Place for your credit card processing equipment.

Before even starting to look for a merchant account provider (or perhaps when you've just started to look), it is important to know where you want to place your credit card processing equipment.

Here are some aspects to consider when deciding where to place processing equipment:

1. Customer access to terminal
If you plan to accept debit cards, customers will need to access your terminal (or PIN pad) so they can enter their PIN.

2. Ease of processing access
The faster the better, customers are an impatient bunch and expect speedy checkout times. Having a terminal located halfway across the store won't accomplish this task.

3. Access to telephone jacks
Terminals will need to be placed close to telephone jacks for connection. Have your local telephone company install jacks where you'll be placing processing equipment.

4. Size of equipment footprint
Do you want an all-in-one integrated terminal solution or separate equipment? More merchants desire a smaller footprint, to conserve countertop space, and tend to choose integrated equipment.

5. Purchasing a second phone line
In most cases, you'll want to purchase a second phone line from your local telephone company to connect your terminal to. Tying up phone lines when processing transactions can cost you sales. You're in business to bring in sales... not lose them.