Point of Sale Overview
WSU receipts over $900 million per year in revenues through its central cashiering system. This system is often referred to as the Point of Sale or POS system, but, in fact, there are multiple point of sale systems in use across the University (examples include Micros in the dining centers and markets and Revel in Ferdinand’s). At the heart of the central cashiering system is CORE Business Technologies’ One-Step payment processing software. One-Step captures over-the-counter transactions at designated cashiering locations on the Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities and Vancouver campuses. CORE-built custom One-Step interfaces facilitate Cougar Card web payments and customer identification, balance presentment and real time update of customer accounts in the PeopleSoft Student Finance module.
In addition to over-the-counter payments, WSU collects a large number of web-payments through interfaces built and maintained by Enterprise Services Group (ESG)-Business Systems. These payments do not flow through One-Step software, but the data from these transactions is stored in the same database as the One-Step transactions. ESG-Business Systems built and maintains a secure University e-commerce platform upon which departmental applications that accept credit card payments can be developed. This platform (the Central Payment Site) automatically posts revenue from credit card sales to the University’s accounting system. There is an eCheck server, maintained by ESG-Business Services, that enables a student or parent to make tuition and fee payments directly from a designated domestic bank account. WSU’s tuition and housing credit card convenience program with ACI Worldwide/Official Payments (ACI/OPC) is facilitated by an ESG-Business Systems interface with the University Payment Page. This interface allows a student or parent to make online credit card payments for tuition, fees and housing that are processed by ACI/OPC. The combined revenue data from One-Step, Central Payment Site, eChecks and ACI Worldwide/Official Payments is sent to accounting each night.
In collaboration with Enterprise Services Group – Business Systems, Finance & Administration Information Systems, and University Receivables – Cashiering Services, Treasury Services supports 26 merchant accounts using WSU’s Central Payment Site and 24 One-Step POS workstations serving customers at 12 locations across the University. There are seven customer-facing cashiering locations on the Pullman campus, two on the Vancouver campus, two on the Spokane campus and one cashiering center on the Tri-Cities campus.
Support for One-Step payment processing and the POS database is outlined below:
| Support Service | Provided By |
|---|---|
| One-Step User Administration/Access | Treasury Services Finance & Administration Information Systems |
| Configuring transaction types for One-Step and or Central Payment Site (tran types) | Treasury Services |
| End of day revenue update to accounting | Treasury Services Enterprise Services Group-Business Systems |
| Resolving compatibility or operating issues with One-Step software and hardware | Finance & Administration Information Systems |
| Installing cashiering software and hardware | Finance & Administration Information Systems |
| One-Step training | University Receivables – Cashiering Services |
| POS interface to WSU accounting system | Enterprise Services Group-Business Systems |
| E-commerce integration with POS | Enterprise Services Group-Business Systems |
| Server administration | Information Technology Services |
| Network security | Information Technology Services |