Case Studies - Convenience Store/Fuel
WESCO Drives Customer Convenience with Payment Processing Efficiencies
Originally founded in 1952 as Westgate Refinery Outlet, WESCO, Inc. currently operates over 50 fuel and convenience stores across Michigan. WESCO has enjoyed a long history of business successes through acquiring oil companies yet staying committed to fast, friendly customer service. Although WESCO has realized a dramatic shift from the early days of full-service fuel purchases, the company’s employees still take pride in the WESCO Q-PPAS mission—continued focus on quality, people, products, appearance, and service.
Addressing Multiple Needs
In 2002, WESCO partnered with ISD to begin authorizing and settling a variety of payment transactions including credit, debit, EBT, pre-paid, and fleet cards from their network of convenience stores, retail outlets, and directly from gas pumps. At the same time, WESCO converted from a dial-based infrastructure to WAN connectivity and implemented ISD Gift Card software for processing WESCO gift cards in stores and at gas pumps. WESCO also offers cell phone, local/long distance, and internet connectivity and sources these transactions through their ISD software installation.
Partnering for Success
Rachelle Osborn, IT Director for WESCO, was involved in planning the company’s new payment system and played a key role in selecting various technology vendors to support the project. According to Osborn, “We chose to partner with ISD based on their proven track record and willingness to communicate with other vendors involved in our implementation.”
Ensuring Future Growth
The WESCO IT team was impressed with how easily ISD software integrated with existing point-of-sale and gas pump applications. WESCO now controls batch processes at the corporate level and can view daily transaction reports for all of the company’s stores. As new WESCO stores are opened, ISD software is easily implemented with minimal support from internal WESCO staff, and additional pre-paid card applications are quickly added on a continual basis.
“Customers recognize WESCO as a convenience store for a reason. After installing ISD software, our average transaction time dropped, reducing our fees by 15% on a $20 purchase,” stated Osborn.
In the future, WESCO hopes to rollout new payment types and pre-paid card options to address the changing needs of their convenience-driven customer base. As the WESCO store network continues to grow, ISD software will scale to support the company’s commitment to customer service.
