Saving Thousands
in Processing Fees
with ribbonPay!
About STAR
STAR is a multi-line medical device and supply company offering Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Assistive Technology (AT) products from various manufacturers.
Shelton Technologies and Resources (STAR) was founded in 2001 by Kevin Shelton in Lakeland, Florida. In the 90s, Kevin worked for the Polk County School board and became involved with an educational program at a center for disabled adults.
The students had no access to technology or computers to communicate with their loved ones and the world. Kevin saw great potential in the students, so he started gathering equipment, computers, and technology resources to aid in helping them communicate.
Through Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Assistive Technology (AT) devices, the students were able to use technology to express and communicate freely. Many students progressed far beyond the basics and were able to further their education. The technology made it possible for students to surpass their physical limitations and progress.
The program’s impact inspired Kevin to start his own company, share his passion and knowledge about AAC and AT products, and make a difference in the lives of many.
By carrying multiple lines of assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices, STAR is able to serve people with a wide range of impairments in speech and communication. Their clients include schools such as the University of South Florida, where speech-generated devices can be borrowed from their lending library. These devices are vital in allowing students with disabilities to equally access their class curriculum.
The Costly Issue
By 2021, STAR had grown and was securing several government contracts for large orders.
As the order volume rose, the credit card processing fees also grew.
When Katherine began working at STAR in May 2021, she noticed the high rise in credit card processing fees. Keen and quick in dealing with business issues, Katherine looked for an alternative method to decrease unnecessary costs. She knew that accepting GSA cards (charge cards used by government agencies) should be cheaper in processing fees than regular credit cards. But instead of saving money on government orders, STAR was losing more money than it should have!
Katherine suspected that their payment processing provider wasn’t handling GSA cards optimally. Paying 3% on a $10K+ order is an enormous burden on any small business.
STAR’s payment processing issues consumed so much of their time, requiring Katherine and her team to waste hours creating traditional invoices manually. She looked into the processor’s built-in electronic invoicing feature, but it was far too expensive. And looking for a program online was overwhelming and confusing.
How did ribbonPay save STAR money?
That’s when Chelly from ribbonPay reached out to Katherine and suggested that she send in a copy of STAR’s merchant statement to one of our senior analysts. ribbonPay’s senior analysts performed a detailed analysis of STAR’s merchant account and business and determined that Level 3 processing would be the most suitable solution for STAR.
The ribbonPay team knew that STAR’s P-Card (purchasing card) and GSA card transactions were high in processing fees because they were missing critical information in their system.
To get the lowest possible rate, STAR needed to send 9 whopping lines of detailed information to Visa and Mastercard. Still, they had been completely unaware of this and were missing out on potential savings.
ribbonPay Difference
To save STAR money immediately, ribbonPay provided a tool that automatically populates fields for all P-Card and GSA card transactions.
This would allow STAR to pay lower fees and save thousands. ribbonPay also implemented a way for STAR to electronically send invoices to clients and to secure contracts faster with a ‘click to pay’ link for secure checkout.
Since setting up with ribbonPay, STAR has saved thousands of dollars in fees. And what’s more, the STAR team has been able to take the time spent on manually invoicing and invest it in other areas of the business.
Result: Saved Thousands in Processing Fees & New Electronic Invoice System
“Thank you, Alex, for going above and beyond for me,” said Katherine after Alex from ribbonPay helped her customize the logo on their electronic invoices. This is where ribbonPay really shines: in the mutually beneficial relationships we build with our clients by assigning each and every one of them their own personal account rep.
Today, STAR distributes devices and accessories to schools, government entities, and consumers across the USA. They offer low-tech and high-tech AAC devices that include languages, displays of text, large-print, tactile, plain language, and even eye-tracking devices. ribbonPay is now an integrated part of STAR’s workflow and system, and we are proud to be business partners with STAR and supporters of their work.
If you are a B2B or e-Commerce business and are looking for ways to save money on fees and chargebacks, contact us to schedule a consultation. ribbonPay is a leading provider of payment processing solutions for e-Commerce and B2B businesses. Our expert analysts can assess how much you can save on processing and interchange rates, and how to streamline your business process.
We’re here to help your business grow.