Customer Stories: Aonix
QuickBooks® Merchant Services enables software developer to provide better customer service while improving cash flow
As a leading global supplier of mission-critical software applications, Anoix North America provides integrated best-of-breed products and professional services for key phases of software development—thus enabling its clients to improve their quality and productivity, while reducing technical risks and overall costs.
With a group of eight products that enable organizations to develop better, more reliable, and more secure software applications, plus consulting, licensing, maintenance contracts, and support services, Aonix has much to offer.
QuickBooks Merchant Services helps the company's North American branch manage its cash flow while making it easier for customers to buy. For Controller Rob Kim, it's all about convenience.
"Our annual sales in North America are about $4 million," says Rob. "It's a mix of all our software development tools, use licenses, maintenance contracts and renewals, training, and technical support. We sell to small individuals and large corporations, plus government agencies, and using QuickBooks Merchant Services just makes the entire transaction process more convenient for everyone."
Aonix North America had been using QuickBooks software prior to Rob's joining the company, and started using QuickBooks Merchants Services about a year ago when it switched from a bank as a result of poor customer service. Making the move was extremely easy, according to Rob. "It's the simplest thing," he said. "You call them up [QuickBooks Merchant Services] and they do everything for you. We filled out some simple paperwork, sent it back and they took care of the rest. There was nothing hard about it."
Complementing the ease with which Aonix was able to switch over to QuickBooks Merchant Services is the ease with which the company's customers use it to make purchases. The service's robust capabilities make it easy to place orders through Aonix's website or by phone. An invoice containing an "allow online payment" link is then e-mailed through QuickBooks Merchant Services to the customer, enabling them to make their payment online using one of the four major credit cards.
"It's very convenient for our clients," said Rob. "They can purchase what they need quickly, whereas in the past they might have a lengthy wait for a purchase order to be generated. Using a credit card enables them to move much more rapidly. They also feel more secure paying online compared to faxing a credit card number or giving it out over the phone."
From his point of view, Rob says that QuickBooks Merchant Services is the absolute best. On the rare occasion that he needs to contact Customer Service, he has found them to be very quick in solving problems and very friendly. What else does he like about the service? "Being able to tell customers that we accept credit cards, that's a big one," he says. "That and knowing we can depend on the money being in our account in a couple of days instead of 90 days if I'm lucky. Cash flow is everything. Plus, QuickBooks Merchant Services will verify with the customer that the credit card use is authorized on larger purchases, which can be in excess of $5,000, and that cardholder names and addresses match, so everyone is protected. I don't have to worry about charge backs."
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Providing good service to customers is important to our growth plans. QuickBooks Merchant Services enables us to provide that service while greatly improving our cash flow by being able to accept credit card payments.
Something else about the service he appreciates is the smooth integration between it and QuickBooks Premier 2005. "Keeping it all in the family makes a big difference," he said, "it's easier when everything is the same." Rob says he utilizes the funding status feature of QuickBooks Merchant Services for a quick check on the previous day's transactions to make sure they were processed. He also likes the fact that he can find out who paid online, and to use it to recognize deposits for account reconciliation. The ability of QuickBooks Merchant Services to automatically enter credit card transactions into his QuickBooks data file also makes Rob's job easier by greatly reducing time he would spend on data entry. From there, he easily exports the information into a spreadsheet where he can sort it, change the way it looks, and then send it off to the company's headquarters in France.
"It's convenience," Rob sums up. "It [QuickBooks Merchant Services] is a very convenient tool to have, because with credit cards you get your money now. You don't have to wait for a check to arrive, prepare a deposit, and then go to the bank. With a credit card order, it's a simple click of a button and bam, it's done."
