Online Solutions Tackle Offline Problems
by Barclays Bank

In the last few years, vast amounts of resources have been devoted by all types of organisations to the development of effective systems that allow payment transactions to take place online - e Payment gateways. Not least of these is Local Government for whom a 2005 deadline and obligation to deliver 'Best value' serves as a powerful motivator.

Up until very recently, many of the systems have been more or less focused on customer-not-present transactions with little or no connection or crossover with legacy systems that support more traditional cash and paper based business.

The resulting two-tier systems have in many cases added complexity and inefficiency to business management and accounting systems to the extent that this aspect alone has put off many small to medium sized companies from trading their business online.

Now, companies like software developer and online solutions provider, Bucks.Net are finding that their work with the Local Authorities is acting as a catalyst in the development of systems that not only integrate online Payment with existing back office systems, but offer significant improvements to the management of customer-present based processes. Trevor Hilder Systems Development Director at Bucks.Net explains, "We are now seeing progressive customers, like Brentwood Borough Council, deliberately looking to leverage their obligatory investment in online technology to deliver increased business process effectiveness overall. The systems we have developed at Bucks.Net that link existing service delivery with all payment methods are enabling integrated workflows that breakdown many previously isolated processes, the 'silo effect' as it is known".

Trevor goes on to comment, "As we progress on this and other projects, we can see our client organisations discovering often-unforeseen levels and areas of gain in terms of time and cost efficiency. Just one example of this is the application of the technology to create a single seamless audit trail. With this in place much of the manual book-keeping and traditional paper trail required to track cash payments is removed as is the need to separately record and track credit and other forms of payment".

The commercial application of this type of solution, which exploits web driven technologies for off-line gain, is forecast to grow significantly. Bucks.Net Sales and Marketing Director, Phil Smith observes, "Now that the first flush of romance with on-line trading is more or less globally spent, we are seeing a settling down into a more normal type of marriage between on-line and off-line trading. Realisation that neither will replace the other completely, is fostering a much more sustainable approach. The real capabilities and opportunities offered by on-line and network based systems are being analysed and built into new and exciting customer facing operations."

Examples of how companies like Bucks.Net are already being commissioned to use their online and e-payment applications expertise to offer new solutions to traditionally difficult to manage operations include new online advertisement booking systems for publishers and a booking and management system in the field of event management.

For those looking to start trading online, trends in the development of e-payment facilities generally continue to be dominated by security issues and the increasing controls placed by the banks on opening and operation. In spite of this, more and more banks are entering into the field with Bucks.Net's E-payment gateway adding the approval of another three leading high street banks to their previous four in the last year alone. The best e-payment gateways continue to develop their advice and assistance to clients in setting up the optimum facilities to meet their business needs.

Smith concludes, "Personally I am pleased to see that the .com bubble has well and truly burst and we can get down to what companies like mine have been looking to do from the start - working with companies and organisations that want to share in our vision of how the technology of the online environment can be used to benefit business practices overall".

For further information about Bucks Net please visit www.bucks.net or phone Sales Director, Phil Smith on 0 email

Written on behalf of Bucks Net Services Ltd by Anthony Gilsenan & Associates, Marketing Communications. Contact Garry Mortimer-Cook Tel 0, email:

Editor's Notes:

About Bucks.Net

Bucks Net Services Ltd was founded in 1996 by John de Fraine as a regional Internet Service Provider (ISP). Since that time the company has grown into a pan-European provider of Internet based solutions to all manner of businesses in the private and public sector.

Bucks.Net has established a reputation for coming up with hard nosed Internet solutions that produce a hard cash return. Right from the start, Bucks(Net has striven to understand the company concerns that hinder trading online and now deliver dynamic and fully tailored packages that answer these in a one-stop solution.

Along the way to achieving the position of trusted online facilitator to over 600 companies, Bucks.Net has become an established web design house, one of the UK's top performing ISPs, a web site host, and one of only 35 approved e Payment gateways in Europe. Bucks.Net can be trusted to make the evolution on line simple and cost effective for all types of company.

Full integration with existing back office systems and fast settlement and processing of payments in over 117 currencies is a major feature of the service offered. The Bucks.Net online Payment gateway is endorsed by most major high street banks.

Finally, and most importantly total transaction security as well as carrying the ISO9002 and BS7799 quality standards, gives clients and online customers alike even further cause for reassurance that Bucks.Net are the company to unlock their online potential.