Tag Archive for: atm bank machine

ATM Business Basics Part I: How ATMs Work

by

Running an ATM business is a relatively simple endeavor. However, there’s some ground level knowledge that you need to be a successful ATM owner. A big part of that knowledge base is how ATMs work.

While you don’t need to be an ATM technician (you can always pay one to service your ATMs if you need), it’s important to have basic working knowledge of your ATMs. That way you can identify and solve minor problems, and quickly add cash or refill the receipt paper. This makes your ATM business more efficient in terms of both time and expenses.

So, welcome to our two-part guide that will give you a solid foundation of information on which to build your ATM business. We’ll start with the basics of how ATMs work.

How ATMs work

As the name suggests, an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) a banking terminal where users can perform a variety of banking activities, depending on the capabilities of the ATM machine itself.

Inserting a debit card or credit card that offers cash advances activates the ATM. The ATM authenticates the debit or credit card using a PIN number, electronically debits the cash amount from the user’s account, and dispenses that withdrawal as cash.

On the backend, the bank reimburses the ATM owner for the cash taken from the ATM, plus a transaction fee, which is paid by the ATM user. This is handled electronically by the ATM processor.

That’s the basic process. These are the parts involved in this process.

The parts of an ATM machineThe Parts of an ATM Infographic

We’ll cover these quickly in two groups: the parts that the user sees, and the parts that you, the ATM owner, need to know.

These are the user-facing parts involved in an ATM transaction:

Display (LCD or LED): The display is where the prompts and instructions are shown to the ATM user. ATM machines are equipped with braille and audio devices (speaker or headphone jack) for blind customers.

Keypad: The keypad is simply a grid of buttons that accepts input from the user. Many ATM machines also have buttons on the sides of the screen for making certain selections

Card reader: This accepts the user’s debit or credit card and reads the information on it.

Cash dispenser: This is where the magic happens. The cash dispenser gives customers their cash. The cash dispenser also checks notes for proper size and thickness and ensures that the correct number of bills are given.

Receipt printer: This part prints the receipt that verifies the transaction, and sometimes shows the user’s account balance.

These are the parts of an ATM that the customer interacts with. You as the ATM owner need to be familiar with these parts. However, the ATM owner also needs to know their way around the internals of an ATM machine, even if they’re not an expert in repairing or replacing those parts.

These are the internal parts of an ATM machine:

ATM mainboard: The mainboard is the central “computer” for the ATM. The CPU, RAM, and connection interfaces for the other components live here.

Power supply: Connects to an external power source and provides power for all the ATM machine components.

Modem: The modem performs all the internet communications required for transaction processing. This can be wired or wireless. It depends on how the ATM connects to the internet.

I/O board: The I/O board is in charge of communicating with the ATM processor, and ensuring that the correct information is sent to the correct parties.

Cassette: The cassette is an important part for the ATM owner. The cassette holds the cash. When you stock an ATM with money, this is where the bills go. The cassette can be fixed or removable. Each type of cassette has pros and cons. Which one you use depends on your business and the ATM location.

How Does an ATM Machine Work?With all the parts covered. Here’s a more detailed look at how an ATM works:

  1. The user activates the ATM by inserting their card.
  2. The customer enters their PIN and selects how much cash they want using the keypad and display.
  3. The mainboard collects the information and sends a unique EMV transaction code to the I/O board.
  4. The I/O board packages up the transaction information for the ATM processor and the modem transmits it to the appropriate ATM processing networks. Your card’s supported networks are printed on the back. Every card is required by law to have two accessible networks. The transaction is completed through the secondary network if the first network fails.
  5. The ATM processor sends the withdrawal request to the bank. The bank approves or denies the request. If the transaction is approved, the message is sent back through the ATM processor to the ATM. Then, the selected amount gets debited from the customer’s account. Associated transaction fees are usually paid from the customer’s account.
  6. The modem and I/O board receive the approval. And, the mainboard initiates the cash dispensing. The cash dispenser checks each bill to ensure that it’s the proper size and thickness and that the correct number of notes gets dispensed. Notes that are not the proper size or thickness get sent to the reject bin. This happens occasionally with old or torn bills. The cash dispenser automatically dispenses a different bill any time a note is sent to the reject bin.
  7. The customer takes their cash and has a great day!

