How small businesses can integrate modern banking tools to boost efficiency

Business Journals

02-05-2025

For some small business owners, the endless day-to-day cycle of managing accounts, credits, and debits can quickly turn a lifelong dream into a kind of nightmare. Keeping track of your expenses and cash flow is essential for keeping your business tidy but balancing that work with the realities of running and expanding your business can seem almost impossible.
The good news is there are digital banking tools that can ease or even eliminate those burdens entirely.
At Southern Bank, our community-centric approach and experience in assisting small business owners has given us unique insight into which tools are most impactful, as well as the best ways to help business owners integrate them into their daily routine. While we never advocate for one-size-fits-all solutions, certain banking tools have become clear necessities for the modern small business owner.
It's a digital world we live in
While your small business probably needs to retain the ability to accept cash, it's infinitely more important that you equip yourself properly to accept, file, and reconcile digital transactions in a neat fashion.
To that end, partnering with a financial institution that can provide your business with tools like comprehensive Automated Clearing House (ACH) support and Remote Deposit Capture can make an enormous difference. Being able to organize and direct digital payments from customers and vendors can help bring order to the maelstrom of incoming and outgoing transactions and give you a better view of your business' overall financial health.
Access from anywhere, but not for everyone
The life of a small business owner is often full of cold coffee, achy knees, and late lunches. You won't always be able to sit in the back office to comb over the day's reports, so your ability to view and manage your business' finances on-the-go is essential for making efficient use of your time.
Beyond mobile and digital banking access — which are absolutely non-negotiable — modern small business owners should also think of availing themselves of digital banking tools that can grant select administrative permissions to their employees. As every business owner knows, proper delegation is critical to success, and tools like Southern Bank's business finance suite enable you to manage over 40 approvals related to entitlements and users, helping your essential employees work with more freedom.
However, it's equally important to remain in complete control of your data and account information. Balancing the need for on-the-go access with protection from the proliferation of scams and cybercrime may seem like a monumental task, but with the right partner, it can be as easy as set-and-forget. Southern Bank's business finance tools include things like Positive Pay Solutions, which help you identify and block fraudulent activity before it becomes an issue. Southern Bank has also partnered with LexAlign to help business owners analyze their practices and identify gaps in security.
Growth starts with the right partner
Ultimately, selecting and integrating the correct suite of digital business banking tools will come down to careful examination of your current needs and your plans for the future. Balancing security, reliability, and flexibility is the key to keeping pace with today's customers and their expectations. To do that, you need a partner you can count on — one with years of experience helping business owners take charge of their current situation and prepare for the future.
Southern Bank is that partner. Our longstanding commitment to personalized service means you'll never be treated like a number. Your business is one of a kind. We'll give it, and you, the attention you deserve.
Visit our website today to find out what Southern Bank can do for your business. You'll find testimonials from business owners like you, be able to explore account options, and get the individualized guidance you need to move forward with confidence.
Southern Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern BancShares (N.C.), Inc. With its Corporate Headquarters located in Mount Olive, North Carolina, the Bank has total assets over $4 billion and over 60 locations throughout Eastern North Carolina and Southeastern Virginia.