Access ACS Frequently Asked Questions
Updated Feb 2009

Compatibility

Does Access ACS work on a Macintosh?

Does Access ACS use a Microsoft Access database?

Does Access ACS work with Web browsers on handheld devices like a PDA or SmartPhone?

Getting Started

How do I sign up for Access ACS?

How long does it take to do an upload to Access ACS? How often should I do it? Can I do it over a modem line?

I have thousands of church members. Do I have to set up each user myself?

How do I put a link on my church website to get members to go to Access ACS?

Managing Records

If I upload records to the Access ACS server and then change my mind, can I remove the records?

Can I only upload select records from ACS , or do I have to upload all of them?

Can I only upload some of my calendars from The Ministry Scheduler, or do I have to load all of them?

If I upload contributions, can other people see them? For example, can the Access ACS administrator see them?

If I know another member's name and e-mail address, can I sign in as that member and see their record?

Rights and Permissions

I don't want any changes made to my ACS data without my approval! How does Access ACS give me total control?

What if I have one leader whom I want to give more permissions than the others. Can I do this?

Do you have to be an ACS administrator to be an Access ACS administrator?

Event Registration and Online Giving

Does my church have to have Access ACS to use Event Registration or Online Giving?

How do I sign up for Event Registration/Online giving if I already have Access ACS?

If my church already has a merchant account, can we use them?

If we do not already have a merchant account, is there a certain one we should use? How do we sign up with them?

Is Canadian Currency compatible with Access ACS?

Can we accept payments from people using electronic checks (ACH) and not credit cards? Our church does not want to accept credit card payments because of the costs associated with it.

What are the fees associated with the Event Registration and Online Giving and how do we pay them?

My church wants to use the Event Registration functionality to allow people to sign up for events, but not pay for them. Can we do that and what does it cost?

Can my church use the Event Registration part and accept payments, but not use the Online Giving functionality? What does it cost?

Can my church sign up to use the Online Giving without the Event Registration? What does it cost?

Additional Options

What are the future plans for Access ACS?

Compatibility

1.  Q. Does Access ACS work on a Macintosh?
A. Yes, your members and leaders can use Access ACS from a Macintosh. However, since some administrative features do not work on a Macintosh the Access ACS administrator should use a PC.

 2.  Q. Does Access ACS use a Microsoft Access database?
A. No, Access ACS uses a SQL database.

3.  Q. Does Access ACS work with Web browsers on handheld devices like a PDA or SmartPhone?
A. Yes, it will work with a wireless hand held device for those users who have permission to search for records.

Getting Started

4.  Q. How do I sign up for Access ACS?
A. Click the signup button at www.accessacs.com and follow the directions that display.

5.  Q. How long does it take to do an upload to Access ACS? How often should I do it? Can I upload over a modem line?
A. Generally, upload time takes only minutes. A typical DSL line, takes 3-4 minutes to upload 1000 records with all the data in the records. We recommend you upload at least once per day if you are making changes in your ACS database at the church office. Uploads are possible using a modem line, but this process is slower and is not recommended for large churches.

6.  Q. I have thousands of church members. Do I have to set up each user myself?
A. No. There is a link on your website that lets your members sign up for an account without your help. The system is set up so that any member signing up is automatically assigned a Member Login user profile.

7. Q. How do I put a link on my church website to Access ACS?
A. The system generates a link for your Web site on the Web Links screen under Admin -- Options. Just copy and pasted the link to your Web site.

Managing Records

8.  Q. If I upload records to the Access ACS server and then change my mind, can I remove the records?
A. Yes. Perform a search in ACS to find the records you want to upload. Then, upload again using the search results. All old records are removed and replaced by the new upload.

 9.  Q. Can I only upload select records from ACS , or do I have to upload all of them?
A. You can choose the records you wish to upload by performing a search in ACS. Before you upload, select the check box indicating you want to use the latest search results when you upload.

 10.  Q. Can I only upload some of my calendars from The Ministry Scheduler, or do I have to load all of them?
A. You can select the calendars you want to load when you perform an upload.

 11.  Q. If I upload contributions, can other people view them? For example, can the Access ACS administrator view them?
A. Members can only view their own contributions. You determine who can view the data by assigning permissions inside the user profiles.

12.  Q. If I know another member's name and e-mail address, can I sign in as that member and see their record?
A. No, when you first sign up, you enter the name and e-mail address. However, an e-mail with the password is sent to the e-mail address of the member who signed up. So, even if you enter another member's name and address, that other member receives the e-mail with his password! For more information about Access ACS security features, see our security document .


