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 Please feel free to publish this article in your

Newsletter or on your Web site (with Resource Box

Included).

 Do I really need to accept e-checks?

 If your business accepts credit cards and you think

you've done enough to make sure your products and services

sell, read on.

 E-checks or electronic checks offer your customers a much

needed and often preferred payment method. An echeck refers

to taking a customer check using the account and routing

number on the check to convert the transaction to an ACH.

ACH refers to the Automated Clearing House and generically

refers to the electronic moving of money. You can get lots of

ACH info at http://www.nacha.org or

http://www.ach-resource.com. An echeck may refer to a check

by phone or by web.

 It is widely estimated that 30 percent of those that would

make purchases on the web can’t because they don’t have

credit cards or the credit cards are declined at the point

of purchase. During the Christmas season this rises to 35-42%

of transactions.

 Credit cards are generally the most widely used payment choice

for on-line transactions. Accepting them means you open

 up your business to the widest possible market of buyers.

Consumers like credit cards. They are secure and offer recourse

in case of fraud.

 On the other hand, checks continue to be the most popular form

of payment in the off-line world, and are increasingly popular

on the Internet. In 2001, $11.5 billion from 54 million items

was processed from Web sites through the Automated Clearing House.

This number grows rapidly. Millions of U.S. households do not

even have credit card accounts. Selling to this group means

you must provide electronic checks as an alternative.

 Accepting electronic checks is similar in many way to credit cards.

You must be approved for an account (there is risk to the processor).

You may integrate a solution into your site or use software or an

Internet Virtual terminal for checks by phone. Recurring payments

can also be scheduled.

 In looking for an ACH processor find a provider who has experience

and tools that are easy to use. It should be a relatively pain

free experience that opens up a whole new market for your business.

So if you think credit card processing is all you need "check" out

your alternatives.

 ©2004 by Wayne Akey

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Wayne Akey has helped numerous businesses

reduce costs and increase efficiency.

visit http://www.ach-payments.com for more

info and a free ebook on ACH processing

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 ** If you choose to use this article please be

kind enough to email me at info@ach-payments.com

with the word "Article" in the subject.