CSG Forte is a scalable, end-to-end payments platform that helps businesses simplify payments across channels and improve customer experience. With 25+ years of experience, it supports online, ACH, card, wallet, phone, and in-person payments, plus EMV terminals, hosted forms, a cloud operations platform, and REST API integrations.
Why does this matter for Fiserv Business Consultants?
CSG Forte is not another ACH solution competing with Fiserv ACH. As Fiserv continues to its own ACH capabilities (including Pay by Bank, Telecheck and virtual terminal ACH), CSG Forte is positioned to complement and extend those capabilities when merchants have more complex payment needs. Bring in CSG Forte when a merchant’s needs go beyond standard ACH acceptance.
Fiserv’s customer mix makes CSG Forte a strong referral partner when Fiserv teams encounter merchants or business customers that need:
o Wider payment acceptance
o ACH or card flexibility
o Modern integrations
o Stronger reporting and visibility
o Faster onboarding
o A more scalable payment experience
How CSG Forte Complements Fiserv ACH Solutions
Use this section to quickly frame where each offering fits. CSG Forte does not replace Fiserv ACH, it extends it for more complex needs.
Who is a good fit to refer to CSG Forte?
1. Small business and mid-market merchants - Businesses that want a simpler way to accept payments, manage multiple channels, or modernize how customers pay.
2. Large merchants and corporates - Organizations with more complex billing, omnichannel or higher-volume payment needs, especially where ACH, invoice-based payments, or workflow automation matter.
3. Software providers and ISVs - Platforms that want to embed payments, improve the payment experience, or create additional value through integrated payments.
4. Public sector, education and utility-related organizations - Organizations that need secure, scalable payment options for citizens, payer or customer transactions.
Strong Industry Fits
Key CSG Forte Opportunity Areas
ERP & Back-Office System Integrations (key differentiator)
When merchants need payments connected to accounting systems, billing platforms, invoicing workflows, or other back-office systems, CSG Forte should be positioned as the preferred solution. Rather than leading with “ERP integrations,” lead with the outcome:
“CSG Forte helps businesses connect payments with their accounting, billing, invoicing, and backoffice systems, reducing manual work and creating a more streamlined payment experience.”
Benefits to emphasize:
• Automated payment posting
• Reduced manual reconciliation
• Integration with billing systems
• Support for accounts receivable workflows
• Invoice-based payment processing
• Improved operational efficiency
Bill Payments & Digital Disbursements
CSG Forte addresses Bill Pay and Digital Disbursements today. Strengthen the conversation around:
• Bill Pay
• Digital Disbursements
• Invoice-driven payments
• B2B payment workflows
• Accounts receivable processes
Large ACH Opportunities
Help identify merchants whose needs extend beyond standard ACH acceptance:
• Larger ticket-size opportunities
• Complex ACH workflows
• High-volume ACH environments
• B2B payment scenarios
Focus on the opportunity pattern rather than a specific dollar limit.
Government & Public Sector Opportunities
Help identify merchants whose needs extend beyond standard ACH acceptance:
CSG Forte helps fill gaps for public sector payments, including managed fee pricing and convenience fee programs. Look for:
• Government agencies
• Municipalities
• Public sector organizations
• Utility environments
• Education organizations
Industry Specific Use-Cases
Property Management
• Common pain points: manual rent/HOA/dues collection, disbursements to owners, reconciliation across properties.
• Why CSG Forte: recurring ACH, disbursements, and back-office/accounting integration.
• Conversation starter: “How are you collecting rent and dues, and how much of that reconciliation is still manual?”
A merchant is more likely to be a strong fit for CSG Forte if one or more of these are true:
They need a more unified multi-channel payments approach.
They want flexibility across ACH, cards, wallets, phone, or in-person payments.
They need better reporting and visibility.
They want to reduce complexity, lower costs, or improve payment performance.
They need flexible integration options.
Refer a merchant to CSG Forte when you hear things like:
“We need our payments connected to our accounting system.”
“We’re manually reconciling invoices.”
“We need ACH integrated into our billing platform.”
“We need payment information flowing back into our business systems.”
“We need Bill Pay.”
“We process large ACH transactions.”
“Our workflow is too manual.”
