Mobile Printers: Citizen's CMP-10 Mobile Printer Hits The Road With Globus, One Of The World's Largest Travel Tour Companies

Globus, a world leader in guided travel tours, was faced with a problem – how to manage credit card transactions in a timely manner from customers touring locations all over the world. The answer was a unique system that uses the Palm Treo Smart Phone and Citizen Systems CMP-10 mobile, wireless printer. Used in tandem, the two products instantly deliver an itemized printed receipt to customers no matter where in the world they may be vacationing.

Globus tours are paid for in advance, but often offer tourists extra options during the tour for an additional fee. In the past this process involved the tour directors making a mechanical imprint of a credit card and snail mailing it back to the Globus offices in Littleton, Colo. This procedure took weeks to complete and created some very big accounting headaches.

"We needed a way for our tour directors to get quick credit card approval and print an itemized customer receipt from some pretty remote locations like Borneo or the African Rain Forest," said Evan Harolds, finance director of Globus. "To further complicate matters this system needed to be simple to use and small enough for our tour directors to carry in their daily travels."

The answer to the problem was a Palm Treo Smart Phone equipped with software from 3G Touch Solutions that could send and receive credit card data. To complete the transaction the system uses the ultra-compact Citizen CMP-10 mobile, wireless printer for itemized customer receipts.

Weighing less than 12 ounces and equipped with a Lithium-Ion battery supplying up to 16 hours of active run time, the CMP-10 was the perfect answer to this difficult problem. The CMP-10's protective rubber cover and built-in metal belt clip are ideal for the demanding on-the-go environment in which the Globus travel directors work. The printer's optional Bluetooth interface provides a wireless connection to the Treo Smart Phones providing even more ease of use in this mobile environment.

"We are very pleased that Citizen's CMP-10 is part of the solution," said Seth Avergon, Marketing Director Citizen Systems America. "It's great to work with other sharp technology manufacturers and create a win-win situation for our end users."

Tour directors use the CMP-10 to print out itemized receipts on location that show what optional item customers selected and what it cost them. The printers are also used to generate vouchers for vendors that are then submitted for reimbursement by Globus and to create printed records for use by the tour directors in record keeping.

"We currently have about 175 tour directors using these units in the field and they have proven to be a reliable and effective solution to our problem," Harolds added. "The tour directors like them because it speeds up the process allowing them to spend more time with the tourist and Globus realizes savings through credit approval prior to sales and simplified accounting."

Globus' use of the CMP-10 is another example of Citizen Systems' dedication to leading technology for humanity. Creating solutions that make business easier for a world that is hard at work. For more information about the CMP-10 POS printer please visit the website at www.citizen-systems.com.

About the Company
Citizen Systems America develops and markets Citizen point-of-sale printers, industrial printing solutions, thermal bar code, portable thermal, high-speed line impact, specialty forms impact, serial matrix printers and OEM printer mechanisms that are used in a variety of industries from foodservice to retail to banking. For more than two decades, Citizen products have set the standard for performance, reliability and value among printers. A wholly independent U.S. corporation, Citizen Systems America is the U.S. subsidiary of Citizen Systems Japan, a global leader in the production of mini-printers, industrial printing solutions and the world's largest manufacturer of quartz crystals and oscillators. Citizen Systems Japan is the electronic products affiliate of Citizen Watch Co. Ltd., Japan, the world-renowned manufacturer of fine timepieces. Citizen Systems America's headquarters are located at 363 Van Ness Way, Suite 404, Torrance, CA 90501 (310) 781-1460. For more information, please visit Citizen Systems America's web site at www.citizen-systems.com.

SOURCE: Globus