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Fiserv CSG Forte Partnership Playbook

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WhoisCSGForte?

CSGForteisasingle,scalable,end-to-endpaymentsolutionplatform thathelpsbusinesses simplifyandoptimizepaymentsacrosschannelswhileimprovingcustomerexperience.With 25+ yearsofexperience,CSGForteprocesses260M+transactionsannually,supports175,000+ merchants,andmanages$195B+inpayments.

CSGFortesupportsbroadpaymentsmix,including:-onlinepayments,-ACH,-credit/debit cards,-digitalwallets,-IVR/over-the-phonepayments,and-in-personpaymentswithcard readersandPOSdevices.

CSGFortealsooffersend-to-endcapabilities,EMV-enabledterminals,acloud-basedpayment operationsplatform,customizablehostedpaymentforms,andRESTAPIwebservices for softwareintegration.

WhydoesthismatterforFiservBusinessConsultants?

• Fiservservesabroadmixofcustomers,including:

o Smallbusinessesthatneedall-in-onesystemstoacceptpaymentsandmanagetheir business

o Enterprisesthatneedomnichannelcommerce,billing,andpaymentsolutions

o Softwareproviders/ISVsthatwanttointegrateandmonetizepayments

o Publicsectororganizationsingovernment,education,andutilities

o Financialinstitutionsfocusedongrowth,digitalrelationships,andservingtheir communities

• ThatcustomermixmakesCSGForteastrongreferralpartnerwhenFiservteams encountermerchantsorbusinesscustomersthatneed:

o Betterpaymentacceptance

o ACHorcardflexibility

o Modernintegrations

o Betterreportingandvisibility

o Fasteronboarding

o Amorescalablepaymentexperience

WhoisagoodfittorefertoCSGForte?

1.Smallbusinessandmid-marketmerchants-Businessesthatwantasimplerwayto acceptpayments,managemultiplechannels,ormodernizehowcustomerspay.

2.Largemerchantsandcorporates-Organizationswithmorecomplexbilling, omnichannelorhigher-volumepaymentneeds,especiallywhereACH,invoice-based payments,orworkflowautomationmatter.

3.SoftwareprovidersandISVs-Platformsthatwanttoembedpayments,improvethe paymentexperience,orcreateadditionalvaluethroughintegratedpayments.

4.Publicsector,educationandutility-relatedorganizations-Organizationsthatneed secure,scalablepaymentoptionsforcitizens,payerorcustomertransactions.

StrongIndustryFits

Strongfitsignals

AmerchantismorelikelytobeastrongfitforCSGForteifoneormoreofthesearetrue:

➢ Theyneedamoreunifiedmulti-channelpaymentsapproach.

➢ TheywantflexibilityacrossACH,cards,wallets,phone,orin-personpayments.

➢ Theyneedbetterreportingandvisibility.

➢ Theywanttoreducecomplexity,lowercosts,orimprovepaymentperformance

➢ Theyneedflexibleintegrationoptions.

AdvancedIntegration&PartnershipScenarios

Inadditiontostandardreferrals,CSGFortesupportsadvancedpaymentpartnershipand integrationmodelswithFiserv.

Examplesinclude:

➢ ISVorsoftwareintegrations

➢ Sub-referralorpartner-ledmerchantprograms

➢ Bank-developedorin-housesoftwareintegrations

➢ ACHworkfloworoperationalcustomization

➢ ExpandedACHprocessingorODFI-relatedopportunities

Theseopportunitiesmayrequireadditionaldiscovery,technicalreview,orimplementation planning.EarlyengagementwiththeCSGForteChannelSalesteamisrecommended.

FiservBusinessConsultantsshouldnotassumenon-standardintegrationsare unsupported.Prospectswithuniquepayment,software,oroperationalneedsshouldstill bereferredforevaluation

Quick-Reference:CSGForteSolutionsbyMerchantNeed

FiservBusinessConsultantRole

HowtopositionCSGForte

CSGFortehelpsbusinessesacceptandmanagepaymentsmoreefficientlyacrosschannels,with theflexibility,reporting,securityandsupportneededtogrowwithoutaddingunnecessary complexity.Keepthemessagesimpleandoutcomesfocused.