Rights and Permissions

13.  Q. I don't want any changes made to my ACS data without my approval! How does Access ACS give me total control?
A. When you upload your data to the Access ACS server, you are essentially copying your data to another database. This database is the one members and leaders work with, not your ACS database. When you are ready to approve changes that your members and leaders have made, you simply click a button to accept those changes into your ACS database.

 14.  Q. What if I have one leader whom I want to give more permissions than the others. Can I do this?
A. Yes, you can create as many user profiles as you need, and each profile is fully customizable to fit your organization’s needs.

 15.  Q. Do you have to be an ACS administrator to be an Access ACS administrator?
A. No, you can assign administrators in Access ACS separately from the ACS administrator.


Event Registration and Online Giving

16.  Q. Does my church have to have Access ACS to use Event Registration or Online Giving?
A. Yes, currently you must purchase Access ACS to use Event Registration. You must also have Access ACS for Online Giving, but the ability to accept money transactions in any form incurs an additional fee. Online event registration with no money transactions involved is free with basic Access ACS.

 17.  Q. How do I sign up for Online Giving if I already have Access ACS?
A. In Access ACS, point to Admin, then click Add New Features. Sign up for this functionality, and follow the instructions that display.

 18.  Q. If my church already has a merchant account, can we use them?
A. Yes, but only if your current merchant account is compatible with Authorize.net, PlugNPay, or Vital.net. Contact your merchant account to find out if they are compatible with one of these gateways. Also, if you are not using Sage as your merchant account, you cannot accept electronic checks (ACH). We can only accept ACH payments through Sage at this time.

 19.  Q. If we do not already have a merchant account, is there a certain one we should use? How do we sign up for a merchant account?
A. Yes, if you do not already have a merchant account or if you want to accept ACH-electronic checks online, you should sign up with Sage. A link to the Sage Information Sheet is provided for you on our Web site. This sheet is the first step towards signing up for a merchant account with Sage. You must complete this sheet in total. ServiceU handles our transaction processing so they will contact you about processing your application form. Once your merchant account is set up with Sage, log into Access ACS and enter your merchant account information to begin to process payments.

20.  Q. Is Canadian Currency compatible with Access ACS?
A. IATS is the only Access ACS compatible merchant provider that deals with Canadian currency. You must specifically inquire with them about Canadian currency. Their website is http://www.iats.ticketmaster.com/english/index.html.

21.  Q. Can we accept payments from people using electronic checks (ACH) and not credit cards? Our church does not want to accept credit card payments because of the costs associated with it.
A. Yes, if you use Sage as your merchant account provider you can choose to only accept electronic checks for payment.

22.  Q. What are the fees associated with the Event Registration and Online Giving and how do we pay them?
A. There is no charge for Event Registration. However, we do charge for processing online financial transactions. If you sign up for Online Giving, and/or you sign up to accept payments for events, we bill you a one-time setup fee of $125. Please note, this does not mean you are charged $125 each time. You can sign up for one part and pay your setup fee, then sign up for the other part later without any additional fees.

A monthly fee of $30 is added to your monthly invoice. Monthly fees are not applied until you enter your merchant account information and we validate it. You cannot process any online payments until you have a valid merchant account in our systems. Please note, this is NOT $30 each. It is a flat $30 if you have Event Registration, Online Giving, or both.

Transaction fees are $0.20 per transaction. These are also documented in your monthly invoices. So, if you are using Event Registration or Online Giving and want to accept payments then the transaction fee applies. If you do not accept online payments, the transaction fee does not apply.

There are additional fees that you pay your merchant account. These fees were not discussed here. Our fees cover the processing of the payments through the gateways. Your merchant account fees are taken out of the monies that are accepted and deposited into your merchant account.

23.  Q. My church wants to use the Event Registration functionality to let people sign up for events, but not pay for them. Can we do that and what does it cost?
A. Yes, you can just use the Event Registration without accepting payments if you wish. There is no charge for this service.

24. Q. Can my church use the Event Registration part and accept payments, but not use the Online Giving functionality? What does it cost?
A. Yes, you can do this. You are charged the setup fee, the monthly fee, and the transaction fees. If you sign up for Online Giving at a later date there are no additional setup or monthly fees.

 25.  Q. Can my church sign up to use the Online Giving without the Event Registration? What does it cost?
A. Yes, you can do this. Yes, you can do this. You are charged the setup fee, the monthly fee, and the transaction fees. If you sign up for Event Registration at a later date there are no additional setup or monthly fees.