What is treasury management and why is it important for your business?
Treasury management is a generic term used to describe popular banking products and services for businesses and non-profits.
Treasury management, also known as cash management, allows organizations to easily control cash flow in an efficient and effective manner, while staying up-to-date with financial statements and collections. There are many tools available, and there is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Hopefully, this article be a valuable resource as you research what banking tools are best for your organization. This is by no means an extensive article, and further research should be done before deciding on your banking solutions.
What are the most popular treasury management services?
Direct Deposit of Payroll:
Direct deposit is quickly becoming the norm for medium to large organizations. This service expedites the paycheck distribution while also providing enhanced security. Instead of mailing out checks, the bank or credit union involved will electronically deposit the funds into your employees financial accounts. It is a great time-saver and should be considered by any business with employees.
Positive Pay:
Positive Pay was developed to eliminate check fraud for organizations. Your financial institution will only pay for checks that match your company profile (i.e. check serial numbers and dollar amounts). If a check written in your company name does not match up with the above criteria, then you will be alerted, or the bank will simply refuse the check depending on the type of positive pay in place.
Merchant Services / Credit Card Processing:
If you are a brick and mortar shop or an e-commerce only business, you will likely need merchant services. This service allows you to accept payments from all major credit and debit cards. It also allows your to automate reoccurring billing. Usually financial institutions offering this service will also provide point-of-sale (POS) equipment and a loyalty card program. Make sure that before you choose merchant services provider that you understand all of the fees associated with credit card processing.
Other Treasury Management Tools:
If you are seriously considering banking services for you business, you may also want to research Bill Pay, Remote Deposit, Wire Transfer, Sweep Account Services, Bill Pointe, Business Checking, and Automated Clearing House.
In conclusion, make sure that you do your research before deciding on your business-banking partner, so that you get good rates and state-of-the-art equipment and services. Also, understand that every business has different banking needs. If you are small “Mom and Pop” shop, you might not need half of the services listed above; however, if you are a medium to large corporation, it is probably essential for your organization to have the best of these services because of the security, efficiency, and reporting available.