“Weworkwithcustomersacrosssmallbusiness,enterprise,softwareandotherbusiness segments,andwhenpaymentsbecomeafrictionpointorgrowthopportunity,CSGForteisa strongpartnertobringin.Theycanhelpsimplifypaymentacceptance,supportACHandcard gatewayusecases,improveintegrationflexibility,andguidemerchantsthroughonboardingand implementation.”

Quickdiscoveryquestions

ThesequestionshelpFiservRSArepsqualifyACHopportunities,matchmerchants totherightCSGFortesolution,andcreateawarmhandoff.Select3–4andkeepit conversational:

QualifyingQuestion Suggested Response

Howareyouacceptingpaymentstoday foronline,phone,in-personorinvoicebasedchannels?

Arethereanypaymentpainpoints todayaroundACH,cardacceptance, reportingorreconciliation?

Areyoulookingforbetterintegration withyoursoftware,portal,billingor back-officesystems?

▪ CSGFortehasseveralsolutionsthatenablethatpayment capability.

▪ I’dlovetoconnectyouwiththeirsalesassociatestowalk throughoptionsthatwouldworkbestforyourbusiness.

▪ That'sagreatareatoexplore.CSGForteoffersanomnichannelplatformwithrobustreportingandreconciliation toolsthatgiveyouasingleviewacrossallpaymenttypes.

▪ Manymerchantsfindthissignificantlyreducesmanualwork andexceptionhandling.

▪ CSGForteisagreatfitforthat.Theyofferseveral integrationoptionsincludingadirectRESTAPI, secure paymentcapturewithForte.js,orlow-codehostedpayment formswithForteCheckout.

▪ Theyalsoenableintegrationwithmanythird-partysoftware providers,sotheycantypicallyworkwithinyourexisting environmentratherthanrequiringyoutochangesystems.

Doyouneedmoreflexibilityinhow yourcustomerspay?

▪ CSGForteoffersanomni-channelplatformwithseveral paymentsolutionsthatcanmeetyourneeds.

▪ TheyofferACH,accountverification,andserveasagateway toFiservforcreditcardtransactions.Thisenablesyouto acceptcardande-checkpaymentsthroughtheCSGForte unifiedplatform.

▪ Someoftheirsolutionsincludeelectronicbillpaymentwith fileuploadoptions,text-to-pay,IVRphonepaymentsand hostedpaymentpages

▪ I’mhappytoscheduleademo,whatdatesworkbestfor you?

▪ MajorityofapplicationssubmittedtoCSGForteare approvedonthesameday.

Isonboardingspeed,support,or implementationeffortaconcern?

Arethereanycompliance,verification ordocumentationneedsweshould knowaboutearly?

▪ Dependingonthesolutionyouchoose,implementationcan beasfastasonedayforsimplersetups,uptoafewweeks formorecomplexconfigurations.

▪ Theirteammanagestheprocessendtoendformost solutions,sotheliftonyoursideisminimal unlessyouare integratingdirectly.

▪ It'sgreattosurfacethoseearly.CSGForteoffersbank accountverificationservices,includingreal-timeverification andmicro-depositoptions,tohelpensureaccountvalidity beforetransactionsareprocessed.

▪ Theyalsoofferfraudmanagement,riskscoring,andACH recoverysolutionstosupportcomplianceandreduce exposure.

▪ Ifyourbusinessoperatesinaregulatedindustryorhas specificdocumentationrequirements,theCSGForteteam canreviewthoseduringtheapplicationprocesstomake suretherightcontrolsareinplacefromdayone.

▪ Thatishelpfultoknowearly.CSGFortedoesnotsupporttip ortip-adjustworkflows.

