TSG Aims to Decode Payments Complexity with New Executive Dashboard

OMAHA, Neb. – January 22, 2026 – In a move aimed at simplifying the notoriously complex world of payments analytics, The Strawhecker Group (TSG) has launched its Executive Dashboard, a significant enhancement to its widely used Acquiring Industry Metrics (AIM) platform. The new tool is designed to provide payment organizations with an immediate, visual, and intuitive understanding of their portfolio performance, translating vast datasets into actionable, executive-ready intelligence.

For an industry built on high-volume, low-margin transactions, the ability to quickly identify performance trends, pricing anomalies, and attrition risks is paramount. The launch addresses a critical pain point for executives and analysts who are often inundated with data but starved for clear, strategic insights. By consolidating key performance indicators into a modern interface, TSG is positioning the dashboard as a command center for data-driven decision-making.

Simplifying a Complex Data Landscape

The core value proposition of the Executive Dashboard lies in its ability to distill complexity. The payments ecosystem generates a torrent of data related to pricing, profitability, merchant growth, and customer churn. The new dashboard surfaces the most critical metrics from the moment a user logs in, enabling leaders to bypass cumbersome report generation and get straight to analysis.

“The Executive Dashboard brings AIM’s intelligence forward in a more accessible and actionable way,” said Mike Strawhecker, President of TSG, in the company's announcement. “Leaders can now spot anomalies, compare performance to the market, and make informed, data-driven decisions in seconds, leading to immediate revenue lift.”

This functionality is delivered through several key features. A refined attrition bridge helps users visualize and understand merchant portfolio growth or contraction. Dashboards dedicated to gross and net revenue performance allow for quick evaluation of financial health, while modules on onboarding and activation efficiency provide insight into the operational pipeline. Flexible filters enable users to segment data rapidly by industry, region, or other variables, providing deeper clarity without adding complexity. This design philosophy directly counters the industry-wide challenge of analytics platforms that are powerful but require specialized expertise to operate effectively.

Solidifying a Dominant Market Position

This launch is more than a product enhancement; it is a strategic move to solidify TSG's leadership in a competitive market. The AIM platform is already a heavyweight, used by organizations that represent over 75% of U.S. payment volume and covering a staggering four million merchants. This market penetration, which has grown from approximately 63% of U.S. dollar volume in recent years, gives TSG's benchmarking data unparalleled depth and authority.

However, the analytics space is not without formidable players. Competitors ranging from specialized consulting firms like Glenbrook Partners to major card networks like Mastercard, with its Acquirer Intelligence Center (AIC), are also vying to provide acquirers with performance insights. TSG's key differentiator has long been its unique, third-party perspective, allowing for anonymous benchmarking against industry peers. The Executive Dashboard sharpens this competitive edge by focusing on user experience and speed-to-insight, making its powerful dataset more accessible than ever before.

The firm's long-standing credibility is underscored by endorsements from industry veterans. Jeffrey Sloan, the former CEO of Global Payments and a prominent investor and advisor, noted his reliance on the company's insights. “I leveraged TSG’s benchmarks and insights for more than a decade,” Sloan stated. “Their deep experience in all facets of merchant acceptance, paired with portfolio analytics, elevated our decision‑making.” This kind of endorsement highlights the trust TSG has built with top-tier leaders, a critical asset when launching a tool aimed squarely at the C-suite.

From Benchmarking to Actionable Revenue Growth

While benchmarking provides context, its ultimate value is in driving tangible business outcomes. The claim of “immediate revenue lift” is supported by the platform's ability to quickly identify financial leakage and growth opportunities. The broader AIM platform has a documented history of delivering significant returns, with typical users reporting a return on investment of over 50:1. In one case, an executive at a top U.S. acquirer credited the platform with adding over $400 per merchant to their bottom line annually.

The Executive Dashboard is designed to accelerate this process. For example, by visualizing net revenue trends against industry benchmarks, a pricing manager can instantly see if their portfolio is underperforming and drill down to identify the specific merchant segments that require repricing. This functionality builds on previous AIM enhancements like the Embedded Pricing Tool, which was created to help acquirers “right price” their merchants and capture revenue that was otherwise being left on the table.

Similarly, sales and retention teams can leverage the dashboard to monitor performance. A sudden spike in attrition within a specific industry, made visible by the dashboard, can trigger a proactive retention campaign. Conversely, identifying high-growth merchant categories can help sales organizations focus their efforts more effectively. The dashboard transforms data from a reactive, historical record into a proactive tool for managing performance across finance, sales, and operations.

The Central Hub of Payments Intelligence

TSG’s strategy extends beyond a single dashboard. The launch reflects a continued investment in making AIM the central intelligence hub for the entire payments ecosystem. This vision is supported by API integrations that allow AIM’s data to be fed into clients’ internal systems, such as CRM or proprietary business intelligence portals. The recent launch of the comprehensive TSG Portal, which provides a single sign-on experience for all of the firm's products, further reinforces this integrated approach.

By creating a seamless and user-centric platform, TSG is ensuring its analytics are not siloed. Instead, the insights from the Executive Dashboard can inform strategic planning in the boardroom, financial modeling in the finance department, and daily tactics on the sales floor. It empowers a diverse set of users—from C-level executives and finance leaders to pricing teams and BI analysts—to speak the same data-driven language.

As the payments industry continues its rapid evolution, the ability to make fast, informed decisions has become a primary determinant of success. With the launch of its Executive Dashboard, TSG is making a clear statement that providing powerful data is no longer enough; the future belongs to those who can make that data accessible, intuitive, and immediately impactful.