A new report Aite Group, LLC examines the channels and payment methods used by unbanked and underbanked consumers for making bill payments, and segments these consumers by payment method preference. The report is based on in-person surveys of 257 check cashing store customers.
The report shows that traditional bill payment methods retain their dominance with unbanked and underbanked consumers. Cards, online payments, and direct debit have made only small inroads into bill payments in this market – a market that continues to rely on checks, cash, and money orders. Forty-five% of those consumers pay their bills via mail, and 41% do so in person.
“Electronic bill payment methods have a long way to go to gain greater acceptance among the unbanked and underbanked” says Gwenn Bzard, research director with Aite Group and co-author of this report. “The majority of unbanked and underbanked consumers are not yet motivated to use emerging bill payment products,” adds Judy Fishman, analyst with Aite Group and co-author of the report.
Desca Achieves Cisco Multinational Master Specialization Across Three Latin American Regions Desca has achieved the Multinational Master Security Specialization from Cisco, expanding its existing elite designation in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central, North, and South America, to include Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago. This designation recognizes Desca as having fulfilled the training requirements and program prerequisites to sell, deploy and support highly sophisticated Cisco security solutions across multiple countries.
“The Cisco Multinational Master Security Specialization brings a higher level of expertise in support of our customers’ business evolution. We recognize the importance of providing them with proven and validated expertise in sophisticated leading-edge solutions,” said Jorge Alvarado, President and CEO of Desca. “The specialization affirms our commitment in providing our customers with practical solutions that address their company needs.”
“As the network becomes the platform for fostering communications and innovation, many customers across geographic areas are demanding both an enhanced set of skills and capabilities and the ability to do business in more than one country,” said Edison Peres, senior vice president and chief go-to-market officer for worldwide channels at Cisco. “By further investing to expand the geographic scope of its Master Security and Unified Communications Specializations, Desca is furthering its rank among the industry’s elite.”
While the Cisco Master Security Specialization recognizes expertise within a single country, the Multinational Master Specialization recognizes partners who have extended this expertise across multiple countries in a geographic region.
To achieve the Multinational Master Security Specialization, a channel partner must first attain the Master Security Specialization in one country. This involves meeting a series of stringent requirements in three categories: technology capabilities, sales expertise and services offerings. Partners must possess a number of Cisco and industry-standard technical certifications; provide customer references that document design and deployment capabilities prescribed by Cisco, and show evidence that they have the infrastructure to support a full menu of Cisco Lifecycle Services offerings and capabilities. To achieve the Multinational designation, the partner must fill specified job roles in the additional countries and provide a minimum of five reference accounts.
The Cisco Partner Program provides Desca with the training required to build sales, technical and Cisco Lifecycle Services skills, and then validates their skills through a third-party audit. Cisco partner specializations-SMB, Express, Advanced and Master-reflect an increasing depth of sales, technical and service expertise in particular technologies. The Cisco Master Security Specialization provides Desca with access to comprehensive sales, technical and lifecycle services training and support from Cisco.
D.C.