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The recent wave of new payment technologies has modernized the way diners pay their tabs. The 3 Common Cash Management Headaches for Restaurants (and how to prevent them) But one thing is for sure: The old-fashioned way of paying with cash is still going strong. Cash payments make up 35% of all in-person payments, according to Brink’s data. Despite the growing popularity of instant payments, cash won’t be going the way of the dodo anytime soon. An estimated 92% of consumers surveyed had no plans to stop using cash, according to a 2024 report by the Federal Reserve Financial Services’ FedCash® Services. Cash can also be the source of several security and bookkeeping headaches for restaurant owners. Here are the 3 common problems every Restaurant 365 customer should know about cash -- and the convenient solution that could spare them from these headaches 1. Internal Theft and Shrinkage •  Whether it’s secured in a hiding spot or left out in the open, cash is vulnerable to crimes of opportunity. Shrinkage is the result of theft, in addition to mismanagement and poor accounting. •  Employees are responsible for upwards of 85% of all restaurant thefts -- equal to 4% of total restaurant sales, according to Brinks data. •  80% of former restaurant employees admitted to stealing cash at some point during their tenure. 2. Time-consuming Trips to the Bank •  Sending a restaurant employee to the bank to deposit cash leaves them vulnerable to theft. •  Employees have to deposit money during “bankers hours” of 9 am to 5 pm -- the same window of time when the restaurants needs them most– ultimately impacting productivity. 3. Fees, delays, Inaccuracies •  Banks typically charge handling fees for cash deposits, which eat into profits. •  Lag times from when cash is deposited to when It’s available affect cash flow. •  Complicated reconciliation process – checking point-of-sale receipts against cash – can uncover inaccuracies and create delays. These are all very common and avoidable problems. Which is why BLUBeem by Brink’s® has created a cutting-edge cash management solution for restaurants that conveniently integrates with Restaurant 365. Here’s how it works: Enhanced Security and Shrinkage •  Employees safely deposit cash in a Brink’s smart safe that’s installed on-site, reducing theft and shrinkage. •  The amount deposited into the safe is paid out to the restaurant’s bank account the next business day -- even before Brink’s armored trucks retrieve the cash at a later date. •  Reduced liability in cash management. Increased Efficiencies •  Streamlined reconciliation process simplifies a historically complicated process. •  No more double-data entry for restaurant managers. Cash data and deposits are entered into one system, giving restaurant managers the time they need to focus on other aspects of the restaurant. •  Automated cash handling processes offer improved visibility of cash management. • The BLUbeem portal provides a single pane of glass, real-time cash management insight across all locations. Next-day Settlements •  Deposits are registered in-store. •  Deposit data is sent directly to Restaurant 365’s DSS (decision support system). •  No more trips to the bank mean no more costly bank fees. •  Cash can be used within one business day. •  Restaurant owners don’t have interest-based loans or lines of credit to manage cash flow. Contact us today to discover how your restaurant can simplify cash management and boost security with BLUbeem.  “The integration is ‘set and forget,’” says Pinar Alptunaer, Partner Marketing Manager of Restaurant 365. Thanks to BLUBeem, Restaurant 365 users can spend less time worrying about cash more time attending to their business and their customers. “BLUBeem gives restaurants security throughout the restaurant, from the front of house all the way to the back,” says Alptunaer Contact us today to discover how your restaurant can simplify cash management and boost security with BLUbeem. Enhanced Security and Shrinkage Increased Efficiencies Next-day Settlements ©2024 Brink’s. All rights reserved
Managing cash is now easier than ever for merchants that use Clover from Fiserv point-of-sale (POS) and business management systems. Thanks to an application integration between Clover and BLUbeem by Brink’s digitized cash management app, you can digitally reconcile cash sales, all from your Clover POS. While small to mid-sized businesses face a variety of challenges, this app brings the benefits of BLUbeem Cash to the POS and helps ease some of the particular inconveniences that come with managing cash payments. Here are four business pain points likely hurting you that the BLUbeem app for Clover solves. Complicated manual cash reporting and reconciliation Imagine getting back hours in your day to spend more time at home with your family. It would be pretty nice, right? For many merchants, a manager may spend time each day checking their point-of-sale receipts against the cash they are about to deposit at the bank. The owner may follow up on this manual tracking a second time. Reconciling cash payments and bank deposits the old-fashioned way is a tedious process that involves tracking down receipts and comparing them to the amount deposited in the smart safe. Find an error? Good luck figuring out where it came from. With BLUbeem, we digitally track your cash sales, and provide you with a side-by-side perspective so that you