Jakob Nieweg, Deputy Head of Brand Management at Jarltech Europe GmbH, spoke to Rick Hardman, Business Development Manager EMEA at apg Solutions spoke with Jakob Nieweg, Deputy Head of Brand Management at Jarltech Europe GmbH about the new smarttill solution.
Customer friendliness is particularly important in industries with personal customer contact such as retail or hospitality. But how should businesses focus on their customers when they are haunted by the thought of closing time and the tedious counting of the day’s takings? It’s a good thing apg exists, because with the new smarttill solution, apg offers a remedy.
Jakob Nieweg: Hello Rick, thank you for joining. Today, we’re going to talk about the new smarttill solution. The first question that comes to mind when I think about smarttill and what I think all readers want to know is: What is smarttill and what are the benefits?
Rick Hardman: Hello Jacob, it’s good to be here. smarttill is like your trusty old cash drawer, but with a brain. It looks like a normal till on the outside, but it’s a genius on the inside. It counts cash, tracks transactions and catches errors before they become headaches.
Think of it as a cash drawer with a virtual accountant inside, constantly counting and reconciling to keep your cash in perfect order. The advantage is that you don’t have to pay someone to do it for you. It saves time, cuts costs and takes the stress out of cash management.
smarttill uses automatic weighing technology that accurately processes the world’s most common currencies. Coupled with our cloud-based analytics platform »currentsee«, it tracks cash movements, links them to transactions and even assigns accountability to specific individuals. It’s cutting-edge technology that reduces cash loss at the point of sale to near-zero from day one.
Jakob Nieweg: Sounds very interesting and gives a lot of insight into the transaction point when it comes to money. But before we look at this technology in more detail, could you explain why smarttill stands out compared to similar products?
Rick Hardman: smarttill offers a straightforward and reliable alternative to cash recyclers. It’s got no clunky moving parts to maintain. It’s both – cost effective and easy to manage. Unlike other systems that require a large upfront investment and ongoing maintenance, smarttill keeps things cost friendly and efficient.
It’s designed to fit seamlessly into existing set ups, so smarttill comes in standard sizes. This makes it easy to install in place of your current cash drawers with minimal disruption.
But most importantly, it preserves the personal interaction between cashiers and customers, while offering the visibility and control of a high-tech self-checkout without the high cost or technical headaches. It’s a smart, high-tech solution that offers the best of both worlds.
Jakob Nieweg: We’ve touched on it before, but why should a company invest in smarttill technology?
Rick Hardman: Investing in smarttill is like hiring a dream employee. One who never takes a break, never calls in sick, never makes mistakes. It cuts costs and keeps cash safe. It frees up time to focus on what really matters to the business. Best of all, it pays for itself quickly. So how does it do that? I imagine the hours spent counting cash and reconciling it with the transaction log at the end of each day. Minutes turn into hours, and over a month that’s a huge drain on resources. smarttill handles all of that automatically, saving both time and money. Most of our customers see a return on investment within a year. From then on, every saved hour, every reduced discrepancy, is pure profit for the business. It’s a solution that keeps on giving, long after it has paid for itself.
Jakob Nieweg: These are some huge advantages, but which businesses would actually improve their current day-to-day business with this solution? For which type of businesses would this solution fit best?
Rick Hardman: smarttill is perfect for any business that handles cash on a daily basis. Traditional cash drawers are like a black hole. You don’t know what’s going on inside them throughout the day. With smarttill you eliminate that black hole and regain control. Retailers large and small, single store or multiples, appreciate how it streamlines cash handling, reduces errors and provides real time visibility. So whether you’re a Tesco or a local corner shop, smarttill keeps your cash in check. In hospitality, it’s a lifesaver during busy hours from bars like Wetherspoons to hotels like Premier Inn. It handles cash smoothly so the team can focus on the customer, not the cash. When cash is part of the business then smarttill is the trusted sidekick. The one you didn’t know you needed.
Jakob Nieweg: I love that! And how exactly does it save time for the employees? You talked about that earlier.
Rick Hardman: smarttill saves the team from the dreaded cash counting grind. Instead of spending hours balancing tills and resolving discrepancies, staff can focus on chatting with customers, stocking shelves or even sneaking a tea break – less cash and counting stress and happier employees.
Jakob Nieweg: When it comes to installing smarttill, are there any challenges or is it fairly easy to install? Is it easy to integrate with the current solutions that businesses have in their stores?
Rick Hardman: smarttill is designed to be hassle free. You start with a standalone pilot, so no integration is required. Plug it in and it’s ready to go. If you decide to take things further, smarttill will take a simple data feed from the POS and automate discrepancies against the transaction log. We’ve taken all of the complexity out of the process and made some massive improvements to the integration. So you can get up and running as quickly as possible and focus on what matters most – your business.
Jakob Nieweg: That sounds like a simple installation. Almost like plug and play. Are there any case studies? Success stories that have been experienced with smarttill?
Rick Hardman: One of our favourite success stories comes from the UK’s number one supermarket grocer. They’ve been using smarttill for nine years and have seen huge cost savings and efficiency improvements during that time. In fact, they’ve been so impressed with the results that they’ve recently committed to upgrading to our latest technology to continue enjoying the benefits. Another example is a German bakery chain that was losing hours each week because of cash counts and chasing discrepancies. With smarttill they save so much time that they could focus on what they do best, making the world’s best croissants. Sales went up, cash losses went down and their staff couldn’t be happier.
Jakob Nieweg: So there’s a huge improvement and a fairly short ROI when you look at the cost of the whole thing. And when it comes to upgrading to the latest technology and improving all these different insights you get out of smarttill, is it possible to combine it with other apg products? Or is it really a standalone solution that only works with itself?
Rick Hardman: Absolutely, smarttill is more than just a cash drawer. It’s a cash management solution. It integrates seamlessly with other apg products like our new note acceptor, which increases the overall cash handling capacity of the system.
Together, they provide a comprehensive, efficient and scalable solution that simplifies operations and reduces errors. It gives you complete visibility of your cash.
By bringing smarttill into your business, you’re not just adopting a product, you’re embracing a smarter way of working. It’s a system that evolves with your needs, works effortlessly with existing POS setups, and puts you in control of your cash management. From small businesses to the largest retail chains, smarttill helps businesses focus on what matters most, serving their customers and growing their success. Why settle for less when you can have the best?
Jakob Nieweg: Thank you, Rick. Thanks to your answers, everyone now knows what the new smarttill solution has to offer.
Ask your sales representative about the new smarttill solution from apg today!
