A speedy way to pay your
speeding ticket
When General Payment Systems, Inc. (GPSI) made the move into courthouse payment systems, they needed a compact solution that focused on a number of criteria including efficiency and reliability.
The company found the perfect product thanks to an innovative cash recycler from Crane Payment Innovations. “We were moving into the court space and ultimately we wanted to find a way for traffic tickets and fines to be paid quickly,” said Chris Trujillo, Operations Manager at GPSI.Fundamentally, any product also had to be able to fit into a compact space, because, asMr. Trujillo states “courthouse lobbies are not big places and kiosks are traditionally large.”
The solution was the MEI BNR (Bank Note Recycler), a product with modular design and flexible architecture that Trujillo describes as ‘the complete package’. The recycler is installed in a
2ft x 2ft x 6ft kiosk which accepts check, money order, credit and debit card payments, and most importantly, accepts and pays change in cash.
The MEI BNR is also suited for semi-protected outdoor environments – which is ideal for court-houses where indoor space is at premium and lobby hours are limited.
The MEI BNR accepts notes in all USD denominations and pays change in four ($1, $5, $10, $20) – in bundles of up to 15 bank notes. “Cash handling is vital to our business as it’s how we market ourselves,” Cheri Tuccelli, VP Operations, GPSI explains. “We needed a quick and efficient solution and with payments of
traffic and criminal fines we had the requirement of needing to give change. The BNR delivered on both these needs.”
The MEI BNR delivers significant ROI thanks to: reductions in float, shrinkage and labor; improved machine uptime; cashback functionality, and enhanced security.
The MEI BNR was designed to provide all of the cash handling ability of a human cashier with increased security and cash management benefits. GPSI estimates that the new kiosks
are able to carry out the workload of two other units.
The speed and efficiency of the kiosk reduces queuing and results in end-user-satisfaction.
GPSI was awarded the contract for courthouses across the entire state of California – something they do not believe would have been possible without the MEI BNR and the support they
received from Crane Payment Innovations.
Mr Trujillo said: “Without the MEI BNR there would be no court contracts for us; it is a vital part of our kiosks. The court itself benefits in a number of ways. Firstly, there is no cost to them
for our kiosks, as we make our money from the end user by charging a convenience fee. In addition there is less money spent on staff, more money received in the form of payments, and more staff hours to do other work.”
After a successful pilot where the performance of the product was well received by all, GPSI expects to triple the number of units over the next six months. “Since we have installed the
MEI BNRs, feedback has been 100% positive and any minor problems were resolved quickly and easily,” said Mr Trujillo. “Customers benefit from the reduced time to take the payment.
Before we installed our kiosks, it would take hours to make a payment with no other choice than to wait in line; now, customers can come during their lunch break and get in and out fairly quickly. We even have kiosks outdoors which are accessible 24 hours a day.”
In one month, the kiosks at the Kern County court handled more than 2,100 transactions totalling nearly $240k. Mr Trujillo said: “Installing the new kiosks means that court staff can be assigned elsewhere, reducing queues at payment windows and improving overall efficiency. At Kern Superior Court, they now close two hours earlier Monday to Thursday. Fridays are now a half day for the same reason. They have not lost any potential payments since the kiosks are still available even though there is no staff on duty. Throughout the county it is the same story.”
Thanks to the reliability, efficiency and compact size of the MEI BNR, GPSI was able to implement a 24-7 solution that is delivering time and cost savings all while enhancing the customer experience. It even has some folks saying “crime does pay.”
Chris Trujillo
Operations Manager
General Payment Systems
22600 Lambert Street, Suite 707A
Lake Forest, CA 92630
(714) 460-9200
www.generalpaymentsystems.com
Rick Kobal
Director – Financial Services – North America
CPI | Crane Payment Innovations
3222 Phoenixville Pike, Suite 200
Malvern, PA 19355 USA
+1 704-907-7744
[email protected]
www.CranePI.com
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