can more easily reconcile cash sales quickly and from within the same platform, giving yourself or your employees more time to focus on what matters most. Never-ending bank trips to make deposits You’ve probably heard the phrase, “While the cat is away, the mice will play.” Do you see a reduction in store performance when you or an important manager are out of the store? Many businesses today are making bank trips daily – cutting into valuable store time. Or worse, you may be relying on an employee to drop that deposit off on their way home from work. Thanks to BLUbeem’s secure smart safe, you can conveniently drop cash in-store, without having to step foot outside. The smart safe goes hand-in-hand with our app, which allows you to enter cash amounts and see where they are once they’ve been picked up by our messengers. Cutting out bank trips means saving time as well as minimizing risks like theft and loss. Painful time gaps between when cash is deposited and when it’s available Waiting around for bank deposits to post to your account is a thing of yesterday. BLUbeem gives you next-day access to your cash via advance credit, added to any bank account of your choice. This allows you to access your cash faster and use it toward paying business bills or anything your business may need.   Lack of visibility into your cash Imagine trying to pack for an out-of-state trip without checking the weather forecast first. It wouldn’t be the best decision, and what ended up in your suitcase would be based on a blind guess that could leave you both uncomfortable and unprepared. Not knowing your cash situation and trying to make big decisions could leave you in a similar bind -- without a detailed look into how much cash your business has on hand, it’s hard to have a solid grasp of your cash flow to make important financial decisions. From our POS app, you get a full picture of how much is inside your cash drawer, along with how much has been added to your smart safe and how much has been credited. The bottom line With transactions and cash data together in one place, you’ll save time and money while improving visibility. And when you’re running a business, having access to those benefits, all from your POS, is hard to beat. Talk to us to get the full scoop.
Time is of the essence, especially when it comes to running a successful business. But let’s be honest: between managing employees, making sure there’s enough inventory in stock, balancing cash drawers, and more, it can feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. Without the right tools in place, that is. While we can’t help with every single challenge your business might face, we’ve got a lot to offer when it comes to cash management. At BLUbeem by Brink's, we've brought the cash processing experience into the digital era so you can save time and money and quickly access your cash, without having to leave your store. It all starts with BLUbeem Cash. What is BLUbeem Cash? It’s a digital experience that combines technology and services to streamline cash handling and management. Small businesses deserve big wins, and that can be challenging when the time and costs of cash management get in the way. With BLUbeem Cash, our focus is simple: to help you reduce the burden and cost of cash. Do any of these challenges sound familiar? Taking deposits to the bank is time-consuming and leaves employees vulnerable to thefts on the way Bank deposit fees are costly and quickly add up Manual cash reporting and reconciliation processes can be a real headache Lack of visibility into cash that's been credited to your account doesn't add value back to the business. How does BLUbeem Cash work? In developing BLUbeem Cash, we thought to ourselves, “Imagine how much time and money businesses could save if cash could be dropped into an in-store smart safe instead of having to haul cash to the bank.” So, we made it a reality. It all begins with our app, which can be accessed either on your mobile device or desktop, and a discreet smart safe installed in your store. Using the app, you can enter the cash amount you're going to add to the smart safe, and then, with easy-to-use technology, you can quickly drop cash into the box. Talk about fast -- once the cash is secured in the box, you get credit to the bank account of your choice the very next business day. Just think -- that means you can avoid having to depend on high-interest loans to fund routine day-to-day business expenses. It also means saying goodbye to high in-branch deposit fees. And as soon as cash is inside the smart safe, we're immediately responsible for the money inside, so you can trust that it's secure. One app, many benefits Just like when you place an online order and track its whereabouts, you'll never have to wonder where your cash is once our messengers pick it up. Our app tracks where the cash is, whether it’s still on the truck or has been taken to the bank. Want to see detailed insights about your cash and cash flow? Our app also allows you to reconcile daily cash quickly and provides various dashboards, reports, and data filtering. And ordering cash has never been easier – the app allows you to order bills and coins and have them delivered to your store. You can count on us We’re committed to making cash work faster and smarter so that your business can run as smoothly as possible. Ready to learn more about the specifics of BLUbeem Cash and how it can help your business win? Click here.
