How automating daily tasks can help boost business, sales and revenue

Vinod has been running a grocery store in a busy Chennai neighbourhood for more than 10 years now. When the coronavirus-induced lockdown started hitting businesses across the country earlier this year, Vinod faced several challenges. Most of his customers, vendors and partners insisted on paying him digitally - something he wasn’t equipped for. Supply chain disruptions were another problem since deliveries of weekly stocks were delayed or cancelled for various reasons, including failed payments. This put Vinod in a tough spot as most of his payments were made via cash, which was no longer feasible as he wasn’t physically meeting his suppliers. To cope with the situation and ensure smooth business transactions, Vinod did something he wasn't very comfortable with - integrated technology into his daily business.

By signing up with HDFC Bank SmartHub, Vinod automated routine operations and digitised his business finances. Over the next few months, he realised that he was able to save costs, improve efficiency, retain customers, and revive sales and revenue. Seeing Vinod get back on his feet despite the ongoing confusion, his friend Mamta who owned a dress material store asked him for his advice on automating business tasks. Mamta, like many others, was unsure of taking her business digital as she wasn’t well versed with technology.

Here are some queries Mamta had, for which Vinod provided all the answers.

Can I automate business tasks without any prior knowledge?

You don’t have to be a software engineer or a computer genius to integrate technology in your day to day business. All you need is a simple and easy to handle digital payment solution like HDFC Bank SmartHub.

HDFC Bank SmartHub is a single platform designed to cater to every business need, such as tracking and tallying different types of payments, calculating reconciliations, accounting refunds and stocks, sending invoice links and payment alerts and much more. When you sign up for HDFC Bank SmartHub, all you need is to complete a simple set up process and get started.
Is my money safe?

HDFC Bank Smart Hub has robust security features such as configurable access controls that require verification through a One-Time Password (OTP). All payment data on HDFC Bank SmartHub is encrypted to ensure complete confidentiality of the user's financial information. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about illegal access or manipulation.
What does technology offer that traditional bookkeeping doesn't, especially since it has worked for years?

Automating day-to-day billing and accounting adds a layer of accountability and transparency that didn’t exist before. It offers a complete picture of a business' cash flow and sales position, eliminating the need to hire a bookkeeper. And HDFC Bank SmartHub’s integrated reporting features make it easy to split payments into different heads and even automate recurring payments. The time thus saved can be better spent serving customers.
Can I trust the reports generated by the system?

HDFC Bank SmartHub generates reports by consolidating the payment data you receive from customers. The system makes these calculations automatically, which means that there is no scope for error. You can also use HDFC Bank SmartHub as a repository of billing data by uploading files regularly.
Will I waste more time trying to manage things on the platform?

Quite the opposite! With HDFC Bank SmartHub, you can get a complete overview of your bills from all sources. This means that the process of reconciliation, payments and refunds is much faster – just a few clicks. And its integrated reports can help analyse daily collections and categorise them under different heads. You can also download payments receipts for record-keeping if required.

With an integrated payment solution like HDFC Bank SmartHub, Mamta also soon managed to take her business online and streamline revenue collection. Through its comprehensive features, it also became easy for her to monitor the daily performance of her business and keep her books in order. In terms of customer experience, with HDFC Bank SmartHub, she also started offering multiple payment options - online payments (Debit and Credit Card and NetBanking), tap and pay (Mobile Card Swipe Machine POS), scan and pay, wireless card swipe, and UPI (PayZapp). So as you continue to do business in a pandemic-hit society and look forward to a hopeful future, sign up for HDFC Bank SmartHub - a clever way to keep business on track.

You can read more on how automating payments help grow business here.