Are you really getting everything you sell?

When it comes to financial management, many entrepreneurs immediately focus on controlling expenses. And while this is essential, does just managing costs ensure the financial health of the business?There is another equally relevant aspect: ensuring that what was sold is being effectively received.

Inconsistencies in payments: a more common problem than it seems

Recently, a franchisee in the footwear sector reported an unexpected situation. When reviewing its operations, she realized that not all sales made were being deposited in the company's account. But how was this possible? Despite the transactions being recorded in the point of sale system, the amounts did not appear in the card payments report. The task of manually checking the large volume of daily transactions was unfeasible, leading her to seek a technological solution.

The answer came with the implementation of a card reconciliation software, which automatically identified recurring discrepancies between what was sold and what actually entered the bank account. It was found that some sales, although recorded in the store system, were not included in the reports of the acquirers, which meant amounts that simply ceased to be paid.

After eliminating the possibility of internal problems, thoroughly reviewing the operations of the store with the vouchers of the card machines in hand, the franchisee found that the problem was in operational failures of the acquirer itself.

Cases like this are more common than you might think.To give you an idea, between 2022 and 2023, the F360, through its card reconciliation functionality, helped customers recover R$159 million in amounts that might otherwise have been lost.

Automation: the key to avoiding financial losses

In addition to identifying unpaid sales, reconciliation systems also detect undue charges on the fees applied, which may differ from the amounts traded with the card brands.

In retail, where sales volume is high, performing manual reconciliation is almost impossible. Technology, in this context, becomes a great ally, allowing discrepancies to be identified quickly and that values are not lost amid the complexity of the financial flow. Even seemingly small inconsistencies, such as 0.1% of sales, can result in significant losses over time. There are cases of retailers who have recovered thousands of dollars by correcting flaws detected with the use of software.

Although credit and debit cards are considered safe means of payment, the merchant needs to be aware of all stages of the process. This includes not only the conference of sales made, but also the rates applied. Franchisors, for example, often negotiate special conditions with the flags for their networks, but it is crucial to verify that the agreed amounts are being charged correctly on a daily basis.

Automating financial reconciliation is an indispensable strategy.Small daily mistakes, if ignored, can accumulate and cause a significant impact on the close of the year. Imagine a poorly calculated rate applied to each installment of a forward sale: without a tool to identify these discrepancies, the shopkeeper would hardly notice the problem, but the impact on billing would be real.

So don't let money slip through reconciliation failures.In retail, every penny makes a difference, and ensuring all sales are properly received is essential to business sustainability.