News

Hey look! New stuff on our site

Editor Ann All gives the lowdown on some new site features. One, an improved Advanced Search function, is an improvement she had been clamoring for herself.

August 14, 2003

God, I love Google.

It's my search engine of choice for researching companies, products and, of course, guys I used to date.

But as good as Google is, it does have its limitations.

Say I want to find a company that provides first-line ATM service. I type in "ATM service" or "ATM service companies," and I'm hit with page after page of search results related to asynchronous transfer mode.

If I switch my search to "automated teller machine service," I see names of some reputable companies that know their way around the ATM block. Including – oops – XtraCash, which went out of business earlier this year.

Ann All

Not to mention items like a page turner called "Protocol Stack for Automated Teller Machine." (An informative yet extremely wonky document written by one Igor Kuzivanov)

Our site, which modestly bills itself as "the center of the ATM universe," recently added a new feature designed for folks who might be looking for ATM service companies – or ATM vault cash providers, receipt paper, a refurbished machine or just about anything related to ATMs.

Found in the upper righthand corner of the home page, it's called Request for Proposal/Quote. The way it works: you tell us what you are looking for, whether it's a cash provider or a transaction processor, and we pass the word along to the vendors among our ranks of advertisers who can help you with your request. It's as simple as that.

It's a valuable resource both for those new to the industry and for seasoned pros who, in these cash-strapped times, are cutting back on travel to the trade shows and other industry events where they normally make professional contacts.

It's also a great way for vendors to increase their competitive edge by gaining exposure with customers they might not encounter otherwise. Some of our clients are telling the sales staff that they are getting leads that turn into actual business through the RFP/RFQ feature.

I think it's an area of the site that will become even more relevant as folks look at adding new products and services to their ATM programs.

Click around our site and you'll find plenty other new features. At the bottom of the home page is one called Link Exchange that was created for the folks who flatter us by requesting the right to reproduce content from our site. This feature allows you to do exactly that with nothing more than a few points and clicks.

In the upper righthand corner, you'll see a link to our How-To Guides, downloadable documents designed to help folks improve their ATM businesses.

Some folks have told us that they are using the "Choosing the Right ATM for your Location" guide, which walks folks through the basics of ATM ownership, as a sales tool when they visit merchant prospects. The "Vault Cash and Cash Management" guide offers tips on how much cash to keep in ATMs and selecting armored car carriers, among other cash-related topics.

There are more guides in the works, so that's a space to keep your eye on.

A new feature that I use frequently myself is our new and improved Advanced Search function. Perhaps some of our loyal readers have shared my past frustrations over the shortcomings of our site search engine. Improvements have been made, and now it's oh-so-much easier to find stories of interest from our archives. Give it a try in the upper righthand corner of the home page.

Another new feature is our new ATMmarketplace Poll. Also on the righthand side of the home page, though farther down the column than the RFP/RFQ and How-To Guides, it's where we ask for your opinion on current issues.

In our first poll, about 70 percent of you told us that you didn't think that the ATM industry would be ready to comply with Triple DES mandates by the end of 2005. The current question is about which benefits – if any – of XFS-based software are important to ATM deployers. Surprisingly, more than half of the 20 folks who have answered the current question see no real benefits. If you disagree, now is the time to register your vote.

As always, please let me know what you think of the site changes as well as our more tried-and-true features. Got an idea for a poll question, or a suggested subject for our Who's Who series of profiles, or some other story you'd like to see me tackle? I'm (practically) always available at 502-241-7545 or anna@networldalliance.com.