“It’s actually funny,” Jonathan Kramer recalled. “A friend suggested I look into this industry,” added the owner of Progressive Pay Solutions, a merchant services company that offers a free POS placement program and credit card processing to restaurants. “He said it might be a good fit so I decided to look into it. I flew around the country to speak with a couple of credit card processors to see if the industry was for me. When I got home, I said to my wife, “Honey, I don’t think this business is for me, it’s sort of a dirty used car salesman kind of business.” And she replied, “You’re the complete opposite and that’s why it’s going to work.”
And prophetic Jonathan’s wife was, because 15 years later, Progressive Payment Solutions provides a full range of electronic payment products and services that help its clients run their businesses more efficiently and cut costs.
In his search for the right credit card processing partner, Kramer made one more stop at United Bankcard. “They walked me into the conference room and I sat down waiting for the owner of the company to come in and in walks this kid, ripped jeans, T-shirt, probably 16 or 17 years old at the time. And I said, I’m waiting for Mr. Isaacman and he said, I’m Jared Isaacman! It was the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”
The union turned out to be very rewarding. Young Jared Isaacman was one of the first to develop a free equipment program in the credit processing industry and went on to create the first free placement program of POS systems, Kramer explained, which is where his company comes in as a direct distributor of the Harbortouch POS system.
United Bankcard eventually became Harbortouch and turned its primary focus onto Point of Sales systems. “Not so much a credit card processing company however both go hand in hand.”
Kramer, along with his son Zach, are focusing on the restaurant industry with their POS business and it hasn’t hurt that Harbortouch has formed a partnership with veteran bar and restaurant expert John Taffer who hosts Bar Rescue, a docu-reality series that portrays ways to revamp and rescue bars on the brink. Harbortouch POS can now be seen on all new episodes of “Bar Rescue”.
What that has to do with Progressive Payment Solutions is that the company is now heavily leveraging its relationship with Harbortouch for marketing and sales purposes of the Harbortouch POS system.
“What really got us into the POS business,” Kramer noted. “We’re not selling the POS system per se, but a free placement program. It doesn’t matter how many systems a restaurant may need, there are no upfront costs. The system is placed into the restaurant for free, programmed and set up for free, and the restaurant pays a monthly fee per unit for 36 months. It really gives restaurants the opportunity to get into a POS system and manage their business more efficiently and profitably like some of the larger operations. It is a very compelling opportunity.”
“Restaurants are so busy all the time and credit card transactions are their life, but many feel, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Kramer declaimed. “What we like to tell a restaurant that does not have a POS system in place is a POS system helps you manage your business. It’s not just a credit card processing machine. This POS system helps you manage everything such as reservations, customer loyalty, employees, inventory, menus, seating, ordering and much, much more. It’s about maximizing your profitability and managing your business in a more effective manner,” he stated.
That’s only one reason to use Progressive Payment Solutions. “There are so many security issues out there today. If you have a POS system that is older than even a few months, the odds are, you’re not in compliance any longer based on new PCI compliance regulations. SSL encryption, which has been the standard encryption method for decades, is no longer PCI compliant due to vulnerabilities in this protocol. ” If you already have a POS system that is not in compliance, we can help alleviate that stress and cost of upgrade by offering a free placement of a Harbortouch POS system that is completely PCI compliant.
Progressive Payment Solutions also offers through Harbortouch, a VIP program that’s designed for larger restaurant chains or restaurants that do a lot of volume. “It can be extremely expensive to upgrade or change your POS system. This is a terrific opportunity for us because, if you have an existing POS system that’s no longer in compliance, you’re going to get hit from your current provider with a bill that will knock your socks off,” to become compliant. Kramer acknowledged. The VIP program offers a free trial period with no cost at all for an extended period of time which helps with the transition and mitigates cost moving forward. “We swap it out and get you into a system that is compliant. Who could argue with that?”
Progressive Payment Solutions also offers alternative business financing. “If a restaurant needs capital, we can potentially provide capital to that business through our funding partners,” Kramer said.
If you’d like to learn more about how Progressive Payment Solutions business products and services can boost your bottom line, visit their website or call 973-921-0770.
