Driverless network scanners help OmniFund

Founded in 1997, OmniFund’s flagship product is a cloud-based service called Payments as a Platform®. It enables businesses to collect payments through a sleek and secure web interface. Led by CEO Stacey Roderick, the company prides itself on modern web development, intuitive technology and strong security. They were early to market with their remote deposit capture (RDC) solution and committed to maintaining this leadership role.

Meeting customer expectations

Approximately 40 percent of OmniFund’s transaction volume comes from checks and card payments at the point of sale. Healthcare organizations represent the majority of their point of sale (POS) users. These busy doctor’s offices, clinics, and medical facilities need a reliable technology that doesn’t distract them from customer service or patient relationships.

Unfortunately, the previous manufacturer’s stubborn reliance on outdated technology jeopardized this important market segment. As issues mounted and customer concerns escalated, Roderick and her team knew they had to make a change — or risk losing an important revenue stream.

Outdated hardware imposes strict limitations

The biggest challenge with the previous scanner was its incompatibility with popular web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Safari or Mozilla Firefox. Instead, the manufacturer certified it only for Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE).

That requirement imposed strict limitations on OmniFund and its healthcare customers.

“It was an older approach, using outdated languages and methods for connecting, which made it hard because you’re stuck supporting older hardware and browsers,” explained Jed Danner, Chief Technical Officer of OmniFund.

In some cases, the hardware vendor’s slow pace forced them to code to older versions of IE. IE, in turn, required every user to install ActiveX controls on their computer before the scanner could function — it was a cumbersome process. Administrators needed to manage a complicated set of Microsoft-based certificates and permissions. All of this was outside OmniFund’s web-based platform. It took internal development and technical support staff away from their core functions and added work for the IT administrators at the healthcare providers.

“With the outdated hardware, the initial installation would have to be done as the administrator, and then the permissions carried over to each user, which was a lot more time-consuming for customers,” explained Jack Fisher, Support Lead at OmniFund. “Some practices have 25 or 30 users.”

“It was a pain,” Roderick recalled. “Sometimes, it would take five minutes, sometimes it would take half an hour to two days before we could get issues resolved.”

The IE requirement of the previous scanner also confused and frustrated OmniFund’s customers.

“You’d get support calls like ‘My scanner is not working,’ and you go in and have to report, "Well, you’re in Chrome,” she said.

Despite an ongoing dialogue with the previous hardware manufacturer, little changed.

Driverless scanners transform operations

Finally, the risk to OmniFund’s business became too great. Roderick started searching actively for a replacement. Having worked in the past with RDM, now a Deluxe company, she knew the company’s capabilities, and even some of the staff. It was a natural fit to reach out.

“We wanted something that was not dependent on a browser,” Roderick said. “We’re a web-based application, and we like to give the flexibility for people to use any browser they want.”

The company switched providers, choosing driverless network check scanners from Deluxe Corporation. In the RDM EC9600i, they found the capabilities they needed: a driverless scanner that was easy to integrate, install, use and support. In the Deluxe relationship, they found the support and experience they were looking for to build a collaborative and lasting relationship. Both were missing with the previous hardware provider — yet essential to success.

“Everyone at Deluxe is quite prompt and helpful; they’re very responsive,” Roderick said. “There were never any issues getting information we needed from support or development.”

Since their new hardware works with any web browser, it was simple for OmniFund to certify and integrate the scanners with their payment platform. Deluxe provided a complete Application Development Kit (ADK) and other developer resources.

“The browser connects directly to the embedded web server in the scanner; nothing needs to be installed on the computer,” Roderick noted. “The web coding was really easy for our developers.” Switching to the RDM scanners streamlined the rollout, training and support process with their healthcare user base.

“Getting the equipment installed and the IT staff trained, it’s so much faster, more streamlined,” she said.

The EC9600i network scanner also enables more versatile installations, with both USB and Ethernet connectivity. In most healthcare clinics counter space is limited so being able to have devices that users can share means less clutter and improved efficiency.

A great fit for healthcare

The results have been nothing short of transformative. Customer installations take 50 to 75 percent less time. Equipment support calls are down 95 percent. Healthcare clients can use the browser of their choice. After 18 months in the field, OmniFund is positive they made the right choice in switching to the RDM scanners. Their healthcare customers are happy and more productive. They’re eager to continue enhancing their payments platform.

“I think we can all agree that not having to rely on ActiveX controls and Internet Explorer has been a blessing!” said Fisher.

“They’ve been performing great,” Roderick agreed. “The EC9600i scanners fit all our requirements. We can network them. They are browser agnostic. They’ve been sturdy.”

All involved would recommend the RDM scanners, especially for healthcare environments. “The RDM EC9600i driverless network scanners use a more modern approach to integration,” Danner concluded. “That is what sets it apart for us.”