Doesyourpaymentflowrequire restaurant-styletipsupportortipadjustcapability?

▪ IfyourbusinessismorefocusedonACH,invoice,B2B,or standardpaymentacceptanceneeds,CSGFortemaystillbe astrongfitandI’mhappytoconnectyouwiththeirteamto reviewoptions.

“Wealreadyacceptpayments.”

“WealreadydoACHforFreethroughour bank.”

“WhyshouldwetakeACHwhenwe alreadyacceptcreditcardpayments?”

“Howlongdoesittakeformetoreceive myACHfunds?”

“Howlongdoesittaketo getmyaccount setup?”

“WhatpaymentchannelscanACH support?”

“Implementationsoundshardorcomplex, I’mconcerneditwilltaketoolong.”

“Weonlyneedsomethingsimple.”

“WhatcanIexpectintermsofpricing, andhowwillthatbedeterminedformy specificbusiness?”

ThatisexactlywhereCSGFortecanbevaluable;considering acceptingpaymentsmoreefficiently,acrossmorechannels,with betterreporting,security,andscalability.

Forteprovidesamorecompletetechnologysolutionthanmost banks.Typically,thiswouldresultinenrichedreporting,faster reconciliation,theabilitytoassociatemerchantdefinedfieldswith thetransactions,andmuchmore.

ACHtransactionscostmuchlessthancreditcards.Insteadof payingupwardsof2.5%,ACHcanbeprocessedforfractionsofthe cost.

Fundscanbepostedtoyouraccountasquicklyasthesameorthe nextday.Whilewecan’tspeedupthetimeittakesforthe customer’sbanktorespondwithreturns,wecanfundour merchantsmorequickly.

Itshouldtakelessthan10minutestocompletetheapplication. Mostapplicationsareapprovedandonboardedonthesameday thattheyaresubmitted.

WecansupportACHinanypaymentchannel. In-person,online, mail/telephoneorder,etc.

CSGForteoffersmultipleintegrationoptions,hostedforms (paymentpages),APIs,livesupport,andonboardingsupport, whichhelpsreduceimplementationfriction.

CSGFortecansupportthesimplestpaymentneedstomore complexpaymentsetups.

Pricingisdeterminedbasedonyourbusinessneeds,transaction volume,andsolutionrequirements.OurCSGForteteamwillwork directlywithyoutoprovidethemostappropriatepricingand setup,soyou’regettingasolutiontailoredtoyourbusiness

Maketheintroduction

“Ifthislookslikeafit,IcanconnectyoudirectlytoCSGFortethrough ourreferralpath.Theirteamwilltakeitfromthere including solutionfit,onboarding,implementationandthenextstepsneededto getmoving.”

Whenyouidentifyastrongfit,yourgoalistomakeastrongintroductionandhandthe opportunitytoCSGForte,notcarrythepaymentsaleyourself.Bestnextactions:

• Capturethecustomer’scurrentpaymentpainpointsandgoals.

• SharetheCSGForteone-pagerasaleave-behind.

• SubmitthereferralthroughthededicatedFiservlandingpage: www.forte.net/current-partners/fiserv.

• StayengagedasatrustedpartnerbutletCSGForteleadthepayments conversationfromthatpointforward.

• Iftheopportunityinvolvessoftwareintegrations,custompayment workflows,bankingrelationships,oroperationalcomplexity,includethose detailsinthereferralnotessotheappropriateForteresourcescanengage early.

MerchantDemoOpportunities(forSecureWebPay&Dex)

• Livewebinardemosareheldtwiceweeklyinagroupsetting

• WebinarsareheldeveryTuesday10-11AMCST&Thursdays2-3PMCST (June30,2026start)

• InteractiveQ&Aformat

• Merchantregistrationrequired Merchantswillregisterforwebinars.Afollow-upcommunicationwillbesentfrom ChannelSalestotheBusinessConsultantforanyonewhoattendedasessionbut hasnotyetsubmittedaleadform.

