Previously, Central Connecticut State had 19 merchants accepting its Blue Chip campus card. Since partnering with CBORD, the count has increased to 25. The UGryd central server solution offers the school’s participating merchants reporting and efficient reconciliation, making it easier to drive business without increasing labor.

“We’ve immediately removed $8,000 in annual maintenance costs for outdated equipment,” said Jeff Benner, Campus One Card administrator at Central. “System availability has distinctly improved, especially during evening and weekend hours. We also have eliminated payment and reconciliation processes, though we do spend 10 to 20 minutes tracking sales on a daily basis. It has been a positive change for the students, CCSU, and the merchants.

Southern Connecticut previously worked with 30 merchants, and 15 have been added since inception of its CBORD partnership. The company allows the university to continue to offer its off-campus payment program–and increase merchant participation–while directing labor and capital elsewhere.

“Aside from the cost-saving and administrative efficiencies, perhaps the most conclusive advantage to partnering our off-campus program has been the increased participation of merchants,” said Mark Waters, director of Financial Business Applications at Southern. “Our students were clamoring for more participation, but limited resources required us to limit the number of participating merchants to a manageable number. However, since our partnership with CBORD, we have been able to increase merchant participation by 50% without any additional resources.”