May 14, 2010

If you're attending this year's APA Annual Congress, don't miss our panel discussion "Increase Productivity, Add a Powerful Employee Benefit, and Go Green: How Payroll Cards Impact More Than Your Bottom Line," on Wednesday, May 26. The newest addition to our lineup of industry experts, Randy Babitt, Darden's Director of Payroll Services, has agreed to share his experience implementing a successful electronic payroll program at a large organization with an expansive footprint. Darden includes iconic restaurant brands like Red Lobster, Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52. Through subsidiaries, Darden owns and operates 1,800 restaurants, employs approximately 180,000 people and serves more than 400 million meals a year. 

April 22, 2010

Happy Earth Day! This day presents an opportunity to reflect on what we're doing to protect the planet, and at FSV, we're doing a lot! 

Our products and services make it possible for employers and employees to significantly diminish their impact on the environment. When employers print paychecks and wage statements for their employees, there's a greater impact than ink and paper wasted and all the toner cartridges and printers in landfills. Employers have to route paper checks and pay stubs to multiple locations, and the checks are rerouted elsewhere for cashing, which wastes a lot of gas and generates greenhouse gas emissions needlessly. 

FSV's electronic payroll solutions revolutionize the entire process - eliminating unnecessary waste, while generating cost savings and productivity gains. 

FSV's PaychekPLUS! paycards make direct deposit available to employees without bank accounts, allowing them to participate in electronic payroll "green" initiatives.  And the environment profits enormously as businesses transition to electronic pay. For every 10,000 employees that receive their pay on paycards and transition to electronic pay, the environment benefits annually from:

• 770 trees / 63,685 pounds of paper saved
• 2,024,687 gallons of wastewater prevented
• 8.64 dump trucks of paper waste avoided
• 68,618 gallons of gas saved
• 3,786,750 pounds of CO² equivalents prevented

These are quantifiable, annual environmental benefits that to help prove that our clients and their employees care about their impact on the Earth.  We're proud to help them make a difference!

April 21, 2010

If you're attending the American Payroll Association (APA) Annual Congress in May, we certainly look forward to seeing you there.  In addition to visiting our EXPO booth, we hope you can attend the panel discussion we're sponsoring with Visa and hear from major employers who have successfully implemented electronic payroll programs.

Susan Barlow, Director of HR Information Systems for Ruby Tuesday Restaurants, has just agreed to join our panel to discuss how this large casual dining company offered our PaychekPLUS! payroll cards across their 850 locations and 45,000 employees.  She will provide analysis of their implementation process and describe how they plan to achieve 90% epayroll by year's end.

Here's a brief description of our upcoming panel discussion:

Increase Productivity, Add a Powerful Employee Benefit, and Go Green
How Payroll Cards Impact More Than Your Bottom Line

30511 Wednesday, May 26, 2:15 p.m. - 3:45 p.m., Session 3

• Discover the key components of a successful implementation from industry experts
• Learn how to position payroll cards as a valuable employee benefit
• Find out how electronic payroll contributes to your company's sustainability objectives
• Learn how employers implement successful payroll card programs that are compliant in all 50 states.

Hear from industry experts, including major employers, FSV and Visa, and learn from compelling case studies of successful electronic payroll debit card programs. Examine the benefits of paycards for employees in the payroll department and the field, and see how you can stop cutting checks and start saving time and money - while driving employee satisfaction and supporting environmental initiatives.

You'll have the opportunity to ask the experts about implementation, compliance, electronic paystubs and W-2's, etc. You can ask the experts and get the information you need to make informed choices about launching or improving your own electronic payroll program, and earn 1.5 CPE credits in the process!

Deneka Scott
Senior Vice President

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Friday, April 9, 2010

For most folks, April 1 probably seemed like any other day, other than maybe a few April Fools' Day pranks. But it was a special day for me. I finally rejoined the mainstream: I used my debit card to buy a pack of gum! Oh, it was a glorious experience. I walked up, swiped my PaychekPLUS! Elite^® Visa^® card and went on my way with 20 sticks of sugar-free bliss. It was so easy. So convenient. So liberating!

Why the excitement over such a small purchase? Because I just survived a month-long experiment in which I lived on cash alone. I not only paid cash for gas, groceries and everyday expenses, but also for bills and even the rent for my office space! It was an extraordinary, eye-opening experience.

