Change machines are used across many industries. Some smaller varieties of change machines sort and count coins for helping retailers manage their hard currency revenue. Other such machines are used in public places like arcades and car washes to dispense coins to customers. Some of the larger machines available to business owners help sort coins for customers, allowing them to turn in their change for paper currency. All of these machines deal with metal currency, and all of them play different roles in business.

Managers of any business can look to the Internet for options on using change machines in various situations. To understand how you can use change machines (coin change machines or bill change machines) for financial solutions in your business, you need to know how:

1. Coin sorter machines help retailers and other businesses with bulk coinage get the coins sorted for paper rolling and shipping to banks or other institutions offering paper currency exchanges.

2. Digital coin counting machines help businesses track their hard currency revenue.

3. Coin vending machines and bill change machine options allow businesses to offer customers handy coins for utilizing coin-operated services, with the result that the business finally receives coin currency as revenue.

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

Use coin change machine models as sorters

Businesses with a huge amount of loose change can utilize currency change sorters to mechanically sort change into rolls and package coins for redemption.

I recommend: Get simple coin change sorter models at Stacks and Stacks. Find more coin sorter solutions for getting your change into easy-to-handle piles at Factory Express.

Use digital coin counters and change machines for evaluating change revenue

All types of businesses can use digital coin counting machines to inventory coinage or get a snapshot of coin revenue quickly. These state of the art business change machines can count, sort and package, for a great solution to handling bulk coinage.

I recommend: Look for digital coin counter models from Cassida and other top makers at Ace Depot. Find out more about these high-functioning products at Bank Supplies.

Use vending change machines to help customers 'unlock' coin-op services

Any business that has built coin-operated machines into its space needs coin dispensing machines or money change machines to help customers buy products or services. Without these additions, revenue will drastically decrease as buyers unable to find coins will go somewhere else to do laundry, get a car wash or buy food from vending machines.

I recommend: Order a wide range of familiar box change machines for getting customers automated change solutions at Birmingham Vending Company's online catalog site. Get more dollar bill changers and coin changer options at Mega-Vending online.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When thinking about using change machines in any one of these roles, consider the benefits of buying versus renting, or get good deals with used change machines, to make sure the value added to your business will balance out the cost. This way, the change machine pays for itself rather than breaking the bank and negatively affecting your bottom line. It helps to consider buying versus renting from a tax or leasing perspective to see how costs can best be balanced for a certain number of years.

As your business grows, you may need a more efficient way to count all your money. Change machines offer a quick solution to that problem. A coin changer or bill changer can organize, count, and sort money faster than a person and can save you money on manpower. Before choosing a coin change sorter, consider the following:

1. Assess your daily cash intake to decide on the correctly sized machine for your business. Remember to account for expected growth.
2. Consider money change machines that offer counterfeit detection.
3. Cash transactions are on the decline for most businesses, so consider currency machines that offer card reading features as well.
   

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

Buy business change machines

You can find a coin change machine for sale at several different online retailers.

I recommend: Hammacher Schlemmer sells a digital coin sorter that can sort 312 coins per minute. Office Equipment eStore sells coin change machines (a bill changer or coin changer) to suit your business, no matter the size of your money sorting needs. If you need a bill change machine, ABC Office has several models to choose from, at a range of prices. For another large selection of currency change machines, shop Mitchell Enterprises. This is also a good source for counterfeit detection machines. RiteCount.com also carries a variety of money counters to suit all needs.

Rent a change machine

If you are not ready to make the investment of purchasing a change machine, renting business change machines is another option.

I recommend: Coinstar offers change counting machines for sale or rent. The Currency Counter Store also offers change machines for lease.

Find used change machines

You can save money for your business by buying your money sorting equipment used.

I recommend: ACityDiscount.com offers used as well as new business equipment, including change machines. Discount Home Office also sells used coin sorting equipment.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Depending on your type of business, installing a coin change machine can add to sales. At a laundromat, arcade or similar business, the convenience of having the right change will let customers spend more.

We all use change machines: whether we're at the laundromat or at the arcade, outdoor shopping centers, or any place else where paper money just doesn't fit the bill, the public relies on currency handling machines. So someone needs to be trained in how to install, repair and maintain a coin change machine or bill change machine, as well as just doing the work of collecting the revenue.

For a lot of different takes on change machines education and training, see what the web has to offer in terms of educational resources. Readers looking to start a job in vending and currency handling machine routes, or managers looking to expand a collection of machines, can find comprehensive information on their proposed initiatives online, including:

1. Info on how people start careers working with vending and currency handling machines.

2. Actual training courses for currency changer machines and coin changer models to get beginners competent in working with these machines.

3. Work forums where interested parties can pick up "survey" type information about what it takes to keep vending and change machines online.

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

Look for info on change machines careers

One thing the web has to offer is some specialized analysis of where the money change machine industry is headed in terms of jobs. This info can be helpful for a manager of a change machine route or a beginning worker.

I recommend: The page at EdInformatics points out that a lot of change machine maintenance and servicing, especially in handling the currency revenues, is learned on the job, but the site provides information and statistics that may be helpful for educating workers or managers on how change machine servicing usually works. Get more at CareerInSight.

Locate training classes for currency change machines programs

Colleges and schools across the country offer programs in dealing with vending and currency handling machines including coin changer machine and bill changer models or coin change sorter machines. Find courses that fit your needs by browsing online catalogs or talking to academic reps.

I recommend: The National Automatic Merchandising Association will supply you with training materials your employees can study to be certified as a Vending Technician. For more training options as a vending machine (or change machine) technician, check out the possibilities offered through the Education Portal online and VendNet: a Wittern Group Company.

Use work forums to get news on working with change machines

Another great resource is forums where people talk about how they have set up money change machines in routes, or why a service tech had to come in and fix a machine. The words in these threads can be as good as gold to a new change machines worker or owner.

I recommend: Find change machine tips and info at the Vending Chat forums online. Find out more about maintaining vending machine routes and currency handling machines at Young Entrepreneur.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Pay attention to the fundamental of how these change machines work. Don't be afraid to ask questions related to the specific problems of cashing out bills. Find out about the 'metrics' of this complicated equipment, and you'll be a pro in no time!