IRVINE, Calif., Nov. 25, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- ZLAND, a worldwide leader in services tailored to meet the needs of growing small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), announced today that it is now offering credit and debit card processing services through its nationwide network of authorized business centers.
"Every day more than half a million customers rely on ZLAND accounting and business software to monitor and manage their operations," said Lisa Morgan, ZLAND's president. "Now, with credit and debit card processing as part of our integrated platform of business products, we are adding considerable value to our overall products and services available from our business centers.
"For too long, SMBs have often struggled with the critical day-to-day necessity of processing credit and debit cards, not getting adequate or responsiveness from large banks and financial organizations," said Ms. Morgan. "Our franchisees serve the SMB market -- and only the SMB market -- from coast-to-coast. Now, in addition to our accounting and other software packages they know, use and trust from ZLAND, they can turn to the same source and people for processing services."
Ms. Morgan said ZLAND "has been able to match the best merchant processing product available to meet the specific needs of our franchised business centers and their customers. We have partnered with a well-established industry leader who knows the SMB marketplace and its needs through more than a decade of experience serving a variety of merchants. Our partner is a member of the Electronic Transaction Association (ETA), and is officially registered with MasterCard(r) and Visa(r) card associations and a Member Service Provider for MasterCard and Visa. Credit and Debit Card Processing will also be offered for American Express(r), Diners Club International(r), Discover(r) Card, as well as many other popular credit and debit cards and electronic checks.
"The merchant processing pricing structure from ZLAND is very competitive," Ms. Morgan said. "In addition, our service, attention to detail, and desire to meet the needs of individual customers is unsurpassed."
Business Center Operator Sings Praise of New Service
Ira Winkler, who operates ZLAND business centers in the Midwest and East, called the new service "a wonderful enhancement to the market line. This should allow ZLAND to approach and serve SMBs on a very competitive basis, providing them with localized dedicated customer service. The way our credit and debit card package is structured, we can provide immediate and ongoing services to a customer, which is not economically feasible for big companies.
"ZLAND is committed to providing its business center channel with new product lines to support the SMB market," he added. "I strongly believe programs like this will foster even stronger working relationships between end users and local ZLAND centers, significantly increasing benefits received by customers. We look forward to more new SMB-oriented products which will further position the local ZLAND center as a one-stop source."
ZLAND's payment processing services enable SMB merchants to process both traditional card-present (or "swipe") transactions and card-not-present transactions, including transactions over the Internet or by mail, fax or telephone.
Information about credit and debit card processing services is available at www.zlandfinance.com, or by calling (800) 835-9987. Information about ZLAND's growing network of franchisees serving SMBs nationwide is available at www.zland.com, or by calling (877) 682-0922.
About ZLAND
ZLAND (www.zland.com), headquartered in Irvine, California, is a worldwide leader in delivering software-as-a-service and complimentary products and solutions tailored to small and mid-sized businesses through a growing nationwide network of authorized franchisees. Offering an award-winning suite of on-demand software solutions, ZLAND has delivered easy-to-use business accounting applications since 1982, and ZLAND Web-based business solutions since 1995. Today, with more than 500,000 loyal customers worldwide, ZLAND offers a product suite which includes more than 160 applications and value-enhancing services designed to help companies increase sales, improve customer satisfaction, reduce costs, and streamline operations.
MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Diners Club International and Discover Card are registered trademarks of their respective owners.