Those are the nitty-gritty details of how ATMs work.

It’s helpful to know these fine details as an ATM owner. Being more familiar with the machine helps with basic troubleshooting, and makes life easier if you get technical support over the phone.

However, you should be very familiar with the cassette and user interface. Inspect these each time you restock your ATM. You need to fix your machine ASAP if the user interface is malfunctioning or cash is being dispensed incorrectly. You lose money whenever your ATM isn’t working.

Whenever you fill your ATM with cash, it’s best to perform a transaction to verify that your machine is working correctly.

Front to back

That’s the frontend of an ATM business. In the next part, we’ll talk about what happens on the backend and where all the transaction fees go. Stay tuned. Or learn more about building your own ATM business (and how you make money).

 

ATM Outsourcing: More Opportunities for ATM Owners

by

The Rise in ATM Outsourcing

ATM outsourcing is nothing new. Financial institutions have been outsourcing ATM services since the 90s. However, the demand for ATM managed services could spike as banks perfect their online banking services and regulations require more ATM updates.

ATMOutsourcing - Drive Up ATMsTraditionally, banks only outsourced off-site ATM machines that were difficult to keep stocked with cash and maintained. However, ATM outsourcing became such an attractive offer for banks that some banks outsourced their wall ATMs at drive-up and walk-up locations.

Now, ATM outsourcing is even more attractive in the wake of the EMV update, with another hardware update on the way with the Windows 10 transition. The update costs are significant. And banks are working to consolidate their physical branches, without limiting customer access to banking services.

Additionally, ATM machines aren’t a major source of revenue for most banks. They usually offer free transactions to their customers. So, most of the transactions generate no revenue.

Banks will likely have to eat the cost of the free ATM transactions for their banking customers. But, offloading ATM update costs, maintenance, and ATM vaulting to an ATM managed services provider could easily offset the lost transaction revenue.

And finally, banks don’t want to abandon their ATM services completely. ATM machines shorten bank teller lines and minimize stress on their customer service staff by enabling customers to self-serve for simple transactions.

So, handing the entire ATM operation over to ATM managed service providers is a cost-efficient move for most banks.

This is good news for ATM owners since it means more opportunities to provide white-label ATM solutions in very good locations. However, there are a few things you’ll need to make your services attractive to banks.

ATM Deposits

Most bank branch ATMs accept deposits. Now, the bank may be okay with losing the ability to accept deposits through the ATM machine when they outsource the service. But, that depends on the location and what percentage of the total transactions are deposits.

This means that you’ll be in the best position to scoop up an ATM managed services contract if you have ATM machines capable of accepting deposits and an ATM processor that can communicate with the bank’s system well enough for more than just cash withdrawals.

Banks have historically accepted outsourced ATMs that didn’t accept deposits. However, it’s likely that banks will prefer deposit capable ATM machines in the future as they look for cost-efficient replacements for full-service bank branches. So, accepting deposits will help future-proof your outsourced ATM operations.

Wall-Mount ATM Machines

ATMOutsourcing - Wall ATMs

Standing ATMs are appropriate for some off-site bank ATMs. However, it’s likely that banks will prefer bundled services for their ATM machines. Meaning, they’ll want their ATM managed services provider to supply their branch ATMs in addition to the off-site ATM machines.

Be prepared to offer a wall-mount ATM as part of your package when you’re pitching your services. Branch ATMs are likely to get a lot of traffic, and the bank will be paying the transaction fees. So, supplying a wall-mount ATM machine can be a big win for you.

Updated ATM Machines

You’re probably in the process of updating your hardware to accommodate Windows 10, if you’re already in the ATM business. But, if you want to take advantage of ATM outsourcing opportunities, you may want to speed up the process.

Avoiding update costs is a major reason that banks want to outsource their ATM services. So, it’s pretty much mandatory that you can offer ATM machines that will be compliant past 2020.

Fortunately, most new ATMs will be capable of handling Windows 10. But, future compliance is an important thing to check if you’re purchasing used or refurbished ATM machines.

