Wachovia banking online allows businesses more control over their finances and, consequently, their cash flow. Wachovia online banking services allow business customers to see transactions, transfer money and view checks. Wachovia banking services also let users receive balance alerts if the account balance dips below a level you set.

To learn the ins and outs of Wachovia banking and Wachovia online banking services you should understand how online banking in general works. Wachovia web banking, at its core, is a simple way to manage your Wachovia online checking account. Here are the three basic components you need to learn to master Wachovia online banking:

1. Discover Wachovia online banking basics.

2. Manage your Wachovia online banking account from your computer.

3. Take full advantage of your Wachovia online banking services.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Master the basics of your Wachovia business online banking

If you've always managed your business finances with a ledger or a simple accounting program, then Wachovia online banking may seem foreign. But you'll soon discover that it's remarkably easy to use. Familiarize yourself with Wachovia online banking basics, but it's important, too, that you understand how online banking works in general so you know what to expect from Wachovia online banking.

I recommend: Start by looking at the services Wachovia offers its business customers online--you can get different levels of Wachovia online banking services depending on your needs.

Select the right software with Wachovia Internet banking

If you plan to use Wachovia banking online--or any online banking--then you'll need to complement it with software made specifically to work in tandem with online banking. Online banking for Wachovia comes with the option of importing your monthly statement into these programs, which helps you track reconciled transactions, upcoming bills and payments and deposits that may not yet show up on your Wachovia online banking account.

I recommend: Buy software designed specifically for online banking and that allows you to import your statements and transactions directly into the program. Intuit offers two pieces of financial planning software, QuickBooks Pro and QuickBooks Premier, that work in tandem with online banking with Wachovia. If you have five or fewer employees, then you could also use Microsoft Money Plus.

Use Wachovia online banking services to their fullest

Wachovia Internet banking offers more than simply tracking your account; small business customers have other perks. Explore Wachovia's website--particularly the small business section--to find other benefits not immediately apparent. Some of these benefits for online banking for Wachovia are immediate while others have long-term benefits.

I recommend: Look at Wachovia's Business Discount page to see what other businesses give Wachovia small business customers discounts, like the ones offered at National car rental to Wachovia small business online banking customers. The Wachovia Tips page offers advice and articles about human resources, business loans, marketing and information technology.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Secure your passwords for your Wachovia online checking account with a password management program instead of writing them down.

As a small business owner, you already know how much time is devoted to your accounts and bookkeeping. With Wachovia banking, you can access Wachovia online banking services to make the job of accounts payable and accounts receivable much easier. With Wachovia, online banking is making the lives of small business owners easier.

Wachovia business online banking is secured with SSL, Secure Socket Layering. SSL locks you into their system so no other person can access your Wachovia online banking account. SSL is recognized as the best protection and way to protect identity online. With SSL protection, your business can pay accounts, transfer funds and follow transactions. Wachovia banking online also offers credit card services so you can see immediately when a customer pays with their credit card.

With Wachovia online banking services, your business can also:

1. Use Wachovia online checking;
2. Recover bad checks;
3. Scan deposits in real time using Wachovia small business online banking; and
4. Compare the different types of business accounts available with Wachovia banking online.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Open a Wachovia online checking account

Enroll your current Wachovia checking account for access to Wachovia Business Online. You can fill out the form online, then fax or mail it to Wachovia. If you prefer, you can drop off the completed form at a local Wachovia bank. If you don't have a Wachovia checking account, open one at any Wachovia bank and request access to Wachovia Business Online.

I recommend: Fill out the Wachovia Business Online form, then print and fax it to the number listed.

Utilize Wachovia online banking to recover bad checks

If you have a business checking account, make sure you have access to Wachovia Business online. Wachovia banking online for businesses offers Bad Check Recovery at no extra fee. Wachovia will recover the full face value of returned checks for you.

I recommend: Review the Wachovia Internet banking site about free Bad Check Recovery for business accounts.

Make deposits online after hours

Many small businesses are working far away from their bank or can't make it to the bank before closing. With a Wachovia online checking account and an approved scanner, your business can make deposits any time of the day or night, in real time. Deposits made until 8:00 P.M. are counted in the daily deposits. You can either buy or lease an approved scanner to make deposits online.

I recommend: Check the list of approved scanners for Wachovia online deposits.

Compare the different types of online business accounts available through Wachovia

Wachovia banking online offers 2 main business accounts for small business owners. Most small business owners benefit with Wachovia Business Online. The Wachovia Connection Express business account is more suited to businesses that have more than one person with access to the account and can manage multiple users.

I recommend: Compare Wachovia business accounts online and watch a free online video about Wachovia Business Online banking.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Upgrade your payroll system by enrolling in Wachovia's automatic payroll desposit program and offering your employees direct deposit of their paychecks.

