CISP Compliance and GC

[alohaakamai3]

Two quick questions-

Which version of Aloha is officially CISP compliant? 5.3.15 still it?

How hard is it to setup the stand-alone version of GC. It's been a while, it's fairly straightforward, isn't it? Any caveats?

 

[AdamDR]

The versions that are CISP compliant are:
5.3.15 and up
6.0 and up
6.1 and up

As far as the GC stand alone, are you talking about the GC manager module? If so, it is pretty straight forward, you just need to setup the system parameters and make sure you prefixes are setup correctly.

Adam

 

[alohaakamai3]

Yes Adam, I am talking about GC Manager, thanks for the response.

My understanding is that eCard is the super-secret-don't-tell-anyone installation that has to be done by Radiant directly, which is a completely different animal then the GC Manager.

 

[AdamDR]

Yeah, Ecard is like that. I guess Radiant is so proud of it that "only they" can install it. Makes me crazy sometimes!!

 

[DTSMAN]

With Ecard I think that is because they host it and maintain the database. Most credit card vendors are offering this service as well. Worth it for multiple store location.

Bo

Kentucky phone support-
"Mash the Kentrol key and hit scape."

 

[zahead31]

I agree with Bo; for a multiple store location running Aloha, eCard is definitely worth it. I did the research and eCards was MUCH cheaper than going with a third party vendor. Plus, with eCards, we did not need any third party hardware, which can be very annoying for accounting and training.

 

[AdamDR]

Don't get me wrong! I love E-card, it is really easy to maintain.

What I hate is waiting for enterprise to install it. I just wish I could install it myself. It's really not that hard, but oh well!

I've got 2 clients still running the GC module. It works well, EXCEPT when the file server goes down. OR if the hard drive gets cooked and you don't have the GC database backed up. Then it's a nightmare!!

 

[alohaakamai3]

I am not dealing with Ecard--but just out of curiosity, are there special giftcards used with that, or are they the same as the standard cards that work with Aloha?


Most of the gift card programs really should be easy to setup and maintain--what they're doing really isn't all that complicated (associating an account with a number encoded on a card). I am sometimes suprised the developers of any of the POS systems charge as much as they do for such a simple interface.

 

[alohaakamai3]

Oh, btw- one other commet. I know I am not shocking anyone with the news that one of the reasons sales guys (in any POS dealership) like to push gift card, is to get your hooks into a client on a long term basis. Anything that creates an obstacle to your customer leaving you is considered a good thing, and switching POS systems with a client that does have GC *can* be a real hassle. We've actually had clients near ready to buy, and had the deal fall through because of these complexities.

That said, I think the real reason Radiant does not allow the dealers to do this has to do with them wanting the dealers to be in the dark about how this is done. That way have their hooks in the clients directly, with something the dealers can't really do on their own-- should Radiant ever decide to claim that chunk of business for themselves (which has supposedly been their intention all along). For the most part, it's chains that get the eCard. Clearly, national and regional chains is clearly the business that Radiant seeks out.

 

[alohaakamai3]

Can anyone tell me if the Gift Cards used for Ecard are the standard variety used for the POS for stand alone GC?

Thanks

 

[zahead31]

I do not know what cards are used for the stand alone GC program, but I do know that the Gift Cards that are used with eCards can only be printed by National Business Products, and you can order them through your reseller.

 

[AdamDR]

You can have other people print your cards for you, but it's not advised.

They want one database to hold onto which numbers have been used. If you go through different companies, they might send you cards with numbers that have already been used, then you'll be dealing with some major problems. Unless you understand the risks involved with going through a third party, it's strongly unadvised!

 

[alohaakamai3]

Thanks for the response guys.

Nuff said, I'll take your advice and send them to the local dealer. They've been a good customer for a while, so I doubt much will come it. I just wanted to provide it for them, but I am unlikely to make much money on it anyway. I'd rather not get involved it, but dont want to turn the business away either. Oh well.

Thanks again guys.