Running a small business can be challenging, but luckily there are tools that can help. In this article, we’ll focus on Cash Management services, which help you manage the all-important inflows and outflows of cash to and from your business. Successful cash management has the potential to help you find the balance between keeping just enough cash on hand without forgoing the opportunity to earn interest on excess funds. Keep reading to learn how to increase business banking efficiencies with cash management.
What is Cash Management?
The term “cash management” encompasses the day-to-day administration of your business’s cash inflows and outflows. When you have enough cash on hand to pay your expenses, you can avoid taking on debt. Cash management is linked to your business activities, investments in new equipment, and any debt you’ve taken on. The goal of cash management is to optimize cash flow by improving areas of operation such as accounts receivable and payable, and inventory.
For example, the sooner you collect on AR, the better your cash flow will be. It’s important to establish a credit policy (due on receipt vs. due within 30 days; it may depend on the customer) and to follow up on overdue invoices. When it comes to AP, you can be strategic about when you pay suppliers and vendors in order to maximize your cash position. Finally, inventory is a delicate balancing act–you don’t want to have too much cash tied up in your inventory, but you do need enough on hand to meet your business’s immediate needs.
Cash management is also referred to as Treasury Management, but Treasury Management includes a larger variety of functions, including funding and investment activities.
What’s Included in Cash Management Services?
Whether you’re a small business or agriculture business in Northwest Arkansas or Southwest Missouri, CS Bank’s Cash Management is part of our Business eServices and gives you access to:
- View account balances and transactions from your desktop computer or mobile device. Stay on top of the money flowing in and out of your business checking account.
- View Check and Deposit Images to reconcile Accounts Receivable and Payable.
- Funds transfer and loan payment so you can stay on top of your debt obligations.
- Download account transactions into spreadsheets or financial programs for easy syncing with your accounting software.
- Ability to view 18 months of bank statements, tax reporting information, loan notices, and more.
- Additional security features for multiple user access
- ACH Origination including Payroll Direct Deposit*
- Wire Transfers*
*Upon approval – additional fees apply
With our Cash Management tools, you can strike the balance between keeping too much cash on hand and not having enough. Having too much cash means missing out on interest-earning opportunities in a Business CD or Money Market account. But if you don’t have enough cash, you may not be able to make a loan payment on time or cover payroll. Cash management is all about finding the right balance.
How Can Cash Management Help You Manage Your Business More Efficiently?
Cash Management integrates with digital banking and your accounting software or spreadsheets to make it easy for you to review transactions, check account balances, and more–from wherever you are. Managing your business’s cash flows is the key to financial stability. The benefits of cash management for businesses include:
- Helps you keep track of your cash flow and understand where your money is going and coming from.
- Minimizes your risk of running out of cash and helps you maintain the right cash balance for your business.
- Can help you evaluate the needs of your businesses’ financing needs
- Allows you to serve more customers by accepting a variety of payment methods (credit cards, ACH, digital wallet, and P2P and other digital payments), which is especially important as customers have adopted new ways of shopping and paying for products.
Overall, Cash Management can help you meet payment obligations, plan for future expenses, and maintain adequate business stability.
Small Business Alternatives to Cash Management
If you’re just launching a small business or sole enterprise, or you’re simply not ready for cash management yet for one reason or another, CS Bank still has a way to help you efficiently manage your business finances. With Autobooks, an affordable online accounting platform, your small business can get help with invoicing and payment processing.
- Create and send electronic invoices and estimates.
- Accept multiple payment options such as credit card, debit card, or ACH transfer.
- Deposit payments into your CS Bank Business Checking Account or link external bank accounts.
- Customize the look of your invoices with your company logo and details.
Autobooks can help your business with Cash Management by helping you collect payments faster. Make it as easy as possible for your customers to pay you by sending a link to your invoice over text message or email, generating a QR code, or accepting payments in person through the Autobooks app on your smartphone.
Learn How Cash Management Can Help Your Northwest Arkansas or Southwest Missouri Business!
To learn more about CS Bank’s Cash Management Offerings or Autobooks, talk to a business banker to see how we can help you. We provide banking services to businesses and farms in NW Arkansas and SW Missouri–explore all our business banking and commercial lending products. If you have questions, contact us or visit your nearest location in Eureka Springs, Berryville, Harrison, Huntsville, or Holiday Island, Arkansas, or Cassville, Missouri.