CKFR Checkfree Corp (MM)

User-Friendly Club Management Software Enables Efficient Operations, Ensures Security of Member Data ATLANTA, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- CheckFree Health and Fitness, a business unit of CheckFree Corporation (NASDAQ:CKFR) today announced the introduction of CheckFree Compete(TM), a comprehensive club management system designed to meet the needs of small, medium and large-sized clubs. Designed by CheckFree, a health and fitness industry leader for more than 25 years, CheckFree Compete is a revolutionary new platform that provides clubs with the tools needed to reduce front desk turnover and training, minimize operating expenses, and provide an exceptional member experience. Each of the three editions of CheckFree Compete - Bronze, Silver and Gold - includes modules for check-in, point-of-sale, data entry, billing and reporting. Modules for contract process automation, scheduling and collections are available in the Silver and Gold editions. CheckFree Compete is offered in both an easily updated web-based version and in a software version ideal for clubs that prefer to utilize in-house technology applications. CheckFree invested in extensive usability testing throughout the development of CheckFree Compete. A panel of club owners and managers evaluated the solution during the development process, providing insight into key features and "must have" functionalities. The result is software that advances club management to the next level, utilizing technology to deliver enhanced member service. Among the most tangible results of the usability testing process is an intuitive user interface with touch-screen capability. "The CheckFree Compete intuitive user interface enables a substantial reduction in the amount of time needed to train front desk personnel," said Matt McKernan, senior vice president and general manager of CheckFree Health & Fitness. "Reduced training time is a significant asset in the health and fitness industry, where front desk personnel turnover rates can be as high as 200 percent. In addition, eliminating extensive training leaves experienced employees with more time to focus on serving members." "CheckFree Compete incorporates features that are designed to provide health clubs with a competitive advantage," says Dale McCarrell, chief financial officer at the 11,000 member East Bank Club in Chicago. "The overall ease-of-use will benefit members by facilitating a faster check-in process and more accurate billing and scheduling. In addition, robust data and reporting capabilities will provide club staff with the insight they need to deliver personal service." CheckFree Compete can be used by individual clubs or as a multi-chain club management solution. In addition, the software's scalable architecture accommodates potential membership growth and club expansion. Information stored within CheckFree Compete can be easily downloaded, allowing users to quickly rearrange and analyze data to suit their needs. Innovative functions include a configuration module that allows club owners and managers to tailor the software to meet their club's specific needs, and create and manage entry fields such as membership types, billing cycles and invoice categories. CheckFree Compete was developed with security in mind, and provides clubs with a safe infrastructure that ensures transactions, both POS and batch, are securely processed. CheckFree processes more than one billion payment transactions each year, and utilizes security measures that ensure member data is protected. CheckFree Compete software has been coded to comply with The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard, which mandates that merchants and service providers meet certain security standards when they store, process and transmit credit cardholder data. CheckFree consultants are well versed in current compliance requirements and can help clubs achieve and maintain best practices in handling data. The three editions of CheckFree Compete are designed to address the needs of clubs based on the number of members served and the variety of services offered. The Bronze edition is tailored for small clubs, the Silver edition for medium-sized clubs, and the Gold edition for large clubs. Bronze Edition Features - Check-In: Enables attended check-in, unattended check-in and monitored check-in to accommodate changing staffing levels. The module allows club staff to search for specific members, capture images of members and generate and view check-in reports. Employee time clock functionality is also included. - Point-of-Sale: Allows members, guests or walk-ins to purchase products and services using a variety of payment types. Point-of-Sale capabilities include tracking of "on account" charges, real-time credit card transaction processing, and the ability to view and print a list of daily invoices. - Configuration: Allows clubs to customize the display and use of features within CheckFree Compete, including membership types, billing cycles, invoice categories and permission settings. - Data Entry: Accommodates the storage of data relating to members, products, suppliers and employees. - Billing: Simplifies the member billing process by allowing club staff to post member dues, apply member payments, process billing and returns, and view billing history and reports. - Standard Reports: Provides insight into everything from members and prospects to products and accounting. Allows club staff to measure, analyze and improve club performance through more than 200 report types. - Database Utilities: Includes the ability to backup, restore and shrink the database. Silver Edition Features The Silver edition includes all of the Bronze edition features along with: - Advanced Reports: Enables the creation of custom reports and includes an option to print form letters. Clubs can run batch jobs, create member tags, change member dues and print membership cards utilizing the Utilities program included with Advanced Reports. - Contract Sales: Automates the contract process. Club staff can quickly and efficiently browse existing contracts and membership plans, sell membership plans, capture signatures electronically and support Paid in Full (PIF), EFT and statement plan options. Gold Edition Features The Gold edition includes all of the Silver edition features along with: - Marketing: Allows club owners to track and analyze new member leads, and send emails, newsletters and postcards to prospects. - Collections: Facilitates the ability of club owners to identify and follow up with members whose accounts are past due in a timely and strategic manner, allowing clubs to save valuable time and improve cash flow. - Scheduling: Enables unlimited scheduling, the specification of activity and employee availability per club location and the creation of recurring appointments and group appointments. For more information on CheckFree Compete or other products and services from CheckFree Health & Fitness, visit http://www.checkfreecompete.com/, or call 1-800-242-9522. About CheckFree Health & Fitness (http://www.checkfreecompete.com/) CheckFree Health & Fitness, a business unit of CheckFree Corporation, has delivered software and services designed to meet the operational, financial and membership management needs of the health and fitness industry since 1981. Today, CheckFree provides thousands of facilities worldwide with club management software, transaction processing and outsourced member billing and data management. The complete suite of solutions offered by CheckFree enables clubs of all sizes to grow and retain membership while maximizing revenue and minimizing day-to-day costs. About CheckFree (http://www.checkfreecorp.com/) Founded in 1981, CheckFree Corporation (NASDAQ:CKFR) provides financial electronic commerce services and products to organizations around the world. CheckFree Electronic Commerce solutions enable thousands of financial services providers and billers to offer the convenience of receiving and paying household bills online, via phone or in person through retail outlets. CheckFree Investment Services provides a broad range of investment management solutions and outsourced services to hundreds of financial services organizations, which manage about $1.7 trillion in assets. CheckFree Software develops, markets and supports payment processing solutions that are used by financial institutions to process more than two-thirds of the 14 billion Automated Clearing House transactions in the United States, and supports reconciliation, exception management, risk management, transaction process management, corporate actions processing, and compliance within thousands of organizations worldwide. Certain of the Company's statements in this press release are not purely historical, and as such are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or projections of the future. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, the various risks inherent in the Company's business, and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2006 (filed September 8, 2006), Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2006 (filed November 8, 2006) and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2006 (filed February 8, 2007). One or more of these factors have affected, and could in the future affect the Company's business and financial results in future periods, and could cause actual results to differ materially from plans and projections. There can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements made in this press release will prove to be accurate, and issuance of such forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by the Company, or any other person, that the objectives and plans of the Company will be achieved. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on information presently available to management, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. DATASOURCE: CheckFree Corporation CONTACT: Tina Moore, Investor Relations, +1-678-375-1278, , or Judy DeRango Wicks, Media Relations, +1-678-375-1595, , both of CheckFree Corporation Web site: http://www.checkfreecorp.com/

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