Either way, the deadline for upgrading ATM machines to Windows 10 will be here sooner than you think. If you want to ride the ATM outsourcing wave, you should concentrate on getting your fleet compliant while banks are still looking for ATM managed service providers to take care of the update for them.

ATMOutsourcing - Signing SLAService Level Agreements

ATM owners are familiar with these. But, service level agreements are vital when working with banks.

First, the terms of your service level agreement can be a selling point for your ATM services. It removes the risks of ATM outsourcing for the bank and makes your offer more appealing.

But, you’ll most likely need to include things in your service level agreement that meet a bank’s requirements for any ATM, such as armored truck service for ATM vaulting.

Most banks also won’t accept an ATM managed services contract that doesn’t have a service level agreement.

So, if you haven’t developed one yet, you should create a template for your service level agreement. That way you won’t miss anything during your negotiations.

Other Businesses That Need ATMs

While banks may be a major source of ATM outsourcing business, they’re not the only ones who may need ATM machines from an ATM managed services provider.

Many banks have micro branches inside grocery stores, malls, and shopping centers. As banks consolidate their physical locations and move more services to online banking, many of these micro branches will close.

This leaves these locations without an ATM. And, that means opportunities for ATM owners to capture more high traffic locations with dedicated user bases.

So, even though the required ATM updates may present additional expenses for ATM machine owners, they also offer new ATM outsourcing opportunities. And, that’s new business that could more than cover the cost of ATM updates in the long run.

Toy ATMs

by
How Can I Teach My Child about ATMs

How Can I Teach My Child about ATMs?

You might be looking for a way to teach your young children basic concepts about money. Or, if you take your little ones with you when you use an automatic teller machine, you might be seeking a way to explain to them what that machine does. You may also want to dispel the notion that an ATM is some kind of magic gadget that gives people passing by as much money as they want. A toy ATM can be a great tool for teaching these lessons. Such a toy is similar to the piggy bank you might have had when you were a child – but on a whole other level.

High-quality toy ATMs work in similar ways. They look like realistic miniature versions of the real deal. And they store your child’s cash – dollar bills and coins. Your child can use its keypad to type in how much she wants to retrieve from the machine, and the machine will dispense exactly that much money. Thus, this kind of machine teaches kids about numbers and about counting money. Some toy ATM’s even come with toy ATM cards. In any event, the first few times your kids try this toy out, they’re likely to be amazed and delighted by the mechanics of it, and may want to play with it over and over again.

What is the Best Toy ATM to Purchase?

One of the best-reviewed toy ATMs on the market is the “YOUniverse Deluxe ATM Bank Machine.” Among its exciting features, this device:

  • assigns kids their own personal identification numbers
  • says hello to them personally when they enter their PINs
  • includes a cash drawer and separate slots for placing various kinds of coins and bills
  • displays flashing lights
  • plays sound effects.

All in all, this toy is sleekly-designed and highly portable.

Another terrific toy ATM is the “Deluxe ATM Toy Bank with ATM Card” from the Ohio-based company Trademark Games. This product includes alarm clock and calculator functions, and tells you the time and date. It also allows kids to enter information about how much money they wish to save and by what date, and then keeps track of how much time is left and how much additional money is needed to hit that goal.

Once children understand the basics of their toy automatic teller machine, you can teach them some more philosophical concepts about money and savings: how they should save as much of their money as they can, how they should only remove money from their account if they need something or if they really want something and can afford it. You could have them perform a simple task, like drying the dishes, and then give them a dollar for doing so, money they can put in their toy ATM. Then you can explain how what they just did mirrors what adults do: work for a wage and save that money for when it’s needed.

The toy ATM also allows parents a chance to help their kids brush up on arithmetic skills. All you have to do is have your child look at the ATM’s digital balance display and write down how much money she has. Then cover up that display and give her a certain amount of money to deposit. Before you uncover the new balance, have her use addition to figure out what that sum is. You can do a similar activity with subtraction; this time, of course, you’ll have her withdraw rather than deposit cash.

Of course, soon will come the day when your child outgrows her toy ATM and wants to use the real thing. Those are the tween and teen years. We’ll have some tips for coping with that situation next time.