As a small business owner, you will likely need the technology of a point-of-sale (POS) system to integrate your hardware and software in a streamlined way to accept payments, track your inventory and your customer buying habits, and manage other time-consuming tasks.  When your customers walk into your business, they don’t all have the same mindset. Some are steady customers and know what to expect. Others are first-timers who found you in their neighborhood or through an ad, or a friend. Some are in a hurry to finish up and get out the door. Others like to hang out and chat, or browse for what’s new. Their time in your business ends in the same place, however—your point of sale (POS). Here’s what a POS system can do for you and how to find the right one. What’s a POS system, and why is it important? A POS is the part of the buyer journey where you “close the deal,” and a POS system is the hardware and software that helps your customers check out, whether online or in-person. It’s important to make this final step in the sales journey a nice experience for yourself and your customers: the right POS system can do so much more than just ring up and record sales. The right system can absolutely improve your business.  No matter what kind of small business you have—retail, restaurant, service provider, entertainment or hospitality—you likely need a POS system in place to help you manage things.  Here’s what the right POS system can do As a small business owner, you’re likely used to multitasking. But if you’re acting as CEO, marketing manager, accountant, inventory manager, and HR director, you’re already taking on a lot. The right POS system can help you manage or automate many important tasks, with everything in one spot.  Consider how the right system can improve your business. Here are some key benefits of a POS system: •    Can give you useful info about your individual customers, such as what products or services they buy •    Helps with inventory tracking so you always know what’s moving, what’s not, and what’s needed •    Helps manage your marketing and loyalty programs to reach new customers and build strong relationships with your present ones •    Helps automate time-consuming tasks like refunds and returns, invoicing, accounting, and reporting •    Helps with employee scheduling and productivity tracking, positioning you to build the strongest, most efficient team possible  What are your key business needs?  You may already have a POS system that seems to work just fine. But does it help you manage all of the information you need to run your business? Without a good POS system in place, you may be missing the opportunity to connect sales transactions to other tasks that make your business work smoothly.  The first step in finding the right POS system is to figure out what your business needs. What types of payments do you accept—cash, credit and debit cards, mobile payments, gift cards? What’s your present system missing? What tasks would you like it to do? What do you spend time on that could be simplified if you had better information or automation?  Also take time to consider your future. Are you planning to add locations or expand your current ones? Or maybe you want to add new perks through your customer loyalty program. All easily done, if you pick a POS system that can grow with you.  Along with your own research, ask your key team members to weigh in on what works now and what’s missing. Record your results and start to prioritize your needs.  What’s currently in place that you can keep?  A POS system can be a significant investment, so find out what you can improve on with additional technology. First, look at your hardware, your cash drawers, barcode scanners, credit card terminals, and printers. Make sure any POS system you consider will link with your current devices. Then look at your software, including apps. If you already have good accounting software, customer relationship management (CRM), ecommerce platforms, and inventory systems, search for a compatible POS system. If you don’t have some of these systems in place, or if they desperately need an upgrade, perhaps consider an all-in-one POS platform. What to look for in a POS system After you determine your needs, start to shop and compare POS systems. Look at these features and functions: •    The checkout process Make sure it’s easy to scan items and look up products and prices. Speed is important to keep the lines moving, so test for ease of use. Take a close look at how your customer needs to interact with the POS system. Make sure it’s intuitive and easy. •    Catalog management Choose a POS system that helps you track and manage your offerings of goods and services. The right POS system has fields for all information you need, like supplier data, products in multiple sizes or colors, unique bundled package offerings, or discounts for multiple purchases.  •    Customer management Your ideal POS system should help you manage your customers and grow your business. For instance, a system that lets you email or text your customers, with their permission, would help you stay connected.  •    Reporting and analytics The data and insights your POS system offers can help you make smarter decisions. It can provide sales reports for tax purposes, inventory insights like your best sellers and slow movers, info about your top spenders, frequent shoppers, inactive customers, and more.  •    Payments When it comes to checking out, customers like to have payment options. So it’s important that your POS system is capable of processing all types of payments, including cash, credit and debit cards, and mobile payments.  What’s your next step? Once you know what features you need, it’s time to find the right POS provider. Ask your business friends what they’re using and how it’s working. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce or a business association to see what resources they offer. Ask the POS company you’re considering for references and check them out. Ask for a demo at your store, or even better, a free trial, so you and your team can test features and benefits. Make notes of what works well and what doesn’t so you can ask the provider to address issues.  You’re on your way!  If you’re ready to take this big important step in managing your business, you’ve made a good decision. The right POS system is an investment in how you operate your business today and will help you build future success.  No matter what kind of POS system you have in place or are considering, it’s important to partner with a company that simplifies payment solutions. And that’s where BLUbeem comes in. For more insights on small businesses, click here.  
