What are Transaction Services?
Transaction Service is a financial term that refers to the service provided by an organization to conduct transactions on behalf of individual, businesses, or institutions. Transaction services are often offered in conjunction with other financial products and can include authentication services for debit cards, automated clearing house (ACH) transfers, electronic funds transfers (EFT), wire transfer services and more.
Transaction services are commonly used in the banking industry to perform financial transactions. Having transaction services enables banking customers to conduct many common banking tasks, such as transferring money electronically, making purchases online, paying bills etc., to name a few. Transaction services are also used by businesses and individuals who would like to pay suppliers without having to visit the bank branch or maintain a balance in their bank account.
Categories of TSP’s
Transaction service providers (TSP) include providers of online bill payment solutions (e-payments), account transfers (e-billing), Giro (e-banking) and payment processing for funds transfers. A wide range of financial institutions provide TSPs including banks, credit unions, brokerages and other financial companies. TSPs are also used by consumers to send money electronically to other people or for other financial services. The Giro industry offers transaction services (e-billing) which enable consumers to pay bills, buy goods and make payments online through their bank accounts. Transaction services can be offered by both banks and non-banks. Banks offer their own transaction service providers (TSPs), but also may use another provider to perform transactions on their behalf. For example, the retail banking division of a large bank would use an outside TSP to process electronic bill payments (e-billing).
Types of Transaction Services
Different kinds of transactions require different types of transaction services. Transaction services can be divided into several types based on the nature of the transaction.
ATM and debit card transactions, personal bill payment and e-billing are examples of the electronic payment schemes which are used to pay bills, make purchases online, send money to other people or make other payments online. E-Billing enables consumers to make payments for utility companies, insurance companies and other vendors via the Internet or phone without having to receive paper bills by mail. TSPs also offer online bill payment services, which can be further divided into online cash disbursement (OCD) and e-billing. The services offered by TSPs are more limited than those of banks.
The transaction services that are provided to businesses are based on the requirements of the business. For example, if a company needs an account transfer service without depositing their own money in the bank, they would use this type of service. A company would also use a TSP to perform its financial due diligence on individuals before hiring someone or issuing credit cards through the corporate website.
Importance of Transaction Services
Transaction services enable consumers and businesses to easily complete financial transactions. These services can be used instead of visiting a bank branch and conducting face-to-face transactions. Transaction services also enable parents to send money electronically to their children who are studying away from home. TSPs are used to send money to other people for remittances.
Transaction service providers are also important because they are one of the few options available for transferring money electronically. When a customer chooses a TSP, the company is what actually sends money through an intermediary between them and the beneficiary. The company functions as an intermediary, and acts as a link between the beneficiaries and the sender.
Examples of Transaction Services Providers
Braintree/PayPal – These companies enable users to use their credit cards on websites such as hotels, airlines and retailers without having to charge those purchases directly on their credit card account. The website payment service providers (PSP) will pay the credit card companies at the end of each month for purchases made through their website.
CardPay – CardPay is an electronic payment service that enables consumers to make online payments using their checking accounts. CardPay enables users to make P2P payments without having to deposit money in the bank. The company also accepts credit card payments (through third parties) and TSPs can be used by anyone who wants to send money electronically or by anyone who wants to receive them this way.
First Data – First Data offers POS services, which allows consumers and merchants to process debit and credit transactions by using them as intermediaries between consumers, merchants and banks. The company also provides e-billing services to businesses.
Vantiv – Vantiv, the payment operator also offers payment processing, e-billing and Giro services. These services are provided directly or through third parties.
PayPal – PayPal offers electronic money transfer service for consumers who want to send money to other people or make payments online without having to maintain a balance in their bank account or credit card account. This service can be used as a transaction service provider (TSP) by individuals and companies, as well as traditional banks and other financial institutions (payment processor). PayPal is one of the largest TSPs in the world and the largest TSP for consumer transactions.
Benefits of Using TSP’s
E-Billing allows consumers to pay bills electronically without having to receive paper bills in the mail. These transactions are difficult to track because they are often performed by individuals who send money, or money is sent through different channels. E-Billing can be provided directly by banks or indirectly through third parties.
TSPs provide great consumer benefits. Banks provide two main types of services to consumers: transaction services and information services. Information service is essentially any service that banks offer to consumers that does not involve money or security. Information services are offered by many banks without charging fees because it generates revenue through other products, such as credit cards. However, banks charge consumers fees for transaction services. A study by the Federal Reserve and Boston Consulting Group found that TSPs can provide consumers with better value than banks because TSPs charge less than banks to transfer money or pay bills.
TSPs provide better service at a lower cost compared with banks. However, the service depends on the TSP. Some services such as e-billing and Giro are available for free from some TSPs, while others such as PayPal charge fees. For example, PayPal charges a lower fee for electronic money transfers than traditional banks.
How Fintalent Experts Can Help Businesses With Their Transaction Service Needs
While there are many benefits to using TSPs as they offer certain products and services to consumers at a lower cost than traditional banks, consumers should always consider the overall costs of using TSP’s compared to traditional financial institutions. The average consumer could save money by using PayPal instead of traditional banks if they send $1,000 worth of money per month through PayPal. If consumers use other services such as e-billing or Giro offered by PayPal, they will be able to save even more money. TSPs are especially useful for businesses because of the way they work. TSPs charge companies based on the number of transactions processed; if credit card transactions are processed, banks will typically charge businesses a few cents for each transaction. On the other hand, TSPs will only charge companies if their customers use e.g., PayPal to send or receive money. Companies will also save money when they send money through PayPal to pay an employee or vendor, or when they receive payments from customers through PayPal.
From the foregoing, the simple decision of what payment system to adopt could end up saving your company a lot of money or on the alternative, lead to hidden spiraling costs. Fintalent consultants can evaluate a business by carrying out a Top-Down Analysis to determine the most cost-effective option at any given time. Fintalent’s Personal Financial Planning expert can also help individuals make the best choice while our Payments consultants can introduce businesses to newer cost effective payment systems that would lead to significant savings in the long run.
