The simple green jumper. The pledge. Earning colorful badges. The annual cookie drive. I remember it like it was yesterday (or 38 years ago)! But did you think that in 1912, when Juliette Gordon Low established the Girl Scouts of America in Savannah Georgia, she envisioned her followers to be on the cutting edge of social networking and e-payments?

As FI payments professionals we work hard to stay in tune with the latest advances and trends in funds movement. We are busy retooling our operations, educating our employees and communicating with our account holders about the latest payment alternatives. As corporate payments professionals, we are talking to our bankers, networking with our peers and looking for ways to speed up the collections process and streamline outgoing payments.

Nothing like being outdone by a 9 year old! The motto "Always be Prepared" has taken on new meaning. It appears a small group of girls scouts (with the help of a silicon valley dad) were able to sell 400 boxes of cookies per hour! No red wagons. No following your daughter by car through the neighborhood as she goes door to door. Simply establish a Facebook event online announcing your on site sale, and with the help of a small hardware device called Square, you outfit a cell phone to accept debit and credit card payments. The story is very interesting and very cool!

Speed, efficiency and convenience are the name of the game. Today's consumer is younger, tech savvy and on the go. They want money to move from point A to point B with little effort but maximum security. Just reading about innovation to be ready for the water cooler talk is not enough. It has never been more critical than now that when you look at your current payment processes (or those of your account holders) you think outside the box. In this case...the cookie box.

Got any great stories about automated payments and their application in the real world? Trying to solve a problem but need insight from others? Who needs Facebook when you have your peers at b2bsynergy.org. I would love to hear about the applications you are working on. BTW...my favorites...Tagalongs.