“We’re trying to piece together multiple solutions.”
Think CSG Forte whenever a merchant needs any of the following:
ERP / accounting integrations
Bill Pay / Digital Disbursements
Government payment solutions
Managed fee pricing
Convenience fee programs
Larger-ticket ACH opportunities
Complex payment workflows
Advanced Integration & Partnership Scenarios
In addition to standard referrals, CSG Forte supports advanced payment partnership and integration models with Fiserv.
Examples include:
ISV or software integrations
Sub-referral or partner-led merchant programs
Bank-developed or in-house software integrations
ACH workflow or operational customization
Expanded ACH processing or ODFI-related opportunities
These opportunities may require additional discovery, technical review, or implementation planning. Early engagement with the CSG Forte Channel Sales team is recommended. Fiserv Business Consultants should not assume non-standard integrations are unsupported. Prospects with unique payment, software, or operational needs should still be referred for evaluation.
Quick-Reference: CSG Forte Solutions by Merchant Need
Fiserv Business Consultant Role
How to position CSG Forte
CSG Forte helps businesses accept and manage payments more efficiently across channels, with the flexibility, reporting, security and support needed to grow without adding unnecessary complexity. Keep the message simple and outcomes focused.
“We work with customers across small business, enterprise, software and other business segments, and when payments become a friction point or growth opportunity, CSG Forte is a strong partner to bring in. They can help simplify payment acceptance, support ACH and card gateway use cases, improve integration flexibility, and guide merchants through onboarding and implementation.”
Quick discovery questions
These questions help Fiserv RSA reps qualify ACH opportunities, match merchants to the right CSG Forte solution, and create a warm handoff. Select 3–4 and keep it conversational:
Qualifying Question
How are you accepting payments today for online, phone, in-person or invoicebased channels?
Are there any payment pain points today around ACH, card acceptance, reporting or reconciliation?
Suggested Response
CSG Forte has several solutions that enable that payment capability.
I’d love to connect you with their sales associates to walk through options that would work best for your business.
That's a great area to explore. CSG Forte offers an omnichannel platform with robust reporting and reconciliation tools that give you a single view across all payment types.
Many merchants find this significantly reduces manual work and exception handling.
Are you looking for better integration with your software, portal, billing or back-office systems?
Do you need more flexibility in how your customers pay?
CSG Forte is a great fit for that. They offer several integration options including a direct REST API, secure payment capture with Forte.js, or low-code hosted payment forms with Forte Checkout.
They also enable integration with many third-party software providers, so they can typically work within your existing environment rather than requiring you to change systems.
CSG Forte offers an omni-channel platform with several payment solutions that can meet your needs.
Is onboarding speed, support, or implementation effort a concern?
Are there any compliance, verification or documentation needs we should know about early?
They offer ACH, account verification, and serve as a gateway to Fiserv for credit card transactions. This enables you to accept card and e-check payments through the CSG Forte unified platform.
Some of their solutions include electronic bill payment with file upload options, text-to-pay, IVR phone payments and hosted payment pages.
I’m happy to schedule a demo, what dates work best for you?
Majority of applications submitted to CSG Forte are approved on the same day.
Depending on the solution you choose, implementation can be as fast as one day for simpler setups, up to a few weeks for more complex configurations.
Their team manages the process end to end for most solutions, so the lift on your side is minimal unless you are integrating directly.
It's great to surface those early. CSG Forte offers bank account verification services, including real-time verification and micro-deposit options, to help ensure account validity before transactions are processed.
They also offer fraud management, risk scoring, and ACH recovery solutions to support compliance and reduce exposure.
If your business operates in a regulated industry or has specific documentation requirements, the CSG Forte team can review those during the application process to make sure the right controls are in place from day one.
That is helpful to know early. CSG Forte does not support tip or tip-adjust workflows.
Does your payment flow require restaurant-style tip support or tipadjust capability?
If your business is more focused on ACH, invoice, B2B, or standard payment acceptance needs, CSG Forte may still be a strong fit and I’m happy to connect you with their team to review options.
Solution Framing
Objection
“We already accept payments.”
“We already do ACH for Free through our bank.”
“Why should we take ACH when we already accept credit card payments?”
“How long does it take for me to receive my ACH funds?”
