Virtual Terminal

If you want far more payment options and features than a traditional desktop dial terminal, this is the route to take!   But what is a Virtual Terminal?  The term “Virtual Terminal” refers to any method for processing credit cards that does not utilize a traditional desktop device where you swipe the card through the slot on the side and it communicates out over a phone line, or I/P.  A Virtual Terminal is all about using a Web Browser (Internet Explorer/Google Chrome/Firefox) to log directly into your processing account via the Internet.  Most virtual terminals rely on a small application (software) that must be installed to drive the USB card reader device and capture its input, and usually has a per PC license cost.  We have a web based Virtual terminal that drives the USB Card reader independently and securely captures the data from that device, without any software installed on the pc.   This allows our clients to utilize the Virtual Terminal at every PC in their office without having to purchase or install a software license for each PC.  Simply add a USB reader to one or more PC’s and that’s it!  This is not only cost effective, but very beneficial having the ability to process transactions at every pc in the office.  USB card readers are only necessary at the PC’s where you would have the patients cards to swipe.  Another nice feature of the VT, is being able to process a phone order in real time and email a receipt to the patient.  This avoids having to hand write the card information on paper and later hand keying the transaction which then requires making a copy of the receipt to mail to the patient. You do not need a USB reader to do keyed/phone order transactions.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS/FEATURES  – Aside from the flexibility of having multiple places to process cards in your office, the benefits gained from using a Virtual terminal are numerous.  First of all, it takes away the madness of having to replace and/or keep up with whether or not your desktop unit is PCI Compliant.  The VT is PCI DSS Compliant and Secure!  Reports are fabulous with a rolling 13 months of transaction history stored and available at your finger tips.   Need a batch report from 3 weeks ago? Just login!  Need to refund a Patient for a missed discount or overcharge from yesterday? Just login! No need to contact the patient for their card number. It’s stored securely online! Just pull up the original transaction and click credit/refund.  Should your daily close numbers not match your practice management system reports, just pop open your Daily Close Report online and there are all the transactions listed for the day WITH the patients names next to the amounts.  You can also create secure electronic Wallets for Patients that reorder contacts so they don’t have to give you their card information each time they order.  There is also the ability to create recurring payments for patients that you may want to allow to split up their bill into two or three payments.  There are many other great  reports and features to leverage that are far more beneficial than a dial terminal.  Using a VT also eliminates the competition a terminal and fax has when having to share one phone line.  Some offices also have dedicated lines for their dial terminals and can now cancel that line and save the money or reallocate that line for other uses.

Most every Virtual Terminal system out there falls a little short on receipt printing. They print only one receipt on one piece of paper which requires you to print two full sheets of paper if your patient wants a copy and you’re keeping the signed copy. Our VT system prints out two receipts on a single sheet of paper to whatever printer is attached or networked to your pc.

So you want more bells and whistles? – Just go see the VT Wizard!

All Virtual terminal systems print very basic text receipts without any logo capability and minimal to no ability to add header/footer  messages.  Nor do they have digital Signature capture capability, with the ability to email that digitally signed receipt! So  “Paperless” is clearly not an option if you want a signature, and you do! If you could capture that signature and email the signed receipt,  you could avoid printing paper altogether…..most of the time!  Some folks want a copy now.   None of the Virtual Terminals out there support small receipt printers so that leaves a storage problem for all those big  receipts…..but there is a solution so keep reading!

PMI has created a companion app that enhances the Virtual Terminal with Digital Signature capture along with the ability to email that signed receipt at the time of the transaction.  In the event that you do need to print a receipt copy, they can be enhanced with user managed logos, headers and footers that make them look very professional.  The VT Wizard also supports an Epson Thermal receipt printer for those that want that small receipt format.   In addition, the signed receipts are converted into .pdf files and automatically stored in the Wizard’s Cloud so there’s no local storage or retrieval headaches and maintenance for all your receipts.  In the event  a copy is needed, retrieval is just a couple of clicks away with the option to reprint or email. Go to VT_Wizard here!