ReferralHandoffChecklist

BeforesubmittingareferraltotheCSGForteChannelSalesteam,confirmthefollowing informationhasbeengatheredfromthemerchant:

✓ Merchantbusinessname,contactname,andbestcontactmethod

✓ Currentpaymentchannelsinuse(online,phone,in-person,invoice)

✓ EstimatedmonthlyACHtransactionvolumeandaverageticketsize

✓ Preferredpaymentsolution(s)ofinterest

✓ Anyknowncompliance,verification,orindustry-specificrequirements

✓ Desiredgo-livetimeline

✓ ProductDemosRequests

SetMerchantExpectations

Toensureasmoothhand-offpleaseprovideahigh-leveloverviewofnextstepswiththe merchant.

CSGForteChannelSalesRole&EngagementOverview

OverviewofChannelSalesresponsibilities,engagementprocessand standard SLAs

• Lead/contactrequestformispostedtotheChannelSalesrep’sCRM

• ChannelSalesteammemberwillengageprospectviaemailandphone provided

• Thechannelsalesrepwillperformdiscoveryandsolutioning

o Coordinateinternalsolutiondiscussionsforopportunitiesrequiring additionaltechnicaloroperationalreview

o EngageSolutioning,Product,orImplementationresourceswhen advancedintegrationdiscussionsareneeded

• Ifthereisaninterestandfit,pricingisnegotiatedandapplicationsare providedtotheprospect

• Approved/EnrolledapplicationnotificationsareprovidedtoFISERV’sAdmins

• Fortemayreengagemerchantstoensureactivation/productusageifthe merchantsareinactive.

ApplicationsManagement

WhatCausesApplicationDelays

• Missingorincompletedocumentationorincorrectdata themost commoncause;applicationswithgapsarerejectedandmustbe resubmitted.Thisincludesincorrectdata,wrongorincompleteTINs/SSNs, POBoxaddresses,namemismatches,andsimilarerrors.

• Additionaldocumentrequests—ifidentity,address,phone,orbank accountcannotbeelectronicallyverified,Riskmayrequestsupporting documents(utilitybill,bankstatement,voidedcheck,etc.)andprocessing pausesuntilreceived.

• Higherrequestedlimits transactionsatorabove$250Kpertransaction or$2Mmonthlyrequire2yearsoffinancialsor2monthsprocessing statementsor2monthsbankaccountstatements,whichextendsreview times.

• Escalations OFACalertsorMATCHhitsrequireRiskManagerreview beforeadecisioncanbemade

• Slowmerchantresponse—applicationsarerecalledafter30daysofno responsetodocumentationrequests

WhatCausesDeclines

• Failedauthentication iftheapplicant'sidentitycannotbeconfirmed aftermultiplecontactattempts

• OFAC/sanctionsmatch aconfirmedhitresultsinautomaticdecline

• MATCHhit priorterminationforfraud,identitytheft,orchargebacks

• Prohibitedbusinesstype businessmodelsontheProhibitedlistcannot beapprovedunderanycircumstances

• Fraudindicators applicationsflaggedasfraudulentafterauthentication orunderwritingreview

Pleaserefertoourprohibitedbusinesslistformerchantswearenotableto support.

ExpectedResponseTime:Onceadditionalinformationisrequested,merchants shouldrespondpromptly—thestandardSLAforUnderwritingtoactonreceived documentsiswithin24hours.

ContactInformationandAvailability

Support

▪ Merchantfunding/payment issues

▪ Delayed processing/reporting inquiries

▪ DexEmailandpassword reset

▪ MerchantAccountClosure

▪ Merchantreconciliation questions

▪ Merchantreturned transactionsorreconciliation inquiries

▪ Merchant Address/phone/email/contact change

▪ QuestionsregardingForte notification

▪ Dataexport

Support

Customer

FrequentlyAskedQuestions(FAQ)

Q:WhatsolutionsareavailablethroughtheCSGForteandFiservpartnership?

