MAG Insights

One of the things we hear most from our merchant members is that they’re hungry for more. Hungry for more collaboration, more discussion, more education, and overall more payments. There is only so much that can be crammed into a 3-day conference twice a year, and we can all agree that payments move at lightning speed. Joining a MAG Committee or Community of Practice is a great way to not be left out of the action. Another opportunity to constantly stay educated on what’s happening in the world of payments and hear from experts is a popular tool company’s use that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. Yes, I’m talking about Webinars, and how using them as a resource and learning tool will help you become better prepared to conquer the unconquerable in your business.

Over the course of the year, MAG hosts between 12 and 18 webinars on topics ranging from fraud & chargebacks to security & interchange. At a minimum of once per month, industry experts join the team to delve into the various hot topics that plague merchant payments acceptance. There are consistent topics that are always relevant – such as fraud and chargebacks, and our annual MAG Town Hall webinar where MAG’s leaders discuss the year in review. Then, there are less-frequent topics that act more as online Education Sessions. One thing is for sure though – presenters are always looking for audience participation and questions. Each webinar has the same core design – the specific topic is prepared into a presentation that will be covered based on the presenter’s expertise, but what really makes a webinar stand out is when the audience speaks up and asks questions to bring real-world relevance to the topic.
 
So next time you’re on a webinar, don’t be shy! Tell us why the webinar topic was of interest to you – you can even use the chat feature in the webinar tool if you don’t want to speak up! Making sure you are getting what you need out of the webinar is our #1 priority.

In 2019, alongside the launch of the very first Tech Forum, we introduced the Tech Forum Webinar Series – a series more geared towards our technology audience. Topics covered included Data Insights, the Evolution of Fraud and the Customer Experience and Payment Platform Orchestration. In 2019 the MAG also saw record attendance for MAG webinars with an average rating of 4.3 out of 5. June’s “Trends in Chargebacks and Fraud” brought in record attendance – a topic we will continue to cover regularly through-out the course of the year. 

So what does 2020 look like?

A few of the planned 2020 Webinars:

• Where Are All These Chargebacks Coming From? -- Don Bush | Chargebacks 911
• The Cash Cycle – Improving Visibility and Reconciliation for Merchants – CMS Analytics
• Open Banking – Mark Falcon | Zephyre
• Blockchain / Cryptocurrency – Scott Moeller | mSHIFT
• Pinless Debit – Manish Nathwani | SHAZAM

Throughout the rest of 2020, we will cover a broad range of other topics including eCommerce, Connected Commerce, Chargebacks & Fraud, International issues, Security, Brand Releases, Cost of Acceptance, and Standards.

We’ve updated the Webinar page on the MAG website to make it easier for audiences to identify webinars by subject area with new icons:

• Core Webinar Series – Focusing on business topics for Treasury, Finance & Accounting teams who manage the business side of payments acceptance
• Tech Webinar Series – Focusing on technology topics for IT teams who partner with their business counterparts and manage the technical side of payments acceptance

The biggest misunderstanding out there is that webinars are one-time events and if you miss them – you miss out. This couldn’t be further from the truth - Webinars are tools whose value extends long after the scheduled timeslot. All MAG webinars are recorded and are available to merchant members on the MAG website. They are educational resources that are available to our members long after the webinar is held. Over the next year the MAG is going to be overhauling our digital platforms to highlight webinars and catalog the material into tools that can be leveraged every day.

Think of webinars as episodes of a long-running series you can’t get enough of and can’t wait for the next episode to air. Step aside Game of Thrones and Grey’s Anatomy -- pull up a bucket of popcorn, come with your questions, and settle in for the most binge-worthy series of 2020.

Have an idea or suggestion for a webinar? Reach out to Eric O’Brien