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Direct Debit Limited Launches Bacs Contingency Service: ETS

New Malden — Global payments specialist Direct Debit Limited today announced the launch of its Emergency Transmission Service (ETS). The latest addition to Direct Debit Limited's portfolio of payments software and services is a Bacs contingency service. It provides businesses with a simple and effective way to submit Direct Debit and Direct Credit instructions to Bacs in an emergency when their normal Bacstel-IP systems are unavailable.

More than 115,000 organisations rely on electronic payments to collect and pay their bills. Bacs, the organisation that manages Direct Debit and Direct Credit in the UK, processes more than 5.6 billion electronic payments a year. This includes more than three billion Direct Debits and 2.5 billion Direct Credits a year. Businesses submit files to Bacs electronically over a secure Internet channel, Bacstel-IP. However, many organisations aren't prepared for what might happen if they can't access their Bacstel-IP systems.

Environmental or technical disasters can prevent organisations from submitting their payments instructions to Bacs. However, even seemingly trivial scenarios, such as a lost or broken smartcard or an absent employee, can stop a business from processing payments. The consequences can be disastrous. Businesses can upset suppliers and employees if they miss payments. Moreover, if they miss their Direct Debit collections, they can experience problems with cash flow.

Direct Debit Limited has used its expertise and more than 20 years of experience in the payments industry to create ETS. The service uses Direct Debit Limited's Bacs-accredited bureau service, Pay Direct™, to submit payment files to Bacs. Gerry Hill, Managing Director at Direct Debit Limited, says: "ETS offers businesses peace of mind because they can collect and make payments in an emergency. The service can play an integral role in the business continuity and disaster-recovery plans of organisations that use Bacs' services."

ETS ensures that a business's payments don't stop, even if its systems do. Critically, this means organisations maintain their relationships and reputations with employees, suppliers and customers. In addition, the service ensures that Direct Debit service users comply with the Direct Debit scheme rules, which specify that they must have contingency arranged to ensure their collections aren't affected if their systems fail.

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About Direct Debit Limited
Direct Debit Limited is a leading provider of Bacs-accredited payments-management software and services. For more than 20 years, the company has helped organisations collect payments more efficiently with its specialist software, hosted services, consultancy and training.

Direct Debit Limited's expertise originated in Bacstel-IP submission software and grew to include systems that manage Automated Direct Debit Instruction Service (AUDDIS) and Paperless Direct Debit processes. Most recently, the company has developed a payments platform to automate Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) transactions. This builds on Direct Debit Limited's long-standing interest in European payments, which saw it set up the European Direct Debit Association in 2005.

As a Bacs affiliate, Direct Debit Limited has a say in the future of electronic payments in the UK and benefits from the latest industry information. This allows the company to respond quickly to changes in the industry with innovative products.

For more information on Direct Debit Limited, please visit www.directdebit.com.