BLUbeem is transforming the payments industry by offering convenience, speed, and security by giving businesses the opportunity to combine their cash and card payment management. Hi! We’re BLUbeem—a new name you might not be familiar with. We’re here to help simplify the connection between you and your money. We know lots of your customers like the convenience of paying with cash, and we know you want to give them that option. We also know the headaches that cash management can give a smaller business. That’s exactly why we started BLUbeem: to make cash payments as easy to manage as card payments, while also offering a way to connect cash and card payments for an incredibly simple experience. We’re here to light the way for your business to digitize cash processing. After all, that advantage shouldn’t be just for the big guys. We want to know all about you, how you manage your cash, and how we can help you simplify it. We also want you to get to know us. So, here’s a little bit about how and why BLUbeem came to be. And what we can do for you.   What’s so different about BLUbeem?   We’re a new brand, but one with 160+ years of cash management experience behind us. We’re leveraging Brink’s history of success in cash processing, transfer, and security. We’ve added in the latest technology and a laser-like focus to help smaller businesses like yours. BLUbeem makes digital cash management easy and accessible to a business of any size. Our goal is simple—reduce your burden and cost of cash management and connect cash and card payments for the easiest way to digitally manage all payments. We’re dedicated to making big business tools affordable for small and medium-sized companies. We’ll give you exactly what your business needs—a solution built to support you. Here’s what we offer   A simple solution  We bring you an easy way to manage cash payments, giving you time to focus on your customers and other important day-to-day tasks.  A modern approach  We use up-to-date technology, and with awesome partners, connect you to a total payment system that can combine all your cash and card processing needs. You get convenience, security, and fast support when you need it. An innovative outlook Whatever your business needs are today, tomorrow may be different. We get that. BLUbeem works constantly to turn innovative ideas into a cash management solution that works for you. Handling cash shouldn’t be hard BLUbeem innovates how businesses like yours handle cash because it should be easy. As easy as managing cards, in fact. And traditional ways of handling cash may be costing you more time and money than you think.  These hassles may sound familiar: Transporting cash and paying fees Moving cash from your business to the bank and back involves time. Sometimes lots of time. You may get stuck in traffic, and then have to wait in line at the bank. On top of that, you might get hit with high bank deposit fees. Don’t forget, along the way, you and your money may not have security. No visibility Cash sitting in your back-office safe isn’t working for you until it hits your bank account. You don’t even know how much you have on hand until you have the time to count it. Your idle money isn’t working for you. Wasted time and lost labor Cash takes time to prep and take to the bank for deposit, as well as reconcile. You’re often doing this yourself, or leaving it to your most trusted, highest-paid employees. You and your employees’ time is spent on labor that could be reallocated to more customer-focused tasks. We know you deserve better than that. Digitize with BLUbeem Cash Yes, a very tangible thing like cash enters the digital era. Here’s what our service, BLUbeem Cash, offers: Easy settlement You can drop cash from right inside your business. You receive bank credit for that cash within one business day. Low-risk convenience You can do all of your transactions from your business location and never go to the bank again for cash deposits. A discreet in-store smart safe lets us know when you've dropped cash inside. The box protects your cash until a Brink’s team member conveniently pick it up. Amazing efficiency We have an easy-to-use app that lets you track your cash and see the credit you received—from any location, at any time. Practical insights You also get dashboards and easy-to-understand reports. We show you the data about where your money is to help you conveniently manage it. Connect your card and cash processing into one solution Remember us mentioning those awesome partners? BLUbeem partners with payment providers to provide businesses with one simple payment solution. Cash handling and card processing join forces. Together we take care of all of your payment needs—cash and cards. Easy! Thanks for letting us introduce you to BLUbeem! Let’s talk soon, OK? Go here to find out more.