If your company has a Wachovia bank account, then you probably know about Wachovia online banking services. But you may wonder if you're really getting the most out of them. Perhaps you know how to check your bank balance online or how to pay a bill using Wachovia web banking, but you feel like you're missing out on some of Wachovia small business online banking's infinitely more useful (and cooler) features.

You are. But don't worry, this guide will point out some of the handiest features offered through Wachovia online banking services. Wachovia web banking—especially Wachovia small business online banking—can help the fiscal parts of your business run more smoothly. Some of the things you can do with your Wachovia online checking account include:

1. Building a secure identity with your Wachovia online banking account

2. Paying your bills with online banking for Wachovia

3. Setting up low balance alerts so you receive an e-mail when your Wachovia banking accounts dip below a level you specify

4. Viewing your statements online

5. Depositing your checks online rather than driving to the bank

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Set up a Wachovia internet banking identity that's secure

You'll need to create an online user name and password. If you've opened a Wachovia small business account relatively recently (in the past few years), then you probably set up a Wachovia online banking account user name and password at that time. If you opened the account earlier than that, or if you opened the account when your branch wasn't yet a Wachovia bank, then you may not have Wachovia banking online privileges.

I recommend: Because you should try and choose a user name and password that makes your business less prone to identity theft, you should read over the Safe Internet Banking brochure from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to help you understand common security issues. Next, take the identity theft quiz from Wachovia to minimize security risks from the start.

Use Wachovia online banking services to pay your bills--automatically

Making the most of Wachovia online banking includes taking advantage of services that can make your life easier and your business run more efficiently. Set up an automatic bill pay schedule for recurring bills and learn how to schedule one-time bill payments. You may want to purchase banking software if you haven't already; programs will help you take full advantage of Wachovia internet banking services.

I recommend: Use the demos available on the Wachovia business online banking site. They'll explain how to use Wachovia BillPay and other services. If you want to get business finance software to work with your Wachovia business online banking account for bill paying or other services, then check out some of the products available at FinanceDownload.com.

Create balance alerts and explore the other features of Wachovia online banking

Once you feel comfortable with your online identity and paying bills online you can move on to some of the richer features offered through Wachovia small business banking online.

I recommend: The online banking for Wachovia demo explains the variety of services that Wachovia offers. If you're still looking for other ways to make the most of Wachovia online banking, then check out online banking tips from Microsoft.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Making the most of Wachovia online banking doesn't end when you log off the computer. Keep your password, user name and account numbers in a safe location, such as locked in a cash room or safe.

Using your computer to connect to the Internet and perform some of your financial transactions has grown increasingly popular over the past few years. With the online banking industry growing so quickly, most banking customers hear a plethora of new terms relating to their bank accounts. Once Wachovia bank customers master the basic terms, you will find a rich world of online banking to make your life easier.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Online banking

The phrase online banking refers to anything from viewing your bank balance on Wachovia's website to transferring funds to another account to paying your bills through an online portal.

I recommend: Bankrate explains online banking basics, while Wachovia provides an online services guarantee that helps customers understand what to expect from online banking.

BillPay

Wachovia Online BillPay lets customers pay bills online. BillPay customers don't have to write paper checks or wait for them to clear; Wachovia transfers the money or pays the bill the instant the customer confirms the transaction.

I recommend: Explore the Wachovia online BillPay program at the company's website. Consumer Search explains the ins and outs of online bill paying.

Online brokerage

Wachovia's online brokerage lets you see your investments, receive stock quotes and make trades online. The idea behind Wachovia's online brokerage is that it will replace your other broker.

I recommend: Kiplinger Washington Editors reviews the best online brokers. For specific information about Wachovia online brokerage, check out the bank's description of its services.

One Stop

Wachovia One Stop provides its online banking customers with all sorts of information, not just data about their Wachovia accounts. Wachovia One Stop lets customers see their entire portfolio, frequent flyer miles and even non-Wachovia bank accounts in one place.

I recommend: The One Stop program is unique to Wachovia, although many banks have similar features for their online banking customers. To learn what One Stop does and what it is, check out the explanation from Wachovia.

Quicken, QuickBooks and QuickBooks Pro

Intuit makes three types of personal software that work with online banking: Quicken, Quickbooks and Quickbooks Pro. These three programs work in tandem with Wachovia online banking to expand the online services on your computers, even when you don't have access to the Internet.

I recommend: Compare the Quickbooks online banking products at Intuit.

Microsoft Money

Microsoft Money works much like any of Intuit's products. The program that your company selects will depend largely on personal preference. Like Intuit, Microsoft offers different versions of its money management software.

I recommend: Compare the different money management products that Microsoft offers.