a scam. At the Federal level, rules and regulations are in place such as NACHA, OFAC, and the Patriot Act's - Know Your Customer that enforces security. Companies must comply with these rules and take the time to get to know their customers. This will help protect the financial stability and long-term viability of the company. With good risk management practices at your company, the threat of fraud will not hinder your company's ability to grow and succeed!

Want to go green?
by Addie Henschel (Sales & Marketing Support), Feb. 17, 2010 You've made the decision to be a more environmentally conscious company. Where do you start? While there are many things you can do, here are a few things InterceptEFT has done to "go green."

1. Recycle
   Almost everything in the office can be recycled in some way or another. Set up recycling bins in common areas to recycle cans and bottles. Encourage employees to recycle paper by placing paper bins under their desks. Your local recycling company should be able to provide you with these but if you want some fun looking recycling bins, check out www.recyclingbins.com.
2. Turn Off Electronics
   Electronics are one of the biggest electricity wasters in the office. You can help save on your electricity bill by turning computers, monitors and printers off at night. Have a certain area in the office where no one goes yet the light is always left on? Look into motion sensors for these low-traffic areas so the electricity isn't wasted.
3. Go Paperless
   Save time and money. Reduce your costs by offering direct deposit, email invoices instead of mailing and pay bills online. Employees will appreciate not having to run to the bank every payday and you will get peace of mind knowing the funds are secure. Emailing invoices can save thousands of dollars per year by not printing and mailing statements. Electronic invoices also ensure you'll get paid on time, every month. If you are still receiving paper bills call and ask them if emailing them is an option.
   
   What's your paper footprint?
   How much can your company save by switching to direct deposit?
   
   No office can be completely paperless, but what paper is used, should be used sensibly. Here are a few things that will reduce the amount of paper:
   
   Print double-sided
   Purchase recycled paper
   Re-use paper as scratch paper
   Recycle

Educate employees on the benefits of going green, both at work and at home. All changes will take some time but starting out small is the key to making changes stick. It may take some getting used to, but in the end, everyone benefits.

Missing faxes, where do they go?
by Ember Verkuehlen (Admin. Support Manager), Oct. 19, 2009 Do you ever wonder where all the missing faxes go?? Do our fax machines have a gremlin living on little particles in our machines like the dryer gremlin? You all know what I am talking about right? We wash our clothes and put them in the dryer and you know you had 2 matching socks in the washing machine but to your surprise and frustration your favorite pair of designer socks is missing its partner. You look between your machines, behind the dryer, you check the washer again, but it is no where to be found. I'll tell you where it went; the dryer gremlin took it to their alternative universe just like the fax gremlin sometimes thinks it is funny to steal the faxes.

We have all experienced it from both ends of the fax line. Rather we are the recipient or sender we have either asked or been asked this question, "I faxed the documents and my confirmation says it went through so why didn't you receive it?" The answer, "the fax gremlin took it."

OK, the fax gremlin might be a myth and the real answer is "that sometimes the communication lines between each others fax machines/servers just don't communicate well with each other or hiccup during the transmission." Who really knows? We would all love to have the perfect data world (gremlin free) where we get every fax perfectly every time. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

My point being, no matter the reason, our fax systems aren't perfect and we may not receive every fax sent to us due to communication hiccups or gremlins. All I ask is that we all show some patience when it comes to faxing because we are truly trying to create a happy fax world here at Intercept. Unfortunately there may be times when we ask you to refax.

Can't you just picture gremlins sitting in their alternate universe wearing one sock and reading our faxes while they enjoy their morning cup of coffee?

Blogging and the future
by Bryan Smith (President), Sept. 1, 2009 All of us at Intercept are excited about the sharing of information in the upcoming blog. This will be the first time that personally or professionally I've blogged! Naturally this leads to excitement combined with some anxiety.

The past year has shown all of us the dramatic changes in social networking. We at Intercept are beginning to blog, tweet on twitter and develop fan pages on facebook. These changes are significant but pale in comparison to the changes that have occurred on the financial and business front. We now have bank failures rivaling the numbers of the great depression or at least the early to mid eighties. We have spent a significant amount of time researching banks and have been moving the existing client base to well capitalized banks or banks that have been set to acquire failing institutions.

In any event one should be cautious and well informed of their banking relationship. For the first time I can remember in banking (my career now spans an immense 26 years) the value of overnight funds is zero. Banks have been benefactors of the flight to safety movement which has left them awash in deposit dollars which with other factors has driven down overnight interest to a nonexistent dollar amount. With such instability in the market place Intercept has elected to forego interest dollars, but rather elected for unlimited depository insurance from the FDIC. We believe this will change in the future, it appears to be 12 to 18 months, but any time line is a guess at best. To give you a glimpse of our long term strategy in the investment arena, we are developing products and services that will allow for: investment house opportunities (today the biggest fear is one buys a money market account at a dollar and it comes back less than a dollar), earnings credit for reduction in fees (which are FDIC insured to some dollar amount) and bank money market accounts that are FDIC insured and allow for more than six transfers a month. These are just a few options we hope will be available to Intercept clients when interest rates return to a greater return than less than 1%.