Running a successful business can be hard, but thankfully there are all kinds of tools that help make things easier. Take commercial kitchen equipment, for example, which helps restaurants prepare large amounts of food quickly. And barcode scanners, which allow shops and grocery stores to ring up merchandise in a flash. What many business owners don’t realize is that there are tools that can help simplify cash management, too, saving time and money in the process. Here are five reasons why it might be time to give your current cash management system a facelift.     1. Handling cash takes a lot of time  You can get a lot done in 20 hours. For some perspective, in that amount of time, the average person could binge-watch every single Harry Potter movie back-to-back, learn the fundamentals of a new instrument, or run multiple 5Ks (though, just running one in a day sounds tiring enough to us, to be honest). You may be surprised to learn that the average merchant spends over 20 hours each month handling cash, according to data gathered from a Brink’s-sponsored survey conducted by IHL Group, a research and advisory firm. Just imagine what you or your employees could be doing with 20 hours a month instead of spending that time managing cash, preparing deposits and taking them to the bank. When is the last time you stepped foot in a bank to make a personal deposit? You shouldn’t have to for your business, either.     2. Bank deposit fees add up quickly  Isn't it strange that your bank charges you to put cash in your own account? No matter the size of a business, nearly all of them rely on banks when it comes to making cash deposits. But fees for making those deposits aren’t cheap. Then you have to think about “convenience” and what that might be costing you. Often times, deposits are made at whichever banks are closest to individual storefronts. Let’s say you run a local restaurant with two locations on opposite sides of town, so you use two different banks. That means you’re having to manage two banking relationships that may come with different deposit fee costs. Have you considered what you might spend that extra money on if you weren’t paying high cash deposit fees? True convenience can be achieved without spending an arm and a leg on deposit fees.     3. There’s a lack of visibility into cash   Picture this: you’re trying to work on budgeting your money better in your personal life. But every time you log in to your online checking account, you can’t see what your account balance is. In that scenario, it would be pretty hard to pinpoint your spending habits, and it would be harder to tell if someone had stolen your debit card and was making purchases. Having key data is crucial, including when it comes to a business’ finances. Trying to make smart, data-driven business decisions is pretty challenging to do if you don’t have access to accurate data about your cash. With access to important information about your cash, it can be much easier for you to spot trends, problem areas in losses, or overages in cash on hand.    4. Safety and security threats pose risks   In theory, having employees depart from your store to make deposits at the bank seems like a reasonable idea. But in reality, it’s leaving those employees and your cash vulnerable to theft, loss and shrinkage. If money were to be lost or stolen, it could take out a large chunk of weekly revenue and other fees to recoup. To cover its expenses in such a short amount of time, a business without significant reserves might be forced to pay high fees to lenders. Or if an employee was involved in an accident on the way to the bank, they could be seriously injured. Plus, there could be major financial consequences in the form of liabilities and workers’ compensation. There is an easier way to risk less with your cash and get it safely into your account.     5. Access to working capital is limited  In a world where so many things are now instant or fast (like jumping on the internet right away without delay or that awful dial-up sound, posting on social media, and ordering packages online and having them delivered within days), having access to your cash should be, too. It doesn’t do you much good if your cash is stranded in a register or safe. This tied-up working capital can lead to reliance on other more costly lines of credit.     Transform your cash management with BLUbeem   At BLUbeem by Brink’s, we have a solution that tackles all of these challenges and more, digitizing and streamlining cash management. Click here to learn more about how it can help take your cash management from stressful to simple.

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