“How long does it take to get my account setup?”
“What payment channels can ACH support?”
“Implementation sounds hard or complex, I’m concerned it will take too long.”
“We only need something simple.”
Suggested Response
That is exactly where CSG Forte can be valuable; considering accepting payments more efficiently, across more channels, with better reporting, security, and scalability.
Forte provides a more complete technology solution than most banks. Typically, this would result in enriched reporting, faster reconciliation, the ability to associate merchant defined fields with the transactions, and much more.
ACH transactions cost much less than credit cards. Instead of paying upwards of 2.5%, ACH can be processed for fractions of the cost.
Funds can be posted to your account as quickly as the same or the next day. While we can’t speed up the time it takes for the customer’s bank to respond with returns, we can fund our merchants more quickly.
It should take less than 10 minutes to complete the application. Most applications are approved and onboarded on the same day that they are submitted.
We can support ACH in any payment channel. In-person, online, mail/telephone order, etc.
CSG Forte offers multiple integration options, hosted forms (payment pages), APIs, live support, and onboarding support, which helps reduce implementation friction.
CSG Forte can support the simplest payment needs to more complex payment setups.
“What can I expect in terms of pricing, and how will that be determined for my specific business?”
Pricing is determined based on your business needs, transaction volume, and solution requirements. Our CSG Forte team will work directly with you to provide the most appropriate pricing and setup, so you’re getting a solution tailored to your business.
Make the introduction
“If this looks like a fit, I can connect you directly to CSG Forte through our referral path. Their team will take it from there — including solution fit, onboarding, implementation and the next steps needed to get moving.”
When you identify a strong fit, your goal is to make a strong introduction and hand the opportunity to CSG Forte, not carry the payment sale yourself. Best next actions:
• Capture the customer’s current payment pain points and goals.
• Share the CSG Forte one-pager as a leave-behind.
• Submit the referral through the dedicated Fiserv landing page: www.forte.net/currentpartners/fiserv.
• Stay engaged as a trusted partner but let CSG Forte lead the payments conversation from that point forward.
• If the opportunity involves software integrations, custom payment workflows, banking relationships, or operational complexity, include those details in the referral notes so the appropriate Forte resources can engage early.
Merchant Demo Opportunities
• Twice weekly live demos in a group setting
o Webinars are held every Tuesday 10 AM CST & Thursdays 2 PM CST
o Interactive Q&A format
Merchants will register for webinars. A follow-up communication will be sent from Channel Sales to the Business Consultant for anyone who attended a session but has not yet submitted a lead form.
Referral Handoff Checklist
Before submitting a referral to the CSG Forte Channel Sales team, confirm the following information has been gathered from the merchant:
Merchant business name, contact name, and best contact method
Current payment channels in use (online, phone, in-person, invoice)
Estimated monthly ACH transaction volume and average ticket size
Preferred payment solution(s) of interest
Any known compliance, verification, or industry-specific requirements
Desired go-live timeline
Product Demos Requests
Set Merchant Expectations
To ensure a smooth hand-off please provide a high-level overview of next steps with the merchant
CSG Forte Channel Sales Role & Engagement Overview
Overview of Channel Sales responsibilities, engagement process and standard SLAs
• Lead/contact request form is posted to the Channel Sales rep’s CRM
• Channel Sales team member will engage prospect via email and phone provided
• The channel sales rep will perform discovery and solutioning
o Coordinate internal solution discussions for opportunities requiring additional technical or operational review
o Engage Solutioning, Product, or Implementation resources as needed
• If there is an interest and fit, pricing is negotiated and applications are provided to the prospect
• Approved/Enrolled application notifications are provided to FISERV’s Admins
• Forte may reengage merchants to ensure activation/product usage if the merchants are inactive.
Application Management
What Causes Application Delays
• Missing or incomplete documentation or incorrect data — the most common cause; applications with gaps are rejected and must be resubmitted. This includes incorrect data, wrong or incomplete TINs/SSNs, PO Box addresses, name mismatches, and similar errors.
• Additional document requests — if identity, address, phone, or bank account cannot be electronically verified, Risk may request supporting documents (utility bill, bank statement, voided check, etc.) and processing pauses until received.