A:ThepartnershipisfocusedonACHpaymentandprocessingsolutions,including ACHprocessing,accountverification,recoveryservices,fraudandrisktools,and CSGFortegatewaysupportforcard-via-gatewayusecases.

Q:Whichproductsarenotincludedinthispartnershipoffering?

A:ThecurrentFiservreferralofferingdoesnotincludesolutionsthatrequireCSG Fortecardacquiring,suchasPOSdevices,PayPal,digitalwallet,surcharge,and split-fundmodels.

Q:DoesCSGFortesupportconveniencefee/cFeemodels?

A:Inlimitedcasesonly.Availabilitydependsonmerchanttype,paymentchannel, andusecase.BCsshouldnotpositioncFeeasastandardFiservoffer;ifrequested, noteitinthereferralforreview

QDoesCSGFortesupportsurcharging?

A:No.SurchargingisnotpartofthecurrentFiservreferralofferingandshouldnot bepositionedassupported.

Q:Dowesupportcashdiscounting?

A:No.Cashdiscountingisnotpartofthecoreplaybook;ifrequested,noteitinthe referralsotheteamcanreviewalternatives.

Q:CanFortesupportISV,sub-partner,orbankintegrationopportunities?

A:Yes.FortecansupportISVintegrations,partner-ledreferrals,andcertainbankrelatedintegrationopportunities.Sharetheseearlysotheappropriateteamscan confirmthebestpathforward.

Q:WhatshouldIdoifI’munsurewhetheranopportunityissupported?

A:Submitthereferralwithasmuchcontextaspossible.TheCSGForteteamwill reviewitandconfirmnextsteps.

Q:Howwillreferralsbesubmitted?

A:ReferralswillbesubmittedthroughthesecureFiservlandingpageandrouted totheappropriateCSGForteteamforfollow-up.

Q:Whathappensafterareferralissubmitted?

A:CSGFortewillreviewthereferralanddeterminethenextstep,whichmay includeadiscoverycall,demo,digitalapplication,orsolutiondiscussion.

Q:Whatinformationmaybeneededupfronttokeeponboardingmoving smoothly?

A:Includeasmuchrelevantdetailaspossible,suchasmerchantnameandcontact info,paymentchannels,estimatedACHvolume,averageticket,preferredsolution, compliancerequirements,andgo-livetimeline.AVARsheetmayalsobeneeded forcardgatewaymerchants.Higher-ticketmerchantsorfasterfundingrequests mayrequireadditionalfinancialorsupportingdocumentation.

Q:Whatarethecurrentexpectationsforfundingtiming?

A:Standardfundingistwo-dayfunding.Ifamerchantwantsnext-dayfunding, theymustrequestitafterenrollmentthroughtherequiredform.

Q:Whichsolutionsmayrequireadditionalimplementationsupport?

A:SecureWebPayv3,IVR,Invoice,BillPay,andTextPayrequireimplementation supportfromtheCSGForteteam.APIandotherintegratedsolutions,including third-partysolutions,ForteCheckout,andForte.js,aregenerallyself-serviceor merchant/third-partyassisted.

Q:Whenmayadditionalsolutioningsupportbeneeded?

A:Additionalsupportmaybeneededforadvancedintegrationsormorecomplex productrequirements.SolutionEngineersmayassistinthosecases.

Q:Howwillstatusupdatesbecommunicatedduringonboarding?

A:Fiservbusinessconsultants(BC)willbekeptinformedonmerchantstatus throughthestandardprocess.ApplicationnotificationscanbesetupwithDex registration.

Q:Whatenablementmaterialsareavailabletosupportthispartnership?

A:Availablematerialsincludethisplaybook,aco-brandeddeck,productonepagers,areferralmarketingguide,alandingpage,androle-basedtraining materials.

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Fiserv CSG Forte Partnership Playbook by CSG Systems - Issuu