It was also a time-sucking and costly experience. I spent a total of $19.90 and almost SIX HOURS of my time just getting my bills paid. And I couldn't even choose which six hours. You may not realize it, but a lot of the places you remit payment to electronically every month aren't open all day, every day like the Web. Most are available Monday through Friday, 8-5. Of course, when you work fulltime, those hours aren't very practical. As for the expense, the twenty bucks I'm out may not break me, but in a lot of people's lives $20 means a tank of gas or food for the family.

While I won't shed a single tear that my grand experiment is over (and I hope never to be revisited), I know I'm better for the experience. Having walked the walk, I truly understand what it's like to live on cold, hard cash.  At FSV, our products and services improve the lives of countless Americans day in and day out. We help those who are trapped in a cash-based world gain access to a much more convenient and safer way of life. I was already proud of the company I work for, and my experiences over the past month have given me an even deeper, more profound sense of pride and respect for what we do here at FSV. With the experience I've gained, I have no doubt that these improvements must bring smiles to the faces of those who are experiencing for the first time what you and I take for granted every day – the ability to receive and make electronic payments.

Thanks to all of you who have kept up with my little adventure. As they say, it's been real, and it's been fun, but I can't say it's been real fun!

Chris Pigg
VP Client Development

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Friday, April 2, 2010

Before I launched my little experiment to see what it's like to go through life paying with cash, I didn't really notice when business after business declared themselves "cash free." Unfortunately, my airline of choice (which shall remain nameless to protect the guilty) went "cashless" onboard in January. I didn't even notice, since my wallet full of plastic granted me immunity.

Below is a recent exchange between me and a flight attendant

Flight Attendant: "Would you like peanuts, pretzels, or cookies?"
Me: "I'd like a fruit and cheese box."
Flight Attendant: "$6, please."
Me: (Attempting to hand her $6 in cash.) "Thanks."
Flight Attendant: "I'm sorry, sir. We no longer accept cash for onboard purchases."
Me: (Fibbing to try to get my way) "But this is all I have."
Flight Attendant: "In that case I can offer you peanuts, pretzels, or cookies. Which would you like?"
Me: (Holding out the $6 again.) "I'd like the fruit and cheese box. I'm really, really hungry. Can't you please just take this?"
Flight Attendant: "No, sir. I'm sorry, but we only accept credit and debit cards. I can give you several packages of peanuts, pretzels, or cookies if you would like, though."

While she was incredibly gracious, she certainly stuck to her guns. Now, at this point I felt pretty embarrassed and somewhat foolish. Then, it got a bit more awkward.

Person Sitting Next to Me: (Taking the $6 from my hand.) "Here. Put it on my card. And I'll take a Bloody Mary."

The kindness of a stranger allowed me to have my fruit and cheese box. Of course, I felt compelled to explain my experiment to my rescuer, because it's just embarrassing to find that you can't pay for something. I even pulled out my wallet to show him my plastic in a vain attempt to feel like a "normal" person, again. He was fairly understanding, but I was still embarrassed.

Of course, this experiment has cost me more than a little embarrassment and discomfort. Stay tuned for my last entry in which I'll report on the cost of this adventure in terms of time and cold, hard cash!


Chris Pigg
VP Client Development

Everyone loves supporting charity, right? After all, St. Jude's Signature Bash, a black tie event I recently attended, provided participants with a fun-filled, elegant evening with the bonus of supporting a good cause. If only navigating a tuxedo rental and establishing "purchase power" at the event could be just as positive when you're with getting by on cash alone.

Fortunately, I had a rental history with the tuxedo rental store. Otherwise, as a cash-only customer, I would have had to find a retailer for pre-paid general purpose reloadable debit cards; drop in to purchase a card; load $135 for the tuxedo rental, plus another $100 for the deposit; and use the card to secure the rental. Total upfront cost? Approximately $240, including purchasing the pre-paid card. The more convenient approach of paying $135 in cash for the rental, plus a cash deposit of $275, (50 percent of the tuxedo's replacement value,) requires an even greater upfront investment of $410.

The cash and effort required to rent a tux was astounding, and I had bigger surprise in store for me at the benefit: They refused to accept cash. Period. How do you manage silent auction with cash only in plastic only environment? It's tricky. However, I managed to convince a fellow attendee to let me put a "deposit" down to use her credit card. Her reaction to my predicament was priceless, and she was more than a little confused by the request, but luckily she agreed.

All's well that ends well, I guess. On the other hand, the effort involved in getting by without plastic was certainly a pain in the neck that left me feeling less charitable by the end of the night.

Speaking of pain, check back soon for my entry on paying bills. You will be amazed at how much time, effort and expense that employees without bank accounts are exerting just to get money into the hands of their payees!

Chris Pigg
VP Client Development