Bryce Collman is CEO of Ardent Payment Solutions. He founded the company in 2009, with the belief that he could help faith-based and non-profit organizations to keep more of their donations by lowering processing costs. True to his word and vision, Collman’s seedling of an idea now helps more than 40,000 congregants and non-profit supporters give ardently. Today, Ardent serves more than 450 clients nationwide. The company maintains an impressive year-over-year growth average of 15%, largely driven by referrals.
Q. Why did the online giving space appeal to you? What piqued your interest about online giving?
Collman: “The pricing models were horrendous, and what made matters worse was the fact that those paying for it weren’t getting any of the services they needed.
In doing our research, we discovered that the existing solutions at the time didn’t have any of the unique services that churches truly need.”
Q. What steps did you take to develop a service offering specifically for this market?
Collman: “In the beginning we wanted to serve a unique market. We needed a platform or provider to help us with that. But that’s just surface level.
What we really wanted (and held out for) was a provider who would consistently deliver across three non-negotiable criteria:
- Service
- Unique Technology
- Speed of Implementation
First American listened to what we were trying to accomplish. They provided us with the support and the technology to help Ardent carve out and cultivate the unique space we now maintain within this vertical.
Q. How has your provider helped Ardent strengthen its position in this vertical?
Collman: “It goes back to our criteria set. Service is paramount to me, not only for my needs as the business owner, but for my customers’ needs as well. First American really delivers on this.
I see it in my interactions with our relationship manager, and I hear it in the positive feedback from my own clients and what they are experiencing from a customer service perspective. This is hugely important because with technology, there will be issues from time to time.
From a technology standpoint, First American has consistently enabled us to be first to market with solutions that immediately put us at the top of the heap.
Being first, of course, is only advantageous if your solution delivers. And that’s the other primary reason we’ve kept our business with First American. Their speed of implementation is characterized by an extremely low error rate, making our jobs that much easier.”
Q. What are the payment technologies that give Ardent its biggest advantage?
Collman: “I remember calling on a multi-campus church in Southlake, Texas. Not knowing any better, we showed up on a Monday and of course, the offices were closed. We left a business card in the door and the next day they called us back.
When we got down to details, it became clear that as a church with classes on Financial Peace University, credit card payment acceptance would be a no-go. That initial obstacle in the sales process ended up turning into a first-to-market game changer, however.
The church wanted ACH, and when we asked if they were also open to accepting debit cards without a credit card option, they agreed. The challenge then before us was to make it happen – debit only hadn’t yet become reality in e-commerce. First American developed it within their 1stPay gateway, and the rest is history.
The gateway in particular has been really fantastic for us. Once I have a customer who writes their interface to it, integration is simple and they are hooked. It’s a superior gateway, with easy to use tools and it has a depth of reporting that’s just not available from some of the other major players in the field. My software partners especially appreciate the fact that it helps relieve them from PCI requirements.”
Q. How has speed of implementation helped you build Ardent’s business?
Collman: “It’s made all the difference. We chose a partner that would (and continues to) help us succeed.
They do their due diligence; with every innovation, you know you can count on a solution that will simplify your business management activity with incredible precision. Dashboard, for example, gives me a quick view of the metrics I need to know exactly where I am and where I’m headed.
From a day-to-day operations standpoint, First American has also proven time and again that they are invested in what Ardent is trying to accomplish.
Shortly after that first big break with the Southlake church, business exploded. People who had ignored our calls were now calling us.
With that deluge came numerous requests, many of which were unheard of at the time – things like exceptions on the app process, flexible month-to-month terms instead of these three-year contracts, and increasing ticket volume thresholds to accommodate for larger donations.
In all of these regards, First American learned the nuances of this vertical right along with us. They absolutely set us up for success – I could not imagine a better partner for our company.”