• Higher requested limits — transactions at or above $250K per transaction or $2M monthly require 2 years of financials or 2 months processing statements or 2 months bank account statements, which extends review times
• Escalations — OFAC alerts or MATCH hits require Risk Manager review before a decision can be made
• Slow merchant response — applications are recalled after 30 days of no response to documentation requests
What Causes Declines
• Failed authentication — if the applicant's identity cannot be confirmed after multiple contact attempts
• OFAC/sanctions match — a confirmed hit results in automatic decline
• MATCH hit — prior termination for fraud, identity theft, or chargebacks
• Prohibited business type — business models on the Prohibited list cannot be approved under any circumstances
• Fraud indicators — applications flagged as fraudulent after authentication or underwriting review
Please refer to our prohibited business list for merchants we cannot support.
Expected Response Time: Once additional information is requested, merchants should respond promptly — the standard SLA for Underwriting to act on received documents is within 24 hours
Contact Information and Availability
Customer Support
Merchant funding/payment issues
Delayed processing/reporting inquiries
Dex Email and password reset
Merchant Account Closure
Merchant reconciliation questions
Merchant returned transactions or reconciliation inquiries
Merchant Address/phone/email/contact change
Questions regarding Forte notification
Data export
Partner Support
Integration/Technical Support
& Underwriting Support
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What solutions are available through the CSG Forte and Fiserv partnership?
A: The partnership is focused on ACH payment and processing solutions, including ACH processing, account verification, recovery services, fraud and risk tools, and CSG Forte gateway support for card-via-gateway use cases.
Q: Which products are not included in this partnership offering?
A: The current Fiserv referral offering does not include solutions that require CSG Forte card acquiring, such as POS devices, PayPal, digital wallet, surcharge, and split-fund models.
Q: Does CSG Forte support convenience fee / cFee models?
A: In limited cases only. Availability depends on merchant type, payment channel, and use case. BCs should not position cFee as a standard Fiserv offer; if requested, note it in the referral for review
Q Does CSG Forte support surcharging?
A: No. Surcharging is not part of the current Fiserv referral offering and should not be positioned as supported.
Q: Do we support cash discounting?
A: No. Cash discounting is not part of the core playbook; if requested, note it in the referral so the team can review alternatives.
Q: Can Forte support ISV, sub-partner, or bank integration opportunities?
A: Yes. Forte can support ISV integrations, partner-led referrals, and certain bankrelated integration opportunities. Share these early so the appropriate teams can confirm the best path forward.
Q: What should I do if I’m unsure whether an opportunity is supported?
A: Submit the referral with as much context as possible. The CSG Forte team will review it and confirm next steps.
Q: How will referrals be submitted?
A: Referrals will be submitted through the secure Fiserv landing page and routed to the appropriate CSG Forte team for follow-up.
Q: What happens after a referral is submitted?
A: CSG Forte will review the referral and determine the next step, which may include a discovery call, demo, digital application, or solution discussion.
Q: What information may be needed up front to keep onboarding moving smoothly?
A: Include as much relevant detail as possible, such as merchant name and contact info, payment channels, estimated ACH volume, average ticket, preferred solution, compliance requirements, and go-live timeline. A VAR sheet may also be needed for card gateway merchants. Higher-ticket merchants or faster funding requests may require additional financial or supporting documentation.
Q: What are the current expectations for funding timing?
A: Standard funding is two-day funding. If a merchant wants next-day funding, they must request it after enrollment through the required form.
Q: Which solutions may require additional implementation support?
A: Secure Web Pay v3, IVR, Invoice, BillPay, and Text Pay require implementation support from the CSG Forte team. API and other integrated solutions, including third-party solutions, Forte Checkout, and Forte.js, are generally self-service or merchant/third-party assisted.
Q: When may additional solutioning support be needed?
A: Additional support may be needed for advanced integrations or more complex product requirements. Solution Engineers may assist in those cases.
Q: How will status updates be communicated during onboarding?
A: Fiserv business consultants (BC) will be kept informed on merchant status through the standard process. Application notifications can be set up with Dex registration.
Q: What enablement materials are available to support this partnership?
A: Available materials include this playbook, a co-branded deck, product onepagers, a referral marketing guide, a landing page, and role-based training materials.
